Sticky

adjectiveShop talkTelecom & IT

A configuration or feature that forces a temporary state to remain persistent.

In networking, a setting that binds a dynamically learned attribute so it does not age out or change. For example, sticky MAC addresses on a switch port restrict access to the first device connected, and sticky sessions on a load balancer force a client's traffic to always route to the same backend server.

Heard on the job

Configure sticky MAC on that interface so nobody can unplug the terminal and plug in a rogue laptop.

Insider tip

Sticky always implies taking something dynamic and locking it down for security or consistency.