Installation manual

Chapter 7: Glossary
Page 82
network A group of computers that are connected together, allowing them to
communicate with each other and share resources, such as software, files,
etc. A network can be small, such as a LAN, or very large, such as the
Internet.
network maskA network mask is a sequence of bits applied to an IP address to select the
network ID while ignoring the host ID. Bits set to 1 mean "select this bit"
while bits set to 0 mean "ignore this bit." For example, if the network mask
255.255.255.0 is applied to the IP address 100.10.50.1, the network ID is
100.10.50, and the host ID is 1. See binary, IP address, subnet.
NIC Network Interface Card
An adapter card that plugs into your computer and provides the physical
interface to your network cabling. For Ethernet NICs this is typically an RJ-
45 connector. See Ethernet, RJ-45.
packet Data transmitted on a network consists of units called packets. Each
packet contains a payload (the data), plus overhead information such as
where it came from (source address) and where it should go (destination
address).
pass phrase A secret password used in WPA wireless data encryption. Encryption is
based on a WPA master key that is derived from the pass phrase and the
network name (SSID) of the device. The pass phrase should be at least 20
characters long in order to deter a hacker attempting to crack the pass
phrase by recording a series of frames then trying commonly used
passwords offline until one works (known as offline PSK dictionary
attacks).
ping Packet Internet (or Inter-Network) Groper
A program used to verify whether the host associated with an IP address is
online. It can also be used to reveal the IP address for a given domain
name.
port A physical access point to a device such as a computer or router, through
which data flows into and out of the device.
PPP Point-to-Point Protocol
A protocol for serial data transmission that is used to carry IP (and other
protocol) data between your ISP and your computer. The WAN interface on
the CopperJet uses two forms of PPP called PPPoA and PPPoE. See PPPoA,
PPPoE.
PPPoA Point-to-Point Protocol over ATM
One of the two types of PPP interfaces you can define for a Virtual Circuit
(VC), the other type being PPPoE. You can define only one PPPoA interface
per VC.
PPPoE Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet
One of the two types of PPP interfaces you can define for a Virtual Circuit
(VC), the other type being PPPoA. You can define one or more PPPoE
interfaces per VC.
protocol A set of rules governing the transmission of data. In order for a data
transmission to work, both ends of the connection have to follow the rules
of the protocol.
remote In a physically separate location. For example, an employee away on travel
who logs in to the company’s intranet is a remote user.
RIP Routing Information Protocol
The original TCP/IP routing protocol. There are two versions of RIP: version
I and version II.