Specifications

96 Glossary
command-line interface A way of interfacing with the computer (for example, to run
programs or modify file system permissions) by entering text commands at a shell
prompt.
Common Internet File System See SMB/CIFS.
daemon A program that runs in the background and provides important system
services, such as processing incoming email or handling requests from the network.
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A protocol used to dynamically distribute
IP addresses to client computers. Each time a client computer starts up, the protocol
looks for a DHCP server and then requests an IP address from the DHCP server it finds.
The DHCP server checks for an available IP address and sends it to the client computer
along with a lease period—the length of time the client computer may use the
address.
directory Also known as a folder. A hierarchically organized list of files and/or other
directories.
directory domain A specialized database that stores authoritative information about
users and network resources; the information is needed by system software and
applications. The database is optimized to handle many requests for information and to
find and retrieve information quickly. Also called a directory node or simply a directory.
DNS Domain Name System. A distributed database that maps IP addresses to domain
names. A DNS server, also known as a name server, keeps a list of names and the IP
addresses associated with each name.
DNS domain A unique name of a computer used in the Domain Name System to
translate IP addresses and names. Also called a domain name.
DNS name A unique name of a computer used in the Domain Name System to
translate IP addresses and names. Also called a domain name.
domain Part of the domain name of a computer on the Internet. It does not include
the Top Level Domain designator (for example, .com, .net, .us, .uk). Domain name
“www.example.com” consists of the subdomain or host name “www,” the domain
“example,” and the top level domain “com.”
domain name See DNS name.
Domain Name System See DNS.