5. Summary Table

Aspect

OSI Model

TCP/IP Model

Layers

7 (Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application)

4 (Link, Internet, Transport, Application)

Nature

Theoretical, standardized framework

Practical, internet protocol suite

Granularity

Highly granular, detailed functions

Streamlined, combined functions

Key Protocols

Ethernet, IP, TCP, HTTP, SSL/TLS, NetBIOS

Ethernet, IP, TCP, UDP, HTTP, DNS

Use Cases

Teaching, protocol design, troubleshooting

Internet operations, configuration, troubleshooting

Strengths

Detailed, interoperable, diagnostic

Simple, practical, internet-ready

Limitations

Complex, not implemented

Less granular, limited for teaching