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Terminologies explained:
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| D | E | F
| G | H | I
| J | K | L
| M |
| N | O | P
| Q | R | S
| T | U | V
| W | X | Y
| Z |
10BaseT
10
Megabit per second baseband Ethernet specification using two pairs
of twisted-pair cabling (Category 3, 4 or 5): one pair for transmitting
data and the other for receiving data. 10BaseT has a distance
limit of approximately 100 meters per segment.
100BaseT
100 Megabit per second baseband Fast Ethernet specification using
UTP wiring. Like the 10BaseT technology on which it is based,
100BaseT sends link pulses over the network segment when no traffic
is present. However, these link pulses contain more information
than those used in 10BaseT.
A
Record
An A record is part of the zone file. It is used to point Internet
traffic to an IP address. For example, you can use an "A record"
to designate abc.yourdomain.com to send traffic to your web site
at IP address 209.15.32.135. You can also designate xyz.yourdomain.com
to go to a separate IP address.
ADSL
(Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line) -- A method for moving data over regular
phone lines. An ADSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone
connection, and the wires coming into the subscriber's premises
are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service. An
ADSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations,
similar to a leased line.
A commonly discussed configuration of ADSL would allow a subscriber
to receive data (download) at speeds of up to 1.544 Megabits per
second, and to send (upload) data at speeds of 128 kilobits per
second. Thus the 'Asymmetric' part of the acronym.
Another commonly discussed configuration would be symmetrical:
384 kilobits per second in both directions. In theory ADSL allows
download speeds of up to 9 megabits per second and upload speeds
of up to 640 kilobits per second.
ADSL is often discussed as an alternative to ISDN, allowing
higher speeds in cases where the connection is always to the same
place.
Anonymous
FTP Anonymous
File Transfer Protocol allows the public to log into an FTP server
with a common login (usually "ftp" or "anonymous") and any password
(usually the person's e-mail address is used as the password).
Anonymous FTP is beneficial for the distribution of large files
to the public, avoiding the need to assign large numbers of login
and password combinations for FTP access.
Applet
A small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML
page. Applets differ from full-fledged Java applications in that
they are not allowed to access certain resources on the local
computer, such as files and serial devices (modems, printers,
etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with most other computers
across a network. The current rule is that an applet can only
make an Internet connection to the computer from which the applet
was sent.
Archie
A
tool (software) for finding files stored on anonymous FTP
sites. You need to know the exact file name or a substring of
it.
ASP
ASP - Active Server Pages (ASP). ASP files, which provide Web
developers with an easier, faster, and more powerful way to build
Web applications, are regular HTML pages with embedded scripts.
These scripts can be written in any language and processed by
the server when the file's URL is requested.
ATM
ATM -- Asynchronous Transfer Mode. International sandard for
cell relay in which multiple service types (such as voice, video,
or data) are conveyed in fixed-length (53-byte) cells. Fixed-length
cells allow cell processing to occur in hardware, thereby reducing
transit delays. ATM is designed to take advantage of high-speed
transmission media such as E3, SONET, and T3.
ASCII
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange) -- This is
the de facto world-wide standard for the code numbers used by
computers to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin letters,
numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes
each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000
through 1111111, plus parity.
Backbone
A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major
pathway within a network. The term is relative, as a backbone
in a small network will likely be much smaller than many
non-backbone lines in a large network.
Bandwidth
The difference between the highest and lowest frequencies available
for network signals. The term is also used to describe the rated
throughput capacity of a given network medium or protocol. In
short, bandwidth is a loose term used to describe the throughput
capacity (measured in Kilobits or Megabits per second) of a specific
circuit.
Baud
Unit
of signaling speed equal to the number of discrete signal elements
transmited per second. Baud is synonymous with bits per second
(bps). In common usage the baud rate of a modem is how
many bits it can send or receive per second. Technically,
baud is the number of times per second that the carrier signal
shifts value - for example a 1200 bit-per-second modem actually
runs at 300 baud, but it moves 4 bits per baud (4 x 300 = 1200
bits per second).
BBS
(Bulletin Board System) A
computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people
to carry on discussions, upload and download files, and make announcements
without the people being connected to the computer at the same
time. There are many thousands (millions?) of BBS's around the
world, most are very small, running on a single IBM clone PC with
1 or 2 phone lines. Some are very large and the line between a
BBS and a system like CompuServe gets crossed at some point, but
it is not clearly drawn.
Binhex
(BINary HEXadecimal) -- A method for converting non-text files
(non-ASCII) into ASCII. This is needed because Internet
e-mail can only handle ASCII.
Bit
(Binary
DigIT) -- A single digit number in base-2, in other words, either
a 1 or a zero. The smallest unit of computerized data. Bandwidth
is usually measured in bits-per-second.
BITNET
(Because
It's Time NETwork (or Because It's There NETwork)) -- A network
of educational sites separate from the Internet, but e-mail is
freely exchanged between BITNET and the Internet. Listservs,
the most popular form of e-mail discussion groups, originated
on BITNET. BITNET machines are usually mainframes running the
VMS operating system, and the network is probably the only international
network that is shrinking.
Bps
(Bits-Per-Second)
-- A measurement of how fast data is moved from one place to another.
A 28.8 modem can move 28,800 bits per second.
Browser
Client software that is used to look at various kinds of Internet
resources. Examples include Microsoft's Internet Explorer and
Netscape's Navigator.
Byte
A
set of Bits that represent a single character. Usually there are
8 Bits in a Byte, sometimes more, depending on how the measurement
is being made.
Certificate Authority
An issuer of Security Certificates used in SSL connections.
CGI
(Common
Gateway Interface) -- A set of rules that describe how a Web
Server communicates with another piece of software on the
same machine, and how the other piece of software (the 'CGI program')
talks to the web server. Any piece of software can be a CGI program
if it handles input and output according to the CGI standard.
Usually a CGI program is a small program that takes data from
a web server and does something with it, like putting the content
of a form into an e-mail message, or turning the data into a database
query.
CGI "scripts" are just scripts which use CGI. CGI is often confused
with Perl, which is a programming language, while CGI is an interface
to the server from a particular program. Perl is an application
of CGI, as well as MIVA, Python, PHP3, and other scripting languages.
cgi-bin
The most common name of a directory on a web server in which CGI
programs are stored. The 'bin' part of 'cgi-bin' is a shorthand
version of 'binary', because once upon a time, most programs were
referred to as 'binaries'. In real life, most programs found in
cgi-bin directories are text files -- scripts that are executed
by binaries located elsewhere on the server. While most programs
using CGI are stored in this directory, it is not a requirement
for using CGI.
Client
A
software program that is used to contact and obtain data from
a server software program on another computer, often across a
great distance. Each client program is designed to work with one
or more specific kinds of server programs, and each server requires
a specific kind of client. A web browser and an FTP program are
specific kinds of clients.
Co-Location
Network Operations Centers such as CommuniTech.Net offer the ability
for customers to place their webservers and other network equipment
in thier NOC which are connected via high speed fiber data lines
to the backbone of the Internet. Administration is done remotely
so that a customer far away can configure and control their network
equipment.
Cold Fusion
Cold Fusion is a scripting language for web designers wishing
to do advanced development and/or database interfacing. Cold Fusion
supports MS Access, dBASE, FoxPro, and Paradox databases.
Contact
Record
In the case of many registries, contact information for technical,
billing and administrative purposes are maintained in their database.
It is important to keep your contact records updated to ensure
that billing and renewal can proceed without problems.
Cookie
The most common meaning of 'Cookie' on the Internet refers to
a piece of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser.
That the Browser software is expected to save the information
sending it back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional
requests from the Server.
Depending on the type of Cookie used, and the Browser's settings,
the Browser may accept or not accept the Cookie, and may save
the Cookie for either a short time or a long time.
Cookies might contain information such as login or registration
information, online 'shopping cart' information, user preferences,
etc.
When a Server receives a request from a Browser that includes
a Cookie, the Server is able to use the information stored in
the Cookie. For example, the Server might customize what is sent
back to the user, or keep a log of particular user's requests.
Cookies are usually set to expire after a predetermined amount
of time and are usually saved in memory until the Browser software
is closed down, at which time they may be saved to a disk before
they 'expire'.
Cookies do not read your hard drive nor send
your life story to the CIA, but they can be used to gather more
information about a user than would be possible without them.
Cyberspace
Term originated by author William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer.
The word Cyberspace is currently used to describe the whole range
of information resources available through computer networks.
DNS: Domain Naming System
The DNS distributes and replicates, allowings nameservers to map
easily remembered domain names to an IP number.
Dedicated Server
For those customers that want the advantages of colocation without
the hassles of purchasing their own server.
Digerati
The digital version of literati, it is a reference to a vague
cloud of people seen to be knowledgeable, hip, or otherwise in-the-know
in regards to the digital revolution.
Domain Name
The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names
always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the
left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most
general. A given machine may have more than one Domain Name but
a given Domain Name points to only one machine. For example, the
domain names: communitech.net, ftp.communitech.net, whatever.communitech.net
can all refer to the same machine, but each domain name can refer
to no more than one machine.
Usually, all of the machines on a given Network will have the
same thing as the right-hand portion of their Domain Names in
the examples above. It is also possible for a Domain Name to exist
but not be connected to an actual machine. This is often done
so that a group or business can have an Internet e-mail address
without having to establish a real Internet site. In these cases,
some real Internet machine must handle the mail on behalf of the
listed Domain Name.
E-Commerce
E lectronic Commerce. Refers to the general exchange of goods
and services via the Internet.
E-mail
(Electronic Mail) -- Messages, usually text, sent from one person
to another via computer. E-mail can also be sent automatically
to a large number of addresses (Mailing List).
Ethernet
A very common method of networking computers in a LAN.
Ethernet will handle about 10,000,000 bits-per-second and can
be used with almost any kind of computer.
FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions) -- FAQs are documents that lists
and answers the most common questions on a particular subject.
There are hundreds of FAQs on subjects as diverse as Pet Grooming
and Cryptography. FAQs are usually written by people tired of
answering the same questions over and over.
FDDI
(Fiber Distributed Data Interface) -- A standard for transmitting
data on optical fiber cables at a rate of around 100,000,000 bits-per-second
(10 times as fast as Ethernet, about twice as fast as T-3).
See Also: Bandwidth
, Ethernet , T-1
, T-3
Finger
An Internet software tool for locating people on other Internet
sites. Finger is also sometimes used to give access to non-personal
information, but the most common use is to see if a person has
an account at a particular Internet site. Many sites do not allow
incoming Finger requests, but many do.
Fire Wall
A combination of hardware and software that separates a LAN
into two or more parts for security purposes.
Gateway
The technical meaning is a hardware or software set-up that translates
between two dissimilar protocols, for example Prodigy has a gateway
that translates between its internal, proprietary e-mail format
and Internet e-mail format. Another, sloppier meaning of gateway
is to describe any mechanism for providing access to another system,
e.g. AOL might be called a gateway to the Internet.
Gigabyte 1024
Megabytes
Gopher
A
widely successful method of making menus of material available
over the Internet. Gopher is a Client and Server
style program, which requires that the user have a Gopher Client
program. Although Gopher spread rapidly across the globe in only
a couple of years, it has been largely supplanted by Hypertext,
also known as WWW (World Wide Web). There are still thousands
of Gopher Servers on the Internet and we can expect they
will remain for a while.
hit As
used in reference to the World Wide Web, 'hit' means a single
request from a web browser for a single item from a web
server; thus in order for a web browser to display a page
that contains 3 graphics, 4 'hits' would occur at the server:
1 for the HTML page, and one for each of the 3 graphics.
'hits' are often used as a very rough measure of load on a server,
e.g. 'Our server has been getting 300,000 hits per month.' Because
each 'hit' can represent anything from a request for a tiny document
(or even a request for a missing document) all the way to a request
that requires some significant extra processing (such as a complex
search request), the actual load on a machine from 1 hit is almost
impossible to define.
Home Page (or Homepage)
Several meanings. Originally, the web page that your browser
is set to use when it starts up. The more common meaning refers
to the main web page for a business, organization, person or simply
the main page out of a collection of web pages, e.g. 'Check out
so-and-so's new Home Page.'
Another sloppier use of the term refers to practically any web
page as a 'homepage,' e.g. 'That web site has 65 homepages and
none of them are interesting.'
Host
Any computer on a network that is a repository for services
available to other computers on the network. It is quite
common to have one host machine provide several services, such
as WWW and USENET.
Hosting
This term can be used to refer to the housing of a web site, email
or a domain. See Email hosting and Web Site hosting for more details.
HTML
(HyperText Markup Language) -- The coding language used to create
Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web.
HTML looks a lot like an old-fashioned typesetting code, where
you surround a block of text with codes that indicate how it should
appear. Additionally, in HTML you can specify that a block of
text, or a word, be linked to another file on the Internet. HTML
files are meant to be viewed using a World Wide Web Client
Program, such as Netscape or Mosaic.
HTTP
(HyperText Transport Protocol) -- The protocol for moving hypertext
files across the Internet. Requires a HTTP client
program on one end, and an HTTP server program on the other
end. HTTP is the most important protocol used in the World
Wide Web (WWW).
Hypertext
Generally, any text that contains links to other documents - words
or phrases in the document chosen by a reader which causes another
document to be retrieved and displayed.
Index
Server
Index Server indexes the contents and properties of documents
on an Internet or intranet Web site served by IIS 4.0. Index Server
enables Web clients with any browser to search a Web site by filling
in the fields of an HTML query form.
Internet (Upper
case I)
The vast collection of inter-connected networks that all use the
TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the
late 60's and early 70's. The Internet now (July 1995) connects
roughly 60,000 independent networks into a vast global internet.
Intranet
A private network inside a company or organization that
uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public
Internet, but that is only for internal use.
As the Internet has become more popular many of the tools used
on the Internet are being used in private networks, for example,
many companies have web servers that are available only to employees.
IP Number
(Internet Protocol Number) -- Sometimes called a dotted quad.
A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g.165.113.245.2
Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number -
if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the
Internet. Most machines also have one or more Domain Names
that are easier for people to remember.
ISDN
(Integrated
Services Digital Network) -- Basically a way to move more data
over existing regular phone lines. ISDN is rapidly becoming available
to much of the USA and in most markets it is priced very comparably
to standard analog phone circuits. It can provide speeds of roughly
128,000 bits-per-second over regular phone lines. In practice,
most people will be limited to 56,000 or 64,000 bits-per-second.
ISP
(Internet Service Provider) -- An institution that provides access
to the Internet in some form, usually for money.
Java
Java is a network-oriented programming language invented by Sun
Microsystems that is specifically designed for writing programs
that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the Internet
and immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your
computer or files. Using small Java programs (called "Applets"),
Web pages can include functions such as animations, calculators,
and other fancy tricks.
We can expect to see a huge variety of features added to the Web
using Java, since you can write a Java program to do almost anything
a regular computer program can do, and then include that Java
program in a Web page.
Kilobyte
A thousand bytes. Actually, usually 1024 (210) bytes.
LAN
(Local Area Network) -- A computer network limited to the immediate
area, usually the same building or floor of a building.
Leased-line
Refers to a phone line that is rented for exclusive 24-hour, 7
-days-a-week use from your location to another location. The highest
speed data connections require a leased line.
Login
Noun or a verb. Noun: The account name used to gain access to
a computer system. Not a secret (contrast with Password).
Verb: The act of entering into a computer system, e.g. Login
to the WELL and then go to the GBN conference.
Megabyte
A million bytes. A thousand kilobytes.
MIME
(Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) -- The standard for attaching
non-text files to standard Internet mail messages. Non-text files
include graphics, spreadsheets, formatted word-processor documents,
sound files, etc.
An email program is said to be MIME Compliant if it can both send
and receive files using the MIME standard.
When non-text files are sent using the MIME standard they are
converted (encoded) into text - although the resulting text is
not really readable.
Generally speaking the MIME standard is a way of specifying both
the type of file being sent (e.g. a Quicktime® video file),
and the method that should be used to turn it back into its original
form.
Besides email software, the MIME standard is also universally
used by Web Servers to identify the files they are sending
to Web Clients, in this way new file formats can be accommodated
simply by updating the Browsers' list of pairs of MIME-Types and
appropriate software for handling each type.
Mirror
Generally speaking, 'to mirror' is to maintain an exact copy of
something. Probably the most common use of the term on the Internet
refers to 'mirror sites' which are web sites, or FTP
sites that maintain exact copies of material originated at another
location, usually in order to provide more widespread access to
the resource.
Another common use of the term 'mirror' refers to an arrangement
where information is written to more than one hard disk simultaneously,
so that if one disk fails, the computer keeps on working without
losing anything.
Modem
(MOdulator, DEModulator) -- A device that you connect to your
computer and to a phone line, that allows the computer to talk
to other computers through the phone system. Basically, modems
do for computers what a telephone does for humans.
Modify
(Domain Name) The
database that the TLD registries maintain need to be accurate
in order for name resolution, billing, renewal notices and public
records to be processed correctly. Typically modifications are
required when nameservers need to change or the contacts change
email or postal address or phone number. The procedures for modifying
records will depend on the registry.
Mosaic
The first WWW browser that was available for the Macintosh,
Windows, and UNIX, all with the same interface. Mosaic really
started the popularity of the Web. The source-code to Mosaic has
been licensed by several companies and there are several other
pieces of software which are as good or even better than Mosaic,
most notably, Netscape.
MX
Record: Mail Exchange
Mail Exchange record is part of the zone file and is used to designate
which mail server machine should process email for a specific
domain.
Name Servers
A computer that performs the mapping of easily remembered domain
names to IP addresses. Sometimes referred to as a host server.
Netiquette
The etiquette on the Internet.
Netizen
Derived from the term citizen, referring to a citizen of the Internet,
or someone who uses networked resources. The term connotes civic
responsibility and participation.
Network
Any time you connect 2 or more computers together so that they
can share resources, you have a computer network. Connect 2 or
more networks together and you have an internet.
Newsgroup
The name for discussion groups on USENET.
NIC
(Networked
Information Center) -- Generally, any office that handles information
for a network. The most famous of these on the Internet is Network
Solutions, which is where new domain names are registered. Another
definition: NIC also refers to Network Interface Card which plugs
into a computer and adapts the network interface to the appropriate
standard. ISA, PCI, and PCMCIA cards are all examples of NICs.
NNTP
(Network News Transport Protocol) -- The protocol used by client
and server software to carry USENET postings back
and forth over a TCP/IP network. If you are using
any of the more common software such as Netscape, Nuntius,
Internet Explorer, etc. to participate in newsgroups then
you are benefiting from an NNTP connection.
Node
Any single computer connected to a network.
OC-3
Refers to a circuit that transmits 155,000,000 bits per second.
This is the size of the largest Internet backbone providers networks.
Packet Switching
The method used to move data around on the Internet. In
packet switching, all the data coming out of a machine is broken
up into chunks, each chunk has the address of where it came from
and where it is going. This enables chunks of data from many different
sources to co-mingle on the same lines, and be sorted and directed
to different routes by special machines along the way. This way
many people can use the same lines at the same time.
Parking
(Domain Name) Registries
require the use of name servers or hosts for every domain registered.
Parking is the process by which someone selects a domain name,
and "parks" it by registering the domain name under someone's
name servers. Parking can be done by anyone to anyone else who
has active name servers. However, parking a domain name alone
will result in no service (web hosting, e-mail) for that particular
domain name.
Password
A code used to gain access to a locked system. Good passwords
contain letters and non-letters and are not simple combinations
such as virtue7. A good password might be: Hot-6
Plug-in
A
(usually small) piece of software that adds features to a larger
piece of software. Common examples are plug-ins for the Netscape®
browser and web server. Adobe Photoshop® also
uses plug-ins.
The idea behind plug-ins is to load that a small piece of software
into memory by the larger program to add a new feature. Hence,
users need only install the few plug-ins desired, out of a much
larger pool of possibilities. Plug-ins are usually developed by
a third party.
POP
(Point of Presence, also Post Office Protocol) -- Two commonly
used meanings: Point of Presence and Post Office Protocol. A Point
of Presence usually means a city or location where a network can
be connected to, often with dial up phone lines. So if an Internet
company says they will soon have a POP in Belgrade, it means that
they will soon have a local phone number in Belgrade and/or a
place where leased lines can connect to their network. A second
meaning, Post Office Protocol refers to the way e-mail software
such as Eudora gets mail from a mail server. When you obtain a
SLIP, PPP, or shell account you almost always get a POP account
with it, and it is this POP account that you tell your e-mail
software to use to get your mail.
Port
3 meanings. First and most generally, a place where information
goes into or out of a computer, or both. E.g. the serial port
on a personal computer is where a modem would be connected.
On the Internet port often refers to a number that is part of
a URL, appearing after a colon (:) right after the domain
name. Every service on an Internet server listens on
a particular port number on that server. Most services have standard
port numbers, e.g. Web servers normally listen on port 80. Services
can also listen on non-standard ports, in which case the port
number must be specified in a URL when accessing the server, so
you might see a URL of the form:
gopher://peg.cwis.uci.edu:7000/
shows a gopher server running on a non-standard port (the standard
gopher port is 70). Finally, port also refers to translating a
piece of software to bring it from one type of computer system
to another, e.g. to translate a Windows program so that is will
run on a Macintosh.
Posting
A single message entered into a network communications system.
E.g. A single message posted to a newsgroup or message
board. See Also: Newsgroup
PPP
(Point
to Point Protocol) -- Most well known as a protocol that allows
a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem
to make TCP/IP connections and thus be really and truly
on the Internet.
Propagation
The process whereby the nameservers throughout the world have
updated their records for a specific domain. For example, if you
move your domain from one host to another, it will take around
24 hours or so for the new address to broadcast everywhere. During
that 24 hour period, the traffic is decreasing at the old location
and increasing at the new location.
PSTN
(Public Switched Telephone Network) -- The regular old-fashioned
telephone system.
Real
Audio / Real Video
Real Audio/Real Video enables users of personal computers and
other consumer electronic devices to send and receive audio, video
and other multimedia services using the Web.
Register
(Domain Name) Since
every domain is unique, registries have been set up to assign
domains to individuals and organziations. When a domain is registered
with the appropriate registry, that domain is assigned and becomes
no longer available for anyone else to use. Typically, there are
registration and renewal fees (local registry fees) associated
with the right to use a domain. However, there are some TLDs that
are provided at no charge.
Registrant
(Domain Name) The
entity, organization or individual that will be using the domain
name.
Registrar
(Domain Name) Some
registries don't provide the ability for end users to register
domains with them directly. They might require end users to purchase
the domain through an internet provider that is acting as the
registrar.
Registry
(Domain Name) An
organization responsible for assigning domain names for the TLD
that they manage. Furthermore, it is their responsibility to update
the global DNS tables that all nameservers use to resolve domain
names. For example, InterNIC is the registry for .COM, .NET and
.ORG domain names.
Renewal
(Domain Name) Most
TLDs need to be renewed at some scheduled yearly interval. This
is an opportunity for both the registrant and the registry to
update their records as well as collect any applicable renewal
fees.
Resolution
(domain Name) The
conversion of an internet address or domain name into the corresponding
physical location.
Router
A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles
the connection between 2 or more networks. Routers spend
all their time looking at the destination addresses of the packets
passing through them and deciding which route to send them on.
Security
Certificate
A chunk of information (often stored as a text file) that is used
by the SSL protocol to establish a secure connection.
Security Certificates contain information about who it belongs
to, who it was issued by, a unique serial number or other unique
identification, valid dates, and an encrypted 'fingerprint' that
can be used to verify the contents of the certificate.
In order for an SSL connection to be created both sides must have
a valid Security Certificate.
Server
A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind
of service to client software running on other computers.
The term can refer to a particular piece of software, such as
a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is
running, e.g.Our mail server is down today, that's why e-mail
isn't getting out. A single server machine could have several
different server software packages running on it, thus providing
many different servers to clients on the network.
Shockwave
Shockwave, produced by Macromedia, allows you to view new forms
of entertainment on the Web, such as games, music, rich-media
chat, interactive product demos, and e-merchandising applications
SLIP
(Serial Line Internet Protocol) -- A standard for using a regular
telephone line (a serial line) and a modem to connect a
computer as a real Internet site. SLIP is gradually being
replaced by PPP.
SMDS
(Switched Multimegabit Data Service) -- A new standard for very
high-speed data transfer.
SMTP
(Simple Mail Transport Protocol) -- The main protocol used to
send electronic mail on the Internet.
SMTP consists of a set of rules for how a program sending mail
and a program receiving mail should interact.
Almost all Internet email is sent and received by clients
and servers using SMTP, thus if one wanted to set up an
email server on the Internet one would look for email server software
that supports SMTP.
SNMP
(Simple
Network Management Protocol) -- A set of standards for communication
with devices connected to a TCP/IP network. Examples of
these devices include routers, hubs, and switches.
A device is said to be 'SNMP compatible' if it can be monitored
and/or controlled using SNMP messages. SNMP messages are known
as 'PDU's' - Protocol Data Units.
Devices that are SNMP compatible contain SNMP 'agent' software
to receive, send, and act upon SNMP messages.
Software for managing devices via SNMP are available for every
kind of commonly used computer and are often bundled along with
the device they are designed to manage. Some SNMP software is
designed to handle a wide variety of devices.
Spam (or Spamming)
An inappropriate attempt to use a mailing list, or USENET
or other networked communications facility as if it was a broadcast
medium (which it is not) by sending the same message to a large
number of people who didn't ask for it. The term probably comes
from a famous Monty Python skit which featured the word spam repeated
over and over. The term may also have come from someone's low
opinion of the food product with the same name, which is generally
perceived as a generic content-free waste of resources. (Spam
is a registered trademark of Hormel Corporation, for its processed
meat product.)
E.g. Mary spammed 50 USENET groups by posting the same message
to each.
SQL
(Structured Query Language) -- A specialized programming language
for sending queries to databases. Most industrial-strength and
many smaller database applications can be addressed using SQL.
Each specific application will have its own version of SQL implementing
features unique to that application, but all SQL-capable databases
support a common subset of SQL.
SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer) -- A protocol designed by Netscape Communications
to enable encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet.
SSL is used mostly (but not exclusively) in communications between
web browsers and web servers. URL's that
begin with 'https' indicate that an SSL connection will be used.
SSL provides 3 important things: Privacy, Authentication, and
Message Integrity.
In an SSL connection each side of the connection must have a Security
Certificate, which each side's software sends to the other.
Each side then encrypts what it sends using information from both
its own and the other side's Certificate, ensuring that only the
intended recipient can de-crypt it. This way the other side can
be sure the data came from the place it claims to have come from,
and that the message has not been tampered with.
Sysop
(System Operator) -- Anyone responsible for the physical operations
of a computer system or network resource. A System Administrator
decides how often backups and maintenance should be performed
and the System Operator performs those tasks.
T-1
A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 1,544,000
bits-per-second. At maximum theoretical capacity, a T-1
line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds. That
is still not fast enough for full-screen, full-motion video, for
which you need at least 10,000,000 bits-per-second. T-1 is the
fastest speed commonly used to connect networks to the
Internet.
T-3
A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 44,736,000
bits-per-second. This is more than enough to do full-screen, full-motion
video.
TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) -- This is the
suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally
designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software
is now available for every major kind of computer operating system.
To be truly on the Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP
software.
Telnet
The command and program used to login from one Internet
site to another. The telnet command/program gets you to the login:
prompt of another host.
Terabyte
1024 gigabytes.
Terminal
A device that allows you to send commands to a computer somewhere
else. At a minimum, this usually means a keyboard and a display
screen and some simple circuitry. Usually you will use terminal
software in a personal computer - the software pretends to be
(emulates) a physical terminal and allows you to type commands
to a computer somewhere else.
Terminal Server
A special purpose computer that has places to plug in many modems
on one side, and a connection to a LAN or host machine
on the other side. Thus the terminal server does the work of answering
the calls and passes the connections on to the appropriate node.
Most terminal servers can provide PPP or SLIP services
if connected to the Internet.
Top
Level Domain: (TLD)
A Top Level Domain (TLD) is the uppermost in the hierarchy of
domain names. For example, communitech.net is our domain name.
The "net" is considered the TLD and the "communitech.net"
is considered the second level domain. Together they form a domain
name which is unique. There are two types of TLDs. The most common
type is the Generic or Global TLDs which include .COM, .NET, .ORG,
.MIL, .INT and .EDU. There is a possibility that new gTLDs will
be introduced in the near future. National or ccTLDs are two letter
country code domains that are managed by a registry designated
and controlled by each specific country. Each registry might have
differing prices, residency requirements and structure.
Trademark
As it relates to domain names ... a word, phrase or slogan used
to identify and distinguish the source of the goods or services.
Trademark law may be different worldwide. If someone registers
a domain name such as microsoft.to then Microsoft would need to
go to the courts in Tonga to fight to get the name back. Expensive
international litigation is one reason why it is important to
protect your trademarks before someone else registers the names.
Transfer
(Domain Name) On
occasion, domains are sold to another organization or sometimes
the name of a company might change. Most registries require a
letter of permission from the old owner to hand over control to
the new owner. The procedures for Transfer of ownership will depend
on the registry.
UNIX
A computer operating system (the basic software running on a computer,
underneath things like word processors and spreadsheets). UNIX
is designed to be used by many people at the same time (it is
multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in. It is the most common
operating system for servers on the Internet.
URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) -- The standard way to give the address
of any resource on the Internet that is part of the World Wide
Web (WWW). A URL looks like this: http://www.communitech.net/glossary/
or telnet://anywhere.you.want or news:new.newusers.questions etc.
The most common way to use a URL is to enter into a WWW browser
program, such as Netscape, or Lynx.
USENET
A world-wide system of discussion groups, with comments passed
among hundreds of thousands of machines. Not all USENET machines
are on the Internet, maybe half. USENET is completely decentralized
with tens of thousands of discussion areas called newsgroups.
UUENCODE
(Unix to Unix Encoding) -- A method for converting files from
Binary to ASCII (text) so that they can be sent
across the Internet via e-mail.
Veronica
(Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives)
-- Developed at the University of Nevada, Veronica is a constantly
updated database of the names of almost every menu item on thousands
of gopher servers. The Veronica database can be searched
from most major gopher menus.
VB
Script
The Microsoft® Visual Basic® programming language, is
a fast, portable and lightweight interpreter for use in the World
Wide Web browsers and other applications that use Microsoft®
ActiveX® Controls, Automation servers, and Java applets.
WAIS
(Wide Area Information Servers) -- A commercial software package
that allows the indexing of huge quantities of information, and
then making those indices searchable across networks such
as the Internet. A prominent feature of WAIS is that the
search results are ranked (scored) according to how relevant the
hits are, and that subsequent searches can find more stuff like
that last batch and thus refine the search process.
WAN
(Wide
Area Network) -- Any internet or network that covers
an area larger than a single building or campus.
Web
See:
WWW
Whois
Most registries maintain a database of domain names and their
associated contact information. Users can query these databases
through a program called Whois.
WWW
(World Wide Web) -- Two meanings - First, loosely used: the whole
constellation of resources that can be accessed using Gopher,
FTP, HTTP, telnet, USENET, WAIS and some other tools. Second,
the universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers) which
are the servers that allow text, graphics, sound files, etc. to
be mixed together.
Zone
file
The group of files that reside on the domain host or nameserver.
The zone file designates a domain, its subdomains and mail server.
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