TCP segment

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) accepts data from a data stream, 'segments' it into chunks, and adds a TCP header creating a TCP segment. The TCP segment is then encapsulated into an IP packet. A TCP segment is "the packet of information that TCP uses to exchange data with its peers." [ [http://www.linktionary.com/t/tcp.html TCP (Linktionary term)] ]

Note that the term TCP packet is now used interchangeably with the term TCP segment. [ [http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/ip.htm#wp3664 Internet Protocols (IP)] ] Although in the original RFC "segment" usually referred to the TCP unit of data, "datagram" [ [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc791#section-2.1 RFC 791 - section 2.1] ] to the IP unit and "packet" to the data communications network unit:

Processes transmit data by calling on the TCP and passing buffers of data as arguments. The TCP packages the data from these buffers into segments and calls on the internet module [e.g. IP] to transmit each segment to the destination TCP. [ [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc793 RFC 793] ]

For detailed information on TCP segments see: TCP segment structure

References

ources

* [http://www.ssfnet.org/Exchange/tcp/tcpTutorialNotes.html TCP tutorial]
* [http://www.linktionary.com/s/segment_tcp.html Linktionary on TCP segments]