hop
1. One point-to-point transmission in a series
required to get a message from point A to point B on a {store
and forward} network. On such networks (including {UUCPNET}
and {FidoNet}), an important inter-machine metric is the hop
count of the shortest path between them. This can be more
significant than their geographical separation.
Each {exclamation mark} in a {bang path} represents one hop.
2. One direct host-to-host connection forming
part of the route between two hosts in a {routed} {network}
such as the {Internet}. Some {protocols} place an upper limit
on the hop count in order to detect routing loops.
3. To {log in} to a {remote} computer,
especially via {rlogin} or {telnet}. "I'll hop over to foovax
to FTP that."
[{Jargon File}]
(1997-06-25)