from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
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 {lower
layer 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)