Technical data

broadcast circuit
A circuit on which multiple nodes are connected. A message can be transmitted to
multiple receivers, and all nodes are adjacent.
broadcast end-node adjacency
An end node connected to the same broadcast circuit as the local node. See also
adjacency.
broadcast router adjacency
An intermediate system (router) connected to the same broadcast circuit as the
local node. See also adjacency.
broadcast mask
A mask used to interpret the IP address as a broadcast address.
broadcast storm
An incorrect packet broadcast on a network that causes most hosts to respond all
at once, typically with wrong answers that start the process over again.
brouter
A bridge/router; a device that forwards messages between networks at both
network and data link levels.
BSD
See Berkeley Software Distribution.
Bulletin Board System (BBS)
A message database where people can log in and leave broadcast messages for
others grouped (typically) into topic groups.
buffer
A device or an area of memory used for temporary storage when transmitting data
from one device to another. Compensates for a difference in rate of data flow or in
time of occurrence of events. Used on routing nodes to temporarily store data that
is to be forwarded from one node to another.
buffering level
The number of buffers provided at one time by the network software to handle
data. Level can be single or multiple. Single buffering tends to be less efficient
than multibuffering but uses less memory on the local system. Multibuffering
provides better performance, and a network can send or process several buffers of
data in quick succession.
bus
(1) A LAN topology in which all nodes connect to a single transmission medium.
All nodes are equal, and all nodes hear all transmissions on the medium. Bus
topologies are reliable because failure of a node does not affect the ability of
other nodes to transmit and receive. (2) A flat, flexible cable consisting of many
transmission lines or wires used to interconnect computer system components to
provide communication paths for addresses, data, and control information.
cache
A portion of a computer’s RAM reserved to act as a temporary memory for items
read from a disk. These items become instantly available to the user.
cache server
A BIND server that has no authority for any zone; acquires information in the
process of resolving clients’ queries and stores it in its cache. See also BIND
server, forwarder server, primary server,andsecondary server.
Glossary–8