- AXIS User's Manual Network Camera 210/211
Table Of Contents

 54 
AXIS 210/211 - Glossary of Terms
ActiveX - A control (or set of rules) used by a browser. 
ActiveX controls are often downloaded and installed 
automatically as required.
AMC - AXIS Media Control. The control required for 
viewing video images in Internet Explorer. Installs 
automatically on first use.
API - Application Programming Interface. The Axis API can 
be used for integrating Axis products into other 
applications.
ARP - Address Resolution Protocol. Used to associate an IP 
address to a hardware MAC address. A request is broadcast 
on the local network to find out what the MAC address is 
for the IP address.
ARTPEC - Axis Real Time Picture Encoder - used for video 
image compression.
CCD - Charge Coupled Device. CCD is one of the two main 
types of image sensors used in digital cameras. When a 
picture is taken, the CCD is struck by light coming through 
the camera’s lens. Each of the thousands or millions of tiny 
pixels that make up the CCD convert this light into 
electrons. 
CGI - Common Gateway Interface. A set of rules (or a 
program) that allows a Web Server to communicate with 
other programs.
Client/Server - Describes the network relationship between 
two computer programs in which one, the client, makes a 
service request from another - the server.
DC-Iris - This special type of iris is electrically controlled 
by the Axis camera, to automatically regulate the amount of 
light allowed to enter.
DNS - The Domain Name System (DNS) locates and 
translates Internet domain names into IP (Internet Protocol) 
addresses.
Ethernet - A widely used networking standard.
ETRAX - Axis' own microprocessor.
Firewall - A virtual barrier between a LAN (Local Area 
Network) and other networks, e.g. the Internet.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol. Used for the simple transfer of 
files to and from an FTP-server.
HAD - Hole Accumulation Diode. A HAD CCD design allows 
for more light to reach the imager, which reduces video 
noise to improve signal-to-noise ratio by up to 6dB (2x 
better than a standard CCD imager). Particularly effective 
when shooting in dark situations.
HTML - Hypertext Mark-up Language. Used widely for 
authoring documents viewed in web browsers.
HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The set of rules for 
exchanging files (text, images, sound, video, and other files) 
on the World Wide Web.
Intranet - A private network limited to an organization or 
corporation. Usually closed to external traffic.
IP - Internet-Protocol. See TCP/IP.
IP address - A unique number used by a network device, to 
allow it to be identified and found on the network. The 
32-bit IP address is made up of four groups (or quads) of 
decimal digits separated by periods. An example of an IP 
address is: 192.168.0.1
ISMA - Internet Streaming Media Alliance
JPEG - A standard image format, used widely for 
photographs. Also known as JPG.
LAN - A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers 
and associated devices that typically share common 
resources within a limited geographical area.
Linux - A popular operating system, which is “open source” 
and practically free of charge.
Lux - A standard unit for the measurement of light, where 1 
Lux equals the light emitted from a single candle at a 
distance of one meter.
Mbit/s - Megabits per second. A unit for measuring speeds 
in networks. A LAN might run at 10 or 100 Mbit/s.
MPEG-4 - A video compression standard that makes good 
use of bandwidth, and which can provide DVD-quality 
video streams at less than 1 Mbit/s.
Multicast - A bandwidth-conserving technology that 
reduces bandwidth usage by simultaneously delivering a 
single stream of information to multiple network recipients. 
NTSC - National Television Standards Committee. NTSC is 
the standard format used for televisions in most of North 
and Central America, and Japan. 
NWAY - A network protocol that automatically negotiates 
the highest possible common transmission speed between 
two devices.
PAL - Phase Altering Line. PAL is the standard format used 
for televisions in most of the world (other than the US, 
Canada, and Japan).
Ping - A small utility used for sending data packets to 
network resources to check that they are working and that 
the network is intact.
Pre/post alarm image - The images from immediately 
before and after an alarm.
Protocol - A special set of rules governing how two entities 
will communicate. Protocols are found at many levels of 
communication, and there are hardware protocols and 
software protocols.
Router - A device that determines the next network point to 
which a packet should be forwarded on its way to its final 
destination. A router is often included as part of a network 
Glossary of Terms










