Help Glossary

A

Access Control List

ACL. This is a database of network devices that are allowed to access resources on the network.

Access Point

AP. Device that allows wireless clients to connect to it and access the network

ActiveX

A Microsoft specification for the interaction of software components.

Ad-hoc network

Peer-to-Peer network between wireless clients

Address Resolution Protocol

ARP. Used to map MAC addresses to IP addresses so that conversions can be made in both directions.

ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

Advanced Encryption Standard

AES. Government encryption standard

Alphanumeric

Characters A-Z and 0-9

Antenna

Used to transmit and receive RF signals.

AppleTalk

A set of Local Area Network protocols developed by Apple for their computer systems

AppleTalk Address Resolution Protocol

AARP. Used to map the MAC addresses of Apple computers to their AppleTalk network addresses, so that conversions can be made in both directions.

Application layer

7th Layer of the OSI model. Provides services to applications to ensure that they can communicate properly with other applications on a network.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This system of characters is most commonly used for text files

Attenuation

The loss in strength of digital and analog signals. The loss is greater when the signal is being transmitted over long distances.

Authentication

To provide credentials, like a Password, in order to verify that the person or device is really who they are claiming to be

Automatic Private IP Addressing

APIPA. An IP address that that a Windows computer will assign itself when it is configured to obtain an IP address automatically but no DHCP server is available on the network

B

Backward Compatible

The ability for new devices to communicate and interact with older legacy devices to guarantee interoperability

Bandwidth

The maximum amount of bytes or bits per second that can be transmitted to and from a network device

Basic Input/Output System

BIOS. A program that the processor of a computer uses to startup the system once it is turned on

Baud

Data transmission speed

Beacon

A data frame by which one of the stations in a Wi-Fi network periodically broadcasts network control data to other wireless stations.

Bit rate

The amount of bits that pass in given amount of time

Bit/sec

Bits per second

BOOTP

Bootstrap Protocol. Allows for computers to be booted up and given an IP address with no user intervention

Bottleneck

A time during processes when something causes the process to slowdown or stop all together

Broadband

A wide band of frequencies available for transmitting data

Broadcast

Transmitting data in all directions at once

Browser

A program that allows you to access resources on the web and provides them to you graphically

C

Cable modem

A device that allows you to connect a computer up to a coaxial cable and receive Internet access from your Cable provider

CardBus

A newer version of the PC Card or PCMCIA interface. It supports a 32-bit data path, DMA, and consumes less voltage

CAT 5

Category 5. Used for 10/100 Mbps or 1Gbps Ethernet connections

Client

A program or user that requests data from a server

Collision

When do two devices on the same Ethernet network try and transmit data at the exact same time.

Cookie

Information that is stored on the hard drive of your computer that holds your preferences to the site that gave your computer the cookie

D

Data

Information that has been translated into binary so that it can be processed or moved to another device

Data Encryption Standard

Uses a randomly selected 56-bit key that must be known by both the sender and the receiver when information is exchanged

Data-Link layer

The second layer of the OSI model. Controls the movement of data on the physical link of a network

Database

Organizes information so that it can be managed updated, as well as easily accessed by users or applications.

DB-25

A 25 ping male connector for attaching External modems or RS-232 serial devices

DB-9

A 9 pin connector for RS-232 connections

dBd

Decibels related to dipole antenna

dBi

Decibels relative to isotropic radiator

dBm

Decibels relative to one milliwatt

Decrypt

To unscramble an encrypted message back into plain text

Default

A predetermined value or setting that is used by a program when no user input has been entered for this value or setting

Demilitarized zone

DMZ: A single computer or group of computers that can be accessed by both users on the Internet as well as users on the Local Network, but that is not protected by the same security as the Local Network.

DHCP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol: Used to automatically assign IP addresses from a predefined pool of addresses to computers or devices that request them

Digital certificate:

An electronic method of providing credentials to a server in order to have access to it or a network

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

DSSS: Modulation technique used by 802.11b wireless devices

DMZ

"Demilitarized Zone". A computer that logically sits in a "no-mans land" between the LAN and the WAN. The DMZ computer trades some of the protection of the router's security mechanisms for the convenience of being directly addressable from the Internet.

DNS

Domain Name System: Translates Domain Names to IP addresses

Domain name

A name that is associated with an IP address

Download

To send a request from one computer to another and have the file transmitted back to the requesting computer

DSL

Digital Subscriber Line. High bandwidth Internet connection over telephone lines

Duplex

Sending and Receiving data transmissions at the sane time

Dynamic DNS service

Dynamic DNS is provided by companies to allow users with Dynamic IP addresses to obtain a Domain Name that will always by linked to their changing IP address. The IP address is updated by either client software running on a computer or by a router that supports Dynamic DNS, whenever the IP address changes

Dynamic IP address

IP address that is assigned by a DHCP server and that may change. Cable Internet providers usually use this method to assign IP addresses to their customers.

E

EAP

Extensible Authentication Protocol

Email

Electronic Mail is a computer-stored message that is transmitted over the Internet

Encryption

Converting data into cyphertext so that it cannot be easily read

Ethernet

The most widely used technology for Local Area Networks.

F

Fiber optic

A way of sending data through light impulses over glass or plastic wire or fiber

File server

A computer on a network that stores data so that the other computers on the network can all access it

File sharing

Allowing data from computers on a network to be accessed by other computers on the network with different levels of access rights

Firewall

A device that protects resources of the Local Area Network from unauthorized users outside of the local network

Firmware

Programming that is inserted into a hardware device that tells it how to function

Fragmentation

Breaking up data into smaller pieces to make it easier to store

FTP

File Transfer Protocol. Easiest way to transfer files between computers on the Internet

Full-duplex

Sending and Receiving data at the same time

G

Gain

The amount an amplifier boosts the wireless signal

Gateway

A device that connects your network to another, like the internet

Gbps

Gigabits per second

Gigabit Ethernet

Transmission technology that provides a data rate of 1 billion bits per second

GUI

Graphical user interface

H

H.323

A standard that provides consistency of voice and video transmissions and compatibility for videoconferencing devices

Half-duplex

Data cannot be transmitted and received at the same time

Hashing

Transforming a string of characters into a shorter string with a predefined length

Hexadecimal

Characters 0-9 and A-F

Hop

The action of data packets being transmitted from one router to another

Host

Computer on a network

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol is used to transfer files from HTTP servers (web servers) to HTTP clients (web browsers)

HTTPS

HTTP over SSL is used to encrypt and decrypt HTTP transmissions

Hub

A networking device that connects multiple devices together

I

ICMP

Internet Control Message Protocol

IEEE

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

IGMP

Internet Group Management Protocol is used to make sure that computers can report their multicast group membership to adjacent routers

IIS

Internet Information Server is a WEB server and FTP server provided by Microsoft

IKE

Internet Key Exchange is used to ensure security for VPN connections

Infrastructure

In terms of a wireless network, this is when wireless clients use an Access Point to gain access to the network

Internet

A system of worldwide networks which use TCP/IP to allow for resources to be accessed from computers around the world

Internet Explorer

A World Wide Web browser created and provided by Microsoft

Internet Protocol

The method of transferring data from one computer to another on the Internet

Internet Protocol Security

IPsec provides security at the packet processing layer of network communication

Internet Service Provider

An ISP provides access to the Internet to individuals or companies

Intranet

A private network

Intrusion Detection

A type of security that scans a network to detect attacks coming from inside and outside of the network

IP

Internet Protocol

IP address

A 32-bit number, when talking about Internet Protocol Version 4, that identifies each computer that transmits data on the Internet or on an Intranet

IPsec

Internet Protocol Security

IPX

Internetwork Packet Exchange is a networking protocol developed by Novel to enable their Netware clients and servers to communicate

ISP

Internet Service Provider

J

Java

A programming language used to create programs and applets for web pages

K

Kbps

Kilobits per second

Kbyte

Kilobyte

L

LAN

Local Area Network

Latency

The amount of time that it takes a packet to get from the one point to another on a network. Also referred to as delay

LED

Light Emitting Diode

Legacy

Older devices or technology

Local Area Network

A group of computers in a building that usually access files from a server

LPR/LPD

"Line Printer Requestor"/"Line Printer Daemon". A TCP/IP protocol for transmitting streams of printer data.

L2TP

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol

M

MAC address

A unique hardware ID assigned to every Ethernet adapter by the manufacturer.

Mbps

Megabits per second

MDI

Medium Dependent Interface is an Ethernet port for a connection to a straight-through cable

MDIX

Medium Dependent Interface Crossover, is an Ethernet port for a connection to a crossover cable

MIB

Management Information Base is a set of objects that can be managed by using SNMP

Modem

A device that Modulates digital signals from a computer to an analog signal in order to transmit the signal over phone lines. It also Demodulates the analog signals coming from the phone lines to digital signals for your computer

MPPE

Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption is used to secure data transmissions over PPTP connections

MTU

Maximum Transmission Unit is the largest packet that can be transmitted on a packet-based network like the Internet

Multicast

Sending data from one device to many devices on a network

N

NAT

Network Address Translation allows many private IP addresses to connect to the Internet, or another network, through one IP address

NetBEUI

NetBIOS Extended User Interface is a Local Area Network communication protocol. This is an updated version of NetBIOS

NetBIOS

Network Basic Input/Output System

Netmask

Determines what portion of an IP address designates the Network and which part designates the Host

Network Interface Card

A card installed in a computer or built onto the motherboard that allows the computer to connect to a network

Network Layer

The third layer of the OSI model which handles the routing of traffic on a network

Network Time Protocol

Used to synchronize the time of all the computers in a network

NIC

Network Interface Card

NTP

Network Time Protocol

O

OFDM

Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing is the modulation technique for both 802.11a and 802.11g

OSI

Open Systems Interconnection is the reference model for how data should travel between two devices on a network

OSPF

Open Shortest Path First is a routing protocol that is used more than RIP in larger scale networks because only changes to the routing table are sent to all the other routers in the network as opposed to sending the entire routing table at a regular interval, which is how RIP functions

P

Password

A sequence of characters that is used to authenticate requests to resources on a network

Personal Area Network

The interconnection of networking devices within a range of 10 meters

Physical layer

The first layer of the OSI model. Provides the hardware means of transmitting electrical signals on a data carrier

Ping

A utility program that verifies that a given Internet address exists and can receive messages. The utility sends a control packet to the given address and waits for a response.

PoE

Power over Ethernet is the means of transmitting electricity over the unused pairs in a category 5 Ethernet cable

POP3

Post Office Protocol 3 is used for receiving email

Port

A logical channel endpoint in a network. A computer might have only one physical channel (its Ethernet channel) but can have multiple ports (logical channels) each identified by a number.

PPP

Point-to-Point Protocol is used for two computers to communicate with each over a serial interface, like a phone line

PPPoE

Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet is used to connect multiple computers to a remote server over Ethernet

PPTP

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol is used for creating VPN tunnels over the Internet between two networks

Preamble

Used to synchronize communication timing between devices on a network

Q

QoS

Quality of Service

R

RADIUS

Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service allows for remote users to dial into a central server and be authenticated in order to access resources on a network

Reboot

To restart a computer and reload it's operating software or firmware from nonvolatile storage.

Rendezvous

Apple's version of UPnP, which allows for devices on a network to discover each other and be connected without the need to configure any settings

Repeater

Retransmits the signal of an Access Point in order to extend it's coverage

RIP

Routing Information Protocol is used to synchronize the routing table of all the routers on a network

RJ-11

The most commonly used connection method for telephones

RJ-45

The most commonly used connection method for Ethernet

RS-232C

The interface for serial communication between computers and other related devices

RSA

Algorithm used for encryption and authentication

S

Server

A computer on a network that provides services and resources to other computers on the network

Session key

An encryption and decryption key that is generated for every communication session between two computers

Session layer

The fifth layer of the OSI model which coordinates the connection and communication between applications on both ends

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

Used for sending and receiving email

Simple Network Management Protocol

Governs the management and monitoring of network devices

SIP

Session Initiation Protocol. A standard protocol for initiating a user session that involves multimedia content, such as voice or chat.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol

SOHO

Small Office/Home Office

SPI

Stateful Packet Inspection

SSH

Secure Shell is a command line interface that allows for secure connections to remote computers

SSID

Service Set Identifier is a name for a wireless network

Stateful inspection

A feature of a firewall that monitors outgoing and incoming traffic to make sure that only valid responses to outgoing requests are allowed to pass though the firewall

Subnet mask

Determines what portion of an IP address designates the Network and which part designates the Host

Syslog

System Logger -- a distributed logging interface for collecting in one place the logs from different sources. Originally written for UNIX, it is now available for other operating systems, including Windows.

T

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

TCP Raw

A TCP/IP protocol for transmitting streams of printer data.

TFTP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol is a utility used for transferring files that is simpler to use than FTP but with less features

Throughput

The amount of data that can be transferred in a given time period

Traceroute

A utility displays the routes between you computer and specific destination

U

UDP

User Datagram Protocol

Unicast

Communication between a single sender and receiver

Universal Plug and Play

A standard that allows network devices to discover each other and configure themselves to be a part of the network

Upgrade

To install a more recent version of a software or firmware product

Upload

To send a request from one computer to another and have a file transmitted from the requesting computer to the other

UPnP

Universal Plug and Play

URL

Uniform Resource Locator is a unique address for files accessible on the Internet

USB

Universal Serial Bus

UTP

Unshielded Twisted Pair

V

Virtual Private Network

VPN: A secure tunnel over the Internet to connect remote offices or users to their company's network

VLAN

Virtual LAN

Voice over IP

Sending voice information over the Internet as opposed to the PSTN

VoIP

Voice over IP

W

Wake on LAN

Allows you to power up a computer though it's Network Interface Card

WAN

Wide Area Network

WCN

Windows Connect Now. A Microsoft method for configuring and bootstrapping wireless networking hardware (access points) and wireless clients, including PCs and other devices.

WDS

Wireless Distribution System. A system that enables the interconnection of access points wirelessly.

Web browser

A utility that allows you to view content and interact with all of the information on the World Wide Web

WEP

Wired Equivalent Privacy is security for wireless networks that is supposed to be comparable to that of a wired network

Wi-Fi

Wireless Fidelity

Wi-Fi Protected Access

An updated version of security for wireless networks that provides authentication as well as encryption

Wide Area Network

The larger network that your LAN is connected to, which may be the Internet itself, or a regional or corporate network

Wireless ISP

A company that provides a broadband Internet connection over a wireless connection

Wireless LAN

Connecting to a Local Area Network over one of the 802.11 wireless standards

WISP

Wireless Internet Service Provider

WLAN

Wireless Local Area Network

WPA

Wi-Fi Protected Access. A Wi-Fi security enhancement that provides improved data encryption, relative to WEP.

X

xDSL

A generic term for the family of digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies, such as ADSL, HDSL, RADSL, and SDSL.

Y

Yagi antenna

A directional antenna used to concentrate wireless signals on a specific location

Z

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802.11

A family of specifications for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).