Header and Payload Structure of a Transmitted Message
A transmitted message is split into a header, which carries control information the receiver reads to decide what to do, and a payload, which is the data the sender actually wanted delivered and which the receiver passes on untouched. The header's fields are fixed by the sending party's format agreement, which is what lets a receiver find where the header ends and the payload begins. After learning this a student can identify the header and payload of a given message and explain why control information travels alongside data rather than separately.
Header, Payload, and Trailer in Network Message Structure
A network message is structured as payload (the data the receiver actually wants) plus metadata that describes or validates that data, collectively termed overhead; overhead is organized into a heade…