Network Terminology

 

1000BASE-CX	Gigabit Ethernet on twinax copper cabling
1000BASE-LX	Gigabit Ethernet for vertical or campus backbones; single or multimode Fibre
1000BASE-SX	Gigabit Ethernet for low cost, short backbone, or horizontal connections
100BASE-T	Standard "Fast Ethernet" based on twisted pair copper wire
10BASE2	Old "Cheapernet" with thin coaxial cable and trunk / drop topology
10BASE5	Old "Thicknet" with thick coaxial cable and trunk / drop topology
10BASE-FL	10Mbps fibre optic Ethernet
10BASE-T	Standard "Plain Vanilla" Ethernet based on Unshielded Twisted Pair wire
7 Layer Networking	Concept of viewing data in layers: physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation and application
Application Layer Protocol	The layer of information that gives meaning to transmitted data
ARP Protocol	Address Resolution Protocol - translates TCP/IP addresses to physical MAC addresses
Auto-Negotiation	Hardware feature for automatic adjustment to proper bit rate
Bridging Router	Router that automatically forwards a message it doesn't understand
Browser	Software that allows you to access the World Wide Web. The software, which runs on your PC or Macintosh, provides the graphical interface between your computer and the Web. The most popular browser is Netscape Navigator followed by Microsoft Explorer. These programs can be downloaded for free from the Internet. Netscape is available from Windows, Windows 95, UNIX and Macintosh. Microsoft Explorer is available for Windows, Windows 95 and Macintosh.
Classless Subnet	Masks Block of IP addresses with specified notation to indicate how many bits are within a subnet (e.g. 203.14.4.13/27)
Crossover Cable	Cable with transmit/receive pairs reversed so one hub or switch can link directly to another
CSMA/CD	Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Detection - arbitration mechanism for competing Ethernet messages
Cyberspace	A term coined by science fiction author William Gibson to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer networks.
DHCP	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - permits auto-assignment of temporary IP addresses for new devices logging in
DNS Domain Name Server	associates names with IP addresses
Duplex	Communication travelling between two nodes in both directions
Electronic Mail (E-mail)	Messages sent from one computer to another via a network, online service or the Internet. It generally takes only seconds for a message to reach its destination anywhere in the world. E-mail messages can contain only text or contain programs or data including graphics, word processing files and even audio and video.
Ethernet/IP	Application layer protocol based on (Control and Information Protocol) from DeviceNet/ControlNet
Flow Control	Mechanism used by switches & routers to regulate receipt of heavy traffic loads
FTP	An acronym for File Transfer Protocol - a very common method of transferring one or more files from one computer to another. FTP is built into most browsers so you don't need to know complex commands to use it.
Full Duplex	Messages can be sent and received between two nodes simultaneously
Gateway	Device which links Ethernet to dissimilar networks and transfers data at the application layer level
Gopher	"Gopher," is a menu driven system that links you to other Internet sites around the world. You can access it with special Gopher software or most Web browsers will also allow you to access Gopher menus. In some cases, web sites will automatically link you to gopher sites. When you access Gopher you get a series of menus, one of which lets you connect to other Gophers in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and other locations around the world.
Half Duplex	Two nodes can send and receive messages with each other, but only one at a time
HTTP	Anyone who's used the World Wide Web has seen those web sites that begin with http://. HTTP is abbreviation for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
Hub	Repeater which indiscriminately broadcasts messages to all connected devices
Industrial Ethernet	IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and TCP/IP with provisions for harsh physical and electrical conditions
IP Address	Address of a TCP/IP enabled device on an Intranet or Internet - in the form xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (i.e. 192.168.0.44)
IP Protocol	Internet Protocol portion of TCP/IP
IP v.4	The current version of the IP protocol, uses 32 bit addresses
IP v.6	New version of the IP protocol with provisions for 128 bit addresses and advanced broadcast features
Internet	A global network of networks, the Internet is a system that links computer systems so that they can exchange various types of data including e-mail, video, audio, data and program files, World Wide Web pages and more. The Internet isn't a single computer service. It's a worldwide network of networks that consists of thousands of computers located on every continent. Once you're connected to the Internet you can "cruise the digital highways" to other connected machines. You don't have to pay extra fees or phone charges and, in many cases, you don't need an account on those other computers. That's because many libraries, universities, companies and government agencies allow guests to browse through their data banks, even if the users don't have an account on that system. The World Wide Web, newsgroups, e-mail and FTP are all part of the Internet.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)	A company that provides users with access to the Internet, usually for a fee. Unlike an online service, an ISP doesn't necessarily provide additional content but does provide dial up access and, in most cases, technical support for its users.
Java	Java is a programming language developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. to create executable content (i.e. self-running applications) that can be easily distributed through networks like the World Wide Web. Developers use Java to create special programs called "applets" that can be incorporated in a web page to make it interactive.
LAN	Local Area Network - A network of computers that is typically located within a company, a department or a campus. They are not necessarily connected to computers outside the facility although a LAN can be connected to other computers via the Internet.
MAC	Media Access Control - the physical components which disassemble Ethernet message fames
MAC Address	The physical address of an Ethernet node
Magnetics	Transformer which provides voltage isolation and protection for Ethernet hardware
Managed Hub	Hub which can be externally programmed to accept / reject specific types of messages
Mesh	Network topology in which messages can use a variety of routes to reach a destination
Microsoft Explorer	see "Browser"
Modbus/TCP	Application layer protocol for automation based on Modbus ASCII/RTU
Netscape Navigator	see "Browser"
Netstat	Utility that reports active TCP connections, state of servers & sockets, and IP routing tables in use
Online	The process of "going online." When you connect your computer to another computer, usually via a phone line, it's known as "going online." The term typically refers to connecting your machine to an online service or the Internet though it can also be used to refer to connecting to a local area network.
Online Service	An information service that provides dial up access as well as proprietary information. Examples include America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy and the Microsoft Network. Major online services all provide e-mail, forums where users can exchange information and ideas. These days all major online services also provide access to the Internet including Internet e-mail and World Wide Web access.
Online Service Provider	See "Online Service"
PHY	Physical component which decodes data and produces signal levels that drive magnetics and cable
PING	Packet Inter Net Groper - very useful utility which probes for the existence of a TCP/IP host
Port	A number in TCP/IP to which services are assigned; e.g. FTP is port 21; SMTP is port 25; HTTP is port 80.
PROFINet	Application layer protocol from Profibus Trade Organization
Private IP	Addresses Range of IP addresses not recognized by Internet routers, designated for private LANs
Protocol	A protocol is the standard or set of rules that two computers use to communicate with each other. Also known as a communications protocol or network protocol, this is a set of standards that assures that different network products or programs can work together. Any product that uses a given protocol should work with any other product using the same protocol.
Repeater	Buffer which cleans up, strengthens and re-transmits a signal
Router	Intelligent networking switch which selectively re-distributes messages based on IP address
Search Engine	A search engine is a type of software that creates indexes of databases or Internet sites based on the titles of files, key words, or the full text of files. The search engine has an interface that allows you to type what you're looking for into a blank field. It then gives you a list of the results of the search. When you use a search engine on the Web, the results are presented to you in hypertext, which means you can click on any item in the list to get the actual file.
Serial Server	Device which converts serial data to Ethernet
Simplex	Communication between two devices that can only travel in one direction
SNMP	Simple Network Management Protocol; allows monitoring and management of a network
Socket	Specific instance of an IP address and Port number that represents a single connection between two applications
Star Topology	Topology which allows only one device at each end of a wire and requires repeaters for more than two devices
Switch Repeater	which selectively re-distributes messages based on hardware MAC address
TCP	Protocol Transmission Control Protocol - mechanism in TCP/IP that ensures that data arrives intact and in correct order
TCP/IP	Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol - an entire suite of protocols and delivery mechanisms for Internet data
Telnet	Standard interface through which a client may access a host as though it were local
Topology	Physical format / map of a network
Traceroute	Utility which tells which routers / servers exist between a source and destination
Trunk/Drop Topology	Topology which allows many devices on one cable
Twisted Pair	Standard wire format for Ethernet cables
UDP	User Datagram Protocol - lower overhead alternative to TCP protocol which does not guarantee message delivery
URL	An abbreviation for Universal Resource Locator, it is an addressing scheme. A URL is just an address. The URL for the this site  for example, is http://www.lyoncs.co.uk
Web page	A single "page" on a web site. A page may be longer than a single screen (you may have to scroll down to read its entire contents). A web site can consist of multiple pages.
World Wide Web	The part of the Internet that provides access to documents and pages through "hypertext links." Users can jump from one document to another by clicking on a link even if they documents are stored on different computers on the Internet. World Wide Web documents often contain graphics and sometimes audio, animation or video. They are created using a language called HTML. Web sites generally have a Home Page which typically links to other pages on that and other Web sites.

 

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