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A
Access Point
An Access Point is a device that connects a computer to a network.
Wireless access points (APs or WAPs) are specially configured nodes on wireless local area networks (WLANs). Access points act as a central transmitter and receiver of WLAN radio signals.
Access points used in home or small business networks are generally small, dedicated hardware devices featuring a built-in network adapter, antenna, and radio transmitter. Access points support Wi-Fi wireless communication standards.
Analog
In telecommunications, analog is a way of sending signals-voice, video, and data-in which the transmitted signal is analogous to the original signal. In analog transmission, the signal, along with all the garbage it has picked up, is simply amplified. Three major problems by users of analog cellular are: static, loss/interruption of signal during handoff, and failure to get a connection. Cellular phones use analog technology. See Digital.
B
Bandwidth
In telecommunications, bandwidth is the width of a communications channel. Most commonly, bandwidth is expressed in digital communications in terms of bit per second (bps). The term comes from the field of electrical engineering, where bandwidth represents the total distance or range between the highest and lowest signals on the communication channel (band).
Bandwidth represents the capacity of the connection. The greater the capacity, the more likely that greater performance will follow, though overall performance also depends on other factors, such as latency.
Examples: A V.90 modem supports a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 56 Kbps. Fast Ethernet supports a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 100 Mbps.
Also Known As: throughput
Bps
(with uppercase 'B') represents bytes per second. Use of Bps, KBps, or MBps is avoided in networking as computer architectures implement a byte with differing numbers of bits; some use four bits, most use eight bits, and a few use neither.
Because eight-bit byte architectures dominate today, converting from Bps to bps involves only multiplying by eight. However, it's too easy to confuse the two acronyms and best to use 'bps' (bits per second) consistently. The “Rule of Thumb” is that outside the computer, in the telecom world, on the USB, on the LAN, on the local loop, on the WAN, across the country, and across the ocean – you should use bits per second (bps).
Also: Network performance has traditionally been measured in units of bits per second (bps). Not too many years ago, dialup network connections routinely performed at 9600 bps. As networks have greatly improved in performance, rates are now specified in Kbps (thousands of bps) or Mbps (millions of bps).
Broadband
Broadband, or high-speed Internet, is always on and doesn’t stop you from using your telephone line to make calls or send faxes and allows you to share a single connection with more than one computer. Unlike dial-up connections, broadband services transfer data at speeds usually more than 200kbps and up to 6M in some areas.
These days you can find broadband plans at affordable prices, so cost isn’t as much of a consideration as it used to be. If you use the web for file sharing, online games or even your own website, the faster speeds of broadband might suit you more than a slower dial-up connection.
Broadband Router
Combines the features of a traditional network switch, a firewall, and a DHCP server. Broadband routers are designed for convenience in setting up home networks, particularly for homes with high-speed cable modem or DSL Internet service. Broadband routers support file sharing, Internet connection sharing, and home LAN gaming.
Broadband routers follow the Ethernet standard for home networking. Traditional broadband routers required Ethernet cables be run between the router, the broadband modem, and each computer on the home LAN.
The newer wireless routers also support broadband Internet access and the Ethernet standard without the need for cabling.
Several manufacturers offer broadband routers to the consumer. Features that differentiate broadband routers include the number and type of ports available on the unit for cabling computers, external modems, or other network devices.
Also Known As: residential gateway, home gateway
Byte
A byte is abbreviated with an uppercase “B” and is a sequence or set of bits. A bit is to a byte what a character is to a word.
In computer networking, some network protocols send and receive data in the form of byte sequences. These are called byte-oriented protocols. Examples of byte-oriented protocols include TCP/IP and telnet.
The order in which bytes are sequenced in a byte-oriented network protocol is called the network byte order. The maximum size of a single unit of transmission for these protocols, the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), is also measured in bytes. Network programmers routinely work both with network byte ordering and MTUs.
Bytes are used not only in networking, but also for computer disks, memory, and central processing units (CPUs).
C
CAT 5
A category of performance for inside wire and cable systems. CAT 5 cables can be of various gauges and are useful in support of applications requiring a carrier frequency of up to 100 MHz.
CAT 5 is also an Ethernet cable standard defined by the Electronic Industries Association and Telecommunications Industry Association (commonly known as EIA/TIA). CAT5 is the 5th generation of twisted pair Ethernet cabling and the most popular of all twisted pair cables in use today.
CAT5 cable contains four pairs of copper wire. CAT5 supports Fast (100 Mbps) Ethernet and comparable alternatives such as ATM. As with all other types of twisted pair EIA/TIA cabling, CAT5 cable runs are limited to a maximum recommended run rate of 100m (328 feet).
Although CAT5 cable usually contains four pairs of copper wire, Fast Ethernet communications only utilize two pairs. A new specification for CAT5 cable, CAT5 enhanced (CAT5e), supports short-run Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) networking by utilizing all four wire pairs and is backward-compatible with ordinary CAT5.
Though newer cable technologies like CAT6 and CAT7 are being developed, CAT5 cable remains the popular choice, because it is both affordable and plenty fast enough for today's LANs.
Also Known As: Category 5
Co-location
Co-location occurs when a competitive local phone company (CLEC) locates its equipment in the central office of an incumbent local phone company (ILEC) for a fee mandated by the PUC. The two companies are most often competitors, and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires all major or incumbent phone companies in the US to allow competition in their local monopoly areas.
The idea of co-location is to save money, give better service, ensure better interconnection and get technical problems solved faster.
Cookies
A cookie is a simple text file on you hard disk that has been placed by a web site you visited. It allows the server side of the connection to both store and retrieve information on the client side. The advantage of cookies is they can automatically identify the client to the server, thereby shortening or eliminating the user identification element of the log-in process. The downside is the cookies are placed on the client computer without the knowledge of the user, giving rise to concerns about privacy through electronic trespass. Cookies help companies like Microsoft evaluate visitors’ use of their web site, such as what customers want to see and what they never read.
Cooperative
An enterprise or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services.
CPE
Customer Premise Equipment. The telecommunications equipment on a customer's premises located behind the interface device.
D
Dial-up
The fundamental difference between Dial-up and Broadband Internet connections is the manner in which the connection is made from your PC to the Internet. A dialup service connects to the Internet through your phone line. The modem in your PC "calls" an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and connects with a maximum speed of 56K speed connection. Dial-up is the least expensive way to connect to the Internet.
DID
Direct Inward Dialing. The feature of Centrex systems and large PBXs (private branch exchange) that allows a caller outside a company to call an internal extension without going through the switchboard.
Digital
In telecommunications, in recording or in computing, digital is the use of a binary code to represent information. The signal is reconstructed to what it was identically. Then it is amplified and sent along its way, making digital transmission cleaner than analog. Unlike analog transmission, the signal can be reproduced precisely. Implementation will result in substantial increases in capacity (up to 15 times that of analog technology). Digital will virtually eliminate static, the loss/interruption of signal during handoff and failure to get a connection because of congested relays that are common analog problems. The second major benefit is that the electron circuitry to handle digital is getting cheaper and more powerful.
DSL
Digital Subscriber Line. Provides high-speed networking over ordinary phone lines using digital modem technology. It integrates voice and data functionality, bringing the "always on" feature of the telephone to the computer network. The technology theoretically supports data rates of 8,448 Kbps (8.448 Mbps), although typical rates vary from 1,544 Kbps to 512 Kbps and sometimes as low as 90 Kbps.
E
Email Alias
An email name distinct from, but connected to, your primary email address, and which funnels incoming email messages back to your primary address. For example, if your home office’s primary address is bsmith@bigskywidget, you could add an email alias named sales@bigskywidget, and messages to the alias would go right to bsmith@bigskywidget. A primary email address can support multiple aliases.
ESN
Electronic Serial Number. A 32-bit binary serial number that uniquely identifies each cellular phone. An ESN consists of three parts: the manufacturer code, a reserved area, and a manufacturer-assigned serial number. The ESN is hardcoded, fixed, and supposedly cannot be changed.
Ethernet
.3A physical and data link layer technology for local area networks (LANs). Ethernet and other LAN technologies are used for connecting computers, printers, workstations, terminals, servers, etc., within the same building or campus. Ethernet operates over twisted wire and over coaxial cable at speeds beginning at 10-Mbps.
Also Known As: Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet
F
Firewall
A network firewall protects a computer network from unauthorized access. Network firewalls may be hardware devices, software programs, or a combination of the two. A network firewall typically guards an internal computer network (intranet) against malicious access from the outside; however, network firewalls may also be configured to limit access to the outside from internal users.
Perhaps the most common form of network firewall is a proxy server. Proxy servers act as an intermediary between intranet and Internet computers by receiving and selectively blocking data packets at the network boundary. These network firewalls also provide an extra measure of safety by hiding internal LAN addresses from the outside Internet. In a proxy server firewall environment, network requests from multiple clients appear to the outsider as all coming from the same proxy server address.
Firewalls DO NOT protect against computer viruses and spam emails. For that you need separate protection.
Also Known As: proxy, gateway
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. Allows one to transfer files between computers on the Internet. Technically, FTP is a simple network protocol based on IP, but many also use the term "FTP" to refer to this type of file sharing service.
The FTP service is based on a client/server architecture. An FTP client program initiates a connection to a remote computer running FTP server software. After the connection is established, the client can choose to send and/or receive copies of files, singly or in groups. To connect to an FTP server, a client generally requires a username and password as set by the administrator of the server. Many public FTP archives follow a special convention for that accepts a username of "anonymous."
G
Gateway
A gateway is and entrance and exit into a communications network. A network gateway is an internetworking system, a system that joins two networks together. A network gateway can be implemented completely in software, completely in hardware, or as a combination of the two. Depending on their implementation, network gateways can operate at any level of the OSI model from application protocols to low-level signaling.
Because a network gateway by definition appears at the edge of a network, related functionality like firewalling tends to be installed on the network gateway.
GIGABYTE, MEGABYTE, KILOBYTE
A kilobyte equals 1024 (or 210) bytes. Likewise, a megabyte (MB) equals 1024 KB or 220 bytes and a gigabyte equals 230 bytes.
The meaning of the words kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte change when they are used in the context of network data rates. A rate of one kilobyte per second (KBps) equals 1000 (not 1024) bytes per second. One megabyte per second (MBps) equals one million (106, not 220) bytes per second. One gigabyte per second (GBps) equals one billion (109, not 230) bytes per second.
To avoid some of this confusion, networkers typically measure data rates in bits per second (bps) rather than bytes per second (Bps) and use the terms kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte only when referring to disk space.
Examples: "This eight gigabyte disk only has 200 megabytes of free space left."
Also Known As: K, KB, M, MB, "meg," G, GB, "gig"
H
Hacker
An evolved term that began with MIT students in the 1950’s once meaning a person who “hacked” away at programmable computer systems or applications software until it worked. The term “hacker” was also once a badge of honor conferred on an elite programmer or computer hardware designer. A more contemporary definition for “hacker” refers to a person who breaks into computer systems, usually over the Internet. Most recently the term tends to have positive meanings, while the word “cracker” is reserved for individuals who willfully break into computer systems seeking to wreak damage.
Hotspot
A hotspot is any location where Wi-Fi network access (usually Internet access) is made publicly available. You can often find hotspots in airports, hotels, coffee shops, and other places where business people tend to congregate. Hotspots are considered a valuable productivity tool for business travelers and other frequent users of network services.
Wireless service providers like T-Mobile generally own and maintain hotspots.
Hobbyists sometimes setup hotspots as well, often for non-profit purposes. The majority of hotspots require payment of hourly, daily, monthly, or other subscription fees.
Hotspot providers strive to make connecting Wi-Fi clients as simple and secure as possible. However, being public, hotspots remain less secure than other wireless business networks.
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP allows Web browsers and Web servers to communicate and is the standard way of transferring information across the Internet and the World Wide Web. It supports a variety of media and file formats across a variety of platforms. HTTP is invisible to the user and is the actual protocol used by the Web Server and the Client Browser to communicate over the “wire”.
HUB
A hub is a small, simple, inexpensive network device that joins multiple computers together.
Most hubs manufactured today support the Ethernet standard. Non-Ethernet hubs (Token Ring, for example) also exist, but Ethernet is always used in home networking. Technically speaking, hubs operate as Layer 2 devices in the OSI model.
I
Internet
The Internet is both a transport network – moving every form of data around the world (voice, video, data, and images) – and a network of computers which allow you (and them) to access, retrieve, process, and store all manner of information.
For us, the most important part of the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW) which is a subset of the Internet. The Internet supports the public WWW and many special-purpose client/server software systems. Internet technology also supports many private corporate intranets and private home LANs.
The term "Internet" was originally coined in the 1970s. At that time, only the very meager beginnings of a public global network were in place. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, a number of smaller national networks like ARPANET, BITNET, CSNET, and NSFNET evolved, merged, or dissolved, then finally joined with non-US networks to form the global Internet.
Also Known As: The Net
Intranet
The generic term for a collection of private computer networks within an organization. Intranets are communication tools designed to enable easy information sharing within workgroups.
Intranets utilize standard network hardware and software technologies like Ethernet, TCP/IP, Web browsers and Web servers. An organization's intranet often features Internet access but is firewalled so that its computers cannot be reached directly from the outside.
Also Known As: corporate portal, private business network
IP
Internet Protocol. IP is probably the world's single most popular network protocol and the most important of the protocols on which the Internet is based. Data travels over an IP-based network in the form of packets; each IP packet includes both a header (that specifies source, destination, and other information about the data) and the message data itself.
IP supports the notion of unique addressing for computers on a network. Current IP (IPv4) addresses contain four bytes (32 bits) that is sufficient to address most computers on the Internet.
IP supports protocol layering as defined in the OSI reference model. Popular higher-level protocols like HTTP, TCP, and UDP are built directly on top of IP. Likewise, IP can travel over several different lower-level data link interfaces like Ethernet and ATM. IP originated with UNIX® networking in the 1970s.
IP Address
An IP address is the logical address of a network adapter and uniquely identifies computers on a network.
An IP address can be private, for use on a LAN, or public network, or for use on the Internet or other WAN. IP addresses can be determined statically (assigned to a computer by a system administrator) or dynamically (assigned by another device on the network on demand).
IP addresses consist of four bytes (32 bits). Each byte of an IP address is known as an octet. Octets can take any value between 0 and 255, but various rules exist for ensuring IP addresses are valid.
Also Known As: network address
ISP
Internet Service Provider. A vendor who provides access for customers (companies and individuals) to the Internet and the World Wide Web. In addition to basic connectivity, the ISP also typically provides Internet services like email, Web hosting and access to software tools.
Users reach their ISP by dial-up, modem and phone line, or over a dedicated line.
A few companies also offer free ISP service to those who need occasional Internet connectivity. These free offerings
J
K
Kbps
One kilobit per second (Kbps) equals 1000 bits per second (bps). Kbps is also written as “kbps” that carries the same meaning. Likewise, one megabit per second (Mbps) equals one million bps and one Gigabit equals one billion bps.
Network performance is best measured in bps, but sometimes numbers are given in bytes per second (Bps). Then, one KBps equals one kilobyte per second, one MBps equals one megabyte per second, and GBps equals one gigabyte per second. Many times people write KBps, for example, when they mean Kbps, and it is important to be clear on this distinction.
Examples: V.90 modems support data rates up to 56 Kbps. Traditional Ethernet supports data rates up to 10 Mbps and Fast Ethernet 100 Mbps. Gigabit Ethernet supports 1000 Mbps or 1 Gbps.
Also Known As: Kb/sec, Kb/s, Mb/sec, Mb/s, Gb/sec, Gb/s
Keylogger
Also called keylogging software, a keylogger is a piece of software that sits on you PC and records every keystroke you type – including passwords and email messages. It secretly mails out copies to whoever planted the loylogger. Keylogging softwared could be planted by your company or boss or could be installed when you surf a corrupt Web site and /or download applications such as file-sharing programs. Essentially keylogging is automated identify theft via telecommunications. You can protect yourself by not downloading anything from unfamiliar web sites. Also see “adware.”
KILOBYTE, MEGABYTE, GIGABYTE
A kilobyte equals 1024 (or 210) bytes. Likewise, a megabyte (MB) equals 1024 KB or 220 bytes and a gigabyte30 bytes.
The meaning of the words kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte change when they are used in the context of network data rates. A rate of one kilobyte per second (KBps) equals 1000 (not 1024) bytes per second. One megabyte per second (MBps) equals one million (106, not 220) bytes per second. One gigabyte per second (GBps) equals one billion (109, not 230) bytes per second.
To avoid some of this confusion, networkers typically measure data rates in bits per second (bps) rather than bytes per second (Bps) and use the terms kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte only when referring to disk space.
Examples: "This eight gigabyte disk only has 200 megabytes of free space left."
Also Known As: K, KB, M, MB, "meg," G, GB, "gig"
L
LAN
Local Area Network. A LAN supplies networking capability to a group of computers in close proximity to each other such as in an office building, a school, or a home. A LAN is useful for sharing resources like files, printers, games or other applications. A LAN in turn often connects to other LANs, and to the Internet or other WAN.
Most LANs are built with relatively inexpensive hardware such as Ethernet cables, network adapters, and hubs. Wireless LAN and other more advanced LAN hardware options also exist.
Examples: The most common type of LAN is an Ethernet LAN. The smallest home LAN can have exactly two computers; a large LAN can accommodate many thousands of computers. Many LANs are divided into logical groups called subnets. An Internet Protocol (IP) "Class A" LAN can in theory accommodate more than 16 million devices organized into subnets.
M
MEGABYTE, KILOBYTE, GIGABYTE
A kilobyte equals 1024 (or 210) bytes. Likewise, a megabyte (MB) equals 1024 KB or 220 bytes and a gigabyte30 bytes.
The meaning of the words kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte change when they are used in the context of network data rates. A rate of one kilobyte per second (KBps) equals 1000 (not 1024) bytes per second. One megabyte per second (MBps) equals one million (106, not 220) bytes per second. One gigabyte per second (GBps) equals one billion (109, not 230) bytes per second.
To avoid some of this confusion, networkers typically measure data rates in bits per second (bps) rather than bytes per second (Bps) and use the terms kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte only when referring to disk space.
Examples: "This eight gigabyte disk only has 200 megabytes of free space left."
Also Known As: K, KB, M, MB, "meg," G, GB, "gig"
N
Node
A node is a point of connection into a network. Nodes can be computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, or various other network appliances. On an IP network, a node is any device with an IP address.
Also Known As: device
Number Portability
The ability of a customer to take his or her telephone number from one phone company to another, or to take an 800 number from one long-distance company to another.
O
P
PCS
Personal Communications Service. A new, lower-powered, higher-frequency competitive technology to cellular. PCS is expected to be cheaper and to deploy the latest digital technology (unlike cellular phones that use analog technology). The network provides secure digital wireless communications in a high frequency range, around 1900 MHz. It uses small low-powered base stations, light and compact personal communicators, PCS Mobile Switching Centers (MSC), Intelligent Network, and Signaling System 7. Features include voice and data transmission capabilities, enhanced mobile connection, and heightened subscriber capacity as well as services like basic telephone, voice mail, paging and more.
Phishing
Phishing is short for password harvesting fishing. Through bogus emails, it lures unsuspecting people to bogus Web sites which appear to be legitimate business sites then asks for confidential information, such as credit-card and social security numbers. It pretends to be a legitimate site – complete with logos and official-looking graphics – and pretends some problem has arisen with your credit card or bank account and asks you to update the account and resubmit the information. Word of warning: virtually all financial institutions do not request information this way. Do not give out any financial information on the Internet unless buying from a legitimate seller such as Amazon.
PIC
Preferred Interstate Carrier.(same as CIC). Primary carrier for interstate long distance calls. This is the default carrier and determines the call route if the subscriber doesn't dial a separate access code.
PIN
Personal Identification Number
Plant
The network of lines and trunks that serve subscribers is called the outside plant or the local loop.
Pop-up Ad
Pop-up ads are annoying Web-based advertising in which Javascript code creates a small Web browser window that suddenly “pops up” in the foreground of the visual interface. Pop-ups can contain graphics, HTML, animation, or any combination of the three. Software to prevent pop-ups is available.
POTS
Plain Old Telephone Service, a dial tone without special features.
Protocol
A network protocol defines a "language" of rules and conventions for communication between network devices. A protocol includes formatting rules that specify how data is packaged into messages. It also may include conventions like message acknowledgement or data compression to support reliable and/or high-performance network communication.
Many protocols exist in computer networking ranging from the high level to the low level. The Internet Protocol family includes IP and all higher-level network protocols built on top of it, such as TCP, UDP, HTTP, and FTP. Modern operating systems include services or daemons that implement support for a given network protocol. Some protocols, like TCP/IP, have also been implemented in silicon hardware for optimized performance.
Also Known As: network protocol
PSC
Public Service Commission. The State agency regulating telephone operations, also known as Public Utilities Commission.
Q
R
RBOC
Regional Bell Operating Company. A term for the seven Regional Holding Companies created when AT&T divested the Bell Operating Companies.
Roaming
Using a cellular phone outside the usual service area - when traveling - for example.
Router
Routers are physical devices that join multiple wired or wireless networks together. Technically, a wired or wireless router is a Layer 3 gateway, meaning that the wired/wireless router connects networks (as gateways do), and that the router operates at the network layer of the OSI model.
Home networkers often use an Internet Protocol (IP) wired or wireless router, IP being the most common OSI network layer protocol. An IP router such as a DSL or cable modem broadband router joins the home's local area network (LAN) to the wide-area network (WAN) of the Internet.
Router (IP)
A computer connected to a multiple physical TCP/IP networks that can route or deliver IP packets between networks.
S
Spam
Unsolicited commercial e-mail and unwanted e-mail advertisements distributed online. Most spam comes to people via email, but spam can also be found in online chat rooms and message boards.
The most effective strategy for eliminating spam is to ignore it. Spam's continued existence depends on maintaining an audience of people who respond to the messages. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and corporations have invested in spam-filtering products and services, but this technology is not very mature yet.
Spyware
Also called adware and malware. Programs that are installed via the Internet on a user’s PC for the financial benefit of someone else without the user’s full knowledge and consent. Such programs range from relatively harmless – monitoring which web sites a user visits - to someone who’s intent on stealing the user’s financial identity. There are a number of software programs - such as Ad-Aware – which will find adware on your computer and remove it. You should run this software at least once a week.
Static IP Address
Computers and other networked devices such as printers, use IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to identify and communicate with each other. Most home computers are randomly assigned a new IP address every time they’re turned on. However, if a computer has a static (or “persistent”) IP address, then other computers always know where - and what - it is.
T
Third-Party Call
Any call charged to a number other than that of the origination and destination party. For example, when a business allows its employees to make business calls from home and charge it to their business extension.
U
Unlisted
Unlisted phone number. Unlisted numbers are not printed in the telephone directory, but can be given out by the information operator.
URL
Universal Resource Locator. A URL is a specially-formatted text string that defines a location on the Internet. URL strings contain three parts or substrings:
- network protocol
- host name or address
- file location
The network protocol substring determines the underlying Internet protocol to be used in reaching the location. These strings consist of a standard protocol name followed by the :// characters. Typical protocols found in URLs include http://, ftp://, and mailto://.
The host substring immediately follows the protocol definition. Hosts may be defined by Internet-standard naming (DNS) or by IP address. For example, a URL of of http://compnetworking.about.com or, equivalently, http://209.143.212.20 contains the protocol and host information needed to access this Web site.
The file location portion of a URL defines the location of a network resource. Resources are files that can be plain text files, documents, graphics, or programs, and resource names are relative to a local root directory. Technically, a URL like http://www.blackfoot.net/faq/glossary.php contains an implied file location of /, that Web servers like Apache automatically translate to a specific file name like index.htm. All other specific files exist in a hierarchy or directory tree underneath the root, such as the following:
RELATIVE FILE LOCATION
/faq/glossary.php
COMPLETE URL
http://www.blackfoot.net/faq/glossary.php
When creating HTML pages, the author can choose to use either the relative file locations or complete URLs. A user of the Internet generally works with complete URLs.
USB
Universal Serial Bus. Today’s most common way of connecting devices to personal computers. You can use USB to connect a mouse, a keyboard, a game controller, a scanner, several printers, several digital cameras, a hard disk, a DVD drive and more. Most new computers and associated peripheral devices like printers and scanners support USB. USB hubs for file and printer sharing also exist.
V
VoIP
Voice Over Internet Protocol. VoIP is a technology that allows telephone calls to be made over computer networks like the Internet. VoIP converts analog voice signals into digital data packets and supports real-time, two-way transmission of conversations using Internet Protocol (IP).
VoIP calls can be made on the Internet using a VoIP service provider and standard computer audio systems. Alternatively, some service providers support VoIP through ordinary telephones that use special adapters to connect to a home computer network. Many VoIP implementations are based on the H.323 technology standard.
VoIP offers a substantial cost savings over traditional long distance telephone calls. The main disadvantage of VoIP is, like cell phones, a greater potential for dropped calls and generally lesser voice quality.
VPN
Virtual Private Network. With VPN, employees can log into a distant corporate local area network, server or corporate intranet over the Internet. To a user, a VPN has the look and feel of a private network. A VPN utilizes public telecommunications networks to conduct private data communications.
VPN follows a client and server approach. VPN clients authenticate users, encrypt data, and otherwise manage sessions with VPN servers utilizing a technique called tunneling.
The main benefit of a VPN is the lower cost needed to support this technology compared to alternatives like traditional leased lines or remote access servers.
W
Wi-Fi
Wireless Fidelity. Wi-Fi is the industry name for wireless LAN (WLAN) communication technology related to the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless networking standards. To some, the term Wi-Fi is synonymous with 802.11b, as 802.11b was the first standard in that family to enjoy widespread popularity. Today, however, Wi-Fi can refer to any of the three established standards 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g.
The Wi-Fi Alliance certifies vendor products to ensure 802.11 products on the market follow the various 802.11 specifications. Unfortunately, 802.11a is not compatible with 802.11b/g, so the Wi-Fi market remains somewhat fragmented.
Window
An rectangular area that can be sized and moved on your desktop. You enter information into the system by making entries in fields in the onscreen document.
Wireless
Without wires. Any system of transmitting and receiving information without wires. That could be anything from your cell phone to your laptop or wireless headset. The radio has served as the basis for modern wireless communications, and today all wireless communications operate in particular frequency ranges and therefore have allotted portions of the spectrum.
Wireless Network
Wireless networks utilize radio waves and/or microwaves to maintain communication channels between computers. Wireless networking is a more modern alternative to wired networking that relies on copper and/or fiber optic cabling between network devices.
Advantages of wireless include mobility and elimination of unsightly cables. Disadvantages of wireless include the potential for radio interference due to weather, other wireless devices, or obstructions like walls.
Wireless is rapidly gaining in popularity for both home and business networking. Wireless technology continues to improve, and the cost of wireless products continues to decrease. Popular wireless local area networking (WLAN) products conform to the 802.11 "Wi-Fi" standards.
The gear a person needs to build wireless networks includes network adapters (NICs), access points (APs), and routers.
Workgroup
In computer networking, a workgroup is a collection of computers on a local area network (LAN) that share common resources and responsibilities. Workgroups provide easy sharing of files, printers and other network resources. Being a peer-to-peer (P2P) network design, each workgroup computer may both share and access resources if configured to do so.
The Microsoft Windows family of operating systems supports assigning of computers to named workgroups. Macintosh networks offer a similar capability through the use of AppleTalk zones. The Open Source software package Samba allows Unix and Linux systems to join existing Windows workgroups.
Workgroups are designed for small LANs in homes, schools, and small businesses.
A Windows Workgroup, for example, functions best with 15 or fewer computers. As the number of computers in a workgroup grows, workgroup LANs eventually become too difficult to administer and should be replaced with alternative solutions like domains or other client/server approaches.
WPA
Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA is a security technology for wireless networks. WPA improves on the authentication and encryption features of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). In fact, WPA was developed by the networking industry in response to the shortcomings of WEP.
WWW
World Wide Web, The Web. The World Wide Web is the universe of accessible information available on many, many computers spread through the world. It consists of all the global public Web sites hosted on server computers and the client devices (computers, cell phones, etc.) that access their Web content.
The Web is attached to that gigantic computer network called the Internet. The Web has a body of software, a set of protocols, and a set of defined conventions for allowing anyone anywhere using a piece of software called a browser to get at the information on the Web.
Technically, the WWW is constructed using the following set of technologies:
- HTML - Hypertext Markup Language
- HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
- Web servers and Web browsers
Researcher Tim Berners-Lee led the development of the original WWW in 1992. He built prototypes of all the above technologies and coined the term "WWW."
X, Y, Z – no terms
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