network meltdown (By analogy with catastrophic failure of a nuclear reactor) An event that causes saturation, or near saturation, on a network. It usually results from illegal or misrouted packets and typically lasts only a short time. It is the network equivalent of {thrash}ing. This may be induced by a {Chernobyl packet}. See also {broadcast storm}, {kamikaze packet}. [{Jargon File}] (1994-11-29)