User's Guide

Glossary
hwc_glossary.fm
Networking terms and abbreviations
9034530-02, March 2010
480 HiPath Wireless Controller, Access Points and Convergence Software V7.11, User Guide
ToS / DSCP ToS (Type of Service) / DSCP (Diffserv Codepoint). The ToS/DSCP box contained in the IP
header of a frame is used by applications to indicate the priority and Quality of Service (QoS)
for each frame. The level of service is determined by a set of service parameters which
provide a three way trade-off between low-delay, high-reliability, and high-throughput. The use
of service parameters may increase the cost of service.
TSN Transition Security Network. A subset of Robust Security Network (RSN), which provides an
enhanced security solution for legacy hardware. The Wi-Fi Alliance has adopted a solution
called Wireless Protected Access (WPA), based on TSN. RSN and TSN both specify IEEE
802.1x authentication with Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP).
Tunnelling Tunnelling (or encapsulation) is a technology that enables one network to send its data via
another network's connections. Tunnelling works by encapsulating packets of a network
protocol within packets carried by the second network. The receiving device then
decapsulates the packets and forwards them in their original format.
UDP User Datagram Protocol. A connectionless protocol that, like TCP, runs on top of IP networks.
Unlike TCP/IP, UDP/IP provides very few error recovery services, offering instead a direct way
to send and receive packets over an IP network. It is used primarily for broadcasting
messages over a network.
U-NII Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure. Designated to provide short-range, high-
speed wireless networking communication at low cost, U-NII consists of three frequency
bands of 100 MHz each in the 5 GHz band: 5.15-5.25GHz (for indoor use only), 5.25-5.35 GHz
and 5.725-5.825GHz. The three frequency bands were set aside by the FCC in 1997 initially
to help schools connect to the Internet without the need for hard wiring. U-NII devices do not
require licensing.
URL Uniform Resource Locator. the unique global address of resources or files on the World Wide
Web. The URL contains the name of the protocol to be used to access the file resource, the
IP address or the domain name of the computer where the resource is located, and a
pathname -- a hierarchical description that specifies the location of a file in that computer.
VLAN Virtual Local Area Network. A network of computers that behave as if they are connected to
the same wire when they may be physically located on different segments of a LAN. VLANs
are configured through software rather than hardware, which makes them extremely flexible.
When a computer is physically moved to another location, it can stay on the same VLAN
without any hardware reconfiguration.
The standard is defined in IEEE 802.1Q - Virtual LANs, which states that 'IEEE 802 Local Area
Networks (LANs) of all types may be connected together with Media Access Control (MAC)
Bridges, as specified in ISO/IEC 15802-3. This standard defines the operation of Virtual LAN
(VLAN) Bridges that permit the definition, operation and administration of Virtual LAN
topologies within a Bridged LAN infrastructure."
VNS Virtual Network Services (VNS). A Siemens specific technique that provides a means of
mapping wireless networks to a wired topology.
VoIP Voice Over Internet Protocol. An internet telephony technique. With VoIP, a voice
transmission is cut into multiple packets, takes the most efficient path along the Internet and
is reassembled when it reaches the destination.
VPN Virtual Private Network. A private network that is constructed by using public wires to connect
nodes. These systems use encryption and other security mechanisms to ensure that only
authorized users can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted.
VSA Vendor Specific Attribute, an attribute for a RADIUS server defined by the
manufacturer.(compared to the RADIUS attributes defined in the original RADIUS protocol
RFC2865). A VSA attribute is defined in order that it can be returned from the RADIUS server
in the Access Granted packet to the Radius Client.
Term Explanation