User Manual

Chapter 5. Glossary
32 Intel® Wireless Gateway User's Guide
colored lights for 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps. For more information, see the documentation
accompanying your product.
Network Adapter: a device expansion card that provides the physical connection between a
computer and the network. There are many types of adapters. They include PC cards for laptops, a
card that fits into a slot on your computer, just like you install a sound card or modem card, and
embedded cards, embedded USB adapters, USB dongle adapters, and USB desktop adapters.
Some newer computers have a network adapter already built into the system. PC cards or cards
that fit into a slot in the desktop are sometimes referred to as network interface cards, or NICs.
Network Name (SSID): Access points are grouped together by an identifier called an ESSID.
The ESSID is also referred to as a Net ID. This identifier is a combination of any letters or
numbers that are appropriate for the network environment. ESSID is specifically for access points.
When you talk about peer-to-peer networks, you cannot use the term ESSID. Service Set Identifier
(SSID) is more generic and is a 32-character name that uniquely identifies all the computers and
equipments that make up a wireless network. A type of SSID is ESSID. Another type of SSID is
Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID). The BSSID is the MAC address of a wireless adapter or
access point.
Network Address Translation (NAT): occurs when multiple IP addresses on a private LAN are
converted to one public address. This public address is sent out to the Internet. NAT adds a level
of security because the IP address for a PC connected to the private LAN is never transmitted to
the Internet. NAT also allows xDSL/cable routers to be used with low-cost Internet accounts,
where only one TCP/IP address is provided by the Internet Service Provider. The user may have
many private addresses masked by the single address provided by the ISP. NAT prevents denial-
of-service (DoS) from external networks on internal hosts.
Port: a connector on a networking device, used to attach the network cable. Hubs and switches
have numerous ports that connect to computers on the network.
Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE): the methodology of authenticating or
validating a user or equipment to an ISP, usually via a username and/or password. It is a selection
or action that reconfigures a device to the default parameters, as it was originally manufactured.
Protocol: a set of rules for sending and receiving information on a network. The rules determine
the format of the data that is transmitted and other aspects of networking, such as how errors are
detected and corrected. The protocol driver in each computer is software that adheres to these rules
when sending and receiving information. These drivers are also often called protocols.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP): the protocol that computers use to
communicate over the Internet. TCP determines how a computer breaks up data into small units,
called packets, to be sent to another computer and how the receiving computer reassembles the
packets into a single file. IP determines how the packets are routed across the Internet. See Internet
Protocol.
Virtual Server: a device that performs IP mapping. IP mapping allows remote client access to
your network via the Internet.
Wide Area Network (WAN): a communications network that uses devices such as telephone
lines, satellite dishes, or radio waves to span a larger geographic area than can be covered by a
LAN.
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): a type of Local Area Network (LAN) that uses high
frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate and transmit data among the network
clients and devices. It is a flexible data communication system implemented as an extension to, or
as an alternative for, a wired LAN.
xDSL Modem: DSL is a type of service that allows people to access the Internet via their
telephone lines. This service is typically available via a telephone company or service provider.