Networking terms and their
usage
·
Bandwidth - the rated throughput capacity of a given
network media or protocol. The amount of data that can be transmitted in a
fixed amount of time.
·
Backbone - A high-speed link joining together
several networks.
·
Bit – A unit of information having just two
possible values, as either of the binary digits 0 or 1.
·
Byte - a series of consecutive binary digits
that are operated upon as a unit. There are 8 bits in a byte.
·
Category 5 (cat 5) cable -A type of twisted
pair network wiring in which there is a certain number of twists per foot. It
is the most commonly used network cabling.
·
Coaxial Cable - A type of cable consisting of two
insulating layers and two conductors most commonly used in older networks.
·
Collision - An attempt by two devices to transmit
over the network at the same time usually resulting in the data being lost.
·
DNS (Domain Name System) – an internet
service that translates domain names into IP addresses. For example
www.google.com translates to 66.102.7.99.
- Dynamic DNS - A method of
keeping a domain name linked to a changing IP address using a pool of
available IP addresses so you can use applications that require a static
IP address.
·
Domain - A group of computers and devices on a
network that are administered as a unit.
·
DHCP ( Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol )– A TCP/IP protocol
that dynamically assigns an IP address to a computer. Dynamic addressing
simplifies network administration because the software keeps track of IP
addresses rather than requiring a network administrator to do so.
- Ethernet - Ethernet is the
most widely installed local area network technology. It was developed
during the late 1970s through a partnership of DEC, Intel, and Xerox.
·
Fiber Optic –A cable technology that uses glass
(or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. It is a very fast technology
·
Gateway - A device on a network that serves as an
entrance to another network and routes traffic
·
Hardware (MAC) address – A unique address
associated with a particular network device
·
Hub - A common connection point for computers and
devices in a network that takes an incoming signal and repeats it on all other
ports
·
Internet - Term used to refer to the world's largest
internetwork, connecting thousands of networks worldwide. Also known as the
world wide web (www)
·
IP address - a 32-bit address assigned to hosts
using the TCP/IP protocol. Each computer/device on the public internet has a
unique IP address. An example of an IP address is 192.168.1.
·
LAN (Local Area Network) – computer/data
network which is confined in a limited geographical area.
·
MAC Address (Media Access Control) - A unique
identifier attached to most forms of networking equipment. It is burned into
the device and cannot be changed
·
Megabit - A measure of data transmission speed – 1
million bits per second or approximately 125,000 characters per second
- Megabyte - A unit of
measure for memory or hard disk storage capacity. 1024 megabytes = 1 ==++gigabyte.
- Network - A group of
computers and devices that can communicate with each other and share
resources.
- Network
Interface Card (NIC) – A hardware device inside a computer or
other network device that enables communication with a network.
·
Packet - The unit of data sent across a network.
Data is broken up into packets for sending over a packet switching network.
·
PING (Packet Internet Groper) – A command used
to test connectivity to a device over a TCP/IP network.
- Protocol – Rules
determining the format and transmission of data over a network
·
RJ-45
- Standard connectors used for unshielded twisted-pair cable. Most commonly
used with Cat5 network cabling.
·
Route – A path through an internetwork.
·
Router – A device that routes/forwards data across
a networks.
- Server - A computer
that handles requests for data, email, files, and other network services
from other computers (clients)
·
Subnet - A portion of a network that shares a
common address component but is on a different segment than the rest of the
network.
·
TI Line – A high speed dedicated data line that
supports a transmission rate of 1.544 Mbps
·
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol. A suite of protocols used as the basis of the nation's internetwork
(Internet). It can also be used on internal networks.
- UNC (Universal
Naming Convention) Path - A UNC
provides a naming convention for identifying network resources. UNC names consist of three parts, a server name, a
share name, and an optional file path.
- WAN (wide area
network) -
A network linking together networks located in other geographic areas.
