User's Manual

Glossary
April 2004 © 2003 Foundry Networks, Inc. Glossary-3
Local Area Network (LAN)
A group of interconnected computer and support devices.
MAC Address
The physical layer address used to uniquely identify network nodes.
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
A specification for providing both power and data to low-power network devices using a single
Category 5 Ethernet cable. PoE provides greater flexibility in the locating of access point’s and
network devices, and significantly decreased installation costs.
RADIUS
A logon authentication protocol that uses software running on a central server to control access to
the network.
RJ-45 Connector
A connector for twisted-pair wiring.
Roaming
A wireless LAN mobile user moves around an ESS and maintains a continuous connection to the
infrastructure network.
Service Set Identifier (SSID)
An identifier that is attached to packets sent over the wireless LAN and functions as a password for
joining a particular radio cell; i.e., Basic Service Set (BSS).
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
The application protocol in the Internet suite of protocols which offers network management
services.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
Protocol suite that includes TCP as the primary transport protocol, and IP as the network layer
protocol.
UTP
Unshielded twisted-pair cable.
Virtual LAN (VLAN)
A Virtual LAN is a collection of network nodes that share the same collision domain regardless of
their physical location or connection point in the network. A VLAN serves as a logical workgroup with
no physical barriers, and allows users to share information and resources as though located on the
same LAN.