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Application Layer



Application Layer

The application layer contains a variety of protocols that are commonly needed by users. One widely used application protocol is HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), which is the basis for the World Wide Web. When a browser wants a Web page, it sends the name of the page it wants to the server using HTTP. The server then sends the page back other application protocols are used for file transfer, electronic mail, and network news.

The responsibilities of the application layer are as follows :

» Network abstraction : The application layer provides an abstraction of the underlaying network to an end user and an application.
» File access and transfer : It allows a use to access, download or upload files from/to a remote host.
» Mail services : It allows the users to use the mail services.
» Remote login : It allows logging into a host which is remote
» World Wide Web (WWW) : Accessing the Web pages is also a part of this layer.