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.
Read Also:
- 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.
- packet filtering
Also referred to as static packet filtering. Controlling access to a network by analyzing the incoming and outgoing packets and letting them pass or halting them based on the IP addresses of the source and destination. Packet filtering is one technique, among many, for implementing security firewalls. Compare with stateful inspection.
- Packet Switching
Refers to protocols in which messages are divided into packets before they are sent. Each packet is then transmitted individually and can even follow different routes to its destination. Once all the packets forming a message arrive at the destination, they are recompiled into the original message. Most modern Wide Area Network (WAN) protocols, including […]