TTL Definition Stands for “Time To Live.” Pretty intense for a computer term, huh? It refers an aspect of the Internet Protocol. TTL is used when a “ping,” or a request for a response, is sent to another computer, such as a server. The TTL represents the number of hops, or servers in different locations, ..
Category : Internet
Payload Definition When data is sent over the Internet, each unit transmitted includes both header information and the actual data being sent. The header identifies the source and destination of the packet, while the actual data is referred to as the payload. Because header information, or overhead data, is only used in the transmission process, it ..
IP Address Definition An IP address, or simply an “IP,” is a unique address that identifies a device on the Internet or a local network. It allows a system to be recognized by other systems connected via the Internet protocol. There are two primary types of IP address formats used today — IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 An IPv4 address consist of four ..
UDP Definition Stands for “User Datagram Protocol.” It is part of the TCP/IP suite of protocols used for data transferring. UDP is a known as a “stateless” protocol, meaning it doesn’t acknowledge that the packets being sent have been received. For this reason, the UDP protocol is typically used for streaming media. While you might ..
VCI Definition Stands for “Virtual Channel Identifier.” The VCI, used in conjunction with the VPI (virtual path indicator), indicates where an ATM cell is to travel over a network. ATM, or asynchronous transfer mode, is a method that many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use to transfer data to client computers. Because ATM sends packets over fixed channels, the data ..
Datagram Definition Datagram is a combination of the words data and telegram. Therefore, it is a message containing data that is sent from location to another. A datagram is similar to a packet, but does not require confirmation that it has been received. This makes datagrams ideal for streaming services, where the constant flow of data is more important than ..
Packet Definition A packet is a small amount of data sent over a network, such as a LAN or the Internet. Similar to a real-life package, each packet includes a source and destination as well as the content (or data) being transferred. When the packets reach their destination, they are reassembled into a single file or other contiguous block of data. While the ..
Telnet Definition This is a program that allows you log in to a Unix computer via a text-based interface. If you have an account on a Telnet server, you can access certain resources on the system such your home directory, your e-mail account, FTP files, etc. The downside of Telnet is that, to use it, ..
WAN Definition Stands for “Wide Area Network.” It is similar to a Local Area Network (LAN), but it’s a lot bigger. Unlike LANs, WANs are not limited to a single location. Many wide area networks span long distances via telephone lines, fiber optic cables, or satellite links. They can also be composed of smaller LANs ..
DNS Definition Stands for “Domain Name System.” Domain names serve as memorizable names for websites and other services on the Internet. However, computers access Internet devices by their IP addresses. DNS translates domain names into IP addresses, allowing you to access an Internet location by its domain name. Thanks to DNS, you can visit a website by typing in the domain name ..
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