packet Hear it!

packet Definition

packet (pak′it)

noun

  1. Obsolete a parcel of letters
  2. a small package or parcel
  3. packet boat
  4. Brit., Informal a large amount of money

Etymology: MFr paquet, dim. of pacque, pack

transitive verb

to make up into a packet

packet Synonyms

packet

n.

  1. A small bundle or container

    pack, receptacle, parcel; see container, package 1.

  2. A ship with a regular schedule

    mail ship, mail steamer, steamboat, ferry; see ship.

Packet Hacker Definition
Data travels along the Internet in packets that are sent individually across the network and then reassembled into the original data at the correct recipient address. Each packet is like a letter in that it has a sender and a receiver. When the packet reaches the correct receiver address, it stops traveling.

Every packet has the following fields: source IP address (such as 10.23.1.156); destination IP address; transport type (such as ICMP=1, TCP=6, UDP=17); source port and destination port (such as DNS=53, FTP=21, HTTP=80); and flags (such as SYN).

See Also: Encapsulation; Internet; Internet Protocol (IP); IP Address; Port and Port Numbers; Synchronize Packet (SYN).

Graham, R. Hacking Lexicon. [Online, 2001.] Robert Graham Website. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/resource_files/documentation/hacking-dict.html.
packet Telecom Definition
  1. In the generic sense, referring to the manner in which data are organized into discrete units for transmission and switching through a data network.The data unit can be known as a block, frame, cell, or packet, depending on the protocol specifics. The packet comprises a header, payload, and sometimes a trailer, again depending on protocol specifics. The packet can be a user packet containing user data, or a signaling and control packet for various network monitoring, alerting and alarming, maintenance, and other administrative purposes. The payload can be a complete message, a fragment or segment of a message, or an aggregation of bits or bytes that form a short portion of a long data stream associated with a voice or video call. See also bit, block, byte, cell, data stream, fragment, frame, header, message, payload, protocol, segment, and trailer.
  2. In a technology-specific sense, a packet is a data unit in an internetwork, such as the Internet or other packet-switched network in which routers interconnect networks and subnetworks to exchange traffic between nodes. In terms of the OSI Reference Model, a packet is defined in Layer 3, the Network Layer. Blocks, cells, and frames are defined in Layer 2, the Data Link Layer, and have local significance, only. See also block, cell, datagram, Data Link Layer, frame, Internet, Network Layer, OSI Reference Model, packet switch, and router.
packet Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • crisp: There is now no risk in eating a packet of crisps.
  • scratchings: Random Orbital Sanders A packet of pork scratchings and a pint of lager.
  • cigarette: Sending a postcard overseas to your family will cost you more than a packet of cigarettes in China!
  • cookie: Roughly how many packets of biscuits do you get through in a week?
  • cornflakes: Successful bands by their very definition are as interesting as packets of cornflakes.

Converse of object

  • destine: The problem I have is getting Packets destined for internet to go out the modem line when it's not connected.
  • retransmit: However, upon reciept of the 3rd dupack, it will still take half an rtt for the retransmitted packet to reach the sink.
  • sniff: I let him sniff the packet before using them & he looked most unimpressed ( similar to if he sniffs lemons!

Adjective modifier

  • crisp: D chases pigeons; finds empty crisp packet & makes own fountain.
  • multicast: Multicast Packets The last example of scanning to discover a target network's topology is by exploiting multicast packets.
  • incoming: A machine that runs out of memory will discard incoming packets.

Modifies a noun

  • sniffer: I don't have a packet sniffer so I don't know what is being transmitted.
  • switching: Using packet switching, various packets of information can travel along different routes on the network, allowing the carrier to optimize network capacity.

Noun used with modifier

  • TCP: It sends TCP packets to port 21 of the remote.
  • cigarette: Cigarette packets will carry health warnings in picture format.
  • udp: A network that allows UDP packets could be mapped by sending a packet to the broadcast address on a high port.
  • cereal: Get a piece of card; the back of a cereal packet will be fine.
  • multicast: The scanner needs to be upstream so that the multicast packets go only to the target and not to the rest of the Internet.