Known as a "layer 2 protocol," the data link protocol is responsible for ensuring that the bits and bytes received are identical to the bits and bytes sent. For example, in a local network ...

The MAC sublayer offers many different protocols for sharing a transmission medium, but the netWorks application focuses on three MAC protocols defined by the IEEE 802 committee. These protocols are ...

If the link is shared by many hosts (for example, a LAN) this layer also specifies how access to the media link is controlled. A sublayer of the data link layer, called the medium access control (MAC) ...