Linksys BEFVP41 User Manual page 42

Hardware - Hardware is the physical aspect of computers, telecommunica-
tions, and other information technology devices. The term arose as a way to dis-
tinguish the "box" and the electronic circuitry and components of a computer
from the program you put in it to make it do things. The program came to be
known as the software.
Hub - The device that serves as the central location for attaching wires from
workstations. Can be passive, where there is no amplification of the signals; or
active, where the hubs are used like repeaters to provide an extension of the
cable that connects to a workstation.
IEEE - The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE
describes itself as "the world's largest technical professional society—promot-
ing the development and application of electrotechnology and allied sciences
for the benefit of humanity, the advancement of the profession, and the well-
being of our members."
The IEEE fosters the development of standards that often become national and
international standards. The organization publishes a number of journals, has
many local chapters, and several large societies in special areas, such as the
IEEE Computer Society.
IP Address - In the most widely installed level of the Internet Protocol
(Internet Protocol) today, an IP address is a 32-binary digit number that identi-
fies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packet across the
Internet. When you request an HTML page or send e-mail, the Internet
Protocol part of TCP/IP includes your IP address in the message (actually, in
each of the packets if more than one is required) and sends it to the IP address
that is obtained by looking up the domain name in the Uniform Resource
Locator you requested or in the e-mail address you're sending a note to. At the
other end, the recipient can see the IP address of the Web page requestor or the
e-mail sender and can respond by sending another message using the IP address
it received.
IPCONFIG – A Windows NT or 2000 utility that provides for querying, defin-
ing and managing IP addresses within a network. A commonly used utility for
configuring networks with static IP addresses.
IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) - A suite of protocols used to implement
secure exchange of packets at the IP layer. IPSec supports two basic modes:
Transport and Tunnel. Transport encrypts the payload of each packet, leaving
the header untouched, while Tunnel mode encrypts both the header and the pay-
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Instant Broadband™ Series EtherFast Cable/DSL VPN Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch
®
load and is therefore more secure. IPSec must be supported on both transmit-
ter and receiver and must share a public key. Tunnel mode is widely deployed
in VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).
ISP - An ISP (Internet service provider) is a company that provides individuals
and companies access to the Internet and other related services such as Web site
building and virtual hosting.
LAN - A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated
devices that share a common communications line and typically share the
resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for
example, within an office building).
MAC Address - The MAC (Media Access Control) address is your computer's
unique hardware number.
Mbps (MegaBits Per Second) - One million bits per second; unit of measure-
ment for data transmission.
mIRC - mIRC runs under Windows and provides a graphical interface for log-
ging onto IRC servers and listing, joining and leaving channels.
NAT - NAT (Network Address Translation) is the translation of an Internet
Protocol address (IP address) used within one network to a different IP address
known within another network. One network is designated the inside network
and the other is the outside.
Network - A system that transmits any combination of voice, video and/or data
between users.
Network Mask - Also known as the "Subnet Mask".
NIC (Network Interface Card) - A board installed in a computer system, usu-
ally a PC, to provide network communication capabilities to and from that com-
puter system. Also called an adapter.
Packet - A unit of data routed between an origin and a destination in a network.
Ping (Packet INternet Groper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether
a particular IP address is online. It is used to test and debug a network by send-
ing out a packet and waiting for a response.
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