IP communication is generally sent in the form of packets. A packet consists of a certain number of bytes. A typical packet contains perhaps 1,000 or 1,500 bytes. Each packet carries the information that will help it get to its destination (i.e. from the sender's IP address to the intended receiver's IP address). The packets carry the data via the TCP\IP|Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
Most packets are split into three parts:
The Header - The header contains instructions about the data carried by the packet.
Payload - This is also referred to as the body or data of a packet. This is the actual data that the packet is delivering to the destination. If a packet is fixed-length, then the payload may be padded with blank information to make it the right size.
Trailer- The trailer, sometimes called the footer, typically contains a couple of bits that tell the receiving device that it has reached the end of the packet.
