Glossary
L
93 terms.
- LAALP
A Local Active-Active Link Protocol, such as MC-LAG or DRNI. It lets one end station treat links to several edge switches as one bundle and send traffic over all of them.
Like I'm five A way to plug one computer into two doors and use both at once.
- Label Distribution Protocol
The MPLS protocol (LDP) that routers use to tell their neighbors which labels to use for which destinations.
Like I'm five How routers tell each other which sticker goes with which road.
Used in RFC 3031 RFC 3034 RFC 3037 RFC 3478 RFC 3479 RFC 4447 RFC 5283 RFC 5561 RFC 5695 RFC 5918 RFC 6389 RFC 6667 RFC 7275 RFC 7358 RFC 7473 RFC 8338 RFC 9070
- Label Edge Router
An MPLS router at the ingress or egress of a label-switched path, responsible for pushing or popping labels.
Like I'm five The router at the edge of an MPLS network that adds or removes labels.
- Label Generation Ruleset
A set of rules, written in a standard XML format, that decides which identifier labels are allowed. It lists permitted code points, variant mappings and rules that assign each label a disposition.
Like I'm five A rulebook that says which letters are allowed in a name and which look-alike letters count as the same.
- Label imposition
Imposition is the act of modifying or adding labels to the outgoing label stack of a packet, either by replacing the top label or by pushing new ones. The number of labels imposed is the replaced labels plus the pushed ones.
Like I'm five Putting stickers on a package, or swapping the top sticker, before sending it on.
- Label stack
A sequence of 4-octet label stack entries placed after the data link header and before the network layer header. The entry with the S bit set is the bottom.
Like I'm five A pile of stickers on a parcel, where only the top one is read at each stop.
Used in RFC 2430 RFC 2547 RFC 2702 RFC 2917 RFC 3031 RFC 3032 RFC 3034 RFC 3035 RFC 3036 RFC 3038 RFC 3107 RFC 3209 RFC 3270 RFC 3292 RFC 3429 RFC 3443 RFC 3469 RFC 3472 RFC 3478 RFC 3811 RFC 3813 RFC 4023 RFC 4090 RFC 4110 and 164 more
- Label Switched Path (LSP)
A path through an MPLS network that uses labels (tags) instead of destination IP addresses to forward packets.
Like I'm five A marked route through a network that packets follow based on a label, not the destination address.
Used in RFC 3031 RFC 3036 RFC 3063 RFC 3209 RFC 3210 RFC 3212 RFC 3214 RFC 3270 RFC 3353 RFC 3469 RFC 3471 RFC 3473 RFC 3478 RFC 3496 RFC 3906 RFC 3945 RFC 3988 RFC 4003 RFC 4202 RFC 4205 RFC 4206 RFC 4216 RFC 4247 RFC 4378 and 105 more
- Label Switching
A forwarding technique that uses short fixed-length labels instead of full address lookups, enabling faster routing in ATM or MPLS networks.
Like I'm five Using short address labels instead of long ones to make forwarding faster.
- Label Switching Router (LSR)
A router that supports MPLS. It looks up the label at the top of a packet's stack to find the next hop and what to do to the stack.
Like I'm five A sorting center that reads the sticker on a parcel to decide where it goes next.
Used in RFC 2702 RFC 3031 RFC 3032 RFC 3034 RFC 3035 RFC 3036 RFC 3037 RFC 3038 RFC 3063 RFC 3107 RFC 3209 RFC 3210 RFC 3212 RFC 3213 RFC 3214 RFC 3215 RFC 3270 RFC 3272 RFC 3292 RFC 3295 RFC 3429 RFC 3443 RFC 3468 RFC 3469 and 305 more
- Lame Delegation
A DNS error in which a parent zone delegates authority for a child zone to a server that does not consider itself authoritative for that zone, causing resolution failures.
Like I'm five When a waiter points you to another waiter who does not actually work there.
- Language tag
A short ASCII label such as
enthat names the language of a piece of text. The format is defined in RFC 5646.Like I'm five A little sticker on a sentence that says which language it is written in.
Used in RFC 3066 RFC 3866 RFC 4645 RFC 5646 RFC 8187 RFC 8255 RFC 8373
- Last Call
A final review period before an Internet-Draft is sent to the IESG for a decision to publish as an RFC. Review teams perform reviews during Last Call to catch issues before publication.
Like I'm five The last chance for anyone to comment on a draft before the leaders decide whether to make it official.
- Last-Call
A public announcement, lasting at least two weeks, giving anyone a final chance to comment before the IESG decides on a standards action.
Like I'm five The last chance for everyone to say what they think before the committee decides.
Used in RFC 1603 RFC 2026 RFC 2418 RFC 3683 RFC 3929 RFC 3933 RFC 3967 RFC 6410 RFC 8067
- Layer 1 Virtual Private Network
A virtual circuit service at the physical layer (wavelengths, time slots, or physical ports) where a service provider creates isolated connections for customers over shared infrastructure.
Like I'm five Like a private phone line: the customer's traffic does not mix with other customers' traffic even though they share the same physical network.
- Layer 2 VPN
A private network service where a provider carries customers' Layer 2 frames over a shared backbone. The service can be point-to-point or LAN-like.
Like I'm five A private line for your office rented from a company that shares its wires with others.
- Layer Two Tunneling Protocol
A protocol for tunneling Layer 2 frames (such as PPP packets) through an IP network, allowing the transmission of non-IP data over IP networks.
Like I'm five A way to send data from one network to another by wrapping it in IP packets, like sending a letter inside another envelope.
Used in RFC 2701 RFC 2764 RFC 3193 RFC 3308 RFC 3355 RFC 3573 RFC 3817 RFC 4045 RFC 4170 RFC 4349 RFC 4667 RFC 5571 RFC 5619
- LCP
The Link Control Protocol of PPP. It opens, configures, tests and closes the link, and negotiates link-wide options such as the maximum packet size and authentication.
Like I'm five The part of PPP that agrees on the basic rules of the connection before anything else happens.
Used in RFC 1331 RFC 1332 RFC 1377 RFC 1471 RFC 1473 RFC 1548 RFC 1552 RFC 1570 RFC 1598 RFC 1618 RFC 1638 RFC 1661 RFC 1662 RFC 1663 RFC 1762 RFC 1962 RFC 1967 RFC 1968 RFC 1973 RFC 1974 RFC 1979 RFC 1989 RFC 1990 RFC 1994 and 26 more
- LDAP
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, used by clients to search and read entries in a directory server.
Like I'm five A way to look things up in a big organized address book over the network.
Used in RFC 1431 RFC 1558 RFC 1777 RFC 1778 RFC 1823 RFC 1959 RFC 1960 RFC 2247 RFC 2251 RFC 2252 RFC 2253 RFC 2255 RFC 2256 RFC 2589 RFC 2596 RFC 2739 RFC 2798 RFC 2829 RFC 2849 RFC 3377 RFC 3494 RFC 3641 RFC 3672 RFC 3673 and 16 more
- LDAP Attribute
An attribute is a named data field in an LDAP entry. For example, the 'cn' (common name) attribute stores a person's name. Each attribute can have one or more values.
Like I'm five An attribute is like a label on a file folder, such as 'Name' or 'Phone Number'.
- LDAP control
An extension carried with an LDAP request message that modifies how the operation is processed. Each control has an object identifier, a criticality flag and an optional value.
Like I'm five A sticky note attached to a request that changes how it is handled.
Used in RFC 2891 RFC 3829 RFC 3876 RFC 4370 RFC 4521 RFC 4527 RFC 4528 RFC 5805
- LDH Rule
The rule that DNS labels may contain only ASCII Letters, Digits, and Hyphens. Hyphens cannot appear at the start or end of a label.
Like I'm five A label can use A-Z, 0-9, and hyphens in the middle, but not at the edges.
- LDP
The Label Distribution Protocol, which lets MPLS routers discover each other, open sessions and exchange label bindings for FECs.
Like I'm five How neighboring routers tell each other what their stickers mean.
- Leaky bucket
A rate-limiting method in which a counter drains at a steady pace and rises with each admitted item. An item is admitted only if the counter is below a limit.
Like I'm five A bucket with a small hole that drips at a steady pace. You only add more water if it is not too full.
- Leap second
An extra second occasionally added to (or, in principle, removed from) UTC to keep it in step with the Earth's rotation. In RFC 3339 it appears as a seconds value of 60 at the end of a month, such as 23:59:60Z.
Like I'm five A bonus second now and then so our clocks do not drift away from the spinning Earth.
Used in RFC 958 RFC 1305 RFC 3339 RFC 4765 RFC 5905 RFC 5907 RFC 6019 RFC 7164 RFC 7808 RFC 8536 RFC 8633 RFC 8877 RFC 9327 RFC 9557 RFC 9581 RFC 9636 RFC 9760 RFC 9911 RFC 10049
- Lease
The time for which a DHCP server lends an IP address to a client. When the lease runs out the client must renew it or give the address up.
Like I'm five Like borrowing a library book: you may keep it for a set time, then you return it or ask to keep it longer.
Used in RFC 1533 RFC 1534 RFC 1541 RFC 2131 RFC 2132 RFC 2730 RFC 2771 RFC 2907 RFC 3010 RFC 3102 RFC 3103 RFC 3203 RFC 3315 RFC 3456 RFC 3530 RFC 3736 RFC 3995 RFC 4039 RFC 4361 RFC 4388 RFC 4436 RFC 4702 RFC 4703 RFC 4704 and 42 more
- Leasequery
A DHCP extension that lets an outside entity, such as a relay agent, ask a DHCP server about the lease state of an address or client.
Like I'm five Asking the DHCP server who has which address and until when.
- Level of assurance
A measure of how strongly a subject's identity was checked during authentication. A higher level means more confidence that the subject is who they claim to be.
Like I'm five How carefully someone checked that you really are you.
- Liaison statement
A formal written communication between standards organizations, following defined procedures, typically published to allow public visibility into cross-organizational coordination.
Like I'm five An official letter that one standards group sends to another.
- Line folding
Splitting a long content line by inserting a CRLF followed by one space or tab. Parsers unfold it by removing both before reading the line.
Like I'm five Carrying a long sentence onto the next line and starting it with a space.
Used in RFC 2445 RFC 2646 RFC 2822 RFC 2849 RFC 3676 RFC 5293 RFC 5545 RFC 6350 RFC 6351 RFC 7095 RFC 7265 RFC 8792
- Linear prediction
A method of estimating each sample as a weighted sum of the samples just before it. Only the weights and the leftover error need to be stored, which is often smaller than the samples themselves.
Like I'm five Guessing the next number from the last few, and only writing down how wrong the guess was.
- Linear Protection
A protection scheme where traffic is carried on a primary path and switched to a secondary path if the primary fails. Both paths are monitored, and switching is coordinated between endpoints.
Like I'm five Using a backup path that is always ready to take over if the main path breaks.
- Link aggregation group
A bundle of parallel links treated as one logical link, with traffic spread across the member links.
Like I'm five Tying several small roads together so they act like one wide road.
Used in RFC 7130 RFC 7510 RFC 8611 RFC 8668 RFC 9356 RFC 9533 RFC 9534
- Link layer
The lowest layer of the Internet protocol suite, covering how hosts on the same physical network exchange frames. ARP and RARP work here and do not cross routers.
Like I'm five The layer that deals with talking to the computers right next to you.
Used in RFC 826 RFC 893 RFC 894 RFC 903 RFC 907 RFC 929 RFC 935 RFC 1044 RFC 1112 RFC 1122 RFC 1134 RFC 1172 RFC 1188 RFC 1307 RFC 1329 RFC 1374 RFC 1390 RFC 1551 RFC 1552 RFC 1661 RFC 1717 RFC 1761 RFC 1764 RFC 2019 and 57 more
- Link Management Protocol
A protocol that runs between neighboring nodes to manage control channels, correlate link properties, verify connectivity and handle faults for the links between them.
Like I'm five Neighbors checking that the wires between their houses work and where they lead.
- Link Metric
A dimensionless cost value assigned to each link in a routing protocol, used to steer routing decisions toward better paths.
Like I'm five A score on each network link that tells the router whether to use it or find an alternate path.
- Link relation
A named label on a link, such as next or prev-archive, that says how the linked document relates to the current one.
Like I'm five A sign on a door saying what is behind it, like next page or older issue.
Used in RFC 5005 RFC 5829 RFC 5989 RFC 6573 RFC 6861 RFC 6906 RFC 7033 RFC 8574
- Link relation type
A label that says how a link's context relates to its target, such as next or copyright. It is either a registered short name or an extension written as a URI.
Like I'm five The word on a signpost that tells you what kind of place it points to.
- Link state advertisement (LSA)
A unit of OSPF routing information describing part of the topology, such as a router's links or a route to another area. LSAs are flooded reliably and stored in each router's link-state database.
Like I'm five A note a router posts that says which roads it is connected to.
Used in RFC 1131 RFC 1245 RFC 1247 RFC 1248 RFC 1252 RFC 1253 RFC 1583 RFC 1584 RFC 1765 RFC 1793 RFC 2154 RFC 2178 RFC 2328 RFC 2370 RFC 2676 RFC 2740 RFC 3101 RFC 3277 RFC 3509 RFC 3567 RFC 3623 RFC 3630 RFC 3787 RFC 3883 and 115 more
- Link State Advertisement (LSA)
A message that an OSPF router sends to announce the state of one of its links to the network.
Like I'm five A message saying whether a cable or connection is working or broken.
- Link State Database
The collection of link state information a router holds about the network. Routing calculations are made from it.
Like I'm five A router's notebook of who is connected to whom.
- Link State PDU
A message in IS-IS that advertises the state of a router's links and the routes it knows about to other routers in the network.
Like I'm five A message that tells other routers about which links work and what paths are available.
- Link-local address
An IPv6 address valid only on one link. Routers send Router Advertisements from their link-local address, and every IPv6 interface has one.
Like I'm five An address that only works inside your own street and is never sent to other towns.
Used in RFC 1970 RFC 1972 RFC 2019 RFC 2023 RFC 2080 RFC 2373 RFC 2461 RFC 2462 RFC 2464 RFC 2465 RFC 2467 RFC 2470 RFC 2491 RFC 2497 RFC 2529 RFC 2545 RFC 2563 RFC 2590 RFC 2710 RFC 2740 RFC 2772 RFC 2893 RFC 3111 RFC 3146 and 91 more
- Link-Local Signaling
A technique for OSPF routers to exchange arbitrary data on a direct link without modifying the standard OSPF message structure. Data is appended as optional TLV blocks.
Like I'm five Routers can attach notes to standard messages to share extra information.
- Link-state routing
A routing method in which every router learns the full map of routers and links and computes shortest paths from it, rather than trusting distance figures from neighbors.
Like I'm five Everyone gets the same road map and picks their own route.
Used in RFC 816 RFC 898 RFC 981 RFC 1074 RFC 1093 RFC 1131 RFC 1142 RFC 1167 RFC 1195 RFC 1245 RFC 1246 RFC 1247 RFC 1299 RFC 1322 RFC 1371 RFC 1455 RFC 1476 RFC 1478 RFC 1583 RFC 1584 RFC 1629 RFC 1716 RFC 1765 RFC 1793 and 253 more
- LLC (Logical Link Control)
An IEEE 802.2 standard providing the upper portion of the data link layer, offering connection-oriented and connectionless services above the MAC layer.
Like I'm five A set of rules that sit between the Internet layer and the physical network hardware.
- Load balancing
Spreading requests across several servers so no single one is overloaded. SRV weights let an administrator express static proportions, such as sending three quarters of logins to a faster machine.
Like I'm five Sharing the work among several helpers so one does not get tired.
Used in RFC 1329 RFC 1794 RFC 2052 RFC 2193 RFC 2391 RFC 2702 RFC 2782 RFC 2991 RFC 2992 RFC 3040 RFC 3049 RFC 3074 RFC 3237 RFC 3263 RFC 3466 RFC 3539 RFC 3568 RFC 3868 RFC 4085 RFC 4311 RFC 4666 RFC 4678 RFC 4814 RFC 4928 and 69 more
- local domain
The special-use domain name .local, which mDNS reserves for names that are resolved by multicast on the local link instead of by ordinary unicast DNS.
Like I'm five A name ending that means this one is in the same room as you.
- Local MAC
An architecture in which the 802.11 MAC ends at the access point, which handles more of the work itself, while the controller still receives association and key exchange frames.
Like I'm five The wifi box does most jobs itself and only checks with the boss on the important ones.
- Local Mobility Anchor
The Proxy Mobile IPv6 router that assigns and anchors a mobile node's home network prefix and tracks where the node is attached.
Like I'm five The home post office that always knows where to send your mail.
Used in RFC 4831 RFC 5779 RFC 5844 RFC 5846 RFC 5847 RFC 5949 RFC 6097 RFC 6463 RFC 6572 RFC 6602 RFC 6705 RFC 6757 RFC 6909 RFC 7156 RFC 7222 RFC 7389 RFC 7563 RFC 7864 RFC 8191
- Local Preference
A BGP attribute that overrides AS path length in route selection, allowing administrators to prefer routes from certain sources (like customers) over others.
Like I'm five A number you assign to say 'prefer this route over that one, no matter how long the path is.'
- Local Scope Identifier
A 32-bit local stand-in for a host identity that fits where an IPv4 address would go. It is only meaningful on the local host and is never sent on the wire.
Like I'm five A pretend short address that only your own computer understands.
- LOCAL_PREF
A BGP attribute used inside one autonomous system to tell other internal routers how much the advertising router prefers a route. Higher values win, and it is not sent to external peers.
Like I'm five A score the home team gives each road to say how much it likes it.
Used in RFC 1773 RFC 2622 RFC 3345 RFC 4271 RFC 4760 RFC 5004 RFC 5065 RFC 8207 RFC 8326 RFC 9026 RFC 9494
- Locally Administered Address
A MAC address with the U/L bit set to 1, indicating it was assigned by the operating system or network administrator rather than a manufacturer.
Like I'm five A fake, temporary name tag that a device can make up instead of using its real one.
- Location Configuration Information
The set of geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude, and altitude) with resolution and datum information, delivered by a DHCP server to a client to inform it of its physical location.
Like I'm five A message that tells a device where it is on Earth.
- Location Information Server
A server run by an access network provider that knows or can work out where devices on its network are. Devices ask it for their location.
Like I'm five A helpful desk at the front of a building that can tell you which room you are standing in.
Used in RFC 5687 RFC 5985 RFC 5986 RFC 6881 RFC 7105 RFC 7840
- Location Object
A data object that carries location information about a person or device together with the privacy rules that govern how that location may be used.
Like I'm five A map pin with a sticky note on it that says who may look and for how long.
- Location server
A server that speaks a telephony routing protocol, exchanging reachability information about telephone destinations with other such servers.
Like I'm five A helper that knows which phone numbers can be reached and tells its neighbors.
- Location URI
A URI that stands for a device's location instead of containing it. Anyone authorized who holds the URI can use it to ask for the current location.
Like I'm five A claim ticket you can hand out so others can ask where you are.
- Location-by-Reference
A method where a location information server issues a URI reference, and the recipient fetches location separately by dereferencing the URI.
Like I'm five Sending a ticket number instead of the address; the emergency center asks the location server for the real address.
- Location-by-Value
A method where location information is directly conveyed within a signaling message, carrying the actual coordinates or civic address.
Like I'm five Sending the actual street address or GPS coordinates in the call.
- Locator
An IP address that represents the current attachment point of a host to the Internet, used for actual routing of packets.
Like I'm five Your actual address on the network right now.
Used in RFC 1753 RFC 1992 RFC 2101 RFC 4177 RFC 4214 RFC 4423 RFC 5206 RFC 5533 RFC 6316 RFC 6317 RFC 6740 RFC 6748 RFC 8046 RFC 9602
- Locator Update
An ICMP message sent by an ILNP node to inform correspondent nodes that its set of valid Locators has changed. Authenticated using the ILNP Nonce to prevent spoofing. Enables session continuity across mobility events.
Like I'm five A postcard saying: I moved to a new address, but I am still me, and this secret code proves it is really me.
- Locator/ID Separation Protocol
A routing protocol that separates the identity of a network node from its location, allowing more flexible network architectures and easier host mobility.
Like I'm five A network protocol that separates who you are from where you are.
Used in RFC 6832 RFC 6835 RFC 6836 RFC 7052 RFC 8059 RFC 8113 RFC 9304 RFC 10040
- Locator/identifier separation
A routing idea that splits an address into an identifier for the endpoint and a locator for where it is attached. LISP implements it with EIDs and RLOCs.
Like I'm five Keeping a person's name apart from their home address so the address can change without the name changing.
- Lock-step acknowledgment
A scheme in which a sender transmits one packet and waits for its acknowledgment before sending the next. It gives flow control with almost no state, at the cost of speed.
Like I'm five Handing over one page and waiting for "got it" before the next.
Used in RFC 203 RFC 916 RFC 998 RFC 1350 RFC 2348 RFC 2349 RFC 3366
- Logical Entity
A management function (such as a router, bridge, or repeater instance) that an SNMP agent manages and that may depend on one or more physical components.
Like I'm five A job or role running on the machine, like "be a router" or "be a bridge."
- Logical Function Block
A modular processing stage in a network forwarding element, connected to other LFBs in a pipeline to forward packets according to defined rules.
Like I'm five A step in the factory assembly line that does one job.
- Logical Functional Block
A fine-grained, logically separable piece of forwarding element processing, such as a classifier or a meter. Blocks are connected in a directed graph along a data path.
Like I'm five One small machine on the assembly line that does a single job.
- Logical IP Subnet
In Classical IP over ATM, a group of computers on an ATM network that share the same IP subnet and can communicate directly without using routers.
Like I'm five A group of computers on an ATM network that can reach each other directly.
- Logical IP Subnet
A group of hosts and routers on an ATM network that are administratively treated as one IP subnet. Each one is served by its own ATM ARP Server.
Like I'm five A set of computers that are treated like one neighbourhood.
Used in RFC 2225 RFC 2226 RFC 2332 RFC 2335 RFC 2443 RFC 2834 RFC 2835
- Logical IP Subnetwork (LIS)
A collection of hosts and routers on the same physical data link that share an IP subnet address prefix, used in classical IP over ATM.
Like I'm five A group of computers that act like neighbors for IP purposes, even if they're connected via a switched network.
- Logical Key Hierarchy
A tree of keys that lets a group server rekey efficiently. Each member holds the keys along one path, so a compromised member can be cut off without redoing every key.
Like I'm five A family tree of keys, so when one branch goes bad you only swap the keys on that branch.
- Logical Unit
In VTAM/SNA, a terminal or printer identified by a unique name, through which applications communicate with users or devices.
Like I'm five A named terminal or printer in a mainframe system.
- Logical Unit Number
The address of a logical unit, such as a disk, inside a SCSI target. A single target can contain several logical units, each with its own number.
Like I'm five The number of one disk drawer inside a big storage cabinet.
- Long Fat Network
A network with high bandwidth and long propagation delay, characterized by a large bandwidth-delay product. Examples include transcontinental fiber links and satellite links.
Like I'm five A very fast, very long pipe.
- Long polling
A way of polling in which the server holds the request open until new data is available or a timeout passes, instead of answering immediately with nothing.
Like I'm five Asking a question and waiting at the door until the answer is ready, rather than being told 'nothing yet' over and over.
- Longest prefix match
The forwarding rule that, when several routes match a destination, chooses the one with the longest prefix, that is, the most specific.
Like I'm five When two signs fit, follow the one that is more exact.
Used in RFC 1519 RFC 1629 RFC 1812 RFC 2519 RFC 2725 RFC 3036 RFC 3484 RFC 3675 RFC 3956 RFC 4191 RFC 4632 RFC 5036 RFC 5283 RFC 6226 RFC 6724 RFC 6956 RFC 7115 RFC 7267 RFC 7285 RFC 7421 RFC 7484 RFC 7596 RFC 7597 RFC 7598 and 17 more
- Loop-Free Alternate
An alternate next-hop guaranteed by its routing computation not to create a loop back toward the source. Used as the secondary path in MoFRR.
Like I'm five A backup path that is guaranteed not to loop back on itself.
Used in RFC 5286 RFC 5714 RFC 6571 RFC 7431 RFC 7490 RFC 7777 RFC 7812 RFC 7916 RFC 8102 RFC 8518 RFC 9479 RFC 9492
- Loopback
A test mode in which a signal is sent back toward where it came from instead of being passed on. It lets operators check a line or device from one end.
Like I'm five Like shouting into a canyon to hear your own echo and check that the sound travels.
- Loss event rate
The number of loss events as a fraction of the packets transmitted. A loss event is one or more lost or marked packets within a window of data.
Like I'm five How often a bad moment happens, counting a whole burst of missing packets as just one.
- Lossless compression
Compression that lets you rebuild exactly the original data. No lossless method can shrink every possible input, so some inputs stay the same size or grow slightly.
Like I'm five Packing a suitcase so tightly that you can unpack every single item again.
Used in RFC 468 RFC 798 RFC 804 RFC 1144 RFC 1314 RFC 1553 RFC 1663 RFC 1789 RFC 1950 RFC 1951 RFC 1952 RFC 1962 RFC 1967 RFC 1974 RFC 1975 RFC 1976 RFC 1977 RFC 1978 RFC 1979 RFC 1993 RFC 2032 RFC 2083 RFC 2118 RFC 2302 and 53 more
- LoST
LoST, the Location-to-Service Translation protocol, maps a location and a service type to the URI of the right provider. For emergency calls it returns the PSAP that covers the caller's location.
Like I'm five A directory that tells you which help center covers your spot.
- LoST
The Location-to-Service Translation protocol. It lets a client send a location and a service type and get back the URIs of the matching service providers.
Like I'm five A way to ask "who helps at this place?" and get an address back.
- Lost update problem
When one author's changes are overwritten because a second author saves without merging the first author's edits. Locking is meant to prevent it.
Like I'm five Two kids color the same picture on separate copies, and the last one to hand in theirs throws away the other's work.
- Low-power and lossy network
A network of constrained devices and links where energy is limited and packets are often lost. LLNs can be built as star or mesh topologies.
Like I'm five A group of tiny gadgets with weak batteries and shaky connections that still need to talk.
- Low-Power and Lossy Network (LLN)
A network of small, often battery-powered devices with limited memory, connected by links that can be unreliable and change quality over time.
Like I'm five A group of tiny gadgets on batteries that talk over shaky links.
Used in RFC 5548 RFC 5673 RFC 5826 RFC 6551 RFC 6997 RFC 7416 RFC 7731 RFC 7733
- LPWAN
A Low-Power Wide-Area Network is a wireless network built for large coverage areas, low bandwidth, very small packets and long battery life.
Like I'm five A way for tiny battery gadgets to whisper over long distances.
- LSB encoding
Sending only the least significant bits of a number that changes slowly. The receiver combines them with the last known value to recover the full number.
Like I'm five Telling only the last digits of a number, because the first digits are already known.
- LSP (Link State Packet)
A packet flooded throughout an IS-IS domain describing the links and reachability of a particular router or pseudonode.
Like I'm five A message that says "I can reach these places" that gets spread everywhere.
Used in RFC 2973 RFC 3847 RFC 4128 RFC 4428 RFC 5994 RFC 8751
- LSP delegation
A temporary grant from a PCC to a PCE of the right to update some attributes of a label switched path. The PCC can revoke it at any time, and the PCE can return it.
Like I'm five Lending someone the steering wheel for a while, so you can take it back.
- LSP flooding
The process of passing each new LSP from router to router until every router in the area has a copy. Unnecessary regeneration of LSPs makes this happen more often than needed.
Like I'm five Everyone telling their neighbors the news until the whole town knows.
- LSP Ping
A tool for detecting data plane failures along an MPLS Label Switched Path, defined in RFC 4379. It uses fields and TLVs whose code points are tracked in IANA registries.
Like I'm five A way to send a test message along a network path to see whether it works.
- LZ77
A dictionary-style method that replaces a repeated string with a pointer made of a length and a backward distance to an earlier copy. DEFLATE limits distances to 32K bytes and lengths to 258 bytes.
Like I'm five Instead of repeating yourself, you write "say that again, the same as a bit ago".
Used in RFC 1505 RFC 1950 RFC 1951 RFC 1979 RFC 2395 RFC 3284 RFC 7400 RFC 7692 RFC 7932 RFC 9841