User Manual Part 4

LaCie Wireless Space • DESIGN BY NEIL POULTON Glossary
User Manual page 95
iTunes™ Server - iTunes libraries can be shared over a local net-
work via a computer, network disk, or network device that acts as
the iTunes Server. The protocol is used to detect libraries on the
computer, network disk, or network device and stream playlists to
anyone who requests them. The function must also be enabled on
each computer that runs iTunes.
iTunes™ Scan Interval - Periodic scans of the shared music libraries
for updates. For example, the Wireless Space automatically per-
forms an iTunes once every 24 hours. However, the option to manu-
ally scan is also available.
LAN (Local Area Network) - A network within a small or limited ge-
ography, such as an office, a school, or a home.
MAC Address (Media Access Control) - A unique identifier assigned
by the manufacturer of a computer’s network interface card. Though
it has a different naming structure, a MAC address works with the IP
address for network communication. There are many layers of net-
work communication but, as an oversimplification, the MAC address
supports the hardware aspect while the IP deals with the software
implementation. An IP address can change while a MAC address is
almost always fixed. A MAC address can generally be found in the
operating system network settings, also referred to as an ethernet
address, hardware address, adapter address, or physical address.
The naming structure can be listed in two ways:
MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SS or MM-MM-MM-SS-SS-SS
The “M” half of the address represents code used to identify the
manufacturer of the network interface while the “S” half is a se-
rial number. For example, a common manufacturer “M” prefix is,
00A0C9 since it represents Intel®. A full MAC address example is
00:23:df:99:5e:2a, with 00:23:df pointing to Apple as the manu-
facturer.
MAC Address Cloning - Internet service providers (ISP) may limit the
amount of network connections by counting MAC addresses. Upon
seeing more than an arbitrary number of MAC addresses on your
home network, access will be denied to additional devices. MAC
address cloning enables a router or network device (i.e. The Wire-
less Space) to create a single MAC address for the ISP to see while
it manages the computers that are attached via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
NAT (Network Address Translation) – A router will take addresses
that come from public servers and translate them to addresses that
are acceptable to the private network. This is helpful for reducing
the number of IP addresses on a network or directing welcome traffic
into a private network while dismissing unwanted visitors.
NAT-PMP (Network Address Translation-Port Mapping Protocol) –
Taking port forwarding a step further, this allows users in a private
network to automate network address translation by port number.
Addresses outside the private network include a port number that
mark them as acceptable. NAT-PMP converts “good” traffic into ac-
ceptable IP address within the system.
Netmask - Also known as the subnetwork. A subnet address is part of
the IP address information, generally placing a network geography
onto one or more computers. That is, everyone with a certain subnet
address is hosted or attached to a specific server. A subnet mask has
an address listing similar in form to IPv4. A common subnet mask (as
it is called in the operating system preferences) is: 255.255.255.0.
Network Gateway - Capable of operating in software, hardware,
or a combination of the two, a network gateway assists in enabling
communication between networks with different protocols. Often,
the network gateway is the Internet access device (such as a broad-
band router) provided by the ISP. An example would be one network
that is using TCP/IP, while a second runs AppleTalk and a third,
UDP. The network gateway assures that the translation process be-
tween them is transparent to the user.
NFS (Network File System) - A protocol that allows a computer to
access data and devices on the network. Similar to SMB/CIFS and
AFP, this is a protocol that works at the application level to share
files and devices over the network. NFS includes options for sharing
folders and volumes on the network.
NTP Server (Network Time Protocol) - A protocol used to synchronize
the time for computers that reside on the same network. Public NTP
servers are also available on the Internet.
Port Forwarding - Since a port number is part of a network address,
it is possible to target specific IP addresses by their port numbers.
This way, remote computers or devices with IP addresses can shake
hands with a particular address on a LAN. A real world example is a
Playstation®3 being used for an online game. That particular game
may demand a specific IP address and port number for its network
communication.
Port Number - Another layer of network addressing that works with
protocols such as TCP/IP or UDP/IP. A port number is represented
by a number ranging from 0 to 65535. Under normal conditions, a
user does not have to worry about port numbers for network com-
munication since they remain layers in the addressing protocol.
However, for advanced use, some port numbers may have to be
managed or specifically opened due to the demands of hardware,
software, or firewalls. For example, it may be necessary to open Port
80 in order to play a video game online.