Hardware manual

82 Glossary
URL Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a computer, file, or resource that can be
accessed on a local network or the Internet. The URL is made up of the name of the
protocol needed to access the resource, a domain name that identifies a specific
computer on the Internet, and a hierarchical description of a file location on the
computer.
USB Universal Serial Bus. A standard for communicating between a computer and
external peripherals using an inexpensive direct-connect cable.
user name The long name for a user, sometimes referred to as the user’s “real” name.
See also short name.
virtual user An alternate email address (short name) for a user. Similar to an alias, but
it involves creating another user account.
VPN Virtual Private Network. A network that uses encryption and other technologies
to provide secure communications over a public network, typically the Internet. VPNs
are generally cheaper than real private networks using private lines but rely on having
the same encryption system at both ends. The encryption may be performed by
firewall software or by routers.
WAN Wide area network. A network maintained across geographically separated
facilities, as opposed to a LAN (local area network) within a facility. Your WAN interface
is usually the one connected to the Internet.
WebDAV Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning. A live authoring
environment that allows client users to check out webpages, make changes, and then
check the pages back in while a site is running.
WebDAV realm A region of a website, usually a folder or directory, that’s defined to
provide access for WebDAV users and groups.
Windows domain The Windows computers on a network that share a common
directory of user, group, and computer accounts for authentication and authorization.
An Open Directory master can provide the directory services for a Windows domain.
WINS Windows Internet Naming Service. A name resolution service used by Windows
computers to match client names with IP addresses. A WINS server can be located on
the local network or externally on the Internet.
workgroup A set of users for whom you define preferences and privileges as a group.
Any preferences you define for a group are stored in the group account.