<P> Time to live ( TTL ) or hop limit is a mechanism that limits the lifespan or lifetime of data in a computer or network . TTL may be implemented as a counter or timestamp attached to or embedded in the data . Once the prescribed event count or timespan has elapsed , data is discarded . In computer networking , TTL prevents a data packet from circulating indefinitely . In computing applications , TTL is used to improve performance of caching or to improve privacy . </P>
<P> Time to live ( TTL ) or hop limit is a mechanism that limits the lifespan or lifetime of data in a computer or network . TTL may be implemented as a counter or timestamp attached to or embedded in the data . Once the prescribed event count or timespan has elapsed , data is discarded . In computer networking , TTL prevents a data packet from circulating indefinitely . In computing applications , TTL is used to improve performance of caching or to improve privacy . </P>
what is the purpose of the ttl field
what is the purpose of the ttl field
limits the lifespan or lifetime of data in a computer or network
limits the lifespan or lifetime of data in a computer or network