Network traffic or data traffic is the amount of

data In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpret ...

moving across a

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematic ...

at a given point of time. Network data in

computer network A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are ...

s is mostly encapsulated in

network packet In telecommunications and computer networking, a network packet is a formatted unit of data carried by a packet-switched network. A packet consists of control information and user data; the latter is also known as the ''payload''. Control inform ...

s, which provide the load in the network. Network traffic is the main component for network traffic measurement, network traffic control and simulation. *

Network traffic control In computer networking, network traffic control is the process of managing, controlling or reducing the network traffic, particularly Internet bandwidth, e.g. by the network scheduler.M. Noormohammadpour, C. S. Raghavendra"Datacenter Traffic Co ...

- managing, prioritizing, controlling or reducing the network traffic *

Network traffic measurement In computer networks, network traffic measurement is the process of measuring the amount and type of traffic on a particular network. This is especially important with regard to effective bandwidth management. Techniques Network performance cou ...

- measuring the amount and type of traffic on a particular network *

Network traffic simulation Network traffic simulation is a process used in telecommunications engineering to measure the efficiency of a communications network. Overview Telecommunications systems are complex real-world systems, containing many different components which in ...

- to measure the efficiency of a communications network *

Traffic generation model A traffic generation model is a stochastic model of the traffic flows or data sources in a communication network, for example a cellular network or a computer network. A packet generation model is a traffic generation model of the packet flows or ...

- is a stochastic model of the traffic flows or data sources in a

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

. Proper analysis of network traffic provides the organization with the

network security Network security consists of the policies, processes and practices adopted to prevent, detect and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of a computer network and network-accessible resources. Network security involves th ...

as a benefit - unusual amount of traffic in a network is a possible sign of an attack. Network traffic reports provide valuable insights into preventing such attacks. Network Traffic (Technopedia)
/ref> Traffic volume is a measure of the total work done by a resource or facility, normally over 24 hours, and is measured in units of erlang-hours. It is defined as the product of the average

traffic intensity In telecommunication networks, traffic intensity is a measure of the average occupancy of a server or resource during a specified period of time, normally a busy hour. It is measured in traffic units ( erlangs) and defined as the ratio of the time ...

and the time period of the study. :Traffic volume = Traffic intensity × time A traffic volume of one erlang-hour can be caused by two circuits being occupied continuously for half an hour or by a circuit being half occupied (0.5 erlang) for a period of two hours. Telecommunication operators are vitally interested in traffic volume, as it directly dictates their revenue.

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