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2
3
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5 draft-ietf-userglos-glossary2-01.txt G. Malkin / Xylogics, Inc.
6 Obsoletes RFC 1392 (FYI 18) May 1996
7
8 Internet Users' Glossary
9
10
11 Status of this Memo
12
13 This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working
14 documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas,
15 and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute
16 working documents as Internet-Drafts.
17
18 Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
19 and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
20 time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
21 material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
22
23 To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the
24 "1id-abstracts.txt" listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow
25 Directories on ds.internic.net (US East Coast), nic.nordu.net
26 (Europe), ftp.isi.edu (US West Coast), or munnari.oz.au (Pacific
27 Rim).
28
29
30 Abstract
31
32 There are many networking glossaries in existence. This glossary
33 concentrates on terms which are specific to the Internet. Naturally,
34 there are entries for some basic terms and acronyms because other
35 entries refer to them.
36
37
38 Acknowledgements
39
40 This document is the work of the User Glossary Working Group of the
41 User Services Area of the Internet Engineering Task Force. I would
42 especially like to thank Ryan Moats/InterNIC for his careful review
43 and many contributions to this document.
44
45
46 Table of Contents
47
48 non-letter . . 3 I . . . . . . . 26 R . . . . . . . 46
49 A . . . . . . . 3 J . . . . . . . 33 S . . . . . . . 49
50 B . . . . . . . 8 K . . . . . . . 33 T . . . . . . . 52
51 C . . . . . . . 11 L . . . . . . . 33 U . . . . . . . 55
52 D . . . . . . . 15 M . . . . . . . 35 V . . . . . . . 57
53
54
55
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58 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
59
60
61 E . . . . . . . 18 N . . . . . . . 39 W . . . . . . . 57
62 F . . . . . . . 20 O . . . . . . . 43 X . . . . . . . 59
63 G . . . . . . . 23 P . . . . . . . 43 Y . . . . . . . 60
64 H . . . . . . . 24 Q . . . . . . . 46 Z . . . . . . . 60
65
66 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
67 Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
68 Editors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
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115
116
117 Glossary
118
119 10Base2
120 A physical layer communications specification for 10Mbps, baseband
121 data transmission over a coaxial cable (Thinnet) with a maximum
122 cable segment length of 200 meters.
123
124 10Base5
125 A physical layer communications specification for 10Mbps, baseband
126 data transmission over a coaxial cable (Thicknet) with a maximum
127 cable segment length of 500 meters.
128
129 10BaseF
130 A physical layer communications specification for 10Mbps, baseband
131 data transmission over a fiber-optic cable.
132
133 10BaseT
134 A physical layer communications specification for 10Mbps, baseband
135 data transmission over a twisted-pair copper wire.
136
137 802.x
138 The set of IEEE standards for the definition of LAN protocols.
139 See also: IEEE.
140
141 822
142 See: RFC 822
143
144 :-)
145 This odd symbol is one of the ways a person can portray "mood" in
146 the very flat medium of computers--by using "smiley faces". This
147 is "metacommunication", and there are literally hundreds of such
148 symbols, from the obvious to the obscure. This particular example
149 expresses "happiness". Don't see it? Tilt your head to the left
150 90 degrees. Smiles are also used to denote sarcasm.
151 [Source: ZEN]
152
153 abstract syntax
154 A description of a data structure that is independent of machine-
155 oriented structures and encodings.
156 [Source: RFC1208]
157
158 Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1)
159 The language used by the OSI protocols for describing abstract
160 syntax. This language is also used to encode SNMP packets. ASN.1
161 is defined in ISO documents 8824.2 and 8825.2. See also: Basic
162 Encoding Rules.
163
164
165
166
167
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171
172
173 Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
174 Many transit networks have policies which restrict the use to
175 which the network may be put. For example, some networks may only
176 be used for non-commercial purposes. Some AUPs limit the type of
177 material which can be made available to the public (e.g.,
178 pornographic material). Enforcement of AUPs varies with the
179 network. See also: netiquette.
180
181 Access Control List (ACL)
182 Most network security systems operate by allowing selective use of
183 services. An Access Control List is the usual means by which
184 access to, and denial of, services is controlled. It is simply a
185 list of the services available, each with a list of the hosts
186 permitted to use the service.
187
188 ACK
189 See: Acknowledgment
190
191 acknowledgment (ACK)
192 A type of message sent to indicate that a block of data arrived at
193 its destination without error. See also: Negative
194 Acknowledgement.
195 [Source: NNSC]
196
197 ACL
198 See: Access Control List
199
200 AD
201 See: Administrative Domain
202
203 address
204 There are four types of addresses in common use within the
205 Internet. They are email address; IP, internet or Internet
206 address; hardware or MAC address; and URL. See also: email
207 address, IP address, internet address, MAC address, Uniform
208 Resource Locator.
209
210 address mask
211 A bit mask used to identify which bits in an IP address correspond
212 to the network and subnet portions of the address. This mask is
213 often referred to as the subnet mask because the network portion
214 of the address (i.e., the network mask) can be determined by the
215 encoding inherent in an IP address. See also: Classless Inter-
216 domain Routing.
217
218 address resolution
219 Conversion of a network-layer address (e.g. IP address) into the
220 corresponding physical address (e.g., MAC address). See also: IP
221
222
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227
228
229 address, MAC address.
230
231 Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
232 Used to dynamically discover the low level physical network
233 hardware address that corresponds to the high level IP address for
234 a given host. ARP is limited to physical network systems that
235 support broadcast packets that can be heard by all hosts on the
236 network. See also: proxy ARP, Reverse Address Resolution
237 Protocol.
238
239 Administrative Domain (AD)
240 A collection of hosts and routers, and the interconnecting
241 network(s), managed by a single administrative authority.
242
243 Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)
244 An agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the
245 development of new technology for use by the military. ARPA
246 (formerly known as DARPA, nee ARPA) was responsible for funding
247 much of the development of the Internet we know today, including
248 the Berkeley version of Unix and TCP/IP.
249 [Source: NNSC]
250
251 Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET)
252 A pioneering longhaul network funded by ARPA. Now retired, it
253 served as the basis for early networking research as well as a
254 central backbone during the development of the Internet. The
255 ARPANET consisted of individual packet switching computers
256 interconnected by leased lines. See also: Advanced Research
257 Projects Agency.
258 [Source: FYI4]
259
260 agent
261 In the client-server model, the part of the system that performs
262 information preparation and exchange on behalf of a client or
263 server application.
264 [Source: RFC1208]
265
266 alias
267 A name, usually short and easy to remember, that is translated
268 into another name, usually long and difficult to remember.
269
270 American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
271 This organization is responsible for approving U.S. standards in
272 many areas, including computers and communications. Standards
273 approved by this organization are often called ANSI standards
274 (e.g., ANSI C is the version of the C language approved by ANSI).
275 ANSI is a member of ISO. See also: International Organization for
276 Standardization.
277
278
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283
284
285 [Source: NNSC]
286
287 American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
288 A standard character-to-number encoding widely used in the
289 computer industry. See also: EBCDIC.
290
291 anonymous FTP
292 Anonymous FTP allows a user to retrieve documents, files,
293 programs, and other archived data from anywhere in the Internet
294 without having to establish a userid and password. By using the
295 special userid of "anonymous" the network user will bypass local
296 security checks and will have access to publicly accessible files
297 on the remote system. See also: archive site, File Transfer
298 Protocol, World Wide Web.
299
300 ANSI
301 See: American National Standards Institute
302
303 API
304 See: Application Program Interface
305
306 Appletalk
307 A networking protocol developed by Apple Computer for
308 communication between Apple Computer products and other computers.
309 This protocol is independent of the network layer on which it is
310 run. Current implementations exist for Localtalk, a 235Kb/s local
311 area network; and Ethertalk, a 10Mb/s local area network.
312 [Source: NNSC]
313
314 application
315 A program that performs a function directly for a user. FTP, mail
316 and Telnet clients are examples of network applications.
317
318 application layer
319 The top layer of the network protocol stack. The application
320 layer is concerned with the semantics of work (e.g. formatting
321 electronic mail messages). How to represent that data and how to
322 reach the foreign node are issues for lower layers of the network.
323 [Source: MALAMUD]
324
325 Application Program Interface (API)
326 A set of calling conventions which define how a service is invoked
327 through a software package.
328 [Source: RFC1208]
329
330 archie
331 A system to automatically gather, index and serve information on
332 the Internet. The initial implementation of archie provided an
333
334
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339
340
341 indexed directory of filenames from all anonymous FTP archives on
342 the Internet. Later versions provide other collections of
343 information. See also: archive site, Gopher, Prospero, Wide Area
344 Information Servers.
345
346 archive site
347 A machine that provides access to a collection of files across the
348 Internet. For example, an anonymous FTP archive site provides
349 access to arcived material via the FTP protocol. WWW servers can
350 also serve as archive sites. See also: anonymous FTP, archie,
351 Gopher, Prospero, Wide Area Information Servers, World Wide Web.
352
353 ARP
354 See: Address Resolution Protocol
355
356 ARPA
357 See: Advanced Research Projects Agency
358
359 ARPANET
360 See: Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
361
362 AS
363 See: Autonomous System
364
365 ASCII
366 See: American Standard Code for Information Interchange
367
368 ASN.1
369 See: Abstract Syntax Notation One
370
371 assigned numbers
372 The RFC [STD2] which documents the currently assigned values from
373 several series of numbers used in network protocol
374 implementations. This RFC is updated periodically and, in any
375 case, current information can be obtained from the Internet
376 Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). If you are developing a
377 protocol or application that will require the use of a link,
378 socket, port, protocol, etc., please contact the IANA to receive a
379 number assignment. See also: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority,
380 STD.
381 [Source: STD2]
382
383 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
384 A standard which defines high-load, high-speed (1.544Mbps through
385 1.2Gbps), fixed-size packet (cell) switching with dynamic
386 bandwidth allocation. ATM is also known as "fast packet."
387
388
389
390
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395
396
397 ATM
398 See: Asynchronous Transfer Mode
399
400 AUP
401 See: Acceptable Use Policy
402
403 authentication
404 The verification of the identity of a person or process.
405 [Source: MALAMUD]
406
407 Autonomous System (AS)
408 A collection of routers under a single administrative authority
409 using a common Interior Gateway Protocol for routing packets.
410
411 backbone
412 The top level in a hierarchical network. Stub and transit
413 networks which connect to the same backbone are guaranteed to be
414 interconnected. See also: stub network, transit network.
415
416 bandwidth
417 Technically, the difference, in Hertz (Hz), between the highest
418 and lowest frequencies of a transmission channel. However, as
419 typically used, the amount of data that can be sent through a
420 given communications circuit.
421
422 bang path
423 A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one
424 user to another, typically by specifying an explicit UUCP path
425 through which the mail is to be routed. See also: email address,
426 mail path, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy.
427
428 baseband
429 A transmission medium through which digital signals are sent
430 without complicated frequency shifting. In general, only one
431 communication channel is available at any given time. Ethernet is
432 an example of a baseband network. See also: broadband, Ethernet.
433 [Source: NNSC]
434
435 Basic Encoding Rules (BER)
436 Standard rules for encoding data units described in ASN.1.
437 Sometimes incorrectly lumped under the term ASN.1, which properly
438 refers only to the abstract syntax description language, not the
439 encoding technique. See also: Abstract Syntax Notation One.
440 [Source: NNSC]
441
442 BBS
443 See: Bulletin Board System
444
445
446
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451
452
453 BCNU
454 Be Seein' You
455
456 BCP
457 The newest subseries of RFCs which are written to describe Best
458 Current Practices in the Internet. Rather than specifying a
459 protocol, these documents specify the best ways to use the
460 protocols and the best ways to configure options to ensure
461 interoperability between various vendors' products. BCPs carry
462 the endorsement of the IESG. See also: Request For Comments,
463 Internet Engineering Steering Group.
464
465 BER
466 See: Basic Encoding Rules
467
468 Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND)
469 Implementation of a DNS server developed and distributed by the
470 University of California at Berkeley. Many Internet hosts run
471 BIND, and it is the ancestor of many commercial BIND
472 implementations. See also: Domain Name System.
473
474 Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)
475 Implementation of the UNIX operating system and its utilities
476 developed and distributed by the University of California at
477 Berkeley. "BSD" is usually preceded by the version number of the
478 distribution, e.g., "4.3 BSD" is version 4.3 of the Berkeley UNIX
479 distribution. Many Internet hosts run BSD software, and it is the
480 ancestor of many commercial UNIX implementations.
481 [Source: NNSC]
482
483 BGP
484 See: Border Gateway Protocol
485
486 big-endian
487 A format for storage or transmission of binary data in which the
488 most significant bit (or byte) comes first. The term comes from
489 "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. The Lilliputians, being
490 very small, had correspondingly small political problems. The
491 Big-Endian and Little-Endian parties debated over whether soft-
492 boiled eggs should be opened at the big end or the little end.
493 See also: little-endian.
494 [Source: RFC1208]
495
496 binary
497 11001001
498
499 BIND
500 See: Berkeley Internet Name Domain
501
502
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507
508
509 Birds Of a Feather (BOF)
510 A Birds Of a Feather (flocking together) is an informal discussion
511 group. It is formed, often ad hoc, to consider a specific issue
512 and, therefore, has a narrow focus. See also: Working Group.
513
514 Bitnet
515 An academic computer network that provides interactive electronic
516 mail and file transfer services, using a store-and-forward
517 protocol, based on IBM Network Job Entry protocols. Bitnet-II
518 encapsulates the Bitnet protocol within IP packets and depends on
519 the Internet to route them.
520
521 BOF
522 See: Birds Of a Feather
523
524 BOOTP
525 The Bootstrap Protocol, described in RFC 1542, is used for booting
526 diskless nodes. See also: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol,
527 Reverse Address Resolution Protocol.
528
529 Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
530 The Border Gateway Protocol is an exterior gateway protocol
531 defined in RFC 1771. It's design is based on experience gained
532 with EGP, as defined in RFC 904, and EGP usage in the NSFNET
533 Backbone, as described in RFCs 1092 and 1093. See also: Exterior
534 Gateway Protocol.
535
536 bounce
537 The return of a piece of mail because of an error in its delivery.
538 [Source: ZEN]
539
540 bridge
541 A device which forwards traffic between network segments based on
542 datalink layer information. These segments would have a common
543 network layer address. See also: gateway, router.
544
545 broadband
546 A transmission medium capable of supporting a wide range of
547 frequencies. It can carry multiple signals by dividing the total
548 capacity of the medium into multiple, independent bandwidth
549 channels, where each channel operates only on a specific range of
550 frequencies. See also: baseband.
551
552 broadcast
553 A special type of multicast packet which all nodes on the network
554 are always willing to receive. See also: multicast, unicast.
555
556
557
558
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564
565 broadcast storm
566 An incorrect packet broadcast onto a network that causes multiple
567 hosts to respond all at once, typically with equally incorrect
568 packets which causes the storm to grow exponentially in severity.
569 See also: Ethernet meltdown.
570
571 brouter
572 A device which bridges some packets (i.e. forwards based on
573 datalink layer information) and routes other packets (i.e.
574 forwards based on network layer information). The bridge/route
575 decision is based on configuration information. See also: bridge,
576 router.
577
578 BSD
579 See: Berkeley Software Distribution
580
581 BTW
582 By The Way
583
584 Bulletin Board System (BBS)
585 A computer, and associated software, which typically provides
586 electronic messaging services, archives of files, and any other
587 services or activities of interest to the bulletin board system's
588 operator. Although BBS's have traditionally been the domain of
589 hobbyists, an increasing number of BBS's are connected directly to
590 the Internet, and many BBS's are currently operated by government,
591 educational, and research institutions. See also: Electronic
592 Mail, Internet, Usenet.
593 [Source: NWNET]
594
595 Campus Wide Information System (CWIS)
596 A CWIS makes information and services publicly available on campus
597 via kiosks, and makes interactive computing available via kiosks,
598 interactive computing systems and campus networks. Services
599 routinely include directory information, calendars, bulletin
600 boards, databases.
601
602 CCIRN
603 See: Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks
604
605 CCITT
606 See: Comite Consultatif International de Telegraphique et
607 Telephonique
608
609 CERT
610 See: Computer Emergency Response Team
611
612
613
614
615
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619
620
621 checksum
622 A computed value which is dependent upon the contents of a packet.
623 This value is sent along with the packet when it is transmitted.
624 The receiving system computes a new checksum based upon the
625 received data and compares this value with the one sent with the
626 packet. If the two values are the same, the receiver has a high
627 degree of confidence that the data was received correctly. See
628 also: Cyclic Redundancy Check.
629 [Source: NNSC]
630
631 CIDR
632 See: Classless Inter-domain Routing
633
634 circuit switching
635 A communications paradigm in which a dedicated communication path
636 is established between two hosts, and on which all packets travel.
637 The telephone system is an example of a circuit switched network.
638 See also: connection-oriented, connectionless, packet switching.
639
640 Classless Inter-domain Routing (CIDR)
641 A proposal, set forth in RFC 1519, to allocate IP addresses so as
642 to allow the addresses to be aggregated when advertised as routes.
643 It is based on the elimination of intrinsic IP network addresses;
644 that is, the determination of the network address based on the
645 first few bits of the IP address. See also: IP address, network
646 address, supernet.
647
648 client
649 A computer system or process that requests a service of another
650 computer system or process. A workstation requesting the contents
651 of a file from a file server is a client of the file server. See
652 also: client-server model, server.
653 [Source: NNSC]
654
655 client-server model
656 A common way to describe the paradigm of many network protocols.
657 Examples include the name-server/name-resolver relationship in DNS
658 and the file-server/file-client relationship in NFS. See also:
659 client, server, Domain Name System, Network File System.
660
661 CNI
662 See: Coalition for Networked Information
663
664 Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)
665 A consortium formed by American Research Libraries, CAUSE, and
666 EDUCOM (no, they are not acronyms) to promote the creation of, and
667 access to, information resources in networked environments in
668 order to enrich scholarship and enhance intellectual productivity.
669
670
671
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675
676
677 Comite Consultatif International de Telegraphique et Telephonique (
678 CCITT)
679 This organization is now part of the International
680 Telecommunications Union and is responsible for making technical
681 recommendations about telephone and data communications systems.
682 Every four years CCITT holds plenary sessions where they adopt new
683 standards; the most recent was in 1992. Recently, the ITU
684 reorganized and CCITT was renamed the ITU-TSS. See also:
685 International Telecommunications Union - Telecommunications
686 Standards Sector.
687
688 Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
689 The CERT was formed by ARPA in November 1988 in response to the
690 needs exhibited during the Internet worm incident. The CERT
691 charter is to work with the Internet community to facilitate its
692 response to computer security events involving Internet hosts, to
693 take proactive steps to raise the community's awareness of
694 computer security issues, and to conduct research targeted at
695 improving the security of existing systems. CERT products and
696 services include 24-hour technical assistance for responding to
697 computer security incidents, product vulnerability assistance,
698 technical documents, and tutorials. In addition, the team
699 maintains a number of mailing lists (including one for CERT
700 Advisories), and provides an anonymous FTP server, at "cert.org",
701 where security-related documents and tools are archived. The CERT
702 may be reached by email at "cert@cert.org" and by telephone at
703 +1-412-268-7090 (24-hour hotline). See also: Advanced Research
704 Projects Agency, worm.
705
706 congestion
707 Congestion occurs when the offered load exceeds the capacity of a
708 data communication path.
709
710 connection-oriented
711 The data communication method in which communication proceeds
712 through three well-defined phases: connection establishment, data
713 transfer, connection release. TCP is a connection-oriented
714 protocol. See also: circuit switching, connectionless, packet
715 switching, Transmission Control Protocol.
716
717 connectionless
718 The data communication method in which communication occurs
719 between hosts with no previous setup. Packets between two hosts
720 may take different routes, as each is independent of the other.
721 UDP is a connectionless protocol. See also: circuit switching,
722 connection-oriented, packet switching, User Datagram Protocol.
723
724
725
726
727
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731
732
733 Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks (CCIRN)
734 A committee that includes the United States FNC and its
735 counterparts in North America and Europe. Co-chaired by the
736 executive directors of the FNC and the European Association of
737 Research Networks (RARE), the CCIRN provides a forum for
738 cooperative planning among the principal North American and
739 European research networking bodies. See also: Federal Networking
740 Council, RARE.
741 [Source: MALAMUD]
742
743 core gateway
744 Historically, one of a set of gateways (routers) operated by the
745 Internet Network Operations Center at Bolt, Beranek and Newman
746 (BBN). The core gateway system formed a central part of Internet
747 routing in that all groups must advertise paths to their networks
748 from a core gateway.
749 [Source: MALAMUD]
750
751 Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN)
752 This organization was formed in October 1989, when Bitnet and
753 CSNET (Computer + Science NETwork) were combined under one
754 administrative authority. CSNET is no longer operational, but
755 CREN still runs Bitnet. See also: Bitnet.
756 [Source: NNSC]
757
758 cracker
759 A cracker is an individual who attempts to access computer systems
760 without authorization. These individuals are often malicious, as
761 opposed to hackers, and have many means at their disposal for
762 breaking into a system. See also: hacker, Computer Emergency
763 Response Team, Trojan Horse, virus, worm.
764
765 CRC
766 See: cyclic redundancy check
767
768 CREN
769 See: Corporation for Research and Educational Networking
770
771 CU-SeeMe
772 Pronnounced "See you, See me," CU-SeeMe is a publicly available
773 videoconferencing program developed at Cornell University. It
774 allows anyone with audio/video capabilites and an Internet
775 connection to videoconference with anyone else with the same
776 capabilities. It also allows multiple people to tie into the same
777 videoconference.
778
779 CWIS
780 See: Campus Wide Information system
781
782
783
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787
788
789 Cyberspace
790 A term coined by William Gibson in his fantasy novel Neuromancer
791 to describe the "world" of computers, and the society that gathers
792 around them.
793 [Source: ZEN]
794
795 Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
796 A number derived from a set of data that will be transmitted. By
797 recalculating the CRC at the remote end and comparing it to the
798 value originally transmitted, the receiving node can detect some
799 types of transmission errors. See also: checksum.
800 [Source: MALAMUD]
801
802 DANTE
803 A non-profit company founded in July 1993 to help the European
804 research community enhance their networking facilities. It
805 focuses on the establishment of a high-speed computer network
806 infrastructure.
807
808 DARPA
809 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
810 See: Advanced Research Projects Agency
811
812 Data Encryption Key (DEK)
813 Used for the encryption of message text and for the computation of
814 message integrity checks (signatures). See also: encryption.
815
816 Data Encryption Standard (DES)
817 A popular, standard encryption scheme. See also: encryption,
818 Pretty Good Privacy, RSA.
819
820 datagram
821 A self-contained, independent entity of data carrying sufficient
822 information to be routed from the source to the destination
823 computer without reliance on earlier exchanges between this source
824 and destination computer and the transporting network. See also:
825 frame, packet.
826 [Source: J. Postel]
827
828 DCA
829 See: Defense Information Systems Agency
830
831 DCE
832 Data Circuit-terminating Equipment
833
834 DCE
835 See: Distributed Computing Environment
836
837
838
839
840 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 15]
841 \f
842 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
843
844
845 DDN
846 See: Defense Data Network
847
848 DDN NIC
849 See: Defense Data Network Network Information Center
850
851 DECnet
852 A proprietary network protocol designed by Digital Equipment
853 Corporation. The functionality of each Phase of the
854 implementation, such as Phase IV and Phase V, is different.
855
856 default route
857 A routing table entry which is used to direct packets addressed to
858 networks not explicitly listed in the routing table.
859 [Source: MALAMUD]
860
861 Defense Data Network (DDN)
862 A global communications network serving the US Department of
863 Defense composed of MILNET, other portions of the Internet, and
864 classified networks which are not part of the Internet. The DDN
865 is used to connect military installations and is managed by the
866 Defense Information Systems Agency. See also: Defense Information
867 Systems Agency.
868
869 Defense Data Network Network Information Center (DDN NIC)
870 Previously called "The NIC", the DDN NIC's primary responsibility
871 was the assignment of Internet network addresses and Autonomous
872 System numbers, the administration of the root domain, and
873 providing information and support services to the Internet for the
874 DDN. Since the creation of the InterNIC, the DDN NIC performs
875 these functions only for the DDN. See also: Autonomous System,
876 network address, Internet Registry, InterNIC, Network Information
877 Center, Request For Comments.
878
879 Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
880 Formerly called the Defense Communications Agency (DCA), this is
881 the government agency responsible for managing the DDN portion of
882 the Internet, including the MILNET. Currently, DISA administers
883 the DDN, and supports the user assistance services of the DDN NIC.
884 See also: Defense Data Network.
885
886 DEK
887 See: Data Encryption Key
888
889 DES
890 See: Data Encryption Standard
891
892
893
894
895
896 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 16]
897 \f
898 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
899
900
901 dialup
902 A temporary, as opposed to dedicated, connection between machines
903 established over a phone line (analog or ISDN). See also:
904 Integrated Services Digital Network.
905
906 Directory Access Protocol
907 X.500 protocol used for communication between a Directory User
908 Agent and a Directory System Agent.
909 [Source: MALAMUD]
910
911 Directory System Agent (DSA)
912 The software that provides the X.500 Directory Service for a
913 portion of the directory information base. Generally, each DSA is
914 responsible for the directory information for a single
915 organization or organizational unit.
916 [Source: RFC1208]
917
918 Directory User Agent (DUA)
919 The software that accesses the X.500 Directory Service on behalf
920 of the directory user. The directory user may be a person or
921 another software element.
922 [Source: RFC1208]
923
924 DISA
925 See: Defense Information Systems Agency
926
927 Distributed Computing Environment (DCE)
928 An architecture of standard programming interfaces, conventions,
929 and server functionalities (e.g., naming, distributed file system,
930 remote procedure call) for distributing applications transparently
931 across networks of heterogeneous computers. Promoted and
932 controlled by the Open Software Foundation (OSF), a consortium led
933 by Digital, IBM and Hewlett Packard.
934 [Source: RFC1208]
935
936 distributed database
937 A collection of several different data repositories that looks
938 like a single database to the user. A prime example in the
939 Internet is the Domain Name System.
940
941 DIX Ethernet
942 See: Ethernet
943
944 DNS
945 See: Domain Name System
946
947 domain
948 "Domain" is a heavily overused term in the Internet. It can be
949
950
951
952 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 17]
953 \f
954 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
955
956
957 used in the Administrative Domain context, or the Domain Name
958 context. See also: Administrative Domain, Domain Name System.
959
960 Domain Name System (DNS)
961 The DNS is a general purpose distributed, replicated, data query
962 service. The principal use is the lookup of host IP addresses
963 based on host names. The style of host names now used in the
964 Internet is called "domain name", because they are the style of
965 names used to look up anything in the DNS. Some important domains
966 are: .COM (commercial), .EDU (educational), .NET (network
967 operations), .GOV (U.S. government), and .MIL (U.S. military).
968 Most countries also have a domain. The country domain names are
969 based on ISO 3166. For example, .US (United States), .UK (United
970 Kingdom), .AU (Australia). See also: Fully Qualified Domain Name,
971 Mail Exchange Record.
972
973 dot address (dotted decimal notation)
974 Dot address refers to the common notation for IP addresses of the
975 form A.B.C.D; where each letter represents, in decimal, one byte
976 of a four byte IP address. See also: IP address.
977 [Source: FYI4]
978
979 DSA
980 See: Directory System Agent
981
982 DTE
983 Data Terminal Equipment
984
985 DUA
986 See: Directory User Agent
987
988 dynamic adaptive routing
989 Automatic rerouting of traffic based on a sensing and analysis of
990 current actual network conditions. NOTE: this does not include
991 cases of routing decisions taken on predefined information.
992 [Source: J. Postel]
993
994 E1
995 The basic building block for European multi-megabit data rates,
996 with a bandwidth of 2.048Mbps. See also: T1.
997
998 E3
999 A European standard for transmitting data at 57.344Mbps. See
1000 also: T3.
1001
1002 EARN
1003 European Academic and Research Network. See: Trans-European
1004 Research and Education Networking Association.
1005
1006
1007
1008 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 18]
1009 \f
1010 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1011
1012
1013 EBCDIC
1014 See: Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
1015
1016 Ebone
1017 A pan-European backbone service.
1018
1019 EFF
1020 See: Electronic Frontier Foundation
1021
1022 EGP
1023 See: Exterior Gateway Protocol
1024
1025 Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
1026 A foundation established to address social and legal issues
1027 arising from the impact on society of the increasingly pervasive
1028 use of computers as a means of communication and information
1029 distribution.
1030
1031 Electronic Mail (email)
1032 A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages with other
1033 computer users (or groups of users) via a communications network.
1034 Electronic mail is one of the most popular uses of the Internet.
1035 [Source: NNSC]
1036
1037 email
1038 See: Electronic mail
1039
1040 email address
1041 The domain-based or UUCP address that is used to send electronic
1042 mail to a specified destination. For example an editor's address
1043 is "gmalkin@xylogics.com". See also: bang path, mail path, UNIX-
1044 to-UNIX CoPy.
1045 [Source: ZEN]
1046
1047 encapsulation
1048 The technique used by layered protocols in which a layer adds
1049 header information to the protocol data unit (PDU) from the layer
1050 above. For example, in Internet terminology, a packet would
1051 contain a header from the physical layer, followed by a header
1052 from the datalink layer (e.g. Ethernet), followed by a header
1053 from the network layer (IP), followed by a header from the
1054 transport layer (e.g. TCP), followed by the application protocol
1055 data.
1056 [Source: RFC1208]
1057
1058 encryption
1059 Encryption is the manipulation of a packet's data in order to
1060 prevent any but the intended recipient from reading that data.
1061
1062
1063
1064 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 19]
1065 \f
1066 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1067
1068
1069 There are many types of data encryption, and they are the basis of
1070 network security. See also: Data Encryption Standard.
1071
1072 error checking
1073 The examination of received data for transmission errors. See
1074 also: checksum, Cyclic Redundancy Check.
1075
1076 Ethernet
1077 A 10-Mb/s standard for LANs, initially developed by Xerox, and
1078 later refined by Digital, Intel and Xerox (DIX). All hosts are
1079 connected to a coaxial cable where they contend for network access
1080 using a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
1081 (CSMA/CD) paradigm. See also: 802.x, Local Area Network, token
1082 ring.
1083
1084 Ethernet meltdown
1085 An event that causes saturation, or near saturation, on an
1086 Ethernet. It usually results from illegal or misrouted packets
1087 and typically lasts only a short time. See also: broadcast storm.
1088 [Source: COMER]
1089
1090 Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
1091 A standard character-to-number encoding used primarily by IBM
1092 computer systems. See also: ASCII.
1093
1094 Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP)
1095 A protocol which distributes routing information to the routers
1096 which connect autonomous systems. The term "gateway" is
1097 historical, as "router" is currently the preferred term. There is
1098 also a routing protocol called EGP defined in RFC 904. See also:
1099 Autonomous System, Border Gateway Protocol, Interior Gateway
1100 Protocol.
1101
1102 eXternal Data Representation (XDR)
1103 A standard for machine independent data structures developed by
1104 Sun Microsystems and defined in RFCs 1014 and 1832. It is similar
1105 to ASN.1. See also: Abstract Syntax Notation One.
1106 [Source: RFC1208]
1107
1108 FARNET
1109 A non-profit corporation, established in 1987, whose mission is to
1110 advance the use of computer networks to improve research and
1111 education.
1112
1113 FAQ
1114 Frequently Asked Question
1115
1116
1117
1118
1119
1120 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 20]
1121 \f
1122 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1123
1124
1125 FDDI
1126 See: Fiber Distributed Data Interface
1127
1128 Federal Information Exchange (FIX)
1129 One of the connection points between the American governmental
1130 internets and the Internet.
1131 [Source: SURA]
1132
1133 Federal Networking Council (FNC)
1134 The coordinating group of representatives from those federal
1135 agencies involved in the development and use of federal
1136 networking, especially those networks using TCP/IP and the
1137 Internet. Current members include representatives from DOD, DOE,
1138 ARPA, NSF, NASA, and HHS. See also: Advanced Research Projects
1139 Agency, National Science Foundation.
1140
1141 Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
1142 A high-speed (100Mb/s) LAN standard. The underlying medium is
1143 fiber optics, and the topology is a dual-attached, counter-
1144 rotating token ring. See also: Local Area Network, token ring.
1145 [Source: RFC1208]
1146
1147 file transfer
1148 The copying of a file from one computer to another over a computer
1149 network. See also: File Transfer Protocol, Kermit, Gopher, World
1150 Wide Web.
1151
1152 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
1153 A protocol which allows a user on one host to access, and transfer
1154 files to and from, another host over a network. Also, FTP is
1155 usually the name of the program the user invokes to execute the
1156 protocol. See also: anonymous FTP.
1157
1158 finger
1159 A protocol, defined in RFC 1288, that allows information about a
1160 system or user on a system to be retrived. Finger also refers to
1161 the commonly used program which retrieves this information.
1162 Information about all logged in users, as well is information
1163 about specific users may be retrieved from local or remote
1164 systems. Some sites consider finger to be a security risk and
1165 have either disabled it, or replaced it with a simple message.
1166
1167 FIX
1168 See: Federal Information Exchange
1169
1170 flame
1171 A strong opinion and/or criticism of something, usually as a frank
1172 inflammatory statement, in an electronic mail message. It is
1173
1174
1175
1176 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 21]
1177 \f
1178 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1179
1180
1181 common to precede a flame with an indication of pending fire (i.e.
1182 FLAME ON!). Flame Wars occur when people start flaming other
1183 people for flaming when they shouldn't have. See also: Electronic
1184 Mail, Usenet.
1185
1186 FLEA
1187 See: Four Letter Extended Acronym
1188
1189 FNC
1190 See: Federal Networking Council
1191
1192 Four Letter Extended Acronym (FLEA)
1193 A recognition of the fact that there are far too many TLAs. See
1194 also: Three Letter Acronym.
1195
1196 FQDN
1197 See: Fully Qualified Domain Name
1198
1199 fragment
1200 A piece of a packet. When a router is forwarding an IP packet to
1201 a network that has a maximum transmission unit smaller than the
1202 packet size, it is forced to break up that packet into multiple
1203 fragments. These fragments will be reassembled by the IP layer at
1204 the destination host. See also: Maximum Transmission Unit.
1205
1206 fragmentation
1207 The IP process in which a packet is broken into smaller pieces to
1208 fit the requirements of a physical network over which the packet
1209 must pass. See also: reassembly.
1210
1211 frame
1212 A frame is a datalink layer "packet" which contains the header and
1213 trailer information required by the physical medium. That is,
1214 network layer packets are encapsulated to become frames. See
1215 also: datagram, encapsulation, packet.
1216
1217 freenet
1218 Community-based bulletin board system with email, information
1219 services, interactive communications, and conferencing. Freenets
1220 are funded and operated by individuals and volunteers -- in one
1221 sense, like public television. They are part of the National
1222 Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), an organization based in
1223 Cleveland, Ohio, devoted to making computer telecommunication and
1224 networking services as freely available as public libraries.
1225 [Source: LAQUEY]
1226
1227 FTP
1228 See: File Transfer Protocol
1229
1230
1231
1232 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 22]
1233 \f
1234 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1235
1236
1237 Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
1238 The FQDN is the full name of a system, rather than just its
1239 hostname. For example, "venera" is a hostname and
1240 "venera.isi.edu" is an FQDN. See also: hostname, Domain Name
1241 System.
1242
1243 FYI
1244 For Your Information
1245
1246 FYI
1247 A subseries of RFCs that are not technical standards or
1248 descriptions of protocols. FYIs convey general information about
1249 topics related to TCP/IP or the Internet. See also: Request For
1250 Comments.
1251
1252 gated
1253 Gatedaemon. A program which supports multiple routing protocols
1254 and protocol families. It may be used for routing, and makes an
1255 effective platform for routing protocol research. The software is
1256 freely available by anonymous FTP from "gated.cornell.edu".
1257 Pronounced "gate-dee". See also: Exterior Gateway Protocol, Open
1258 Shortest-Path First, Routing Information Protocol, routed.
1259
1260 gateway
1261 The term "router" is now used in place of the original definition
1262 of "gateway". Currently, a gateway is a communications
1263 device/program which passes data between networks having similar
1264 functions but dissimilar implementations. This should not be
1265 confused with a protocol converter. By this definition, a router
1266 is a layer 3 (network layer) gateway, and a mail gateway is a
1267 layer 7 (application layer) gateway. See also: mail gateway,
1268 router, protocol converter.
1269
1270 Gopher
1271 A distributed information service, developed at the University of
1272 Minnesota, that makes hierarchical collections of information
1273 available across the Internet. Gopher uses a simple protocol,
1274 defined in RFC 1436, that allows a single Gopher client to access
1275 information from any accessible Gopher server, providing the user
1276 with a single "Gopher space" of information. Public domain
1277 versions of the client and server are available. See also:
1278 archie, archive site, Prospero, Wide Area Information Servers.
1279
1280 GOSIP
1281 See: Government OSI Profile
1282
1283 Government OSI Profile (GOSIP)
1284 A subset of OSI standards specific to U.S. Government
1285
1286
1287
1288 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 23]
1289 \f
1290 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1291
1292
1293 procurements, designed to maximize interoperability in areas where
1294 plain OSI standards are ambiguous or allow excessive options.
1295
1296 hacker
1297 A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the
1298 internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in
1299 particular. The term is often misused in a pejorative context,
1300 where "cracker" would be the correct term. See also: cracker.
1301
1302 header
1303 The portion of a packet, preceding the actual data, containing
1304 source and destination information. It may also error checking and
1305 other fields. A header is also the part of an electronic mail
1306 message which precedes the body of a message and contains, among
1307 other things, the message originator, date and time. See also:
1308 Electronic Mail, packet, error checking.
1309
1310 heterogeneous network
1311 A network running multiple network layer protocols. See also:
1312 DECnet, IP, IPX, XNS, homogeneous network.
1313
1314 hierarchical routing
1315 The complex problem of routing on large networks can be simplified
1316 by reducing the size of the networks. This is accomplished by
1317 breaking a network into a hierarchy of networks, where each level
1318 is responsible for its own routing. The Internet has, basically,
1319 three levels: the backbones, the mid-levels, and the stub
1320 networks. The backbones know how to route between the mid-levels,
1321 the mid-levels know how to route between the sites, and each site
1322 (being an autonomous system) knows how to route internally. See
1323 also: Autonomous System, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Interior
1324 Gateway Protocol, stub network, transit network.
1325
1326 High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC)
1327 High performance computing encompasses advanced computing,
1328 communications, and information technologies, including scientific
1329 workstations, supercomputer systems, high speed networks, special
1330 purpose and experimental systems, the new generation of large
1331 scale parallel systems, and application and systems software with
1332 all components well integrated and linked over a high speed
1333 network.
1334 [Source: HPCC]
1335
1336 High Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI)
1337 An emerging ANSI standard which extends the computer bus over
1338 fairly short distances at speeds of 800 and 1600 Mb/s. HIPPI is
1339 often used in a computer room to connect a supercomputer to
1340 routers, frame buffers, mass-storage peripherals, and other
1341
1342
1343
1344 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 24]
1345 \f
1346 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1347
1348
1349 computers. See also: American National Standards Institute
1350 [Source: MALAMUD]
1351
1352 HIPPI
1353 See: High Performance Parallel Interface
1354
1355 HTML
1356 See: Hypertext Markup Language
1357
1358 homogeneous network
1359 A network running a single network layer protocol. See also:
1360 DECnet, IP, IPX, XNS, heterogeneous network.
1361
1362 hop
1363 A term used in routing. A path to a destination on a network is a
1364 series of hops, through routers, away from the origin.
1365
1366 host
1367 A computer that allows users to communicate with other host
1368 computers on a network. Individual users communicate by using
1369 application programs, such as electronic mail, Telnet and FTP.
1370 [Source: NNSC]
1371
1372 host address
1373 See: internet address
1374
1375 hostname
1376 The name given to a machine. See also: Fully Qualified Domain
1377 Name.
1378 [Source: ZEN]
1379
1380 host number
1381 See: host address
1382
1383 HPCC
1384 See: High Performance Computing and Communications
1385
1386 HTTP
1387 See: Hypertext Transfer Protocol
1388
1389 hub
1390 A device connected to several other devices. In ARCnet, a hub is
1391 used to connect several computers together. In a message handling
1392 service, a hub is used for the transfer of messages across the
1393 network.
1394 [Source: MALAMUD]
1395
1396
1397
1398
1399
1400 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 25]
1401 \f
1402 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1403
1404
1405 hyperlink
1406 A pointer within a hypertext document which points (links) to
1407 another document, which may or may not also be a hypertext
1408 document. See also: hypertext.
1409
1410 hypertext
1411 A document, written in HTML, which contains hyperlinks to other
1412 documents, which may or may not also be hypertext documents.
1413 Hypertext documents are usually retrieved using WWW. See also:
1414 hyperlink, Hypertext Markup Language, World Wide Web.
1415
1416 Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
1417 The language used to create hypertext documents. It is a subset
1418 of SGML and includes the mechanisms to establish hyperlinks to
1419 other documents. See also: hypertext, hyperlink, Standardized
1420 General Markup Language.
1421
1422 Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
1423 The protocol used by WWW to transfer HTML files. A formal
1424 standard is still under development in the IETF. See also:
1425 hyperlink, hypertext, Hypertext Markup Language, World Wide Web.
1426
1427 I-D
1428 See: Internet-Draft
1429
1430 IAB
1431 See: Internet Architecture Board
1432
1433 IANA
1434 See: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
1435
1436 ICMP
1437 See: Internet Control Message Protocol
1438
1439 IEEE
1440 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
1441
1442 IEEE 802
1443 See: 802.x
1444
1445 IEN
1446 See: Internet Experiment Note
1447
1448 IEPG
1449 See: Internet Engineering Planning Group
1450
1451 IESG
1452 See: Internet Engineering Steering Group
1453
1454
1455
1456 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 26]
1457 \f
1458 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1459
1460
1461 IETF
1462 See: Internet Engineering Task Force
1463
1464 IINREN
1465 See: Interagency Interim National Research and Education Network
1466
1467 IGP
1468 See: Interior Gateway Protocol
1469
1470 IMHO
1471 In My Humble Opinion
1472
1473 IMR
1474 See: Internet Monthly Report
1475
1476 Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
1477 An emerging technology which is beginning to be offered by the
1478 telephone carriers of the world. ISDN combines voice and digital
1479 network services in a single medium, making it possible to offer
1480 customers digital data services as well as voice connections
1481 through a single "wire." The standards that define ISDN are
1482 specified by CCITT. See also: CCITT.
1483 [Source: RFC1208]
1484
1485 Interagency Interim National Research and Education Network (IINREN)
1486 An evolving operating network system. Near term (1992-1996)
1487 research and development activities will provide for the smooth
1488 evolution of this networking infrastructure into the future
1489 gigabit NREN.
1490 [Source: HPCC]
1491
1492 Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP)
1493 A protocol which distributes routing information to the routers
1494 within an autonomous system. The term "gateway" is historical, as
1495 "router" is currently the preferred term. See also: Autonomous
1496 System, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest-Path First,
1497 Routing Information Protocol.
1498
1499 Intermediate System (IS)
1500 An OSI system which performs network layer forwarding. It is
1501 analogous to an IP router. See also: Open Systems
1502 Interconnection, router.
1503
1504 Intermediate System-Intermediate System (IS-IS)
1505 The OSI IGP. See also: Open Systems Interconnection, Interior
1506 Gateway Protocol.
1507
1508
1509
1510
1511
1512 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 27]
1513 \f
1514 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1515
1516
1517 International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
1518 A voluntary, nontreaty organization founded in 1946 which is
1519 responsible for creating international standards in many areas,
1520 including computers and communications. Its members are the
1521 national standards organizations of the 89 member countries,
1522 including ANSI for the U.S. See also: American National Standards
1523 Institute, Open Systems Interconnection.
1524 [Source: TAN]
1525
1526 International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
1527 An agency of the United Nations which coordinates the various
1528 national telecommunications standards so that people in one
1529 country can communicate with people in another country.
1530
1531 International Telecommunications Union -
1532 Telecommunications Standards Sector (ITU-TSS)
1533 The new name for CCITT since the ITU reorganization. The function
1534 is the same; only the name has been changed
1535
1536 internet
1537 While an internet is a network, the term "internet" is usually
1538 used to refer to a collection of networks interconnected with
1539 routers. See also: network.
1540
1541 Internet
1542 (note the capital "I") The Internet is the largest internet in the
1543 world. Is a three level hierarchy composed of backbone networks
1544 (e.g. Ultranet), mid-level networks (e.g., NEARnet) and stub
1545 networks. The Internet is a multiprotocol internet. See also:
1546 backbone, mid-level network, stub network, transit network,
1547 Internet Protocol.
1548
1549 internet address
1550 A IP address that uniquely identifies a node on an internet. An
1551 Internet address (capital "I"), uniquely identifies a node on the
1552 Internet. See also: internet, Internet, IP address.
1553
1554 Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
1555
1556 The IAB has been many things over the years. Originally the
1557 Internet Activities Board, it was responsible for the development
1558 of the protocols which make up the Internet. It later changed its
1559 name and charter to become the group most responsible for the
1560 architecture of the Internet, leaving the protocol details to the
1561 IESG. In June of 1992, it was chartered as a component of the
1562 Internet Society; this is the charter it holds today. The IAB is
1563 responsible for approving nominations to the IESG, architectural
1564 oversight for Internet Standard Protocols, IETF standards process
1565
1566
1567
1568 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 28]
1569 \f
1570 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1571
1572
1573 oversight and appeals, IANA and RFC activities, and liaison to
1574 peer standards groups (e.g., ISO). See also: Internet Engineering
1575 Task Force, Internet Research Task Force, Internet Engineering
1576 Steering Group, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, Request for
1577 Comments.
1578
1579 Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
1580 The central registry for various Internet protocol parameters,
1581 such as port, protocol and enterprise numbers, and options, codes
1582 and types. The currently assigned values are listed in the
1583 "Assigned Numbers" document [STD2]. To request a number
1584 assignment, contact the IANA at "iana@isi.edu". See also:
1585 assigned numbers, STD.
1586
1587 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
1588 ICMP is an extension to the Internet Protocol. It allows for the
1589 generation of error messages, test packets and informational
1590 messages related to IP.
1591 [Source: FYI4]
1592
1593 Internet-Draft (I-D)
1594 Internet-Drafts are working documents of the IETF, its Areas, and
1595 its Working Groups. As the name implies, Internet-Drafts are
1596 draft documents. They are valid for a maximum of six months and
1597 may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
1598 time. Very often, I-Ds are precursors to RFCs. See also:
1599 Internet Engineering Task Force, Request For Comments.
1600
1601 Internet Engineering Planning Group (IEPG)
1602 A group, primarily composed of Internet service operators, whose
1603 goal is to promote a globally coordinated Internet operating
1604 environment. Membership is open to all.
1605
1606 Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)
1607 The IESG is composed of the IETF Area Directors and the IETF
1608 Chair. It provides the first technical review of Internet
1609 standards and is responsible for day-to-day "management" of the
1610 IETF. See also: Internet Engineering Task Force.
1611
1612 Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
1613 The IETF is a large, open community of network designers,
1614 operators, vendors, and researchers whose purpose is to coordinate
1615 the operation, management and evolution of the Internet, and to
1616 resolve short-range and mid-range protocol and architectural
1617 issues. It is a major source of proposals for protocol standards
1618 which are submitted to the IAB for final approval. The IETF meets
1619 three times a year and extensive minutes are included in the IETF
1620 Proceedings. See also: Internet, Internet Architecture Board.
1621
1622
1623
1624 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 29]
1625 \f
1626 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1627
1628
1629 [Source: FYI4]
1630
1631 Internet Experiment Note (IEN)
1632 A series of reports pertinent to the Internet. IENs were
1633 published in parallel to RFCs and were intended to be "working
1634 documents." They have been replaced by Internet-Drafts and are
1635 currently of historic value only. See also: Internet-Draft,
1636 Request For Comments.
1637
1638 Internet Monthly Report (IMR)
1639 Published monthly, the purpose of the Internet Monthly Reports is
1640 to communicate to the Internet Research Group the accomplishments,
1641 milestones reached, or problems discovered by the participating
1642 organizations.
1643
1644 internet number
1645 See: internet address
1646
1647 Internet Protocol (IP, IPv4)
1648 The Internet Protocol (version 4), defined in RFC 791, is the
1649 network layer for the TCP/IP Protocol Suite. It is a
1650 connectionless, best-effort packet switching protocol. See also:
1651 packet switching, TCP/IP Protocol Suite, Internet Protocol Version
1652 6.
1653
1654 Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPng, IPv6)
1655 IPv6 (version 5 is a stream protocol used for special
1656 applications) is a new version of the Internet Protocol which is
1657 designed to be an evolutionary step from its predecessor, version
1658 4. There are many RFCs defining various portions of the protocol,
1659 its auxiliary protocols, and the transition plan from IPv4. The
1660 core RFCs are 1883 through 1886. The name IPng (IP next
1661 generation) is a nod to STNG (Star Trek Next Generation).
1662
1663 Internet Registry (IR)
1664 The IANA has the discretionary authority to delegate portions of
1665 its responsibility and, with respect to network address and
1666 Autonomous System identifiers, has lodged this responsibility with
1667 an IR. The IR function is performed by the DDN NIC. See also:
1668 Autonomous System, network address, Defense Data Network...,
1669 Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
1670
1671 Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
1672 A world-wide "party line" protocol that allows one to converse
1673 with others in real time. IRC is structured as a network of
1674 servers, each of which accepts connections from client programs,
1675 one per user. See also: talk.
1676 [Source: HACKER]
1677
1678
1679
1680 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 30]
1681 \f
1682 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1683
1684
1685 Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG)
1686 The "governing body" of the IRTF. See also: Internet Research
1687 Task Force.
1688 [Source: MALAMUD]
1689
1690 Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
1691 The IRTF is chartered by the IAB to consider long-term Internet
1692 issues from a theoretical point of view. It has Research Groups,
1693 similar to IETF Working Groups, which are each tasked to discuss
1694 different research topics. Multi-cast audio/video conferencing
1695 and privacy enhanced mail are samples of IRTF output. See also:
1696 Internet Architecture Board, Internet Engineering Task Force,
1697 Privacy Enhanced Mail.
1698
1699 Internet Society (ISOC)
1700 The Internet Society is a non-profit, professional membership
1701 organization which facilitates and supports the technical
1702 evolution of the Internet, stimulates interest in and educates the
1703 scientific and academic communities, industry and the public about
1704 the technology, uses and applications of the Internet, and
1705 promotes the development of new applications for the system. The
1706 Society provides a forum for discussion and collaboration in the
1707 operation and use of the global Internet infrastructure. The
1708 Internet Society publishes a quarterly newsletter, the Internet
1709 Society News, and holds an annual conference, INET. The
1710 development of Internet technical standards takes place under the
1711 auspices of the Internet Society with substantial support from the
1712 Corporation for National Research Initiatives under a cooperative
1713 agreement with the US Federal Government.
1714 [Source: V. Cerf]
1715
1716 Internetwork Packet eXchange (IPX)
1717 Novell's protocol used by Netware. A router with IPX routing can
1718 interconnect LANs so that Novell Netware clients and servers can
1719 communicate. See also: Local Area Network.
1720
1721 InterNIC
1722 A five year project, partially supported by the National Science
1723 Foundation, to provide network information services to the
1724 networking community. The InterNIC began operations in April of
1725 1993 and is now a collaborative project of two organizations:
1726 AT&T, which provides Directory and Database Services from South
1727 Plainsfield, NJ; and Network Solutions, Inc., which provides
1728 Registration Services from their headquarters in Herndon, VA.
1729 Services are provided via the Internet, and by telephone, FAX, and
1730 hardcopy.
1731
1732
1733
1734
1735
1736 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 31]
1737 \f
1738 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1739
1740
1741 interoperability
1742 The ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from
1743 multiple vendors to communicate meaningfully.
1744
1745 IP (IPv4)
1746 See: Internet Protocol
1747
1748 IPng (IPv6)
1749 See: Internet Protocol Version 6
1750
1751 IP address
1752 The 32-bit address defined by the Internet Protocol in RFC 791.
1753 It is usually represented in dotted decimal notation. See also:
1754 dot address, internet address, Internet Protocol, network address,
1755 subnet address, host address.
1756
1757 IP datagram
1758 See: datagram
1759
1760 IPX
1761 See: Internetwork Packet eXchange
1762
1763 IR
1764 See: Internet Registry
1765
1766 IRC
1767 See: Internet Relay Chat
1768
1769 IRSG
1770 See: Internet Research Steering Group
1771
1772 IRTF
1773 See: Internet Research Task Force
1774
1775 IS
1776 See: Intermediate System
1777
1778 IS-IS
1779 See: Intermediate System-Intermediate System
1780
1781 ISDN
1782 See: Integrated Services Digital Network
1783
1784 ISO
1785 See: International Organization for Standardization
1786
1787 ISO Development Environment (ISODE)
1788 Software that allows OSI services to use a TCP/IP network.
1789
1790
1791
1792 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 32]
1793 \f
1794 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1795
1796
1797 Pronounced eye-so-dee-eee. See also: Open Systems
1798 Interconnection, TCP/IP Protocol Suite.
1799
1800 ISOC
1801 See: Internet Society
1802
1803 ISODE
1804 See: ISO Development Environment
1805
1806 ITU
1807 See: International Telecommunications Union -
1808 Telecommunications Standards Sector
1809
1810 ITU-TSS
1811 See: International Telecommunications Union
1812
1813 JKREY
1814 Joyce K. Reynolds
1815
1816 KA9Q
1817 A popular implementation of TCP/IP and associated protocols for
1818 amateur packet radio systems. See also: TCP/IP Protocol Suite.
1819 [Source: RFC1208]
1820
1821 Kerberos
1822 Kerberos is the security system of MIT's Project Athena. It is
1823 based on symmetric key cryptography. See also: encryption.
1824
1825 Kermit
1826 A popular file transfer protocol developed by Columbia University.
1827 Because Kermit runs in most operating environments, it provides an
1828 easy method of file transfer. Kermit is NOT the same as FTP. See
1829 also: File Transfer Protocol
1830 [Source: MALAMUD]
1831
1832 Knowbot
1833 A "Knowledge Robot" is a program which seeks out information based
1834 on specified criteria. "Knowbot," as trademarked by CNRI, refers
1835 specifically to the search engine for Knowbot Information
1836 Services. See also: Corporation for National Research
1837 Initiatives, X.500, white pages, whois, netfind.
1838
1839 Knowbot Information Services
1840 An experimental directory service. See also: white pages, whois,
1841 X.500.
1842
1843 LAN
1844 See: Local Area Network
1845
1846
1847
1848 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 33]
1849 \f
1850 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1851
1852
1853 layer
1854 Communication networks for computers may be organized as a set of
1855 more or less independent protocols, each in a different layer
1856 (also called level). The lowest layer governs direct host-to-host
1857 communication between the hardware at different hosts; the highest
1858 consists of user applications. Each layer builds on the layer
1859 beneath it. For each layer, programs at different hosts use
1860 protocols appropriate to the layer to communicate with each other.
1861 TCP/IP has five layers of protocols; OSI has seven. The
1862 advantages of different layers of protocols is that the methods of
1863 passing information from one layer to another are specified
1864 clearly as part of the protocol suite, and changes within a
1865 protocol layer are prevented from affecting the other layers.
1866 This greatly simplifies the task of designing and maintaining
1867 communication programs. See also: Open Systems Interconnection,
1868 TCP/IP Protocol Suite.
1869
1870 LDAP
1871 See: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
1872
1873 Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
1874 This protocol provides access for management and browser
1875 applications that provide read/write interactive access to the
1876 X.500 Directory. See also: X.500.
1877
1878 link
1879 A pointer which may be used to retreive the file or data to which
1880 the pointer points.
1881
1882 list server
1883 An automated mailing list distribution system. List servers
1884 handle the administrivia of mailing list maintenance, such as the
1885 adding and deleting of list members.
1886
1887 little-endian
1888 A format for storage or transmission of binary data in which the
1889 least significant byte (bit) comes first. See also: big-endian.
1890 [Source: RFC1208]
1891
1892 LLC
1893 See: Logical Link Control
1894
1895 Local Area Network (LAN)
1896 A data network intended to serve an area of only a few square
1897 kilometers or less. Because the network is known to cover only a
1898 small area, optimizations can be made in the network signal
1899 protocols that permit data rates up to 100Mb/s. See also:
1900 Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface, token ring,
1901
1902
1903
1904 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 34]
1905 \f
1906 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1907
1908
1909 Metropolitan Area Network, Wide Area Network.
1910 [Source: NNSC]
1911
1912 Logical Link Control (LLC)
1913 The upper portion of the datalink layer, as defined in IEEE 802.2.
1914 The LLC sublayer presents a uniform interface to the user of the
1915 datalink service, usually the network layer. Beneath the LLC
1916 sublayer is the MAC sublayer. See also: 802.x, layer, Media
1917 Access Control.
1918
1919 Lurking
1920 No active participation on the part of a subscriber to an mailing
1921 list or USENET newsgroup. A person who is lurking is just
1922 listening to the discussion. Lurking is encouraged for beginners
1923 who need to get up to speed on the history of the group. See
1924 also: Electronic Mail, mailing list, Usenet.
1925 [Source: LAQUEY]
1926
1927 Lycos
1928 Lycos, Inc. is a new venture formed in late June 1995, to develop
1929 and market the Lycos technology originally developed under the
1930 direction of Dr. Michael ("Fuzzy") Mauldin at Carnegie Mellon
1931 University. The part of Lycos you see when you do a search is the
1932 search engine. "Lycos" comes from Lycosidae, a cosmopolitan
1933 family of relatively large active ground spiders (Wolf Spiders)
1934 that catch their prey by pursuit, rather than in a web.
1935 [Source: Lycos's FAQ]
1936
1937 MAC
1938 See: Media Access Control
1939
1940 MAC address
1941 The hardware address of a device connected to a shared media. See
1942 also: Media Access Control, Ethernet, token ring.
1943 [Source: MALAMUD]
1944
1945 mail bridge
1946 A mail gateway that forwards electronic mail between two or more
1947 networks while ensuring that the messages it forwards meet certain
1948 administrative criteria. A mail bridge is simply a specialized
1949 form of mail gateway that enforces an administrative policy with
1950 regard to what mail it forwards. See also: Electronic Mail, mail
1951 gateway.
1952 [Source: NNSC]
1953
1954 Mail Exchange Record (MX Record)
1955 A DNS resource record type indicating which host can handle mail
1956 for a particular domain. See also: Domain Name System, Electronic
1957
1958
1959
1960 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 35]
1961 \f
1962 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
1963
1964
1965 Mail.
1966 [Source: MALAMUD]
1967
1968 mail exploder
1969 Part of an electronic mail delivery system which allows a message
1970 to be delivered to a list of addresses. Mail exploders are used
1971 to implement mailing lists. Users send messages to a single
1972 address and the mail exploder takes care of delivery to the
1973 individual mailboxes in the list. See also: Electronic Mail,
1974 email address, mailing list.
1975 [Source: RFC1208]
1976
1977 mail gateway
1978 A machine that connects two or more electronic mail systems
1979 (including dissimilar mail systems) and transfers messages between
1980 them. Sometimes the mapping and translation can be quite complex,
1981 and it generally requires a store-and-forward scheme whereby the
1982 message is received from one system completely before it is
1983 transmitted to the next system, after suitable translations. See
1984 also: Electronic Mail.
1985 [Source: RFC1208]
1986
1987 mail path
1988 A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one
1989 user to another. This system of email addressing has been used
1990 primarily in UUCP networks which are trying to eliminate its use
1991 altogether. See also: bang path, email address, UNIX-to-UNIX
1992 CoPy.
1993
1994 mail server
1995 A software program that distributes files or information in
1996 response to requests sent via email. Internet examples include
1997 Almanac and netlib. Mail servers have also been used in Bitnet to
1998 provide FTP-like services. See also: Bitnet, Electronic Mail,
1999 FTP.
2000 [Source: NWNET]
2001
2002 mailing list
2003 A list of email addresses, used by a mail exploder, to forward
2004 messages to groups of people. Generally, a mailing list is used
2005 to discuss certain set of topics, and different mailing lists
2006 discuss different topics. A mailing list may be moderated. This
2007 means that messages sent to the list are actually sent to a
2008 moderator who determines whether or not to send the messages on to
2009 everyone else. Requests to subscribe to, or leave, a mailing list
2010 should ALWAYS be sent to the list's "-request" address (e.g.
2011 ietf-request@cnri.reston.va.us for the IETF mailing list) or
2012 majordomo server. See also: Electronic Mail, mail exploder, email
2013
2014
2015
2016 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 36]
2017 \f
2018 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2019
2020
2021 address, moderator, majordomo.
2022
2023 majordomo
2024 A program which handles mailing list maintenance (affectionately
2025 known as administrivia) such as adding and removing addresses from
2026 mailing lists. See also: email address, mailing list.
2027
2028 MAN
2029 See: Metropolitan Area Network
2030
2031 Management Information Base (MIB)
2032 The set of parameters an SNMP management station can query or set
2033 in the SNMP agent of a network device (e.g. router). Standard,
2034 minimal MIBs have been defined, and vendors often have Private
2035 enterprise MIBs. In theory, any SNMP manager can talk to any SNMP
2036 agent with a properly defined MIB. See also: client-server model,
2037 Simple Network Management Protocol.
2038 [Source: BIG-LAN]
2039
2040 Martian
2041 A humorous term applied to packets that turn up unexpectedly on
2042 the wrong network because of bogus routing entries. Also used as
2043 a name for a packet which has an altogether bogus (non-registered
2044 or ill-formed) internet address.
2045 [Source: RFC1208]
2046
2047 Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU)
2048 The largest frame length which may be sent on a physical medium.
2049 See also: frame, fragment, fragmentation.
2050
2051 mbone
2052 The Multicast Backbone is based on IP multicasting using class-D
2053 addresses. The mbone concept was adopted at the March 1992 IETF
2054 in San Diego, during which it was used to audiocast to 40 people
2055 throughout the world. At the following meeting, in Cambridge, the
2056 name mbone was adopted. Since then the audiocast has become full
2057 two-way audio/video conferencing using two video channels, four
2058 audio channels, and involving hundreds of remote users. See also:
2059 multicast, Internet Engineering Task Force.
2060
2061 MD-2, MD-4, MD-5
2062 See: Message Digest
2063
2064 Media Access Control (MAC)
2065 The lower portion of the datalink layer. The MAC differs for
2066 various physical media. See also: MAC Address, Ethernet, Logical
2067 Link Control, token ring.
2068
2069
2070
2071
2072 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 37]
2073 \f
2074 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2075
2076
2077 Message Digest (MD-2, MD-4, MD-5)
2078 Message digests are algorithmic operations, generally performed on
2079 text, which produce a unique signature for that text. MD-2,
2080 described in RFC 1319; MD-4, described in RFC 1320; and MD-5,
2081 described in RFC 1321 all produce a 128-bit signature. They
2082 differ in their operating speed and resistance to crypto-analytic
2083 attack. Generally, one must be traded off for the other.
2084
2085 message switching
2086 See: packet switching
2087
2088 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
2089 A data network intended to serve an area approximating that of a
2090 large city. Such networks are being implemented by innovative
2091 techniques, such as running fiber cables through subway tunnels.
2092 A popular example of a MAN is SMDS. See also: Local Area Network,
2093 Switched Multimegabit Data Service, Wide Area Network.
2094 [Source: NNSC]
2095
2096 MIB
2097 See: Management Information Base
2098
2099 Microcom Networking Protocol (MNP)
2100 A series of protocols built into most modems which error-check or
2101 compress data being transmitted over a phone line.
2102
2103 mid-level network
2104 Mid-level networks (a.k.a. regionals) make up the second level of
2105 the Internet hierarchy. They are the transit networks which
2106 connect the stub networks to the backbone networks. See also:
2107 backbone, Internet, stub network, transit network.
2108
2109 MIME
2110 See: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
2111
2112 MNP
2113 See: Microcom Networking Protocol
2114
2115 moderator
2116 A person, or small group of people, who manage moderated mailing
2117 lists and newsgroups. Moderators are responsible for determining
2118 which email submissions are passed on to list. See also:
2119 Electronic Mail, mailing list, Usenet.
2120
2121 MOSPF
2122 Multicast Open Shortest-Path First. See: Open Shortest-Path First.
2123
2124
2125
2126
2127
2128 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 38]
2129 \f
2130 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2131
2132
2133 MTU
2134 See: Maximum Transmission Unit
2135
2136 MUD
2137 See: Multi-User Dungeon
2138
2139 multicast
2140 A packet with a special destination address which multiple nodes
2141 on the network may be willing to receive. See also: broadcast,
2142 unicast.
2143
2144 multihomed host
2145 A host which has more than one connection to a network. The host
2146 may send and receive data over any of the links but will not route
2147 traffic for other nodes. See also: host, router.
2148 [Source: MALAMUD]
2149
2150 Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
2151 An extension to Internet email which provides the ability to
2152 transfer non-textual data, such as graphics, audio and fax. See
2153 also: Electronic Mail
2154
2155 Multi-User Dungeon (MUD)
2156 Adventure, role playing games, or simulations played on the
2157 Internet. Devotees call them "text-based virtual reality
2158 adventures." The games can feature fantasy combat, booby traps
2159 and magic. Players interact in real time and can change the
2160 "world" in the game as they play it. Most MUDs are based on the
2161 Telnet protocol. See also: Telnet.
2162 [Source: LAQUEY]
2163
2164 MX Record
2165 See: Mail Exchange Record
2166
2167 NAK
2168 See: Negative Acknowledgment
2169
2170 name resolution
2171 The process of mapping a name into its corresponding address. See
2172 also: Domain Name System.
2173 [Source: RFC1208]
2174
2175 namespace
2176 A commonly distributed set of names in which all names are unique.
2177 [Source: MALAMUD]
2178
2179 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
2180 United States governmental body that provides assistance in
2181
2182
2183
2184 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 39]
2185 \f
2186 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2187
2188
2189 developing standards. Formerly the National Bureau of Standards.
2190 [Source: MALAMUD]
2191
2192 National Research and Education Network (NREN)
2193 The NREN is the realization of an interconnected gigabit computer
2194 network devoted to Hign Performance Computing and Communications.
2195 See also: HPPC, IINREN.
2196 [Source: HPCC]
2197
2198 National Science Foundation (NSF)
2199 A U.S. government agency whose purpose is to promote the
2200 advancement of science. NSF funds science researchers, scientific
2201 projects, and infrastructure to improve the quality of scientific
2202 research. The NSFNET, funded by NSF, was once an essential part
2203 of academic and research communications. It was a highspeed,
2204 hierarchical "network of networks." At the highest level, it had
2205 a backbone network of nodes, interconnected with T3 (45Mbps)
2206 facilities which spaned the continental United States. Attached
2207 to that were mid-level networks, and attached to the mid-levels
2208 were campus and local networks. See also: backbone network, mid-
2209 level network.
2210
2211 Negative Acknowledgment (NAK)
2212 Response to the receipt of either a corrupted or unnexpected
2213 packet of information. See also: Acknowledgement.
2214
2215 netfind
2216 A research prototype to provide a simple Internet "white pages"
2217 user directory. Developed at the University of Colorado, Boulder,
2218 it tries to locate telephone and email information given a
2219 person's name and a rough description of where the person works.
2220 See also: Knowbot, whois, white pages, X.500.
2221 [Source: Ryan Moats]
2222
2223 netiquette
2224 A pun on "etiquette" referring to proper behavior on a network.
2225 RFC 1855 (FYI 28) contains a netiquette guide produced by the User
2226 Services area of the IETF. See also: Acceptable Use Policy,
2227 Internet Engineering Task Force.
2228
2229 Netnews
2230 See: Usenet
2231
2232 network
2233 A computer network is a data communications system which
2234 interconnects computer systems at various different sites. A
2235 network may be composed of any combination of LANs, MANs or WANs.
2236 See also: Local Area Network, Metropolitan Area Network, Wide Area
2237
2238
2239
2240 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 40]
2241 \f
2242 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2243
2244
2245 Network, internet.
2246
2247 network address
2248 The network portion of an IP address. For a class A network, the
2249 network address is the first byte of the IP address. For a class
2250 B network, the network address is the first two bytes of the IP
2251 address. For a class C network, the network address is the first
2252 three bytes of the IP address. In each case, the remainder is the
2253 host address. In the Internet, assigned network addresses are
2254 globally unique. See also: Internet, IP address, subnet address,
2255 host address, Internet Registry.
2256
2257 Network File System (NFS)
2258 A protocol developed by Sun Microsystems, and defined in RFC 1094
2259 (RFC 1813 defines Version 3), which allows a computer system to
2260 access files over a network as if they were on its local disks.
2261 This protocol has been incorporated in products by more than two
2262 hundred companies, and is now a de facto Internet standard.
2263 [Source: NNSC]
2264
2265 Network Information Center (NIC)
2266 A NIC provides information, assistance and services to network
2267 users. See also: Network Operations Center.
2268
2269 Network Information Services (NIS)
2270 A set of services, generally provided by a NIC, to assist users in
2271 using the network. See also: Network Information Center.
2272
2273 Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)
2274 A protocol, defined in RFC 977, for the distribution, inquiry,
2275 retrieval, and posting of news articles. See also: Usenet.
2276
2277 network mask
2278 See: address mask
2279
2280 network number
2281 See: network address
2282
2283 Network Operations Center (NOC)
2284 A location from which the operation of a network or internet is
2285 monitored. Additionally, this center usually serves as a
2286 clearinghouse for connectivity problems and efforts to resolve
2287 those problems. See also: Network Information Center.
2288 [Source: NNSC]
2289
2290 Network Time Protocol (NTP)
2291 A protocol that assures accurate local timekeeping with reference
2292 to radio and atomic clocks located on the Internet. This protocol
2293
2294
2295
2296 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 41]
2297 \f
2298 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2299
2300
2301 is capable of synchronizing distributed clocks within milliseconds
2302 over long time periods. See also: Internet.
2303 [Source: NNSC]
2304
2305 NFS
2306 See: Network File System
2307
2308 NIC
2309 See: Network Information Center
2310
2311 NIC.DDN.MIL
2312 This is the domain name of the DDN NIC. See also: Defense Data
2313 Network, Domain Name System, Network Information Center.
2314
2315 NIS
2316 See: Network Information Services
2317
2318 NIST
2319 See: National Institute of Standards and Technology
2320
2321 NNTP
2322 See: Network News Transfer Protocol
2323
2324 NOC
2325 See: Network Operations Center
2326
2327 Nodal Switching System (NSS)
2328 Main routing nodes in the NSFnet backbone. See also: backbone,
2329 National Science Foundation.
2330 [Source: MALAMUD]
2331
2332 node
2333 An addressable device attached to a computer network. See also:
2334 host, router.
2335
2336 NREN
2337 See: National Research and Education Network
2338
2339 NSF
2340 See: National Science Foundation
2341
2342 NSS
2343 See: Nodal Switching System
2344
2345 NTP
2346 See: Network Time Protocol
2347
2348
2349
2350
2351
2352 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 42]
2353 \f
2354 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2355
2356
2357 OCLC
2358 See: Online Computer Library Catalog
2359
2360 octet
2361 An octet is 8 bits. This term is used in networking, rather than
2362 byte, because some systems have bytes that are not 8 bits long.
2363
2364 Online Computer Library Catalog
2365 OCLC is a nonprofit membership organization offering computer-
2366 based services to libraries, educational organizations, and their
2367 users. The OCLC library information network connects more than
2368 10,000 libraries worldwide. Libraries use the OCLC System for
2369 cataloging, interlibrary loan, collection development,
2370 bibliographic verification, and reference searching.
2371 [Source: OCLC]
2372
2373 Open Shortest-Path First (OSPF)
2374 A link state, as opposed to distance vector, routing protocol. It
2375 is an Internet standard IGP defined in RFCs 1583 and 1793. The
2376 multicast version, MOSPF, is defined in RFC 1584. See also:
2377 Interior Gateway Protocol, Routing Information Protocol.
2378
2379 Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
2380 A suite of protocols, designed by ISO committees, to be the
2381 international standard computer network architecture. See also:
2382 International Organization for Standardization.
2383
2384 OSI
2385 See: Open Systems Interconnection
2386
2387 OSI Reference Model
2388 A seven-layer structure designed to describe computer network
2389 architectures and the way that data passes through them. This
2390 model was developed by the ISO in 1978 to clearly define the
2391 interfaces in multivendor networks, and to provide users of those
2392 networks with conceptual guidelines in the construction of such
2393 networks. See also: International Organization for
2394 Standardization.
2395 [Source: NNSC]
2396
2397 OSPF
2398 See: Open Shortest-Path First
2399
2400 packet
2401 The unit of data sent across a network. "Packet" a generic term
2402 used to describe unit of data at all levels of the protocol stack,
2403 but it is most correctly used to describe application data units.
2404 See also: datagram, frame.
2405
2406
2407
2408 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 43]
2409 \f
2410 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2411
2412
2413 Packet InterNet Groper (PING)
2414 A program used to test reachability of destinations by sending
2415 them an ICMP echo request and waiting for a reply. The term is
2416 used as a verb: "Ping host X to see if it is up!" See also:
2417 Internet Control Message Protocol.
2418 [Source: RFC1208]
2419
2420 Packet Switch Node (PSN)
2421 A dedicated computer whose purpose is to accept, route and forward
2422 packets in a packet switched network. See also: packet switching,
2423 router.
2424 [Source: NNSC]
2425
2426 packet switching
2427 A communications paradigm in which packets (messages) are
2428 individually routed between hosts, with no previously established
2429 communication path. See also: circuit switching, connection-
2430 oriented, connectionless.
2431
2432 PD
2433 Public Domain
2434
2435 PDU
2436 See: Protocol Data Unit
2437
2438 PEM
2439 See: Privacy Enhanced Mail
2440
2441 PGP
2442 See: Pretty Good Privacy
2443
2444 PING
2445 See: Packet INternet Groper
2446
2447 Point Of Presence (POP)
2448 A site where there exists a collection of telecommunications
2449 equipment, usually digital leased lines and multi-protocol
2450 routers.
2451
2452 Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
2453 The Point-to-Point Protocol, defined in RFC 1661, provides a
2454 method for transmitting packets over serial point-to-point links.
2455 There are many other RFCs which define extensions to the basic
2456 protocol. See also: Serial Line IP.
2457 [Source: FYI4]
2458
2459 POP
2460 See: Post Office Protocol and Point Of Presence
2461
2462
2463
2464 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 44]
2465 \f
2466 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2467
2468
2469 port
2470 A port is a transport layer demultiplexing value. Each
2471 application has a unique port number associated with it. See
2472 also: Transmission Control Protocol, User Datagram Protocol.
2473
2474 Post Office Protocol (POP)
2475 A protocol designed to allow single user hosts to read electronic
2476 mail from a server. Version 3, the most recent and most widely
2477 used, is defined in RFC 1725. See also: Electronic Mail.
2478
2479 Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT)
2480 Outside the USA, PTT refers to a telephone service provider, which
2481 is usually a monopoly, in a particular country.
2482
2483 postmaster
2484 The person responsible for taking care of electronic mail
2485 problems, answering queries about users, and other related work at
2486 a site. See also: Electronic Mail.
2487 [Source: ZEN]
2488
2489 PPP
2490 See: Point-to-Point Protocol
2491
2492 Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
2493 A program, developed by Phil Zimmerman, which cryptographically
2494 protects files and electronic mail from being read by others. It
2495 may also be used to digitally sign a document or message, thus
2496 authenticating the creator. See also: encryption, Data Encryption
2497 Standard, RSA.
2498
2499 Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM)
2500 Internet email which provides confidentiality, authentication and
2501 message integrity using various encryption methods. See also:
2502 Electronic Mail, encryption.
2503
2504 Prospero
2505 A distributed filesystem which provides the user with the ability
2506 to create multiple views of a single collection of files
2507 distributed across the Internet. Prospero provides a file naming
2508 system, and file access is provided by existing access methods
2509 (e.g. anonymous FTP and NFS). The Prospero protocol is also used
2510 for communication between clients and servers in the archie
2511 system. See also: anonymous FTP, archie, archive site, Gopher,
2512 Network File System, Wide Area Information Servers.
2513
2514 protocol
2515 A formal description of message formats and the rules two
2516 computers must follow to exchange those messages. Protocols can
2517
2518
2519
2520 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 45]
2521 \f
2522 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2523
2524
2525 describe low-level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g.,
2526 the order in which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or
2527 high-level exchanges between allocation programs (e.g., the way in
2528 which two programs transfer a file across the Internet).
2529 [Source: MALAMUD]
2530
2531 protocol converter
2532 A device/program which translates between different protocols
2533 which serve similar functions (e.g. TCP and TP4).
2534
2535 Protocol Data Unit (PDU)
2536 "PDU" is internationalstandardscomitteespeak for packet. See
2537 also: packet.
2538
2539 protocol stack
2540 A layered set of protocols which work together to provide a set of
2541 network functions. See also: layer, protocol.
2542
2543 proxy ARP
2544 The technique in which one machine, usually a router, answers ARP
2545 requests intended for another machine. By "faking" its identity,
2546 the router accepts responsibility for routing packets to the
2547 "real" destination. Proxy ARP allows a site to use a single IP
2548 address with two physical networks. Subnetting would normally be
2549 a better solution. See also: Address Resolution Protocol
2550 [Source: RFC1208]
2551
2552 PSN
2553 See: Packet Switch Node.
2554
2555 PTT
2556 See: Postal, Telegraph and Telephone
2557
2558 queue
2559 A backup of packets awaiting processing.
2560
2561 RARE
2562 Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne. See: Trans-
2563 European Research and Education Networking Association.
2564
2565 RARP
2566 See: Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
2567
2568 RBOC
2569 Regional Bell Operating Company
2570
2571
2572
2573
2574
2575
2576 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 46]
2577 \f
2578 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2579
2580
2581 Read The F*cking Manual (RTFM)
2582 This acronym is often used when someone asks a simple or common
2583 question.
2584
2585 Read The Source Code (RTSC)
2586 This acronym is often used when a software developer asks a
2587 question about undocumented code.
2588
2589 reassembly
2590 The IP process in which a previously fragmented packet is
2591 reassembled before being passed to the transport layer. See also:
2592 fragmentation.
2593
2594 recursive
2595 See: recursive
2596
2597 regional
2598 See: mid-level network
2599
2600 remote login
2601 Operating on a remote computer, using a protocol over a computer
2602 network, as though locally attached. See also: Telnet.
2603
2604 Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
2605 An easy and popular paradigm for implementing the client-server
2606 model of distributed computing. In general, a request is sent to
2607 a remote system to execute a designated procedure, using arguments
2608 supplied, and the result returned to the caller. There are many
2609 variations and subtleties in various implementations, resulting in
2610 a variety of different (incompatible) RPC protocols.
2611 [Source: RFC1208]
2612
2613 repeater
2614 A device which propagates electrical signals from one cable to
2615 another. See also: bridge, gateway, router.
2616
2617 Request For Comments (RFC)
2618 The document series, begun in 1969, which describes the Internet
2619 suite of protocols and related experiments. Not all (in fact very
2620 few) RFCs describe Internet standards, but all Internet standards
2621 are written up as RFCs. The RFC series of documents is unusual in
2622 that the proposed protocols are forwarded by the Internet research
2623 and development community, acting on their own behalf, as opposed
2624 to the formally reviewed and standardized protocols that are
2625 promoted by organizations such as CCITT and ANSI. See also: BCP,
2626 FYI, STD.
2627
2628
2629
2630
2631
2632 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 47]
2633 \f
2634 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2635
2636
2637 Reseaux IP Europeenne (RIPE)
2638 A collaboration between European networks which use the TCP/IP
2639 protocol suite.
2640
2641 Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)
2642 A protocol, defined in RFC 903, which provides the reverse
2643 function of ARP. RARP maps a hardware (MAC) address to an
2644 internet address. It is used primarily by diskless nodes when
2645 they first initialize to find their internet address. See also:
2646 Address Resolution Protocol, BOOTP, internet address, MAC address.
2647
2648 RFC
2649 See: Request For Comments
2650
2651 RFC 822
2652 The Internet standard format for electronic mail message headers.
2653 Mail experts often refer to "822 messages." The name comes from
2654 RFC 822, which contains the specification. 822 format was
2655 previously known as 733 format. See also: Electronic Mail.
2656 [Source: COMER]
2657
2658 RIP
2659 See: Routing Information Protocol
2660
2661 RIPE
2662 See: Reseaux IP Europeenne
2663
2664 Round-Trip Time (RTT)
2665 A measure of the current delay on a network.
2666 [Source: MALAMUD]
2667
2668 route
2669 The path that network traffic takes from its source to its
2670 destination. Also, a possible path from a given host to another
2671 host or destination.
2672
2673 routed
2674 Route Daemon. A program which runs under 4.2BSD/4.3BSD UNIX
2675 systems (and derived operating systems) to propagate routes among
2676 machines on a local area network, using the RIP protocol.
2677 Pronounced "route-dee". See also: Routing Information Protocol,
2678 gated.
2679
2680 router
2681 A device which forwards traffic between networks. The forwarding
2682 decision is based on network layer information and routing tables,
2683 often constructed by routing protocols. See also: bridge,
2684 gateway, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Interior Gateway Protocol.
2685
2686
2687
2688 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 48]
2689 \f
2690 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2691
2692
2693 routing
2694 The process of selecting the correct interface and next hop for a
2695 packet being forwarded. See also: hop, router, Exterior Gateway
2696 Protocol, Interior Gateway Protocol.
2697
2698 routing domain
2699 A set of routers exchanging routing information within an
2700 administrative domain. See also: Administrative Domain, router.
2701
2702 Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
2703 A distance vector, as opposed to link state, routing protocol. It
2704 is an Internet standard IGP defined in RFC 1058. See also:
2705 Interior Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest-Path First.
2706
2707 RPC
2708 See: Remote Procedure Call
2709
2710 RSA
2711 A public-key cryptographic system which may be used for encryption
2712 and authentication. It was invented in 1977 and named for its
2713 inventors: Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. See also:
2714 encryption, Data Encryption Standard, Pretty Good Privacy.
2715
2716 RTFM
2717 See: Read The F*cking Manual
2718
2719 RTSC
2720 See: Read The Source Code
2721
2722 RTT
2723 See: Round-Trip Time
2724
2725 SDH
2726 See: Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
2727
2728 Serial Line IP (SLIP)
2729 A protocol used to run IP over serial lines, such as telephone
2730 circuits or RS-232 cables, interconnecting two systems. SLIP is
2731 defined in RFC 1055, but is not an Internet Standard. It is being
2732 replaced by PPP. See also: Point-to-Point Protocol.
2733
2734 server
2735 A provider of resources (e.g. file servers and name servers). See
2736 also: client, Domain Name System, Network File System.
2737
2738 SGML
2739 See: Standardized Generalized Markup Language
2740
2741
2742
2743
2744 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 49]
2745 \f
2746 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2747
2748
2749 SIG
2750 Special Interest Group
2751
2752 signature
2753 The three or four line message at the bottom of a piece of email
2754 or a Usenet article which identifies the sender. Large signatures
2755 (over five lines) are generally frowned upon. See also:
2756 Electronic Mail, Usenet.
2757
2758 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
2759 A protocol used to transfer electronic mail between computers. It
2760 is specified in RFC 821, with extensions specified in many other
2761 RFCs. It is a server to server protocol, so other protocols are
2762 used to access the messages. See also: Electronic Mail, Post
2763 Office Protocol, RFC 822.
2764
2765 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
2766 The Internet standard protocol developed to manage nodes on an IP
2767 network. The first version is defined in RFC 1157 (STD 15).
2768 SNMPv2 (version 2) is defined in too many RFCs to list. It is
2769 currently possible to manage wiring hubs, toasters, jukeboxes,
2770 etc. See also: Management Information Base.
2771
2772 SLIP
2773 See: Serial Line IP
2774
2775 SMDS
2776 See: Switched Multimegabit Data Service
2777
2778 SMI
2779 See: Structure of Management Information
2780
2781 SMTP
2782 See: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
2783
2784 SNA
2785 See: Systems Network Architecture
2786
2787 snail mail
2788 A pejorative term referring to the U.S. postal service.
2789
2790 SNMP
2791 See: Simple Network Management Protocol
2792
2793 SONET
2794 See: Synchronous Optical NETwork
2795
2796
2797
2798
2799
2800 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 50]
2801 \f
2802 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2803
2804
2805 Standardized Generalized Markup Language (SGML)
2806 An international standard for the definition of system-
2807 independent, device-independent methods of representing text in
2808 electronic form. See also: Hypertext Markup Language.
2809
2810 STD
2811 A subseries of RFCs that specify Internet standards. The official
2812 list of Internet standards is in STD 1. See also: Request For
2813 Comments.
2814
2815 stream-oriented
2816 A type of transport service that allows its client to send data in
2817 a continuous stream. The transport service will guarantee that
2818 all data will be delivered to the other end in the same order as
2819 sent and without duplicates. See also: Transmission Control
2820 Protocol.
2821 [Source: MALAMUD]
2822
2823 Structure of Management Information (SMI)
2824 The rules used to define the objects that can be accessed via a
2825 network management protocol. These rules are defined in RFC 1155
2826 (STD 17). The acronym is pronounced "Ess Em Eye." See also:
2827 Management Information Base. .br [Source: RFC1208]
2828
2829 stub network
2830 A stub network only carries packets to and from local hosts. Even
2831 if it has paths to more than one other network, it does not carry
2832 traffic for other networks. See also: backbone, transit network.
2833
2834 subnet
2835 A portion of a network, which may be a physically independent
2836 network segment, which shares a network address with other
2837 portions of the network and is distinguished by a subnet number.
2838 A subnet is to a network what a network is to an internet. See
2839 also: internet, network.
2840 [Source: FYI4]
2841
2842 subnet address
2843 The subnet portion of an IP address. In a subnetted network, the
2844 host portion of an IP address is split into a subnet portion and a
2845 host portion using an address (subnet) mask. See also: address
2846 mask, IP address, network address, host address.
2847
2848 subnet mask
2849 See: address mask
2850
2851 subnet number
2852 See: subnet address
2853
2854
2855
2856 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 51]
2857 \f
2858 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2859
2860
2861 supernet
2862 An aggregation of IP network addresses advertised as a single
2863 classless network address. For example, given four Class C IP
2864 networks: 192.0.8.0, 192.0.9.0, 192.0.10.0 and 192.0.11.0, each
2865 having the intrinsic network mask of 255.255.255.0; one can
2866 advertise the address 192.0.8.0 with a subnet mask of
2867 255.255.252.0. See also: IP address, network address, network
2868 mask, Classless Inter-domain Routing.
2869
2870 Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS)
2871 An emerging high-speed datagram-based public data network service
2872 developed by Bellcore and expected to be widely used by telephone
2873 companies as the basis for their data networks. See also:
2874 Metropolitan Area Network.
2875 [Source: RFC1208]
2876
2877 Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)
2878 The European standard for high-speed data communications over
2879 fiber-optic media. The transmission rates range from 155.52Mbps
2880 to 2.5Gbps.
2881
2882 Synchronous Optical NETwork (SONET)
2883 SONET is an international standard for high-speed data
2884 communications over fiber-optic media. The transmission rates
2885 range from 51.84Mbps to 2.5Gbps.
2886
2887 Systems Network Architecture (SNA)
2888 A proprietary networking architecture used by IBM and IBM-
2889 compatible mainframe computers.
2890 [Source: NNSC]
2891
2892 T1
2893 A term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a DS-1
2894 formatted digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second.
2895
2896 T3
2897 A term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a DS-3
2898 formatted digital signal at 44.746 megabits per second.
2899 [Source: FYI4]
2900
2901 TAC
2902 See: Terminal Access Controller (TAC)
2903
2904 talk
2905 A protocol which allows two people on remote computers to
2906 communicate in a real-time fashion. See also: Internet Relay
2907 Chat.
2908
2909
2910
2911
2912 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 52]
2913 \f
2914 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2915
2916
2917 TCP
2918 See: Transmission Control Protocol
2919
2920 TCP/IP Protocol Suite
2921 Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol. This is a
2922 common shorthand which refers to the suite of transport and
2923 application protocols which runs over IP. See also: IP, ICMP,
2924 TCP, UDP, FTP, Telnet, SMTP, SNMP.
2925
2926 TELENET
2927 The original name for what is now SprintNet. It should not be
2928 confused with the Telnet protocol or application program.
2929
2930 Telnet
2931 Telnet is the Internet standard protocol for remote terminal
2932 connection service. It is defined in RFC 854 and extended with
2933 options by many other RFCs.
2934
2935 TERENA
2936 See: Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association
2937
2938 Terminal Access Controller (TAC)
2939 A device which was once used to connect terminals to the Internet,
2940 usually using dialup modem connections and the TACACS protocol.
2941 While the device is no longer in use, TACACS+ is a protocol in
2942 current use.
2943
2944 terminal emulator
2945 A program that allows a computer to emulate a terminal. The
2946 workstation thus appears as a terminal to the remote host.
2947 [Source: MALAMUD]
2948
2949 terminal server
2950 A device which connects many terminals to a LAN through one
2951 network connection. A terminal server can also connect many
2952 network users to its asynchronous ports for dial-out capabilities
2953 and printer access. See also: Local Area Network.
2954
2955 Three Letter Acronym (TLA)
2956 A tribute to the use of acronyms in the computer field. See also:
2957 Extended Four Letter Acronym.
2958
2959 Time to Live (TTL)
2960 A field in the IP header which indicates how long this packet
2961 should be allowed to survive before being discarded. It is
2962 primarily used as a hop count. See also: Internet Protocol.
2963 [Source: MALAMUD]
2964
2965
2966
2967
2968 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 53]
2969 \f
2970 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
2971
2972
2973 TLA
2974 See: Three Letter Acronym
2975
2976 TN3270
2977 A variant of the Telnet program that allows one to attach to IBM
2978 mainframes and use the mainframe as if you had a 3270 or similar
2979 terminal.
2980 [Source: BIG-LAN]
2981
2982 token ring
2983 A token ring is a type of LAN with nodes wired into a ring. Each
2984 node constantly passes a control message (token) on to the next;
2985 whichever node has the token can send a message. Often, "Token
2986 Ring" is used to refer to the IEEE 802.5 token ring standard,
2987 which is the most common type of token ring. See also: 802.x,
2988 Local Area Network.
2989
2990 topology
2991 A network topology shows the computers and the links between them.
2992 A network layer must stay abreast of the current network topology
2993 to be able to route packets to their final destination.
2994 [Source: MALAMUD]
2995
2996 traceroute
2997 A program available on many systems which traces the path a packet
2998 takes to a destination. It is mostly used to debug routing
2999 problems between hosts. There is also a traceroute protocol
3000 defined in RFC 1393.
3001
3002 Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association (TERENA)
3003 TERENA was formed in October 1994 by the merger of RARE and EARN
3004 to promote and participate in the development of a high quality
3005 international information and telecommunications infrastructure
3006 for the benefit of research and education. See also: Reseaux
3007 Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne, European Academic and
3008 Research Network.
3009 [Source: TERENA Statutes]
3010
3011 transceiver
3012 Transmitter-receiver. The physical device that connects a host
3013 interface to a local area network, such as Ethernet. Ethernet
3014 transceivers contain electronics that apply signals to the cable
3015 and sense collisions.
3016 [Source: RFC1208]
3017
3018 transit network
3019 A transit network passes traffic between networks in addition to
3020 carrying traffic for its own hosts. It must have paths to at
3021
3022
3023
3024 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 54]
3025 \f
3026 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3027
3028
3029 least two other networks. See also: backbone, stub network.
3030
3031 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
3032 An Internet Standard transport layer protocol defined in RFC 793.
3033 It is connection-oriented and stream-oriented, as opposed to UDP.
3034 See also: connection-oriented, stream-oriented, User Datagram
3035 Protocol.
3036
3037 Trojan Horse
3038 A computer program which carries within itself a means to allow
3039 the creator of the program access to the system using it. See
3040 also: virus, worm.
3041
3042 TTFN
3043 Ta-Ta For Now
3044
3045 TTL
3046 See: Time to Live
3047
3048 tunnelling
3049 Tunnelling refers to encapsulation of protocol A within protocol
3050 B, such that A treats B as though it were a datalink layer.
3051 Tunnelling is used to get data between administrative domains
3052 which use a protocol that is not supported by the internet
3053 connecting those domains. See also: Administrative Domain.
3054
3055 twisted pair
3056 A type of cable in which pairs of conductors are twisted together
3057 to produce certain electrical properties.
3058
3059 UDP
3060 See: User Datagram Protocol
3061
3062 unicast
3063 An address which only one host will recognize. See also:
3064 broadcast, multicast.
3065
3066 Uniform Resource Locators (URL)
3067 A URL is a compact (most of the time) string representation for a
3068 resource available on the Internet. URLs are primarily used to
3069 retrieve information using WWW. The syntax and semantics for URLs
3070 are defined in RFC 1738. See also: World Wide Web.
3071
3072 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)
3073 This is Greenwich Mean Time.
3074 [Source: MALAMUD]
3075
3076
3077
3078
3079
3080 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 55]
3081 \f
3082 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3083
3084
3085 UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy (UUCP)
3086 This was initially a program run under the UNIX operating system
3087 that allowed one UNIX system to send files to another UNIX system
3088 via dial-up phone lines. Today, the term is more commonly used to
3089 describe the large international network which uses the UUCP
3090 protocol to pass news and electronic mail. See also: Electronic
3091 Mail, Usenet.
3092
3093 urban legend
3094 A story, which may have started with a grain of truth, that has
3095 been embroidered and retold until it has passed into the realm of
3096 myth. It is an interesting phenonmenon that these stories get
3097 spread so far, so fast and so often. Urban legends never die,
3098 they just end up on the Internet! Some legends that periodically
3099 make their rounds include "The Infamous Modem Tax," "Craig
3100 Shergold/Brain Tumor/Get Well Cards," and "The $250 Cookie
3101 Recipe."
3102 [Source: LAQUEY]
3103
3104 URL
3105 See: Uniform Resource Locators
3106
3107 Usenet
3108 A collection of thousands of topically named newsgroups, the
3109 computers which run the protocols, and the people who read and
3110 submit Usenet news. Not all Internet hosts subscribe to Usenet
3111 and not all Usenet hosts are on the Internet. See also: Network
3112 News Transfer Protocol, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy.
3113 [Source: NWNET]
3114
3115 User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
3116 An Internet Standard transport layer protocol defined in RFC 768.
3117 It is a connectionless protocol which adds a level of reliability
3118 and multiplexing to IP. See also: connectionless, Transmission
3119 Control Protocol.
3120
3121 UTC
3122 See: Universal Time Coordinated
3123
3124 UUCP
3125 See: UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy
3126
3127 uudecode
3128 A program which reverses the effect of uuencode. See also:
3129 uuencode.
3130
3131 uuencode
3132 A program which reversibly converts a binary file in ASCII. It is
3133
3134
3135
3136 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 56]
3137 \f
3138 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3139
3140
3141 used to send binary files via email, which generally does not
3142 allow (or garbles) the transmission of binary information. The
3143 original binary can be restored with uudecode. The encoding
3144 process generally creates an ASCII file larger than the original
3145 binary, so compressing the binary before running uuencode is
3146 highly recommended.
3147
3148 Veronica
3149 A Gopher utility which effectively searches Gopher servers based
3150 on a user's list of keywords. The name was chosen to be a "mate"
3151 to another utility named "Archie." It later became an acronym for
3152 Very Easy Rodent Oriented Netwide Index to Computer Archives. See
3153 also: archie, Gopher.
3154
3155 virtual circuit
3156 A network service which provides connection-oriented service
3157 without necessarily doing circuit-switching. See also:
3158 connection-oriented.
3159
3160 virus
3161 A program which replicates itself on computer systems by
3162 incorporating itself into other programs which are shared among
3163 computer systems. See also: Trojan Horse, worm.
3164
3165 W3
3166 See: World Wide Web
3167
3168 WAIS
3169 See: Wide Area Information Servers
3170
3171 WAN
3172 See: Wide area network
3173
3174 WebCrawler
3175 A WWW search engine. The aim of the WebCrawler Project is to
3176 provide a high-quality, fast, and free Internet search service.
3177 The WebCrawler may be reached at "http://webcrawler.com/".
3178 [Source: WebCrawler's "WebCrawler Facts"]
3179
3180 WG
3181 See: Working Group
3182
3183 white pages
3184 The Internet supports several databases that contain basic
3185 information about users, such as e-mail addresses, telephone
3186 numbers, and postal addresses. These databases can be searched to
3187 get information about particular individuals. Because they serve
3188 a function akin to the telephone book, these databases are often
3189
3190
3191
3192 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 57]
3193 \f
3194 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3195
3196
3197 referred to as "white pages." See also: Knowbot, netfind, whois,
3198 X.500, InterNIC.
3199
3200 whois
3201 An Internet program which allows users to query a database of
3202 people and other Internet entities, such as domains, networks, and
3203 hosts. The primary database is kept at the InterNIC. The
3204 information stored includes a person's company name, address,
3205 phone number and email address. The latest version of the
3206 protocol, WHOIS++, is defined in RFCs 1834 and 1835. See also:
3207 InterNIC, white pages, Knowbot, netfind, X.500.
3208
3209 Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
3210 A distributed information service which offers simple natural
3211 language input, indexed searching for fast retrieval, and a
3212 "relevance feedback" mechanism which allows the results of initial
3213 searches to influence future searches. Public domain
3214 implementations are available. See also: archie, Gopher,
3215 Prospero.
3216
3217 Wide Area Network (WAN)
3218 A network, usually constructed with serial lines, which covers a
3219 large geographic area. See also: Local Area Network, Metropolitan
3220 Area Network.
3221
3222 Working Group (WG)
3223 A working group, within the IETF, is a group of people who work
3224 under a charter to achieve a certain goal. That goal may be the
3225 creation of an Informational document, the creation of a protocol
3226 specification, or the resolution of problems in the Internet.
3227 Most working groups have a finite lifetime. That is, once a
3228 working group has achieved its goal, it disbands. There is no
3229 official membership for a working group. Unofficially, a working
3230 group member is somebody who is on that working group's mailing
3231 list; however, anyone may attend a working group meeting. See
3232 also: Internet Engineering Task Force, Birds Of a Feather.
3233
3234 World Wide Web (WWW, W3)
3235 A hypertext-based, distributed information system created by
3236 researchers at CERN in Switzerland. Users may create, edit or
3237 browse hypertext documents. The clients and servers are freely
3238 available.
3239
3240 worm
3241 A computer program which replicates itself and is self-
3242 propagating. Worms, as opposed to viruses, are meant to spawn in
3243 network environments. Network worms were first defined by Shoch &
3244 Hupp of Xerox in ACM Communications (March 1982). The Internet
3245
3246
3247
3248 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 58]
3249 \f
3250 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3251
3252
3253 worm of November 1988 is perhaps the most famous; it successfully
3254 propagated itself on over 6,000 systems across the Internet. See
3255 also: Trojan Horse, virus.
3256
3257 WRT
3258 With Respect To
3259
3260 WWW
3261 See: World Wide Web
3262
3263 WYSIWYG
3264 What You See is What You Get
3265
3266 X
3267 X is the name for TCP/IP based network-oriented window systems.
3268 Network window systems allow a program to use a display on a
3269 different computer. The most widely-implemented window system is
3270 X11 - a component of MIT's Project Athena.
3271
3272 X.25
3273 A data communications interface specification developed to
3274 describe how data passes into and out of public data
3275 communications networks. The CCITT and ISO approved protocol
3276 suite defines protocol layers 1 through 3.
3277
3278 X.400
3279 The CCITT and ISO standard for electronic mail. It is widely used
3280 in Europe and Canada.
3281
3282 X.500
3283 The CCITT and ISO standard for electronic directory services. See
3284 also: white pages, Knowbot, whois.
3285
3286 XDR
3287 See: eXternal Data Representation
3288
3289 Xerox Network System (XNS)
3290 A protocol suite developed by Xerox Corporation to run on LAN and
3291 WAN networks, where the LANs are typically Ethernet.
3292 Implementations exist for both Xerox's workstations and 4.3BSD,
3293 and 4.3BSD-derived, systems. XNS denotes not only the protocol
3294 stack, but also an architecture of standard programming
3295 interfaces, conventions, and service functions for authentication,
3296 directory, filing, email, and remote procedure call. XNS is also
3297 the name of Xerox's implementation. See also: Ethernet, Berkeley
3298 Software Distribution, Local Area Network, Wide Area Network.
3299 [Source: Jeff Hodges]
3300
3301
3302
3303
3304 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 59]
3305 \f
3306 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3307
3308
3309 XNS
3310 See: Xerox Network System
3311
3312 Yahoo!
3313
3314 Yahoo! is a hierarchical subject-oriented guide for the World Wide
3315 Web and Internet. Yahoo! lists sites and categorizes them into
3316 appropriate subject categories. Yahoo! may be reached at
3317 "http://www.yahoo.com/".
3318 [Source: Yahoo's "What is Yahoo?"]
3319
3320 Yellow Pages (YP)
3321 A historic (i.e., no longer in use) service used by UNIX
3322 administrators to manage databases distributed across a network.
3323
3324 YP
3325 See: Yellow Pages
3326
3327 zone
3328 A logical group of network devices.
3329
3330
3331
3332
3333
3334
3335
3336
3337
3338
3339
3340
3341
3342
3343
3344
3345
3346
3347
3348
3349
3350
3351
3352
3353
3354
3355
3356
3357
3358
3359
3360 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 60]
3361 \f
3362 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3363
3364
3365 References
3366
3367 BIG-LAN "BIG-LAN Frequently Asked Questions Memo", BIG-LAN DIGEST
3368 V4:I8, February 14, 1992.
3369
3370 COMER Comer, Douglas, "Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles,
3371 Protocols and Architecture", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
3372 NJ, 1991.
3373
3374 FYI4 Malkin, G., A. Marine, "FYI on Questions and Answers: Answers
3375 to Commonly asked "New Internet User" Questions", RFC 1325
3376 (FYI 4), Xylogics, SRI, May 1992.
3377
3378 HACKER "THIS IS THE JARGON FILE", Version 2.9.8, January 1992.
3379
3380 HPCC "Grand Challenges 1993: High Performance Computing and
3381 Communications", Committee on Physical, Mathmatical and
3382 Engineering Sciences of the Federal Coordinating Council for
3383 Science, Engineering and Technology.
3384
3385 MALAMUD Malamud, Carl, "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand
3386 Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
3387
3388 NNSC "NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
3389
3390 LAQUEY LaQuey, Tracy, with Jeanne C. Ryer, "The Internet Companion:
3391 A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking", Addison-Wesley,
3392 Reading, MA, 1992.
3393
3394 NWNET Kochmer, Jonathan, and NorthWestNet, "The Internet Passport:
3395 NorthWestNets Guide to Our World Online", NorthWestNet,
3396 Bellevue, WA, 1992.
3397
3398 RFC1208 Jacobsen, O., D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC
3399 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
3400
3401 STD1 Postel, J., "INTERNET OFFICIAL PROTOCOL STANDARDS", RFC 1920
3402 (STD 1), March 1996.
3403
3404 STD2 Reynolds, J., J. Postel, "ASSIGNED NUMBERS", RFC 1700 (STD
3405 2), ISI, October 1994.
3406
3407 TAN Tanenbaum, Andrew S., "Computer Networks; 2nd ed.", Prentice
3408 Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989.
3409
3410 ZEN Kehoe, Brendan P., "Zen and the Art of the Internet",
3411 February 1992.
3412
3413
3414
3415
3416 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 61]
3417 \f
3418 Internet Draft Glossary May 1996
3419
3420
3421 Security Considerations
3422
3423 While security is not explicitly discussed in this document, some of
3424 the glossary's entries are security related. See the entries for
3425 Access Control List (ACL), authentication, Computer Emergency
3426 Response Team (CERT), cracker, Data Encryption Key (DEK), Data
3427 Encryption Standard (DES), encryption, Kerberos, Message Digest (MD-
3428 2, MD-4, MD-5), Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), Privacy Enhanced Mail
3429 (PEM), RSA, Trojan Horse, virus, and worm.
3430
3431
3432 Editor's Address
3433
3434 Gary Scott Malkin
3435 Xylogics, Inc.
3436 53 Third Avenue
3437 Burlington, MA 01803
3438
3439 Phone: (617) 238-6237
3440 EMail: gmalkin@Xylogics.COM
3441
3442
3443
3444
3445
3446
3447
3448
3449
3450
3451
3452
3453
3454
3455
3456
3457
3458
3459
3460
3461
3462
3463
3464
3465
3466
3467
3468
3469
3470
3471
3472 Malkin Expires: 2Nov96 [Page 62]