Presentation Layer
Presentation Layer
Unlike lower layers, which are mostly concerned with moving bits around, the presentation layer is concerned with the syntax and semantics of the information transmitted. In order to make it possible for computers with different data representations to communicate, the data structures to be exchanged can be defined in an abstract way, along with a standard encoding to be used "on the wire." The presentation layer manages these abstract data structures and allows higher-level data structures (e.g., banking records); to be defined and exchanged.
The responsibilities of the presentation layer are as follows :
» Translation : The translation between the sender's and the receiver's massage formats is done by the presentation layer if the two formats are different.
» Encryption : The presentation layer performs data encryption and decryption for security.
» Compression : For the efficient transmission, the presentation layer performs data compression before sending and decompression at the destination.