User Manual Part 4

LaCie Wireless Space • DESIGN BY NEIL POULTON Glossary
User Manual page 93
5. Glossary
Many networking and wireless terms may appear new or a bit chal-
lenging to follow. This small glossary of networking acronyms and
protocols offers a simple reference to aid in setting up and maintain-
ing your Wireless Space. Due to the complexity of networking termi-
nology, this glossary intends only to provide introductory definitions.
802.11b/g/n – The number 802.11 is the IEEE (Institute of Electri-
cal and Electronics Engineers) term for the wireless signal on a land
area network (WLAN). The letters that follow indicate the levels of
strength. The following lists the maximum throughputs for b and g:
✦ b=11 Mb/s
✦ g=54 Mb/s
n is the most recent protocol:
✦ n=well over 50 Mb/s
Access Point - A device attached to an existing network (home, com-
pany, cell phone, etc.) that can extend the service. The Wireless
Space, once attached to a network, can become an access point for
1Gb Ethernet or wireless connectivity. More commonly, the refer-
ence is for a wireless access point.
AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) - Similar to SMB/CIFS and NFS, AFP is
a protocol used for requests over a network. Requests could mean
accessing shared files, volumes, and devices (such as printers). AFP
is used for Apple-based systems, Mac OS 9 and X.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A computer requires
an identity when it connects to a network, otherwise access to the
Internet as well as company or home servers will not be possible.
That identity is called an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which may be
enabled manually (Static IP) in the operating system network settings
or assigned by a network management device, such as a DHCP
device. Though a generic term, the device could be a server or
an active switch, as found in business environments; or, a cable or
DSL modem offered by an Internet provider. The Wireless Space has
the ability to assign IP addresses dynamically, which means it can
be configured as a DHCP server. An example of an IP address is
192.168.10.1
DHCP Leases – Each time a computer on the network boots, it must
have an IP address to communicate with other systems and to ac-
cess the Internet. With a DHCP server, the computer is assigned an
IP address as it boots onto the network. The lease is the amount of
time that the client can use a specific IP address. The leases can be
static (always the same address) or dynamic, (changing periodically
as configured in the DHCP server settings).
DHCP Server Range Start IP/Range End IP - The range of addresses
that a DHCP server may assign to the attached systems.
DLNA™ (Digital Living Network Alliance) - A standard (based on
UPnP) widely embraced by consumer electronic manufacturers to
allow entertainment devices within the home to share movies, music,
and photos across a home network.
DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) - Email and web servers in a company
find it difficult to filter all Internet traffic since it would make internal
and external communication quite difficult. For example, sales of a
company’s services require a web site for potential customers to visit
and incoming/outgoing email for client inquiries. In most cases, a
business must have an open line of communication to the outside
world. However, this also places a network in danger of attack, in-
cluding all the computers connected to heavily trafficked servers.
Taken from the military term, a DMZ allows a network to place
those computers or servers with the most exposure to outside traf-
fic (chiefly, the Internet) on their own subnetwork (see netmask). To
stave off potential security risks, firewall protection is placed between
the DMZ subnetwork and the servers and computers on the internal
network. For home use, the DMZ is an advanced feature that can
be used to filter outside Internet traffic through one IP address; for
example, a computer or a home server.
DNS (Domain Name System or Domain Name Server) - All email
and web addresses are domain names. Every web site and email
account has a specific place within a server that has a unique IP
address (such as 192.168.54.25, IPv4; or 2001:db8:1f70::999:d
e8:7648:6e8, IPv6). However, when we launch a favorite browser
to buy a new hard drive or send an email, we do not type lengthy,
hard to remember numerical addresses. Instead, we use company
names, www.lacie.com, or email addresses, [e-mail]. The
domain names in these examples are “lacie.com” or “@lacie.com”.
The server manages the tie between the IP address it requires for a
network identity and the domain name for communication.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - Broadband data transmitted digitally
over telephone wires. The local telephone company provides a ser-
vice that includes Internet, telephone, and, for some, cable tele-
vision. For access to the Internet, telephone companies generally
provide an adapter or DSL modem for connection to a computer
via Ethernet.
Dynamic DNS - This moves DNS hosting a bit further as it provides
access to domain names hosted on servers with varying (hence, dy-
namic) IP addresses. This means that web sites are not forced to
maintain a single IP address, but can be managed within a network
that uses DHCP to assign an identity. The Dynamic DNS host is
smart enough to read the domain name and find the IP address to
which it belongs. Dynamic DNS is a great tool for accessing home
network servers, such as the Wireless Space, from anywhere outside
the home.