HP-UX VLAN Administrator's Guide, February 2007

hexadecimal values are separated by colons. Leading zeros within a 4-digit group can be omitted.
For example, 2001:db8:0:0:0:0:1111:2222 is a valid IPv6 address. An address can contain one set
of double colons (::), which indicates multiple groups of 16 bits of zeros, for example,
2001:db8::1111:2222.
LAN Local area network. A device communications system that enables a number of independent
devices to communicate with each other over a limited physical distance, offering high-speed
communication channels optimized for connecting information-processing equipment.
Local Area
Network (LAN)
See LAN.
local network The network to which a node is directly attached.
MAC Media access control. A sublayer defined in the OSI network model. The MAC sublayer is part
of the data link layer and is used to control access to the physical layer of the network.
MAC address Address (identifier) used by the MAC layer. A MAC address is assigned to a specific physical
device, such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) that implements a network protocol, such as
a NIC that implements the Ethernet protocol. Other terms for MAC address include physical
address and hardware address.
maximum
transmission unit
See MTU.
media access
control
See MAC.
MTU Maximum transmission unit. The largest amount of data that can be transmitted through an
interface. This value does not include the LLC or MAC headers.
multicast The transmission of IP packets so that multiple nodes receive the packets.
NetTL The HP tracing and logging facility for HP-UX networking.
network address 1. An address used by a Network Layer protocol, such as an IP address. 2. An IP address that
identifies the network or subnetwork to which the host or node belongs, with the bits in the
host portion of the address set to zeros. For example, using the default host address partition
for the IPv4 address 10.1.1.1, 10.1.1.0 is the network address.
network interface A communication path through which messages can be sent and received. A hardware network
interface has a hardware device associated with it, such as a LAN card. A software network
interface does not include a hardware device, for example the loopback interface. For every IP
address instance, there must be one network interface configured.
NIC Network interface card. An interface card that implements a network protocol, such as an
Ethernet interface card. Also referred to as a network interface.
node 1. Any device with an address in a network, such as a computer system (host), router, or printer.
2. A device that implements the IP protocol.
See also host, router.
packet 1. A sequence of binary digits that is transmitted as a unit in a computer network. A packet
usually contains control information and data. 2. An informal term for a Protocol Data Unit
(PDU).
See also PDU.
PCI Peripheral component interconnect.
PDU Protocol Data Unit. A unit of data, defined by a protocol, that contains protocol control
information and may include data for the user of the protocol. 2. A formal term for a packet.
See also packet.
physical point of
attachment
See PPA.
PPA Physical point of attachment. 1. A numeric identifier for an instance of a type of network interface
card (NIC). This is the same as the card instance number. The PPA is appended to the name of
the NIC type to form the interface name. For example, the first instance of a LAN card has PPA
0, and the interface name is lan0. 2. An identifier for a point where a system attaches itself to a
physical communication medium.
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