Which type of data is specifically mentioned as being merged until a timestamp is found?

The type of data that is specifically noted for being merged until a timestamp is found is UDP (User Datagram Protocol). This protocol is connectionless and does not establish a direct channel between the sender and receiver, meaning that data packets can arrive out of order, arrive duplicated, or even get lost without notifying the sender. Because there is no built-in mechanism to track the order or the connection state, when processing UDP data, systems like Splunk will continuously merge incoming data until a timestamp is detected. This allows for the correct sequencing of events when timestamps are indeed present, ensuring that data is properly logged and processed in the correct temporal order.

In contrast, TCP data, by virtue of its connection-oriented nature, comes with built-in reliability features such as acknowledgments and sequencing. This means that TCP manages the order and integrity of packets more closely, reducing the likelihood of a situation where merging occurs due to a missing timestamp. Similarly, HTTP, though built on TCP, inherently benefits from its reliability, making it less relevant in discussions around merging data until a timestamp is discovered. File data does not generally fall under this merging characteristic since it is processed as a whole, including its timestamps, rather than in a stream like UDP or TCP traffic.