Online Computer Terms Dictionary - C

connectionless protocol

The data communication method in which communication occurs between hosts with no previous setup. Packets sent between two hosts may take different routes. UDP is a connectionless protocol. Also called packet switching. Contrast circuit switching, connection-oriented.

Connection Machine LISP

<language> Lisp with a parallel data structure, the 'xapping', an array of values assigned to an array of sites.

[G.L. Steele et al, "Connection Machine LISP: Fine-Grained Parallel Symbolic Processing", in Proc 1986 ACM Conf on LISP and Functional Prog, Aug 1986, pp.279-297].

["Connection Machine LISP Reference Manual", Thinking Machines Corp, Feb 1987].

(1995-02-28)

connection-oriented

<networking> (Or connection-based, stream-oriented). A type of transport layer data communication service that allows a host to send data in a continuous stream to another host. The transport service will guarantee that all data will be delivered to the other end in the same order as sent and without duplication. Communication proceeds through three well-defined phases: connection establishment, data transfer, connection release. The most common example is Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

Opposite of connectionless, datagram. See also circuit switching, packet switching, virtual circuit.

connection-oriented network service

<networking> (CONS) Because of the relatively long transit delays and inferior bit error rate of WANs, a more sophisticated connection-oriented protocol is normally used.

(1997-11-08)