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APPENDIX C: Glossary
F
Firewall: A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private
network. Firewalls are typically installed to give users access to the Internet while
protecting their internal information. Your Router uses a firewall technology
known as NAT (see NAT). Each message entering or leaving the intranet passes
through the firewall. The firewall examines each message and blocks those that do
not meet the specified security criteria.
Firmware: Software that has been permanently or semi-permanently written to the
Router's memory. Your Router supports flash ROM, which means you can upgrade
the firmware in your network device very easily by downloading a copy of the new
firmware from the Black Box Web site and using the Broadband Manager Upgrade
Firmware function.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A protocol which allows a user on one host to access
(and transfer files to and from) another host over a network.
I
Intranet: An Intranet is the use of Internet technologies within a company.
Intranets are private networks that exist only within organizations, while the
Internet is a global network open to all.
IP (Internet Protocol): The Internet Protocol is the network layer for the TCP/IP
Protocol Suite. It is a connectionless, best-effort packet switching protocol.
IP Addresses: A computer on the Internet is identified by an IP Address. A
computer's IP address is like a telephone number. It identifies one address (or in
this case one computing device). Every computer or device on the network must
have a different IP address.
An IP address consists of four groups of numbers (called octets), which are
separated by periods. For example, 213 .0.0.1 is an IP address. An IP address
consists of a network portion and a host portion. The network portion identifies
the subnet that the computer belongs to. The host portion identifies the particular
computer or node on that network.
IP addresses can either be dynamic (temporary) or static (permanent or fixed). A
dynamic IP address is a temporary IP address that is assigned to you by a server
(usually a DHCP server) when the computer is powered on. A static IP address is a
permanent IP address that is set up on each individual computer. When your
Router dials your ISP, your ISP can give it a fixed or dynamic IP address. Likewise
when you power on your computer, the Router can give your computer a dynamic
or fixed IP address.
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