CompTIA ITF+ Practice Test 2025 – All-in-One Resource for Complete Exam Success!

The Transport layer in the OSI model is responsible for managing end-to-end message delivery between devices. This includes segmenting data from the application layer into smaller units for transmission, as well as reassembling that data at the destination. The Transport layer ensures reliable communication by implementing control mechanisms such as error detection and correction, flow control, and retransmission of lost packets.

It provides services that enable applications to communicate with each other across a network regardless of the underlying physical infrastructure. Protocols such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) operate at this layer, facilitating both connection-oriented and connectionless communication, respectively. This focus on reliable delivery and the sequence of data make the Transport layer distinct within the OSI model.

Other layers serve different purposes; for example, the Network layer is primarily responsible for routing and addressing data, while the Application layer manages user interface and application protocols. The Security layer would cover data encryption, and the Physical layer deals with the actual transmission of raw data bits over physical media. Each layer has its own distinct role, but it is the Transport layer that is key in ensuring that messages are delivered accurately and efficiently between devices on a network.