Siemens Gigaset WLAN Operating Instructions Manual page 120

Glossary
LAN
Local Area Network
A local network links network components so that they can exchange data and share
resources. The physical range is restricted to a particular area (a site). As a rule the users
and operators are identical. A local network can be connected to other local networks
or to a wide-area network (WAN) such as the Internet.
With the Gigaset WLAN Repeater you can connect a wired local Ethernet network to a
wireless IEEE 802.11g-standard network.
Local IP address
See Private IP address
MAC address
Media Access Control
The MAC address is used for the globally unique identification of a Network adapter. It
comprises six parts (hexadecimal numbers), e.g. 00-90-96-34-00-1A. The MAC address
is assigned by the network adapter manufacturer and cannot be changed.
Mbps
Million bits per second
Specification of the transmission speed in a network.
MRU
Maximum Receive Unit
The MRU defines the maximum user data volume within a data packet.
MTU
Maximum Transmission Unit
The MTU defines the maximum length of a data packet that can be carried over the net-
work at a time.
NAT
Network Address Translation
NAT is a method for implementing IP addresses (mostly Private IP addresses) in a net-
work on one or more Public IP addresses on the Internet. With NAT several network
components in a LAN can share the router's public IP address to connect to the Internet.
The network components of the local network are hidden behind the router's IP address
registered on the Internet. Because of this security function NAT is frequently used as
part of the network Firewall.
Network
A network is a group of devices connected in wired or wireless mode so that they can
share resources such as data and peripherals. A general distinction is made between
local-area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN).
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