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3DES (Triple DES) - A popular private key encryption method, based on DES, an ANSI Data Encryption Standard designed by IBM in the 1970s. Triple DES, or simply 3DES is a more secure version of the DES standard that encodes text three times, as opposed to just one.
802.11a - An IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps and an operating frequency of 5GHz. Becoming obsolete and quickly being replaced by the 802.11g standard.
802.11b - An IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 11Mbps and an operating frequency of 2.4GHz.
802.11g - A IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps, an operating frequency of 2.4GHz, and full backward compatibility with 802.11b devices.
Access Point - Device that allows wireless-equipped computers and other devices to communicate with a wired network. Also used to expand the range of a wireless network.
Adapter - A device that adds network functionality to your PC.
Ad-hoc - A group of wireless devices communicating directly with each other (peer-to-peer) without the use of an access point.
ADSL (asymmetric DSL) - A type of Digital Subscriber line (DSL) that provides greater downstream(download from provider to consumer) bandwidth at the expense of lesser upstream (upload) speed.
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) - A high-speed network protocol designed to support both voice and data communication. ATM is composed of 53 byte cells having 48 byte payloads, does not involve routing and is especially good for real time voice and video. DSL implementations often use ATM as the underlying data-transport protocol beneath TCP/IP.
Backbone - The part of a communications network that handles the major traffic using the highest-speed and often longest paths in the network. On the Internet, a backbone is a set of paths that local networks connect to for long-distance interconnection.
Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of a given device or network.
Beacon Interval - The frequency interval of the beacon, which is a packet broadcast by a router to synchronize a wireless network.
Bit - A binary digit.
Boot - To start a PC and causing it to start executing instructions.
Bridge - A device that connects two different kinds of local networks, such as a wireless network to a wired Ethernet network.
Broadband - An always-on, fast Internet connection.
Browser - An application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web.
Buffer - A block of memory that temporarily holds data to be worked on later when a device is currently too busy to accept the data.
Cable Modem - A device that connects a computer to the cable television network, which in turn connects to the Internet.
CAT5 (Category 5 ethernet cable) - A widely used EIA/TIA Ethernet cable standard. CAT5 cables contain 4 twisted pairs of copper wire and support 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet. CAT5 cable runs are limited to a maximum recommended length of 100m (328 feet).
CAT5e (Category 5 enhanced) - A CAT5 variation that supports short-run Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) networking by utilizing all four wire pairs in a CAT5 cable, and is backward-compatible with ordinary CAT5.
Crossover - A type of Ethernet cable in which the "send" and "receive" pairs are crossed, so it can be used to connect similar network devices such PCs without a hub/switch between them directly. In a crossover cable, the inside wires are arranged differently (crossed over) in the RJ45 plugs on either end. It has the same effect as (and can substitute for) an uplink port in a hub/switch.
CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) - A method of data transfer that is used to prevent data loss in a network.
CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit) - A hardware device that converts a digital data frame from the communications technology used on a LAN into a frame appropriate to a WAN and vice versa. A CSU/DSU is typically an external hardware device or a T1 WAN card.
CTS (Clear To Send) - A signal sent by a device to indicate that it is ready to receive data.
Daisy Chain - A method used to connect devices in a series, one after the other.
Database - A collection of data that is organized so that its contents can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.
DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System) - The capability of having a website, FTP, or e-mail server-with a dynamic IP address-use a fixed domain name.
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) - A type of external Internet attack, in which multiple sources attack a single target system, with the goal being denial of service for its users. DDoS attacks flood the target system with incoming messages at a rate much higher than it can process, therefore slowing it down to a level where it is rendered useless to users.
Default Gateway - See Gateway
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A protocol that lets one device on a local network, known as a DHCP server, assign temporary IP addresses to the other network devices, typically computers.
DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) - A computer or device on an internal protected network that is placed outside the firewall, but still available to the LAN. The advantage of a DMZ computer is it has all communicatons ports open and it can use any special aplication that communicates on non-standard ports, such as many VoIP programs and online games. The disadvantage is that the device might be vulnerable to attacks, not being protected by the firewall.
DNS (Domain Name Server) - The IP address of your ISP's server, which translates the names of websites into IP addresses.
Domain - A specific name for a network of computers.
Download - To receive a file transmitted over a network.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - An always-on broadband connection over traditional phone lines.
DSSS (Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum) - A type of radio transmission technology that includes a redundant bit pattern to lessen the probability of data lost during transmission. Used in 802.11b networking.
DTIM (Delivery Traffic Indication Message) - A message included in data packets that can increase wireless efficiency.
Dynamic IP Address - A temporary IP address assigned by a DHCP server or Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Encryption - Encoding data to prevent it from being read by unauthorized people.
Ethernet - An IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium.
Finger - A program that tells you the name associated with an e-mail address.
Firewall - Security measures that protect the resources of a local network from intruders.
Firmware - 1) In network devices, the programming that runs the device. 2) Programming loaded into read-only memory (ROM) or programmable read-only memory (PROM) that cannot be altered by end-users.
Fragmentation - Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a network medium that cannot support the original size of the packet.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - A standard protocol for sending files between computers over a TCP/IP network and the Internet.
Full Duplex - The ability of a networking device to receive and transmit data simultaneously.
Gateway - A system (hardware, software or combination) that links otherwise incompatible networks to communicate with one another. The term often refers to the server computer or router that links a LAN to the Internet.
Half Duplex - Data transmission that can occur in two directions over a single line, but only one direction at a time.
Hardware - The physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other information technology devices.
HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) - The communications protocol used to connect to servers on the World Wide Web.
IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) - An independent institute that develops networking standards.
Infrastructure - Currently installed computing and networking equipment.
Infrastructure Mode - Configuration in which a wireless network is bridged to a wired network via an access point.
IP (Internet Protocol) - A protocol used to send data over a network.
IP Address - The address used to identify a computer or device on a network.
IPCONFIG - A Windows 2000 and XP utility that displays the IP address for a particular networking device. For Windows 95, 98 and Me see WINIPCFG.
IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) - A VPN protocol used to implement secure exchange of packets at the IP layer.
ISM band - Radio band used in wireless networking transmissions.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) - A company that provides access to the Internet.
LAN (Local Area Network) - The computers and networking products that make up the network in your home or office.
MAC (Media Access Control) Address - The unique address that a manufacturer assigns to each networking device.
Mbps (Megabits Per Second) - One million bits per second; a unit of measurement for data transmission.
Multicasting - Sending data to a specific group of destinations at once.
NAT (Network Address Translation) - Translation of IP addresses of a local area network to a different IP address for the Internet.
Network - A series of computers or devices connected for the purpose of data sharing, storage, and/or transmission between users.
NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) - The protocol used to connect to Usenet groups on the Internet.
Node - A network junction or connection point, typically a computer or work station.
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) - A type of modulation technology that separates the data stream into a number of lower-speed data streams, which are then transmitted in parallel. Used in 802.11a, 802.11g, and powerline networking.
Packet - A unit of data sent over a network.
Passphrase - Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP encryption process by automatically generating the WEP encryption keys for Linksys products.
Ping (Packet INternet Groper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) - A standard protocol used to retrieve e-mail stored on a mail server.
Port - 1. The connection point on a computer or networking device used for plugging in a cable or an adapter. 2. The virtual connection point through which a computer uses a specific application on a server.
PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) - A type of broadband connection that provides authentication (username and password) in addition to data transport.
PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) - A VPN protocol that allows the Point to Point Protocol (PPP) to be tunneled through an IP network. This protocol is also used as a type of broadband connection in Europe.
Preamble - Part of the wireless signal that synchronizes network traffic.
RJ-45 (Registered Jack-45) - An Ethernet connector that holds up to eight wires.
Roaming - The ability to take a wireless device from one access point's range to another without losing the connection.
Router - A networking device that connects multiple networks together, such as a local network and the Internet.
RTS (Request To Send) - A packet sent when a computer has data to transmit. The computer will wait for a CTS (Clear To Send) message before sending data.
SDSL (Single line DSL, Symmetric DSL) - A DSL variation that uses just one twisted pair. SDSL is also symmetric, ie, the maximum data rate both upstream and downstream is the same, as opposed to ADSL.
Server - Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to files, printing, communications, and other services.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - The standard e-mail protocol on the Internet.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) - A widely used network monitoring and control protocol.
Software - Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs a particular task is called a "program".
SPI Firewall - A type of firewall that inspects incoming data packets to make sure they correspond to an outgoing request. Unsolicited—and possibly harmful—packets are rejected.
Spread Spectrum - Wideband radio frequency technique used for more reliable and secure data transmission.
SSID (Service Set IDentifier) - Your wireless network's name.
Static IP Address - A fixed address assigned to a computer or device that is connected to a network.
Static Routing - Forwarding data in a network via a fixed path.
Subnet Mask - An address code that determines the size of the network.
Switch - 1. Device that is the central point of connection for computers and other devices in a network, so data can be shared at full transmission speeds. 2. A device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - A network protocol for transmitting data that requires acknowledgement from the recipient of data sent.
Telnet - A user command and TCP/IP protocol used for accessing remote PCs.
TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) - A version of the TCP/IP FTP protocol that uses UDP and has no directory or password capability.
Throughput - The amount of data moved successfully from one node to another in a given time period.
Topology - The physical layout of a network.
TX Rate - Transmission Rate.
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) - A network protocol for transmitting data that does not require acknowledgement from the recipient of the data that is sent.
Upgrade - To replace existing software or firmware with a newer version.
Upload - To transmit a file over a network.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - The address of a file located on the Internet.
Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) - A group of computers on a network whose software has been configured so that they behave as if they were on a separate Local Area Network (LAN). Computers on VLAN do not have to be physically located next to one another on the LAN. A VLAN can be set up as a temporary solution to allow a workgroup to use less network bandwidth and communicate more privately.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) - A secure connection between your network and another one over the Internet.
WAN (Wide Area Network) - 1) The Internet. 2) A network that uses leased lines, such as a T1, to connect two or more remote locations.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) - A method of encrypting data transmitted on a wireless network for greater security.
WINIPCFG - A Windows 98 and Millennium utility that displays the IP address for a particular networking device. For Windows 2000 and XP see IPCONFIG.
WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) - A group of computers and associated devices that communicate with each other wirelessly.
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