Terms glossary

Most relevant terms

Traceroute: An operation of sending trace packets for determining information; traces the route of UDP packets for the local host to a remote host. Normally traceroute displays the time and location of the route taken to reach its destination computer.

Download: To transfer (data or programs) from a server or host computer to one's own computer or device. Bytes per second. To convert to bits per second, multiply by eight Ethernet: Also known as CSMA/CD, it is a networking technology which relies upon collision detection to back off from simultaneous transmission. Operating at 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet) and 1000 Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet), it is the single most commonly deployed networking technology in the LAN, and the primary one used in UCInet LANs. Ethernet is a layer-2 technology.

DNS: Domain Name System, or by extension, Domain Name Services.

TCP/IP: Transport Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. The protocol of the Internet and most internets and many intranets.

LAN: A network, typically Token Ring or ATM, which connects together multiple computers, printers and other network devices in a departmental or workgroup setting. It may be connected to other LANs via a backbone, typically through a router or routing device, or connected to a through a router to a WAN connection to other networks, such as the Internet.

Cache: Generally refers to an amount of quickly accessible memory in your computer. However, on the Web it more commonly refers to where the browser stores downloaded graphics on the user's computer. That way, when the user has to reload the graphics, the browser retrieves it from the computer much quicker than reloading it from the Internet.

Bandwidth: This is the range of signal frequencies that can be carried on a communications channel. While this indicates the channels information carrying capacity, it is more commonly expressed in bits per second (bps), or mega (million) bits per second (Mbps). When one says bandwidth increases, one means that network capacity and perhaps speed has gone up.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): Technology used to make telephone calls via the Internet. Three methods are available: PC to PC, PC to fixed-network lines, and telephone calls via IP-based internal networks.

Router: A system responsible for making decisions about which of several paths network traffic will take, and for keeping track of routing information which is being passed along a network be one of several different possible protocols. To do this a router uses a routing protocol to gain information about the network and uses algorithms to choose the best router based on several criteria known as route metrics. In OSI terminology, a router is a Network Layer intermediate system. See also IP router.

Data compression: Storing data in a format that requires less space than usual. Compressing data is the same as packing data. Data compression is particularly useful in communications because it enables devices to transmit the same amount of data in fewer bits (requiring less time). There are a variety of data compression techniques, but only a few have been standardised. Switch: A device which logically connects to network stations through a network fabric. See also Switched Ethernet.