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3e-531AP Wireless Access Point
Glossary
Glossary
802.11
802.11 refers to a family of specifications developed by the IEEE for wireless LAN technol-
ogy. 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station
or between two wireless clients. The IEEE accepted the specification in 1997.
802.11b (also referred to as 802.11 High Rate or Wi-Fi)
802.11b is an extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANs and provides 11 Mbps
transmission (with a fallback to 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11b uses only
DSSS. 802.11b was a 1999 ratification to the original 802.11 standard, allowing wireless
functionality comparable to Ethernet.
Access Point
An access point is a gateway set up to allow a group of LAN users access to another group
or a main group. The access point doesn't use the DHCP server function and therefore ac-
cepts IP address assignment from the controlling network.
Bridge
A device that connects two local-area networks (LANs), or two segments of the same LAN
that use the same protocol, such as Ethernet or Token-Ring.
Certification Authority
An entity responsible for establishing and vouching for the authenticity of public keys
belonging to users (end entities) or other authorities. Activities of a certification author-
ity can include binding public keys to distinguished names through signed certificates,
managng certificate serial numbers, and certificate revocation.
DHCP
Short for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, DHCP is a protocol for assigning dy-
namic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have
a different IP address every time it connects to the network. In some systems, the device's
IP address can even change while it is still connected. DHCP also supports a mix of
static and dynamic IP addresses. Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration
because the software keeps track of IP addresses rather than requiring an administrator to
manage the task. This means that a new computer can be added to a network without the
hassle of manually assigning it a unique IP address. Many ISPs use dynamic IP addressing
for dial-up users.
DMA
An abbreviation of Direct Memory Access, DMA is a technique for transferring data from
main memory to a device without passing it through the CPU. Computers that have
DMA channels can transfer data to and from devices much more quickly than computers
without a DMA channel can. This is useful for making quick backups and for real-time
applications.
DMZ
A DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) is used by a company that hosts its own Internet services. It
sits between the Internet and the internal network. It is a combination of firewalls and bas-
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