The Data Link layer of the OSI model is responsible for interacting with the physical layer. Effectively, Layer 2 is responsible for putting 1's and 0's on the wire, and pulling 1's and 0's off the wire.
The Network Interface Card (NIC) that you plug into your Ethernet cable handles Layer 2 functions. It receives the signal from the cable, and transmits the signal down the cable.
Your WiFi NIC works the same way, receiving and transmitting radio waves which are then interpreted as a series of 1's and 0's.
Layer 2 will then group the 1's and 0's into chunks known as Frames.
There is an addressing system that exists at Layer 2 known as Media Access Control address, or MAC address. MAC addresses uniquely identify each individual NIC. Each NIC is pre-configured with a MAC address by the manufacturer, sometimes even referred to as a Burned Address (BIA).
In addition to your NIC, Switches also operate at this layer. The Switch's primary responsibility is to facilitate communication within the Network (this idea will be expanded upon in later articles in this series).
The overarching function of the Data Link layer is to transmit packets from one NIC to another. Or in other words, the role of Layer 2 is to transmit packets from hop to hop.
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