@@ -4,6 +4,45 @@ Kinetic is a key-value storage system. A Kinetic Device (e.g. a Kinetic Drive or
## Document Assumptions
This document describes the structure of Protocol Buffer messages in detail. It is important to have a familiarity with the Protocol Buffer data interchange format ([https://code.google.com/p/protobuf/](https://code.google.com/p/protobuf/)). Where data types are specified with respect to fields in `protobuf` messages, the Scalar Value Types documented here: [https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/proto](https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/proto) will be used.
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# Kinetic Protocol Data Unit Structure
A Kinetic Protocol Data Unit is composed of a Protocol Buffer (`protobuf`) message, containing operation metadata & key-value metadata, and the value. It is important to note that the value is not encoded in the `protobuf` message; it is a separate top-level component of the Kinetic PDU.