- MAU
-
-
Medium Attachment Unit,
a device used to convert signals from one Ethernet medium to
another.
- Mbps
-
Megabits per second.
- MIB
-
Management Information
Base, a database of network parameters used by SNMP and CMIP (Common
Management Information Protocol) to monitor and change network
device settings. It provides a logical naming of all information
resources on the network that are pertinent to the network's
management.
- MII
-
Media Independent
Interface, New standard developed for Fast Ethernet in IEEE 802.3u
specification. The Fast Ethernet equivalent to the AUI in 10 Mbps
Ethernet, allowing different types of Fast Ethernet media to be
connected to a Fast Ethernet device via a common interface.
- MJ
-
Modular Jack. A jack
used for connecting voice cables to a faceplate, as for a telephone.
- MMJ
-
Modified Modular Jack.
These are the 6-pin connectors used to connect serial terminal lines
to terminal devices. MMJs can be distinguished from the similar RJ12
jacks by having a side-locking tab, rather than a center-mounted
one.
- Modem
-
A modulator-demodulator
device for changing transmission signals from digital to analog for
transmission over phone lines. Used in pairs, one is required at
each end of the line.
-
- MOP
-
Maintenance Operations
Protocol, a DEC protocol used for remote communications between
hosts and servers.
- Multicast
-
A multicast is a
message that is sent out to multiple devices on the network by a
host.
- Multilink PPP
-
The ability of a dialup
device to allocate more than one channel of bandwidth to a
particular connection. Generally, this is termed to be the ability
of an ISDN device to bond two B-channels together into a single data
pipe, but some vendors can perform the same function with
asychronous dial-up connections over modems by having a second
connection initiated to support the additional bandwidth
requirements.
- Multiplexer
-
A device that allows
several users to share a single circuit. It funnels different data
streams into a single stream. At the other end of the communications
link, another multiplexer reverses the process by splitting the data
stream back into the original streams.
- Multiplexing
-
Transmitting multiple
signals simultaneously on a single channel.
- Multiport
Repeater
-
A repeater, either
standalone or connected to standard Ethernet cable, for
interconnecting up to eight Thinwire Ethernet segments.
- Name Server
-
Software that runs on
network hosts charged with translating (or resolving) text-style
names into numeric IP addresses.
- NCP
-
Network Control
Program, a program run on VMS machines to configure local network
hardware and remote network devices.
- NetWare
-
A Novell developed
Network Operating System (NOS). Provides file and printer sharing
among networks of Personal Computers (PCs). Each NetWare network
must have at least one file server, and access to other resources is
dependent on connecting to and logging into the file server. The
file server controls user logins and access to other network
clients, such as user PCs, print servers, modem/fax servers,
disk/file servers, etc.
- NetBIOS/NetBEUI
-
Microsoft's networking
protocols for it's LAN Manager and Windows NT products.
- Network
-
An interconnected
system of computers that can communicate with each other and share
files, data and resources.
- Network
Address
-
Every node on a network
has one or more addresses associated with it, including at least one
fixed hardware address such as "ae-34-2c-1d-69-f1" assigned by the
device's manufacturer. Most nodes also have protocol specific
addresses assigned by a network manager.
- Network
Management
-
Administrative services
for managing a network, including configuring and tuning,
maintaining network operation, monitoring network performance, and
diagnosing network problems.
- NIC
-
Network Interface Card,
an adapter card that is inserted into a computer, and contains the
necessary software and electronics to enable the station to
communicate over the network.
- Node
-
Any intelligent device
connected to the network. This includes terminal servers, host
computers, and any other devices (such as printers and terminals)
that are directly connected to the network. A node can be thought of
as any device that has a "hardware address."
- NOS
-
Network Operating
System, the software for a network that runs in a file server and
controls access to files and other resources from multiple users. It
provides security and administrative tools. Novell's NetWare,
Banyan's VINES and IBM's LAN Server are NOS examples.
-
- Open System
Interconnect (OSI)
-
See "ISO."
- Packet
-
A series of bits
containing data and control information, including source and
destination node addresses, formatted for transmission from one node
to another.
- PAP
-
(Password
Authentication Protocol) Authentication scheme for PPP links. A
password can be specified for both devices on a remote link. Failure
to authenticate will result in a dropped connection prior to start
of data transmission.
- Physical
Address
-
An address identifying
a single node.
- Physical
Layer
-
Layer 1, the bottom
layer of the OSI model, is implemented by the physical channel. The
Physical layer insulates Layer 2, the Data Link layer, from
medium-dependent physical characteristics such as baseband,
broadband or fiber-optic transmission. Layer 1 defines the protocols
that govern transmission media and signals.
-
Point-to-Point
-
A circuit connecting
two nodes only, or a configuration requiring a separate physical
connection between each pair of nodes.
-
- Port
-
The physical connector
on a device enabling the connection to be made.
- Port
Multiplier
-
A concentrator
providing connection to a network for multiple devices.
- PostScript
-
A printer/display
protocol developed by Adobe Corp. PostScript is an actual printing
and programming language to display text and graphics. Unlike
line/ASCII printers, which print character input verbatim,
PostScript printers accept and interpret an entire PostScript page
before printing it.
- PPP
-
Point-to-Point
Protocol. The successor to SLIP, PPP provides router-to-router and
host-to-network connections over both synchronous and asynchronous
circuits.
- Print Server
-
A dedicated computer
that manages printers and print requests from other nodes on the
network.
- PROM
-
Programmable ROM, a
read-only memory whose data content can be altered.
- Protocol
-
Any standard method of
communicating over a network.
- Remote Access
-
Access to network
resources not located on the same physical Ethernet. (Physical
Ethernet here refers to an entire site network topology.)
- Remote
Control
-
Form of remote access
where a device dialing in assumes control of another network node -
all keystrokes on the remote are translated into keystrokes on the
network node. Used primarily with IPX protocol.
- Remote Node
-
Form of remote access
where the device dialing in acts as a peer on the target network.
Used with both IP and IPX protocols.
- Repeater
-
A repeater is a network
device that repeats signals from one cable onto one or more other
cables, while restoring signal timing and waveforms.
- Ring
-
A network topology in
which the nodes are connected in a closed loop. Data is transmitted
from node to node around the loop, always in the same direction.
- RMON
-
SNMP-based standard for
reporting various network conditions. RMON has 10 different
management groups which provide detailed information about a
network.
- Rlogin
-
Rlogin is an
application that provides a terminal interface between UNIX hosts
using the TCP/IP network protocol. Unlike Telnet, Rlogin assumes the
remote host is (or behaves like) a UNIX machine
- ROM
-
Read-Only Memory, a
memory device that retains its information even when power to it is
removed. A ROM version of a network device does not need to
download, since the ROM contains the entire executable code and thus
never needs to reload it. Frequently the ROM is provided as "flash
ROM", which can be reprogrammed by downloading if the user chooses.
- Router
-
Device capable of
filtering/forwarding packets based upon data link layer information.
Whereas a bridge or switch may only read MAC layer addresses to
filter, routers are able to read data such as IP addresses and route
accordingly.
- RTEL
-
Lantronix' "reverse
Telnet" software allows hosts using TCP/IP to establish a session
with a device attached to a terminal server port.
- Server
-
A computer that
provides resources to be shared on the network, such as files (file
server) or terminals (terminal server).
- Session
-
A connection to a
network service.
- Shared
Ethernet
-
Ethernet configuration
in which a number of segments are bound together in a single
collision domain. Hubs produce this type of configuration where only
one node can transmit at a time.
- SLIP
-
Serial Line Internet
Protocol, a protocol for running TCP/IP over serial lines.
- SNA
-
Systems Network
Architecture. IBM's layered protocols for mainframe communications.
- SNMP
-
-
Simple Network
Management Protocol, allows a TCP/IP host running an SNMP
application to query other nodes for network-related statistics and
error conditions. The other hosts, which provide SNMP agents,
respond to these queries and allow a single host to gather network
statistics from many other network nodes.
- Source Code
-
Programs in an
uncompiled or unassembled form.
- Spanning Tree
-
An algorithm used by
bridges to create a logical topology that connects all network
segments, and ensures that only one path exists between any two
stations.
- Store and
Forward
-
Technique for examining
incoming packets on an Ethernet switch or bridge whereby the whole
packet is read before forwarding or filtering takes place. Store and
forward is a slightly slower process than cut-through, but it does
ensure that all bad or misaligned packets are eliminated from the
network by the switching device.
- SPX
-
Sequential Packet
exchange. Novell's implementation of SPP (Sequential Packet
Protocol).
- SQE
-
Ethernet-defined signal
quality test function, frequently called "heartbeat."
- Switch
-
Multiport Ethernet
device designed to increase network performance by allowing only
essential traffic on the attached individual Ethernet segments.
Packets are filtered or forwarded based upon their source and
destination addresses.
- T-Connector
-
A T-shaped device with
two female and one male BNC connectors.
- TCP/IP
-
Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) are the standard network
protocols in UNIX environments. They are almost always implemented
and used together and called TCP/IP.
- Telnet
-
Telnet is an
application that provides a terminal interface between hosts using
the TCP/IP network protocol. It has been standardized so that "telnetting"
to any host should give one an interactive terminal session,
regardless of the remote host type or operating system. Note that
this is very different from the LAT software, which allows only
local network access to LAT hosts only.
- 10BASE2
-
Ethernet running on
thin coax network cable.
- 10BASE5
-
Ethernet running on
Thickwire network cable.
- 10BASE-T
-
Ethernet running on
unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable. Note that 10BASE-T is a
point-to-point network media, with one end of the cable typically
going to a repeater/hub and the other to the network device.
- Terminal
Server
-
A concentrator that
facilitates communication between hosts and terminals.
- Terminator
-
Used on both ends of a
standard Ethernet or Thinwire Ethernet segment, this special
connector provides the 50 ohm termination resistance needed for the
cable.
-
- TFTP
-
Trivial File Transfer
Protocol. On computers that run the TCP/IP networking software, TFTP
is used to quickly send files across the network with fewer security
features than FTP.
- Thickwire
-
Half-inch diameter coax
cable.
- Thinwire
-
-
Thin coaxial cable
similar to that used for television/video hookups.
- Throughput
-
The amount of data
transmitted between two points in a given amount of time, e.g., 10
Mbps.
- Token
-
The character sequence
or frame, passed in sequence from node to node, to indicate that the
node controlling it has the right to transmit for a given amount of
time.
- Token Ring
-
Developed by IBM, this
4 or 16 Mbps network uses a ring topology and a token-passing access
method.
- Topology
-
The arrangement of the
nodes and connecting hardware that comprises the network. Types
include ring, bus, star and tree.
- Transceiver
-
-
The actual device that
interfaces between the network and the local node. The term
generally refers to any connector, such as a MAU, that actively
converts signals between the network and the local node.
- Transceiver
Cable
-
Cable that attaches a
device either to a standard or thin coax Ethernet segment.
- Twisted-Pair
Cable
-
-
Inexpensive,
multiple-conductor cable comprised of one or more pairs of 18 to 24
gauge copper strands. The strands are twisted to improve protection
against electromagnetic and radio frequency interference. The cable,
which may be either shielded or unshielded, is used in low-speed
communications, as telephone cable. It is used only in baseband
networks because of its narrow bandwidth.
- Unix
-
A multitasking,
multiuser computer operating system developed by AT&T. Several
versions exist, e.g., the Berkeley version.
- UTP
-
Unshielded twisted
pair, one or more cable pairs surrounded by insulation. UTP is
commonly used as telephone wire.
- Wide Area
Network (WAN)
-
A network using common
carrier transmission services for transmission of data over a large
geographical area.
-
- Workgroup
Switching
-
Configuration in which
a number of users are connected to an Ethernet network via a switch.
Switching allows each user to get greater throughput than would be
available through a hub.
- X.25 Gateway
Access Protocol
-
-
Allows a node not
directly connected to a public data network to access the facilities
of that network through an intermediary gateway node. X.25 is the
protocol standard governing packet-switched networks.
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