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Glite Dictionary
🛬 Aircraft landing path 🌐 Data flow arrangement
traffic pattern

traffic pattern

3.9
The usual way data moves through a computer network
  • noun
  • /ˈtræfɪk ˈpætərn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : patrón de tráfico
  • The traffic pattern in this network is unusual.

Examples

  • ISPs analyse customers' long-term traffic pattern data to decide where to upgrade network capacity.

  • A sudden change in the traffic pattern alerted the security team to a potential DDoS attack.

  • Network engineers study the traffic pattern to identify peak hours and balance server load.

  • Can you analyze the traffic patterns for last week?

  • The network administrator analyzed the traffic pattern to optimize server performance.

  • By studying the traffic pattern, the IT team could identify unusual activity indicative of a security breach.

  • Understanding the traffic pattern helps in managing bandwidth and improving overall network efficiency.

Synonyms

pattern
vstraffic pattern
  • Specialized
65 7.7

A shape that shows how a signal spreads from a device

is a network-specific repeated data flow arrangement for analysing load and security

Surface Forms

traffic pattern singular
traffic patterns plural

Morphology

traffic + pattern

The phrase is directly compositional: 'traffic' (flow/volume) combined with 'pattern' (a recurring arrangement) yields the meaning 'a recurring arrangement of traffic'. The extension of 'traffic' to data/network flows is a straightforward and common metaphor, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can reliably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Traffic pattern comes from the image of busy roads where many cars follow the same route at the same time. In networks, traffic is the data and pattern is the repeated flow, so the phrase means the usual way data moves on a network and helps people spot problems like attacks or high load.