1. A user complains that Skype drops her videoconference calls and she must reconnect. At which layer of the OSI model should you begin troubleshooting? Which OSI layer is responsible for not dropping the Skype connection?
You should begin troubleshooting at the Transport layer of the OSI model, which is Layer 4. This layer is responsible for reliable end-to-end communication between devices.
The OSI layer responsible for not dropping the Skype connection would be the Session layer, which is Layer 5. This layer handles the establishment, maintenance, and termination of sessions between devices.
To begin troubleshooting the issue of dropped videoconference calls in Skype, you should start by examining the layers of the OSI model that are responsible for handling the network connectivity. In this case, the relevant OSI layer to focus on would be the Transport Layer.
The Transport Layer (Layer 4) of the OSI model manages end-to-end communication between hosts and ensures reliable transmission and error-free data transfer. It is responsible for segmenting the data received from the upper layers into smaller packets for transmission and reassembling them at the destination. This layer is also responsible for providing error detection and correction mechanisms, flow control, and end-to-end data integrity.
The specific protocol used by Skype for the transmission of videoconferencing data is the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), which operates at the Transport Layer. RTP handles the delivery of real-time audio and video data over IP networks and provides mechanisms to handle packet loss, delay, and jitter.
Therefore, in order to troubleshoot the issue of dropped videoconference calls in Skype, you should start by examining the performance and settings at the Transport Layer (Layer 4) of the OSI model to ensure that the network connection is stable and reliable.
It's important to note that while the Transport Layer handles the reliable transmission of data, there could be other factors at different layers of the OSI model that might also contribute to dropped videoconference calls.