|  |  | Overview

Now that you have learned about Layer 5 of the OSI model, it is time to look at Layer 6, the presentation layer. This layer is typically a pass-through protocol for information from adjacent layers. It allows communication between applications on diverse computer systems in a manner that's transparent to the applications.

The presentation layer is concerned with the format and representation of data. If necessary, this layer can translate between different data formats. In this chapter, you will learn how the presentation layer provides code formatting and conversion, which is used to make sure that applications have meaningful information to process. Layer 6 is also concerned with the data structures that are used by applications. To better understand this, you will learn how Layer 6 arranges and organizes data before it is transferred.