106-20 Chapter 28 RF Network Management

This chapter defines the mechanisms and processes for managing radio frequency (RF) links with the RF network. The RF network implements an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model approach to data transmission, where data moves through the OSI stack from the application layer to the physical layer, from physical layer to physical layer through some transmission medium, then back up the stack to another application on the receiving side. For the most part, the RF network operates just like any other Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP) network, where a message is created using a standard data management protocol, such as Simple Network Management Protocol; is encapsulated at the transport layer to TCP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP); and then is further encapsulated into an IP packet that contains the logical addressing and path routing determination. Where the RF network differs from the standard OSI model is in the data link and physical layers, where media access controls (MACs) have been modified to support transmission over RF links.