encapsulation
1. The technique used by layered protocols in which a layer adds header
information to the protocol data unit (PDU) from the layer above. As an example,
in Internet terminology, a packet would contain a header from the physical
layer, followed by a header from the network layer (IP), followed by a header
from the transport layer (TCP), followed by the application protocol data.
2. The ability to provide users with a well-defined interface to a set of
functions in a way which hides their internal workings. In object-oriented
programming, the technique of keeping together data structures and the methods
(procedures) which act on them.
(1998-09-07)
Nearby terms:
EMX « enabling « Encapsulated PostScript «
encapsulation
» encode » encoder » encryption
|