- 10BaseT
- Ethernet specification for unshielded twisted pair cable (category 3, 4, or 5), transmits signals at 10 Mbps (megabits per second) with a distance limit of 100 meters per segment.
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- 100BaseT
- Ethernet specification for unshielded twisted pair cabling that is used to transmit data at 100 Mbps with a distance limit of 100 meters per segment.
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- 1000BaseTX
- Ethernet specification for unshielded twisted pair cabling that is used to trasmit data at 1 Gbps with a distance limitation of 220 meters per segment.
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- 802.11a
- A member of a family of specifications developed by the IEEE for wireless LAN technology. 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station or between two wireless clients. Specifically, 801.11a is an extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANs and provides up to 54 Mbps in the 5GHz band
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- 802.11b/g
- A member of a family of specifications developed by the IEEE for wireless LAN technology. 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station or between two wireless clients. Specifically, 801.11b/g is an extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANs and operates in the 2.4GHz band, which causes occasional interference from microwave ovens, cordless telephones, or Bluetooth devices. 801.11b provides up to 11Mbps, while 801.11g allows the speeds up to 54Mbps.
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- 802.11n
- A member of a family of specifications developed by the IEEE for wireless LAN technology. 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station or between two wireless clients. Specifically, 801.11n is another extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANs. It is 4-5 times than 802.11g and provides a better operational distance than other networks. However, the standards for this particular network are not yet established by IEEE.
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- 802.1x
- An IEEE standard for network access control. Used predominantly in Wi-Fi wireless networks, 802.1x keeps the network port disconnected until authentication is completed. Depending on the results, the port is either made available to the user, or the user is denied access to the network.
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- ASCII
- American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Pronounced "ask-ee," it is the built-in binary code for representing characters in all computers except IBM mainframes, which use the EBCDIC coding system. ASCII was originally developed for communications and uses only seven bits per character, providing 128 combinations that include upper and lower case alphabetic letters, the numeric digits and special symbols such as the $ and %.
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- Backbone
- A larger transmission line that carries data gathered from smaller lines that interconnect with it. At the local level, a backbone is a line or set of lines that local area networks connect to for a wide area network connection or within a local area network to span distances efficiently (for example, between buildings). On the Internet or other wide area network, a backbone is a set of paths that local or regional networks connect to for long-distance interconnection. The connection points are known as network nodes or telecommunication data switching exchanges (DSEs).
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- Bit
- Binary digit in the binary numbering system. Its value can be 0 or 1. In an 8-bit character scheme, it takes 8 bits to make a byte (character) of data.
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- Bluetooth
- A specification for the use of low-power radio communications for simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices and peripherals, including cell phones, PDAs, and wireless headsets. Wireless signals transmitted with Bluetooth cover short distances, typically up to 30 feet (10 meters). Bluetooth devices generally communicate at less than 1 Mbps and operate at 2.4 GHz band.
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- Byte
- A sequence of adjacent bits, usually eight, operated on as a unit by a computer.
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- CAT3
- A type of cable that supports speeds of up to 16 Mbps. It is primarily used for voice and data 10BASE-T networking.
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- CAT5/5e
- Cat 5 is a type of cable that contains four twisted pairs of copper wire and supports high frequencies of up to 100 MHz and and speeds of up to 1000 Mbps. It can be used fot ATM, token ring, 1000BASE-T, 100BASE-T, and 10BASE-T networking. Cat 5e is an enhanced version of Cat 5 cable for use with 1000BASE-T (gigabit) networks and for long-distance 100BASE-T links.
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- CAT6
- CAT6 cable contains four pairs of copper wire and unlike CAT5, utilizes all four pairs. CAT6 supports Gigabit (1000 Mbps) Ethernet and supports communications at more than twice the speed of CAT5e, the other popular standard for Gigabit Ethernet cabling.
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- Client/Server
- A networking system in which one or more file servers (Server) provide services; such as network management, application and centralized data storage for workstations (Clients).
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- CSMA/CA
- Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Avoidance. A network access method in which each device signals its intent to transmit before it actually does so. This prevents other devices from sending information, thus preventing collisions from occurring between signals from two or more devices. This is the access method used by wireless technologies
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- CSMA/CD
- Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Detection. A network access method in which devices that are ready to transmit data first check the channel for a carrier. If no carrier is sensed, a device can transmit. If two devices transmit at once, a collision occurs and each computer backs off and waits a random amount of time before attempting to retransmit. This is the access method used by Ethernet.
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- DHCP
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A Protocol for assigning dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. In some systems, the device' IP address can even change while it is still connected. DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP addresses.
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- DNS
- Domain Name System. A database system that translates an IP address into a domain name. For example, a numeric address like 232.452.120.54 can become something like xyz.com
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- Domain Name
- An Internet address in alphabetic form. Domain names must have at least 2 parts: the part on the left which names the organization, and the part on the right which identifies the highest subdomain, such as the country (fr for France, uk for United Kingdom) or the type of organization (com for commericial; edu for educational, etc). Directory levels can be indicated in other parts. The IP address is translated into the domain name by the domain name server.
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- Ethernet
- A network protocol invented by Xerox Corporation and developed jointly by Xerox, Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation. Ethernet networks use CSMA/CD and run over a variety of cable types at 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 2 Gbps, or 10 Gbps.
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- Expansion Slot
- Area in a computer that accepts additional input/output boards to increase the capability of the computer.
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- Fiber Optic Cable
- A cable, consisting of a center glass core surrounded by layers of plastic, that transmits data using light rather than electricity. It has the ability to carry more information over much longer distances.
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- File Server
- A computer connected to the network that contains primary files/applications and shares them as requested with the other computers on the network. If the file server is dedicated for that purpose only, it is connected to a client/server network. An example of a client/server network is Novell Netware. All the computers connected to a peer-to-peer network are capable of being the file server. Two examples of peer-to-peer networks are LANtastic and Windows for Workgroups.
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- Firewall
- An electronic boundary that prevents unauthorized users from accessing certain files on a network; or, a computer used to maintain such a boundary.
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- FTP
- File Transfer Protocol. A client/server protocol for exchanging files with a host computer. Examples are Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem and Kermit.
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- Gigabyte (GB)
- One billion bytes of information. One thousand megabytes.
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- Hub
- A hardware device that contains multiple independent but connected modules of network and internetwork equipment. Hubs can be active (where they repeat signals sent through them) or passive (where they do not repeat but merely split signals sent through them).
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- Infrared
- Electromagnetic waves whose frequency range is above that of microwaves, but below that of the visible spectrum.
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- Intranet
- Network internal to an organization that uses Internet protocols.
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- Internet
- A global network of networks used to exchange information using the TCP/IP protocol. It allows for electronic mail and the accessing ad retrieval of information from remote sources.
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- IP address
- Internet Protocol Address. A 32-bit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the Internet. When you request an HTML page or send e-mail, the Internet Protocol part of TCP/IP includes your IP address in the message (actually, in each of the packets if more than one is required) and sends it to the IP address that is obtained by looking up the domain name of the Uniform Resource Locator you requested or in the e-mail address you're sending a note to. At the other end, the recipient can see the IP address of the Web page requestor or the e-mail sender and can respond by sending another message using the IP address it received. An IP address has two parts: the identifier of a particular network on the Internet and an identifier of the particular device (which can be a server or a workstation) within that network. On the Internet itself - that is, between the routers that move packets from one point to another along the route - only the network part of the address is looked at.
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- LAN
- Local Area Network. A network connecting computers in a relatively small area such as a building.
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- Logical Topology
- The schematic configuration that reflects the network's function, use, or implementation without regard to the physical interconnection of network elements.
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- MAN
- Metropolitan Area Network. A network connecting computers over a large geographical area, such as a city or school district.
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- Modem
- Modulator/Demodulator. Devices that convert digital and analog signals. Modems allow computer data (digital) to be transmitted over voice-grade telephone lines (analog).
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- Multimode Fiber
- Multimode fiber is optical fiber that is designed to carry multiple light rays or modes concurrently, each at a slightly different reflection angle within the optical fiber core. Multimode fiber transmission is used for relatively short distances because the modes tend to disperse over longer lengths.
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- Network
- A group of two or more computer systems linked together. Some types of existing networks include: a) local-area networks (LANs): The computers are geographically close together (that is, in the same building) & b) wide-area networks (WANs): The computers are farther apart and are connected by telephone lines or radio waves.
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- NIC
- Network Interface Card. A board that provides network communication capabilities to and from a computer.
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- NOS
- Network Operating System. Operating system designed to pass information and communicate between more than one computer. Examples include Apple OSX Server, Novell NetWare, Sun Solaris, and Windows 2003 Server.
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- Node
- End point of a network connection. Nodes include any device attached to a network such as file servers, printers, or workstations.
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- Peer-to-Peer Network
- A network in which resources and files are shared without a centralized management source.
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- Physical Topology
- The physical layout of the network; how the cables are arranged; and how the computers are connected.
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- Point-to-Point
- A direct link between two objects in a network.
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- Ports
- A connection point for a cable.
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- Protocol
- A formal description of a set of rules and conventions that govern how devices on a network exchange information.
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- RAID
- Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. A configuration of multiple disks designed to preserve data after a disk casualty.
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- RAM
- Random Access Memory. The working memory of a computer where data and programs are temporarily stored. RAM only holds information when the computer is on.
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- RIP
- Routing Information Protocol. An interior gateway protocol used with TCP/IP. It provides routing information such as what networks are accessible and the number of hops required to reach each one.
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- RJ-45
- Standard connectors used for unshielded twisted-pair cable.
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- Router
- A device that routes information between interconnected networks. It can select the best path to route a message, as well as translate information from one network to another.
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- SCSI
- Small Computer Serial Interface. An interface controller that allows several peripherals to be connected to the same port on a computer.
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- Segment
- A specially-configured subset of a larger network. The boundaries of a network segment are established by devices capable of regulating the flow of packets into and out of the segment, including routers, switches, hubs, bridges, or multi-homed gateways.
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- Server
- A computer (or service) that provides information or a service to other computers ona network.
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- Singlemode Fiber
- Single mode fiber is optical fiber that is designed for the transmission of a single ray or mode of light as a carrier and is used for long-distance signal transmission.
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- Sneaker-Net
- Refers to a manual method of sharing files in which a file is copied from a computer to a floppy disk, transported to a second computer by a person physically walking (apparently wearing sneakers) to the second computer, and manually transferring the file from floppy disk to the second computer.
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- Speed of Data Transfer
- The rate at which information travels through a network, usually measured in megabits per second.
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- SSID
- Service Set Identifier. In Wi-Fi Wireless LAN computer networking, an SSID is a code attached to all packets on a wireless network to identify each packet as part of that network. The code is a case sensitive text string which consists of a maximum of 32 alphanumeric characters. All wireless devices attempting to communicate with each other must share the same SSID. Apart from identifying each packet, SSID also serves to uniquely identify a group of wireless network devices used in a given "Service Set".
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- Star Topology
- LAN topology in which each node on a network is connected directly to a central network device
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- Switch
- A device that channels incoming data from any of multiple input ports to the specific output port that will take the data toward its intended destination, a device that filters and forwards packets between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer (layer 2) and sometimes the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol.
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- Tape Back-Up
- Copying all the data and programs of a computer system on magnetic tape. On tape, data is stored sequentially. When retrieving data, the tape is searched from the beginning of tape until the data is found.
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- TCP/IP
- Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A set of protocols which enables communication between different types of computers and computer networks on the Internet. The protocols dictate how packets of information are sent across multiple networks.
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- Twisted Pair
- Network cabling that consists of four pairs of wires that are manufactured with the wires twisted to certain specifications. Available in shielded and unshielded versions.
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- USB
- Universal Serial Bus Port. A hardware interface for low-speed peripherals such as the keyboard, mouse, joystick, scanner, printer, and telephony devices.
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- Vlan
- A network of computers that behave as if they are connected to the same wire even though they may actually be physically located on different segments of a LAN.
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- WAN
- Wide Area Network. A network connecting computers within very large areas, such as states, countries, and the world.
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- Workgroup
- A collection of workstations and servers on a LAN that are designated to communicate and exchange data with one another.
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- Workstation
- A computer connected to a network at which users interact with software stored on the network.
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