packed file
A file in a compressed format. Many operating systems and applications contain commands that enable you to pack a file so that it takes up less memory. For example, suppose you have a text file containing ten consecutive space characters. Normally, this would require ten bytes of storage. However, a program that packs files would replace the space characters by a special space-series character followed by the number of spaces being replaced. In this case, the ten spaces would require only two bytes. This is just one packing technique — there are many others. One disadvantage of packed files, however, is that they can be read only by the program that packed them because they contain special codes.
Some modems automatically pack data before transmitting it across communications lines. This can produce faster communication because fewer bytes need to be sent. However, the modem on the receiving side must be capable of unpacking the data.
Packing is often referred to as data compression, particularly when it involves data communications.
Read Also:
- pNFS
Short for parallel Network File System, pNFS is a protocol extension of NFS 4.1, the first major performance upgrade to the widely deployed NFS in more than a decade. pNFS provides parallel I/O to file systems accessible over NFS to eliminate performance bottlenecks. With pNFS clients can directly access storage devices in parallel. metadata processing. […]
- Packet
(pak´it) (n.) A piece of a message transmitted over a packet-switching network. See under packet switching. One of the key features of a packet is that it contains the destination address in addition to the data. In IP networks, packets are often called datagrams.
- packet buffer
(pak´et buf´&r) (n.) Memory space that is set aside specifically for either storing a packet that is awaiting transmission over a network or storing a packet that has been received over a network. The memory space is either located in the network interface card or in the computer that holds the card.
- packet collision
In a network, when two or more stations attempt to transmit a packet across the network at the same time, a packet collision occurs. This is not uncommon in a shared medium such as an Ethernet that has many computers in the same network segment. When a packet collision occurs, the packets are either discarded […]
- packet collision rate
The amount of packet collisions that occur in a network in a specified time period, usually one minute. The packet collision rate is typically monitored by the router.