STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Here's a list of common Connectivity terms.
January 14, 2002
802.11b – the designation for a standard for a high-speed (up to 11 megabits per second) network that allows devices to communicate with each other without wires, using a 2.4-gigahertz radio frequency. The latest 802.11b standard is based on a technology called Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS). DSSS spreads the networked data between several channels in the radio frequency band. This method reduces interference and quickens the speed. For more information, see Wireless, below, and read "802.11 by the numbers."
Backbone – the part of a network that handles the major traffic. Smaller networks are attached to the backbone. On the Internet, the backbone refers to the major long distance, high speed connections provided and managed by companies such as MCI and Sprint.
Bandwidth – the data transmission capacity of a network. For example, the bandwidth of Ethernet networks is commonly 10 or 100 megabits per second (Mbps), while 802.11b wireless network bandwidth equals 11 Mbps. True bandwidth is affected by many factors, such as the condition of lines, interference, and network traffic.
Baud– measures the voltage or frequency changes of a line. It was often used to indicate the bandwidth of modems. For example, 300 baud was equivalent to 300 bps. However, modern high speed modems use techniques to increase the amount of data sent per cycle; thus, a 56 kbps modem is not the same as 56 baud.
Bluetooth– is a wireless networking standard jointly developed by Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba in 1998. It is a short range standard (10 meters) used for transferring data or voice data between personal computers, laptops, PDAs, and phones, and for connecting peripheral devices such as printers, modems, and keyboards to computers. You can find more information at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group Web site.
Bottleneck– refers to anything that slows down network speed. It can be one point of a network that is operating over capacity, an incorrectly configured server or computer, part of the network that is offline, or any number of causes.
Broadband – commonly refers to any high speed transmission network. For example, it can refer to a high speed T1 line. Broadband also is generally used to refer to high capacity transmissions, such as video broadcasts over the Internet, or other transmissions requiring large amounts of data.
Cable modem– provides a higher bandwidth connection to the Internet than a dial-up modem. Cable modems use an Ethernet connection over cable television lines. One drawback is that connection speed decreases as the number of users on the cable line increases.
Client – in networking refers to a computer that requests some service from another computer (called the server). Client requests can be made by operating systems or applications. For example, when a user logs on to an office network from his or her desktop PC, the PC is acting as a client requesting services from the server.
Colocation –is a service usually provided by internet service providers (ISPs) for their customers. Company's place some of their networking equipment, such as their Web servers, off site at the ISP or telecom premises, to give them faster connections to the Internet.
DES– is an acronym for Data Encryption Standard first developed by IBM and refined by the National Security Agency. DES encrypts and decrypts information based on a secret key that is 56 bits in length. DES is used in many applications requiring security. A recent enhancement, Triple-DES, is even more secure.
DSL– means Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is a method of increasing the bandwidth of Internet connections over common copper phone lines. While the current capacity of dial-up modems is 56 Kbps, a DSL connection can download as fast as 8 Mbps and upload as fast as 1 Mbps, depending on the type of connection. One downside is that customers must be within a certain minimum distance from their telco's central office. One advantage is that since DSL uses a different frequency than voice, a customer can talk on the phone while connected to the Internet on the same line.
Encryption– is a way of securing data by converting it into a secret code that can't be easily decoded with the key originally used. DES is one encryption standard. Another one, using both a private and public key, is called RSA. Without encryption, financial transactions and ATMs would not be possible. For more information on ATMs and encryption, read "Special Security."
Ethernet– is a local area network (LAN) technology where computers in one small geographic location, typically an office, are connected by cables. The standard is known as IEEE 802.3, and uses coaxial cable to send data through the network at 10 or 100 Mbps. The cable connectors resemble telephone jacks.
Extranet– is a private Web site used by companies to communicate with its vendors or with its employees. Extranets use the Internet to post the information, but require the user to enter an id and password to gain access. Extranets can be used for order systems, inventory databases, and customer records, as well as many other uses.
Gbps– is a measure of bandwidth and stands for gigabits per second. A gigabit is one billion bits. A bit is the smallest unit of computer data, represented by a 1 or 0.
Internet– is a global network of connected computers. Computers on the Internet use a networking protocol, or standard, known as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to communicate. The World Wide Web, or Web, is one part of the Internet, as is e-mail, the Usenet news service, and chat services such as the popular Internet Relay Chat (IRC), and AOL's Instant Messenger.
Intranet – is a Web site meant only for those within an enterprise. It is not available to the general public.
ISDN– stands for Integrated Services Digital Network, and is a digital line that provides faster bandwidth for dial-up connections than conventional modems. Data rates can be 64 Kbps or as much as 384 Kbps for video conferencing.
ISP– stands for Internet Service Provider. ISP's are companies that sell access to the Internet. They may offer any type of bandwidth connections from slower modem dial-up connections to high speed T1 and T3 lines. ISP's may also design and sell Web sites as well as other broadband services.
Kbps– kilobits per second, a unit of network connection speed equal to 1,000 bits per second.
LAN– is an acronym for local area network, and refers to a network restricted to a small area, such as is typically found in an office.
Mbps– megabits per second, a unit of network connection speeds equal to a bandwidth of one million bits per second.
Modem– is a network device for dialup connections. The name is a contraction of modulator/demodulator and is used to convert a computer's digital signals into analog signals capable of transmission of telephone lines in a dial-up connection, and converts the incoming analog signals to digital. The modem also dials the line and negotiates the transmission speed depending on the line's condition.
NIC– is a network interface card. A nic is the device, usually a printed circuit card, that plugs into a computer and into a network, typically the Ethernet. The card controls the computer's (client's) connection to the server. It's also known as a network adapter.
Protocol– refers to any defined set of rules used in computing. Using protocols, computers are able to transmit data and made it intelligible for human use. For instance, TCP/IP is a combination of two protocols used to send data over the Internet. Triple-DES is a protocol used to secure and encrypt data, and Hyptertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) defines how Web pages are sent.
Server– is a computer that controls connections to other computers on a network (called clients). There are many types of servers, sometimes contained on the same physical machine. Web servers handle data using HTTP protocol; proxy servers hide the identity of machines on a network in an attempt to prevent hackers from gaining access. File servers provide access to shared files, print servers give the ability to print on networked printers, and specialized servers, such as simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) servers, give access to e-mail.
T1– is a high speed digital data connection of 1.544 Mbps, widely used on the Internet. It is usually a dedicated line provided by telephone companies to customers.
T3– is a high speed digital data connection of 44.736 Mbps, widely used on the Internet. It is usually a dedicated line provided by telephone companies to customers.
VOIP– stands for voice over IP, and is a way of transmitting audio over the Internet. It is also referred to as Internet Telephony.
VPN– stands for virtual private network. It is a way of securing communications over a public network such as the Internet, by creating an encrypted path or "tunnel," from point A to point B. Point A can be an employee's laptop at home, and point B can be the company's home office network.
WAN– stands for wide area network, a communications network in a large geographic area, such as a state or country.
Wireless– is a general designation for communication without wires. In networking, common wireless standards include 802.11b, and Bluetooth. Both standards broadcast over the 2.4 gigahertz band. Cellular, satellite, microwave, and infrared broadcasting are also forms of wireless communication.
World Wide Web (also W3, WWW, or Web)– A global network of shared documents and other data that runs on top of the Internet. The Web uses hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to communicate between servers and clients. Clients running a Web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape can view Web documents and graphics, listen to music, watch video, and interact with data in many ways.
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