Lag
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In computing and especially computer networks, lag (slang) is a symptom where the result of an action appears later than expected. While different kinds of latency are well defined technical terms, lag is the symptom, not the cause.
Latency is the time taken for a packet of data to be sent from onetime for encoding the packet for transmission and transmitting it, the time for that serial data to traverse the network equipment between the nodes, and the time to get the data off the circuit. This is also known as "one-way latency". A minimum bound on latency is determined by the distance between communicating devices and the speed at which the signal propagates in the circuits (typically 70-95% of the speed of light). Actual latency is much higher, due to packet processing in networking equipment, and other traffic.
While strictly every packet experiences lag, the term lag is used to refer to delays noticeable to the user. Latency is directly related to the physical distance that data travels. Thus the time taken for a packet to travel from a computer server in Europe to a client in the same region is likely to be shorter than the time to travel from Europe to the Americas or Asia. But protocols and well written code that avoid unnecessary data transmissions are less affected by the latency inherent in a network. Modern corporate networks have devices to cache frequently requested data and accelerate protocols, thus reducing application response time, the cumulative effect of latency.
[edit] See also
- Bandwidth - Measure of a connection's maximum data transfer capacity.
- Ping - Tool for determining network latency with regard to another system.
- Avalon - Movie by Mamoru Oshii, in which large parts of the portrayed society play an immense online virtual reality game, features lag as a phenomenon to which players react with bodily symptoms (convulsions, nausea).
- Lagometer - A 'device' that measures lag.
- Input lag
- Displacement Lag - Another type of lag.
