Which layer of the OSI model is responsible for the establishment, management, and termination of sessions between applications?

The Session Layer is responsible for establishing, managing, and terminating sessions between applications. This layer plays a crucial role in organizing and synchronizing conversations between applications, ensuring that data exchange can happen smoothly. It manages the connections and maintains the dialog between the communicating parties, which includes handling authentication and reconnection in case of interruptions.

This ensures that applications can effectively communicate over the network without losing track of their interactions. For instance, it establishes the rules for the session, facilitates the opening and closing of connections, and can even provide mechanisms for maintaining the session state.

In contrast, the Transport Layer is primarily focused on the reliable transmission of data segments between hosts, ensuring the complete delivery of data and flow control. The Application Layer deals with end-user services, where users interact with software applications, while the Network Layer handles the routing and forwarding of data packets across different networks, focusing on how data is sent from one host to another rather than managing the sessions themselves.