Upper Layer Protocol

protocol 1. (ULP, or upper-layer protocol)

Any protocol residing in OSI layers five or above.

The Internet protocol suite includes many upper layer

protocols representing a wide variety of applications

e.g. FTP, NFS, RPC, and SMTP. These and other network

applications use the services of TCP/IP and other lowerlayer protocols to provide users with basic network services.

2. A protocol higher in the OSI reference model than the

current reference point. Upper Layer Protocol is often used

to refer to the next-highest protocol in a particular

protocol stack.

(1999-02-17)