Glossary
A

Access control list

ACK

Acknowledgment (ACK)

Active

Adapter card

Adapter Support Interface (ASI)

Address mask

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

Anonymous FTP login

API

Application layer

Application Program Interface

Archie search

ARP

ASCII

ASI

Authentication

Automatic Issuer

B

Backend Service

Backing store

Bandwidth

Baseband

Baud

BER-Encoding

Best-effort delivery

Binary

Bitmap

Bookmark

Boot Protocol (BOOTP)

BOOTP

bps

Bridge

Broadband

Broadcast

C

CA

Certificate

Certificate Authority (CA)

Checksum

Child Issuer

Client

Client/server architecture

Clipboard

COM port

Compression

Connection protocol

Connectionless protocol

Context-sensitive Help

CSLIP

CSMA/CD

CTS

Cursor

D

Daemon

Data-link layer

Data packet

Datagram

DCE

Dedicated line

Demultiplex

Depth

Desktop Manager

DHCP

Dial-up line

Display

DLL kernel

DNS

DNS Caching

DNS server

Domain

Domain name

Domain Name System

Dotted decimal notation

Download

DTE

Dynamic routing

E

Email

Encapsulation

Encryption

Ethernet

EUnet

Expect text

Extended ASCII

F

F1 Help

File extension

File server

Flow control

Folder Owner

Folders

Font

Forwarder

Forwarding

Fragment

Frame

FTP

G

Gateway

General User

GET

GIF

Glyph

Gopher

GOSIP

GrayScale

Group

Group Owner

H

Hardware address

HDLC

Header

Hierarchical routing

Home page

Hop

Hop count

Host

Hostname

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol)

Hypertext

HyperText Markup Language

I

ICMP

Initialize

Interface

Internet (captial I)

internet (lower case I)

Internet Service Provider

Interoperability

IP

IP address

ISDN

ISO

ISP

Issuer

Iteration

J

JPEG

K

Karn's algorithm

kbps

Kernel

Keysym

L

LAN

Leased line

Local Access

Login

LPD server

LPR client

M

MAC

Mail Server

Manual Issuer

Maximum segment size

mbps

MIB-II

MIME

Modem

Modifier keys

Monochrome

MTA

MTU

Multi-homed host

Multi-session

Multicast

N

NAK

Name resolution

Name server

NDIS

NetBEUI

NetBIOS

Network byte order

Network layer

Networking

NFS

NIC

NNTP

Node

Non-root issuer

Null modem

O

ODI

OSI model

P

Packet

Packet driver

Packet Parity bit

Page

Parent Issuer

Password

Physical layer

PING

PKCS-10

PKCS-7

Policy

POP2

POP3

Port

POST

PPP

Presentation layer

Print server

Profile

Proofing

Properties

Protocol

Protocol port

PseudoColor

Q

Queue

R

RARP

Raster graphic

Recursion

Relay

Relay host

Remote Access

Remote host

Repeater

Reply

Request

Resolver

rexec

RFC

RGB values

RIP

rlogin

Root issuer

Round trip time

Route

Router

RPC

RS-232

rsh

RTT

S

Save under

Script

Security

Segment

Select

Send text

Server

Service

Session

Session layer

SLIP

SMTP

SMTP Channel Alias

SNA

SNMP

Socket

Source quench

Source route

Static routing

StaticColor

StaticGray

Subnet address

SuperTCP DLL Kernel

SuperTCP Kernel

SuperTCP VxD Kernel

SuperWeb Master

SYN

T

TCP

TCP/IP Internet Protocol Suite

Telnet

Terminal emulator

TFTP

Time to live

Timeout

Token-Ring

TP-4/IP

Transceiver

Transparent

Transport layer

TTL

U

UART

UDP

Universal Resource Locator

URL (Universal Resource Locator)

Username

V

Validity

Van Jacobson Compression

Veronica

Virtual circuit

Visual

VxD kernel

W

WAIS

WAN

Web

Web Page

Web User

Webmaster

Well-known port

Window

Window manager

WWW

X

X protocol

X Window System

XDM Broadcast

XDM Direct

XDM Indirect

XDMCP

XDR

Y

Z


Access control list

The access control list is a security option that authorizes access to various UNIX hosts from the SuperX Server.  To set up an access control list, click the Hosts option in SuperX Configuration.


ACK

An acknowledgment (ACK) is a data communications response that the receiver of a transmission sends.  An acknowledgment means that the data communications link is operating normally.  Depending on the protocol you are using, an acknowledgment may have additional significance.


Acknowledgment (ACK)

See ACK.


Active

This refers to a program, dialog, or other object that is open and functioning normally.  For example, in Email when you are composing a message, the window you are using is the active window.  After you start an application like the Browser, it is the active application.


Adapter card

This is a component installed on your PC that connects it to your network.  For example an adapter card can connect your PC to an Ethernet or Token-Ring network.


Adapter Support Interface (ASI)

See ASI.


Address mask

This defines the part of an Internet Protocol (IP) address that identifies your organizations network.

For example, suppose that your PC's IP address is

192.104.1.20

and your address mask is

255.255.255.0.

This would mean that 192.104.1.0 identifies your network, and 20 is the host ID for your PC.  The default network mask for different classes of IP addresses are as follows: Class A network has 255.0.0.0, Class B has 255.255.0.0 and Class C has 255.255.255.0.


Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

See ARP.


American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

See ASCII.


Anonymous FTP login

This lets you log in to an FTP site on the Internet and get access to some of the files there.  Generally, you use your Email address as a password.


API

This is the abbreviation for Application Program Interface (API).  An API includes everything a programmer needs to develop applications for a particular operating system.  For example, the SuperTCP Family of products complies with the Windows Sockets  1.0 and 1.1 APIs.  The benefit of using Windows Sockets  is you can run other vendors products over the SuperTCP Kernel.


Application layer

This is Layer 7 of the OSI Model.  The software in this layer does what the user wants.  Examples are Email, the Browser and News Reader.


Application Program Interface

See API.


Archie search

This is a way of searching many FTP sites for a file by entering all or part of the file name.


ARP

The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is an Internet protocol that uses the IP address to obtain the address of the computers adapter card.  Typical uses of ARP are on an Ethernet or Token-Ring LAN.  For example, if you wanted to PING another PC on your LAN, TCP/IP would use ARP to find out the physical address of the other PC.


ASCII

This is a seven-bit code used to represent characters.  For example, an ASCII typographical font uses seven-bit codes to identify up to 128 different letters and symbols.  See extended ASCII.


ASI

The IBM Adapter Support Interface (ASI) is a LAN driver that supports Ethernet and Token-Ring network types.


Authentication

Authentication information authorizes you to use a product within the SuperTCP Family of Products.  Depending on your installation, you may need to enter the Serial Number and Key Number of your software.  File server installations on a LAN may not require authentication information.


Automatic Issuer

An automatic issuer is an issuer whose approval process is automated by the software, requiring no manual human intervention.  See also Issuer.


Backend Service

This is an executable program that runs on your SuperWeb Server.  This means that people who access your web site can run the executable program using their browsers.  All backend services must first be registered with the SuperWeb Server before the programs can be accessed.

Services need to be programmed by someone, as they are executable programs.  Many people use Visual Basic or C to write services.  Using the programming language, people can write services that do everything from change a password to store survey results (given by users filling out a form through their browser) in a database.

The SuperWeb Server supports using the CGI, WinCGI and ISAPI interfaces for creating backend services.


Backing store

This is an option available with the SuperX Server.  Turn this option on to automatically save to memory the part of an X window that cant be seen because other windows are on top of it.  When the complete window is displayed, the X-Server automatically restores the window contents from memory. This significantly speeds up the process of displaying windows.


Bandwidth

This measures how much data you can send through a connection in a specific period of time. Different media have different bandwidths.  For example, a voice grade dial-up line has a much lower bandwidth than a T1 link.


Baseband

This is a kind of data transmission that can only carry one signal at a time.  Examples of technologies that use baseband transmissions are connections between computers on a LAN and dial-up access to the Internet over a standard phone line.  Broadband data transmission, like ISDN, can carry multiple signals at once.  See broadband.


Baud

 This is the number of bits per second that you can send through a modem.  For example using a 9600 baud modem, you can send 9600 bits per second. Usually if you have a higher baud rate, your response time is faster.


BER-encoding

BER-encoding is a standard method of representing cryptographic data that is to be communicated from one program to another.  Certificates and certificate requests are examples of data that are BER-encoded into a file prior to transmission.


Best-effort delivery

Best-effort delivery applies to the Internet Protocol (IP) that offers unreliable, datagram transfer service across a variety of underlying media.


Binary

This is a numbering system that only uses 1s and 0s.  Computer operation is based on the binary numbering system.


Bitmap

This is a graphical image made up of rows and columns of pixels.  Another name for a bitmap image is a raster graphic.


Bookmark

A bookmark provides information used to access a site on the Internet.  The Browser lets you save bookmarks for Internet sites you select.


Boot Protocol (BOOTP)

See BOOTP.


BOOTP

The Boot Protocol (BOOTP) provides startup information.  When you use BOOTP, your PC gets information such as the IP address mask, its own IP address, and other information from a BOOTP sever.  Organizations typically use BOOTP when they dont have enough IP addresses for all of the computers on their network.  See DHCP and RARP.


bps

Bits per second (bps) measures the speed of data transmissions.


Bridge

This is a computer that connects two or more networks and forwards packets between them. Usually, bridges operate at the physical network level. For example, an Ethernet bridge connects two physical Ethernet cables and forwards packets that arent local from one cable to the other.  Bridges differ from repeaters because bridges store and forward complete packets while repeaters forward electrical signals.  Bridges differ from routers and gateways because bridges use physical addresses instead of IP addresses.


Broadband

This is a kind of data transmission that can carry more than one signal at a time.  For example, cable TV and ISDN are technologies that use broadband transmissions.  See baseband.


Broadcast

This is a packet delivery system where a computer simultaneously sends a copy of a packet to all hosts connected to it.  Broadcasts may be implemented using hardware or software.


Certificate

A certificate is a data item that binds a public key to the identity a key pair's owner.


Certificate Authority (CA)

A certificate authority (CA) is an entity that issues and maintains certificates.


Checksum

This is a way to check whether a message has been corrupted during transmission.  The computer that transmits the message attaches a checksum value to each packet that makes up the message.  The computer that receives the packets in the message computes the checksum independently and compares it to the checksum in the packet.  If the checksum values match, the packet is complete and error free.


Child Issuer
Child Issuer (Subissuer)

Issuer C is a Child issuer with respect to issuer P, if the issuer C's certificate was issued by issuer P.  See also Issuer.


Client

A client is an application that requests processing by a server. Clients typically run on a PC and request services from a more powerful computer that runs the server.  For example, your PC is a client when it sends a print request to your network printer.  The print server that manages the network printer makes sure each document is printed one-by-one.

In the case of the SuperX Server, your PC is running a Display server that draws text and graphics written by the clients running on a UNIX host.

When you are talking about security, a client is someone who needs a certficate.


Client/server architecture

This is a model of interaction on a network where clients make requests to the servers for data and other processing.  While the server is fulfilling the request, the client software is able to do other things.


Clipboard

In Microsoft Windows, the Clipboard is a temporary storage area for text and graphics being moved within a window or between windows.  The contents of the Clipboard can be seen by running CLIPBRD.EXE, a program included in Microsoft Windows.  The SuperX Server also supports cutting and pasting information using the Clipboard.


COM port

This is a serial port on the back of your PC that lets you connect devices, such as a modem, to your computer.  If your modem is 14400 baud and your COM port is 9600 baud, your maximum baud rate is 9600.


Compression

Compression stores data in a format that requires fewer bits.  After compression, a file is smaller and therefore faster and easier to transmit.


Connection protocol

A connection protocol creates a virtual circuit between two computers.  TCP is a connection protocol.  See connectionless protocol and virtual circuit.


Connectionless protocol

A connectionless protocol treats each packet as a separate item.  All information is in the packet, so that the receiver does not need any other information.


Context-sensitive Help

This is Help information that is available by doing one of the following:

Clicking on a field and pressing F1.

Clicking once on the Help button and clicking on an object in the Browser.


CSLIP

The Compressed Serial Line Internet Protocol (CSLIP) is a dial-up communications protocol that gives you access to the Internet.  It works with a modem over a standard telephone line.  CSLIP is a compressed version of the SLIP protocol which uses the Van Jacobson Compression algorithm.  See SLIP.


CSMA/CD

Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)  lets network hardware detect when two stations simultaneously attempt transmission.  Ethernet is an example of a well-known network that is based on CSMA/CD technology.


CTS

Clear To Send (CTS) is a technical term related to the RS-232 standard which describes connections through your serial port.  When your modem is ready to accept data from your PC, the modem is clear to send.


Cursor

This is the visible shape of a pointer on your PCs screen. Its generally controlled by a pointing device such as a mouse or trackball.


Daemon

This is any program that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The term is most commonly used in a UNIX environment.  The equivalent in Windows NT is a service.


Data packet

See packet, datagram and frame.


Datagram

From the viewpoint of TCP/IP, a datagram is a unit of information created by the IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol.  Datagrams are created at the network layer of the OSI model.


Data-link layer

This is Layer 2 of the OSI Model.  Its main services are addressing, error detection and flow control.  Network drivers such as NDIS and ODI operate at this layer.


DCE

Data Communications Equipment (DCE) is a general term for hardware that connects a network to a terminal or PC.  An example of DCE hardware is a modem.


Dedicated line

This is a communications cable that is always active as compared to a dial-up line that is only active when you dial in.  Dedicated lines commonly connect an organizations LAN to the Internet.  Leased line is another name for a dedicated line.


Demultiplex

This is the process of separating two or more signals carried on the same line.  For example, suppose a single ISDN cable is carrying a video and a phone conversation.  Demultiplexing ensures that the two are separated and dont get scrambled together when you receive them.


Depth

The depth of an image is the number of bits it has per pixel.  For a black and white image, one bit represents a pixel.  If the same image includes shades of gray or color, it has more than one bit per pixel and therefore has greater depth.


Desktop Manager

This is a feature of SuperX that organizes the desktop and controls the execution of other applications.


DHCP

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a protocol used to get startup information from a DHCP server.  When you use DHCP, your PC gets information such as the IP address mask, an IP address, and other information from a DHCP sever.  DHCP is an enhanced form of BOOTP, which includes the idea of an address lease time.  This is the length of time the client is allowed to use the assigned IP address.  Organizations typically use DHCP when they dont have enough IP addresses for all of the computers on their network.  See BOOTP and RARP.


Dial-up line

This is a phone line you use to connect to the Internet when you want to.  To use a dial-up line, you need to have a modem connected to your PC and a phone line plugged into your modem.


Display

Display has a special meaning when it is used in a UNIX environment.  From a technical viewpoint, a display is the equipment and software that displays information received from a UNIX host.  When you use your PC to run the SuperX Server, your screen, keyboard and mouse are a display.


DLL kernel

See SuperTCP DLL Kernel.


DNS

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates the user-friendly hostname of a computer into an IP address.  For example, the user-friendly hostname of the Frontier Technologies Corporation web site is www.FrontierTech.com.  Its IP address is 192.104.32.75.  The Domain Name System makes it possible to match the user-friendly hostname and the IP address.  A DNS server is a computer on a network that matches the user-friendly hostname with the IP address.  For example, when you try to access our web site, our DNS server provides the address information needed to route your request to our home page.

See What is the Domain Name System? Domains and Domain Administration and Resource Records


What is the Domain Name System?

The Domain Name System is a distributed database used throughout the Internet and on individual Intranets.  In its entirety, this database describes every host, giving information such as each host's IP address and alias.  It also provides mail server information for each domain.  Because the overall database is distributed, small sections can be managed on individual networks throughout the world.  Client applications, such as email and browser applications, can access the entire database through a client-server protocol.

Two components give network programs the ability to retrieve an IP address for a domain name:

DNS servers contain information about a section of the overall network and know how to communicate with other DNS servers to provide IP addresses in response to client queries.

Resolvers are client applications that send queries to the DNS servers to supply IP addresses.  For many TCP/IP implementations, including Windows, the resolver is built into the TCP/IP stack and is not seen by the user.

The structure of the DNS database is similar to the file system on a Windows or UNIX drive.  Both the DNS database and file system can be thought of as an inverted tree.  Each node in the tree has a label.  In the file system, this label represents a directory name.  The top-most label is the "\" directory.  In the Domain Name System, this label represents a partition of the Domain Name System, called a domain.  The top-most (root) is the null domain, represented as a single dot (".").

See Domain Names, Domains and Domain Administration and Resource Records


  Domains and Domain Administration

A domain includes a node in the Domain Name System and all of its child nodes.  Each domain and node can be administered by a separate organization.  For example, the Internet's Network Information Center maintains many top-level Internet domains, such as the com domain.

Frontier Technologies has a subdomain within the .com domain which describes all of the hosts at Frontier Technologies.  Our domain is frontiertech.com.  The database of the name server at Frontier Technologies contains an address record for the host named www.frontiertech.com and for the host named ftp.frontiertech.com.  All of the hosts at Frontier Technologies have frontiertech.com as part of their hostname.

In addition, if the frontiertech.com domain includes a subdomain, the Frontier database must also contain records describing the DNS server that maintains the subdomain.  Suppose the Sales department at frontiertech.com decides to maintain its own domain and name server.  This subdomain could be called sales.frontiertech.com.  The database on the frontiertech.com domain must then contain a record that refers to the sales.frontiertech.com subdomain.  This record must also include the IP address of the DNS server for the sales.frontiertech.com' subdomain.

A few special name servers on the Internet, called Root Name Servers, manage the domain space at root level.  Databases at the Root Name Servers contain only records describing name servers at the next level, for example DNS servers managing the edu or com domains.  The Root Name Servers only refer queries to more useful DNS servers.  All other DNS servers must load references to the Root Name Servers to begin a query for any other domain name on the Internet.


Resource Records
  DNS Resource Records

Domain databases contain resource records describing all of the resources in the domain.  A resource could be:

Host and its associated IP address

Host alias name and the actual hostname of the computer

Name of the mail server for the domain

Name of a subdomain's DNS server


DNS Caching

One feature of DNS servers that speeds up name resolution is caching.  When a DNS server finds an answer to a query, the answer record is copied to the DNS server's cache before it is returned to the client resolver.  If the name resolution requires several steps, informational records found at each step are also added to the cache.  When another query is made for the same host, the answer is immediately found in the cache and quickly returned to the client.  Even if a new query is for a different host in the same domain as the previous one, the resolution is speeded up because the cache now has shortcut information that will help the server find a close name server quickly.

Records added to the cache cannot stay there forever.  Otherwise your server might return to a query to a now-obsolete answer, originally added long ago.  Also, the cache size would eventually become unmanageable.  For this reason, each record carries a time to live.  The server is obligated to discard any record from its cache when the time to live expires.  In your server's local database, you mark each record with a time to live, and thereby limit how long other servers can cache your data.


Domain

For the purpose of using the Internet, the domain is a group of computers that belong to a particular group.  The domain could be all of the computers in a particular country, geographic area or organization.  For example, all of the computers in the United Kingdom are in the uk domain.  All of the computers owned by Frontier Technologies Corporation are in the FrontierTech.com domain.

In the US, the domain type tells you what kind of organization your connecting to.  For example, .com means commercial, .edu means educational, .net means network operations, .mil means military, .gov means government.

See Domain.


Domain name

Domain names identify resources, such as host computers, in the Domain Name System (DNS) used on the Internet.  For example, Frontier Technologies Corporation has a DNS Server which translates the hostname of our Web site, www.frontiertech.com, to its Internet Protocol (IP) address, which is 192.104.32.75.

You can think of a domain name is the Internet name of an organization or host computer.  For example, at Frontier Technologies Corporation, our domain name is frontiertech.com.  This domain name is part of each employees Email address and is part of the hostname of our Web site.

Click here to see an example.


Domain name example

Domain names identify resources, such as host computers, in the Domain Name System (DNS).  For example, Frontier Technologies Corporation has a DNS Server which translates the hostname of our Web site www.frontiertech.com to its Internet Protocol (IP) address, which is 192.104.32.75.

The domain name of our Web site can be divided as follows:

The top-level domain is com which indicates a company in the United States.  Other top level domains you may have seen include edu, for educational institutions, gov, for governmental organizations, or net for networking organizations.  Other countries have different conventions.  For example, in Germany, the top-level domain is de.

The first subdomain is frontiertech.  All of the computers at Frontier Technologies have frontiertech.com as part of the hostname.

Another way to think of this domain name is to say that frontiertech is a child node of the com node.  You can also say that the com node is the parent node of the frontiertech node.

Technically speaking, www is a subdomain of the frontiertech subdomain.  From a practical standpoint, www identifies the host computer that provides our Web site.  No other computer at Frontier Technologies can have the name www.  Each computer must have its own unique name within the frontiertech.com domain.

Another way to think of this domain name is to say that www is a child node of the frontiertech node.  You can also say that the frontiertech node is the parent node of the www node.

You may have noticed the dots in the domain name.  The dots act as separators for the labels in the domain name.   Labels can be up to 63 characters long and are not case sensitive.  A complete hostname may be a maximum of 255 characters.


Domain name server
DNS server

This is a computer that is running DNS software.  See DNS..


Domain Name System

See DNS.


Dotted decimal notation

This is the most common format for an IP address.  Each byte is written as a decimal number with the numbers separated by periods, for example:  192.104.32.75.


Download

This refers to transferring data from another computer to your PC.


DTE

Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) is hardware that serves as an endpoint on the Internet.  An example of a DTE is a PC.


Dynamic routing

Dynamic routing is a means of determining the best gateway to use for a packet based on changing information.  See RIP and Static routing.


Email

Electronic Mail (Email) transmits mail electronically over LANs and the Internet.


Encapsulation

This is a technique used to prepare messages for sending.  Each protocol that handles the message puts its own envelope around the message.  The result is that when the message goes out to the network, it could have a sequence of headers.  For example, the message could have Ethernet, IP, TCP and Email headers on it.


Encryption

This is a technique that uses a security algorithm to encode a packet before it is sent over the Internet.  Security hardware or  software does the encoding. The endpoint that receives the message uses corresponding hardware or software to translate the message and use its contents.


Ethernet

This is a popular local area network (LAN) technology invented at the Xerox Corporation Palo Alto Research Center. An Ethernet itself is a passive coaxial cable.  The interconnections contain all active  components. Ethernet is a best-effort delivery system that uses CSMA/CD technology. Xerox Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation and Intel Corporation developed and published the standard for 10 Mbps Ethernet. Originally, the coaxial cable specified for Ethernet was a 1/2 inch diameter heavily shielded cable. However, many office environments now use a lighter coaxial cable sometimes called thinnet or cheapernet.  It is also possible to run Ethernet over twisted pair cable.


EUnet

The European UNIX network (EUnet) is a part of the Internet that started as an extension to USENET in Europe.


Expect text

This refers to the text strings in a modem script.  The modem waits for the expect text.  For example, the expect text might be a prompt for a username and the send text is the username.  The next expect text might be a password prompt and the send text is the password. See send text.


Extended ASCII

This includes 128 seven-bit ASCII codes and 128 eight-bit ASCII codes that represent characters and symbols.  See ASCII.


F1 Help

In many of the applications in the SuperTCP Family, clicking on an object and pressing F1 gives you on-line Help for that object. See context-sensitive Help.


File extension

This is the part of the name of a file that comes after the period, for example:

manual.doc

In this file name, doc is the extension.


File server

This is usually a computer that is dedicated to storing files for other computers on a network.  A file server may also be a program that manages files for a network.


Flow control

This refers to techniques used with serial communications to temporarily stop the sender of a message from sending any more data.  The receiver has a fixed memory buffer and can only accept a certain amount of data.  When the amount of data is higher than a predetermined maximum, the receiver asks the sender to temporarily stop transmitting.  After a sufficient amount of data is processed and out of the memory buffer, the receiver can accept more. ICMP is one of the protocols used for flow control.  See source quench.


Folder Owner

A SuperWeb user who has been given ownership of a folder.  This person, considered a Webmaster, can create subfolders, add files to the folder and maintain the folder's attributes.  This person also determines what groups have access to the folder.  See Webmaster.


Folders

The Email program organizes your messages into folders.  These are electronic storage areas like the folders in a file cabinet.  Instead of putting your mail into a folder in a file cabinet, Email stores the mail in an electronic folder on your PC hard drive.


Font

This refers to the style and point size of text.


Forwarding

In Email, this refers to sending a copy of an Email message you received to another person.  For example, you might receive a message from one co-worker and send it to a second co-worker.

When using a DNS server, forwarding refers to sending DNS queries to the DNS servers at your Internet Service Provider for further routing on the Internet.  The


Forwarder

Forwarders are used by the Domain Name System (DNS) to find the IP address of a host.  From a practical standpoint, configure the DNS server for your network to forward DNS queries to the DNS server at your Internet Service Provider.  If you are a technical expert and understand DNS forwarding, you may choose to set up this configuration differently under special circumstances.

Forwarders maintain their own databases and cache, but do not otherwise participate in the work of resolving a query.  They are configured to simply forward queries to another specified DNS server.

This configuration is often used to reduce heavy traffic or when the connection to the larger network is slow.  Instead of sending queries to a DNS server on the other side of a slow link each time, queries are routed through a forwarder.  The forwarder then forwards requests, but while doing so builds up a rich cache.  Eventually, many requests can be quickly responded to by consulting only the cache.


Fragment

This is one of the pieces that results when a gateway computer divides a datagram into smaller pieces.  The gateway computer divides the datagram into fragments because the network cannot handle the larger-sized datagram.  Fragments use the same format as datagrams.  Fields in the header declare whether a datagram is a fragment, and if so, the offset of the fragment in the original datagram. The software at the receiving end must reassemble the fragments into the original datagram.


Frame

This is a network-layer datagram that is encapsulated at the data-link layer and is ready for transmission across the network.


FTP

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the standard TCP/IP protocol for transferring files from one computer to another.  See anonymous FTP login.


Gateway

Gateway has a general meaning and a technical meaning.  From a general standpoint, a gateway is a computer that routes packets between different networks.  From a technical standpoint, a gateway is:

A network layer gateway or router that uses IP addresses to route packets between networks.

An application layer gateway or email gateway that converts information from one application format to another, for example:  CCiMail to Internet Email.


General User

A SuperWeb user who doesn't have ownership of groups or folders, but can alter web pages.  This person can maintain files, check the files' links, and using ImageMaster to create map files for images.


GET

When you are creating a backend service, you can chose to use either the GET or POST method to call it. GET sends a name=value pair in the URL itself .  A name=value pair is generated by a control via HTML.  The general format would be:

URL?name=value&name=value...

with as many name=value pairs as variables in the form.


GIF

The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a type of format for graphics files.


Glyph

This is an image in a font and is typically a character.


Gopher

This is a file browser that is similar to the Windows File Manager.  Using Gopher, you can retrieve image, text and sound files from Gopher servers on the Internet.  The Gopher protocol was developed at the University of Minnesota, home of the Golden Gophers football team.


GOSIP

Government Open Systems Interconnection Profile (GOSIP) is the US governments version of the OSI model.  Compliance with GOSIP is often a requirement for purchase of network software by the US government.


GrayScale

This is an option in the Super X Server that lets your application use different shades of gray.  The Colors option in the X Server Configuration lets you define your own GrayScale.  GrayScale is only available if your PC is set for 256 colors.


Group

When using the SuperWeb Server, the SuperWeb Master identifies similar users to groups.  For example, everyone in the same department could be in the same group.


Group Owner

A SuperWeb user who has been given ownership of a group.  This person, considered a Webmaster, can assign ownership of the group to another user, add and delete users from the group, and maintain the group's attributes.  See Webmaster.


Hardware address

This is the address of the adapter card that connects a PC to a LAN.  Each kind of network hardware has its own format for the hardware address. For example, Ethernet uses 48-bit hardware addresses assigned by the vendor.  And proNET-10 uses small integer hardware addresses assigned when a connection to the network is installed.


HDLC

High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) is a data-link protocol standard defined by ISO.  X.25 networks make extensive use of HDLC.


Header

This is the portion of a data packet that contains identification and address information.


Helper applications

This is a program that runs a file when the Tapestry browser doesn't support the particular kind of file.  You can start up helper applications from within Tapestry.


Hierarchical routing

This is a the method of routing used by TCP/IP and is based on a two-level hierarchy.  Using an address mask, an IP address is divided into a network portion and a host portion. Gateways use the network portion.  When the datagram reaches the gateway for the destination host, the host portion determines which computer receives the message.  Subnet addresses provide additional levels of hierarchical routing within a single network.


Home page

This is the first screen that displays after you access a Web site.  It usually has a table of contents where you can click on underlined text to get more information about a topic.


Hop

A hop identifies a gateway or router which transmits a packet to another gateway or router. For example, suppose a message goes through the following route:

From your PC to your organizations gateway (1 hop)

From your gateway to your Internet Service Providers gateway (2 hops)

From your Internet Service Providers gateway to a router (3 hops)

From the router to the destination gateway (4 hops)

From the destination gateway to the final destination (still 4 hops because it isnt going through another gateway or router)


Hop count

This is the number of gateways or routers that transmit a message to its final destination. See hop.


Host

A host is any computer system that connects to a network and has an IP address. Hosts can be personal computers, workstations, mainframes, and UNIX systems.  See gateway.


Hostname

This is the user-friendly hostname assigned to a computer system on a network.  A hostname can be substituted for the IP address. For example, the hostname name of the Frontier Technologies Corporation Web site is www.FrontierTech.com.  Its IP address is 192.104.32.75.


HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is used as a standard language for creating Web pages.  Because HTML is browser independent, after you create your Web page, people are able to access it as long as their browser supports HTML.  When you use HTML, you are describing the structure of a document.  For example, you might specify one line as being emphasized.  Notice that you are describing the structure of the  text, not its exact formatting.  In one browser, emphasized text may appear as bolded, while another browser may make the text italicized.


HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol)

The HypterText Transport Protocol (HTTP) is the protocol that a Web browser uses to request a document transmitted from a Web server.


Hypertext

Hypertext is the underlined text on a Web site.  After you click on hypertext, a new topic appears.  The topic may be provided by the same host or by a different host that is far away from the first one.


HyperText Markup Language

See HTML.


ICMP

The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is an Internet protocol used to communicate control information between Internet hosts.  ICMP handles error messages, test packets and informational messages.  Gateways and hosts use ICMP to send reports for problem datagrams back to the source of  the datagram. The PING utility uses the ICMP Echo Request message to request a response from a remote machine.  See PING.


Initialize

This is the process of starting up a computer or software program.  For example, when you dial in to an Internet Service Provider with a modem, an initialize script starts up the connection.


Interface

This is software or a device used to join two different entities.  For example, a screen dialog is a user interface between you and the computer.  A COM port on your PC is a device interface between your PC and your modem.


Internet

This is the term used to refer to the thousands of networks around the world that connect to each other using the TCP/IP protocol.  Note that the first letter is uppercase.


internet

This is any group of networks that are connected by gateways.  The Internet is made up of thousands of smaller internets.


Internet Service Provider

See ISP.


Interoperability

This is the ability of software and hardware from different  vendors to connect with each other over a network.


IP

The Internet Protocol (IP) is part of the TCP/IP protocol.  IP is a network-level protocol and defines datagrams as the unit of information passed across a network.  It provides the basis for connectionless, best-effort packet delivery service.


IP address

This is the address assigned to computers on the Internet.  For example, the user-friendly hostname of the Frontier Technologies Corporation web site is www.FrontierTech.com.  Its IP address is 192.104.32.75.  Internally, the IP address is made up of a 32-bit address which includes four 8-bit numbers.

A valid IP address is four numbers with values seperated by periods, such as 192.104.32.5.

IP Addresses must follow the following rules:

1.	If the first number is 0-127 (it is a Class A address), the last three numbers can't be either 0.0.0 or 255.255.255.

2.	If the first number is 128-191 (it is a Class A address), the last two numbers can't be either 0.0 or 255.255.

3.	If the first number is 192-223 (it is a Class C address), the last number can't be either 0 or 255.


ISDN

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a high-speed data communications standard for sending video, voice and data over telephone lines.  ISDN requires a special card on your PC as well as special metal or fiber-optic cable.


ISO

The International Standards Organization (ISO) is an international body that drafts, discusses, proposes, and specifies standards for network protocols.  One of the standards defined by ISO is the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.  The OSI protocol, TP-4/IP, is similar to TCP/IP.


ISP

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is an organization that provides access to the Internet.  If you want to dial in to the Internet through a phone line, you must have an account with an ISP.


Issuer

An issuer is an entity that has the ability to receive certificate requests, and to generate and sign certificates based on these requests.  Typically, an issuer in the issuing system is closely related to a person or department of a company.  This person or department has the authority to issue certificates to certain people who need them, and perhaps to sub-departments.  See also Root issuer, Manual Issuer and Automatic Issuer.


Iteration

On the Internet, iteration has a special meaning with respect to sending DNS queries from one host to another.  If a DNS query returns unresolved, the DNS Server returns the name of the next hop to the client, which resends the message to the next hop.  See Recursion.


JPEG

The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is a type of graphics file format commonly used on the Internet.


Karns algorithm

TCP can use Karns algorithm to distinguish between good and bad round-trip time samples and improve round-trip estimations.  Van Jacobson Compression makes use of Karns algorithm.


kbps

Kilobits Per Second (kbps) measures the rate of data transmission in thousands of bits per second. See mbps and baud.


Kernel

See SuperTCP Kernel, SuperTCP DLL Kernel and SuperTCP VxD Kernel.


Keysym

The keysym is the symbol on the top of a key on your keyboard. The set of keysyms defined in the X-Protocol includes the ISO Latin character sets, Katakana, Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, etc.  The keysyms available with the SuperX Server let you change your keyboard mapping.


LAN

A local area network (LAN) is any physical network technology that operates at high speed over short distances.  Speed is usually from tens of megabits per second through several gigabits per second.  Distances are up to a few thousand yards. Examples include Ethernet, Token-Ring and proNET10. See WAN.


Leased line

See dedicated line.


Local Access

When you are using the SuperWeb Server software on the computer that has the SuperWeb Server physically installed on it, you are accessing the Server locally.  You need to have the SuperWeb Server component installed on your PC to access the Server locally.  See Remote Access.


Login

This refers to signing on to a computer.  Login usually involves entering your user name and password in order to get access to the computer.


LPD server

In the SuperTCP Family of Products, the NetPrint Server lets you configure a Line Printer Daemon (LPD) server, which supplies printing services to LPR clients.  See LPR client.


LPR client

A Line Printer (LPR) client sends print jobs to an LPD Server.  In the SuperTCP Family of Products, the NetPrint Client lets you send remote print jobs to an LPD server.  See LPD server.


MAC

Media Access Control (MAC) identifies the traffic rules used to send data onto a LAN.  Some examples are token passing and CSMA.  MAC is the lowest sublayer within the data-link layer of the OSI model.


Mail Server

This is an application that identifies the Internet email addresses for the users on a network.


Manual Issuer

A manual issuer is an issuer that requires manual human intervention during the process of approving a certificate request and generating a certificate.  See also Issuer.


Maximum segment size

This is a term used with TCP and refers to the largest amount of data that TCP can put in one unit.  The SuperTCP Kernel supports negotiation of the maximum segment size for networks that cannot handle packets containing large units.


mbps

Megabits Per Second (mbps) measures the rate of data transmission in millions of bits per second.  See kbps and baud.


MIB-II

Management Information Base (MIB-II) provides information that  network management protocols like SNMP can access.  Using a network management protocol, a System Administrator can obtain information about devices on the network.


MIME

The Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) is an encoding protocol that lets you attach various file types to text-oriented Email messages.  Email supports MIME attachments such as text, spreadsheets, images and video.


Modem

A Modulator-Demodulator (modem)  is a device that lets computers communicate with each other over regular telephone lines.


Modifier keys

In the SuperX Server, the following keys are modifier keys:  Shift, Control, Meta, Super, Hyper, Alt, Compose, Apple, CapsLock, ShiftLock.


Monochrome

This is a color scheme with only two colors, for example:  black and white.


MTA

A Message Transport Agent (MTA) is a an application that routes email messages to and from email applications email servers.  An example of an MTA is the POP3 Mail Server available from Frontier Technologies.


MTU

The maximum transfer unit (MTU) is the largest packet size a network can handle.  For local area networks like Ethernet, the MTU is determined by the network hardware. For wide area networks, the MTU is determined by the software.


Multicast

This is a technique used to determine what endpoints receive a message.  Ethernet uses multicast to send a packet to all devices that are a certain type or to all endpoints on the network.  IP also supports multicast packets.


Multi-homed host

This is a TCP/IP host that has connections to two or more physical networks.  Multi-homed hosts can function as gateways if their routing tables are assigned the correct values.  See gateway.


Multi-session

Refers to running multiple instances of an application concurrently.  For example, you can start up FTP and connect to one host.  After you minimize this FTP session, you can start up another FTP session and connect to a different host.  FTP, VT320, and tn3270 are examples of multi-session applications in the SuperTCP Family of Products.


NAK

A negative acknowledgment (NAK) is a data communications response that indicates a transmission was unsuccessful.  For example, if transmission errors corrupt the data, the receiver responds to the sender with a NAK.  Usually, a NAK triggers retransmission of the lost data. NAKs can be sent at:

The data-link layer between two computers that communicate directly.

The transport level between the original source and final destination. Also see ACK.


Name resolution

This is the process of mapping a hostname into its IP address. For example, the hostname name of the Frontier Technologies Corporation web site is www.FrontierTech.com.  Its IP address is 192.104.32.75.  To do name resolution, a DNS server would map www.FrontierTech.com to 192.104.32.75.


Name server

See DNS server.


NDIS

The Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) is a LAN  driver developed by Microsoft and 3Com.  It supports Ethernet and Token-Ring network types.


NetBEUI

NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) is a transport protocol that supports Windows for Workgroups.


NetBIOS

The Network Basic Input Output System (NetBIOS) is a session-layer interface to LAN networks.  It supports Windows for Workgroups and other Microsoft and IBM network software.


Network byte order

This is the TCP/IP standard for transmitting integers and  specifies that the most significant byte comes first. Sending computers must map from the local integer representation to the network byte order.  Receiving computers must map from the network byte order to the local integer representation.


Network layer

This is Layer 3 of the OSI model and controls routing.  The IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol operates at this layer.


Networking

This is the general term for connecting two or more computers so they can share resources including data, messages, printers and others.  A network includes the computers, some form of cabling to physically connect them and software to manage and control the connections.


News Server

This is an application that distributes bulletins, discussion groups and similar information under the name "USENET."  The information is commonly called "news" and is divided into "newsgroups," that deal with a particular topic or set of topics.  Newsgroups provide forums for discussions about versions of UNIX to movie reviews or comments on current social or political issues.


NFS

The Network File System (NFS) is a protocol developed by SUN Microsystems that uses IP to interconnect different computers.  From the standpoint of the SuperTCP Family of Products, NFS interconnects PCs and UNIX systems.  NFS also interconnects PCs on a LAN.  LAN functions also supported by NFS include shared file access and network printing. Using NFS, you can have virtual drives, for example:

a: drive for diskettes on the PC

c: drive for the hard drive on the PC

j: virtual drive on the LAN server to share with others in your department

o: virtual drive on the LAN server for the users personal files


NIC

A Network Interface Card (NIC) is a PC adapter card that provides communication capabilities between the PC and a LAN.  See adapter card.


NNTP

The Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) is the protocol used to handle newsgroups on the Internet.  The News Reader in the SuperTCP Family of Products is an NNTP client which connects you to newsgroups around the world.  Usenet News servers electronically publish the articles in the newsgroups.


Node

This is an individual host on a network.


Non-root issuer

A non-root issuer certificate is issued by an issuer other than itself (in other words, by the Parent Issuer).  The non-root issuer certificate does not have to be distributed to the members of the trust system as long as the Parent issuer (or Parent's Parent, etc.) is trusted, via the chain mechanism.  See also Issuer.


Null modem

This is a device used to connect computers directly over a serial line.  The null modem takes the place of two modems connected by a dial-up line.


ODI

The Open Data-link Interface (ODI) is a LAN driver that supports Ethernet and Token-Ring network types.


OSI model

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model is an international standard.  It describes how a terminal talks to a computer or how computers talk to each other.  The OSI model has seven layers:

Layer 7, application layer

Layer 6, presentation layer

Layer 5, session layer

Layer 4, transport layer

Layer 3, network layer

Layer 2, data-link layer

Layer 1, physical layer.


Packet

A packet is a single unit of data sent from one computer to another across a network.

Packets usually contain a header which includes identity and address information.  In addition to the header, the packet also includes data, which could be an email message, a file or other data.


Packet driver

Packet drivers are a group of LAN drivers that support Ethernet and Token-Ring network types.  Other packet drivers, such as SLIP, are less common.


Packet Parity bit

A parity bit is used with an ASCII format to check whether a transmission has errors in it.  ASCII is a seven-bit format, so the eighth available bit can be used for error checking.

With even parity, there are an even number of 1s in the seven bits of an ASCII character.  With  odd parity, there are an odd number of 1s in the seven bits of an ASCII character.


Page

See Web Page.


Parent Issuer

Issuer P is the Parent issuer of issuer C, if the issuer C's certificate was issued by issuer P.  See also Issuer.


Password

This is a value usually associated with your username.  It  provides a way for the computer to make sure an authorized user is logging in.


Physical layer

This is Layer 1 of the OSI model which defines the hardware interfaces to the network.  Ethernet, Token-Ring, RS-232 and RS-449 operate at this layer.


PING

The Packet InterNet Groper (PING) is a program used with TCP/IP to test whether a host is reachable and responding.  It sends an ICMP echo request and waits for a reply.  PING is available with the SuperTCP Family of Products.  See ICMP.


PKCS-7

A standard format used, amongst other things, to distribute certificates.


PKCS-10

A standard format used to contain a certificate request.  A certificate request is submitted from a client to an issuer.


Policy

A policy is a set of rules, used by an issuer, for determining whether a certificate request should be approved.


POP2

This is an earlier version of the Post Office Protocol (POP2).


POP3

The Post Office Protocol (POP3) is an email protocol that allows storage of email messages on a POP3 server.  The Email application in the SuperTCP Family of Products can retrieve messages from a POP3 Server.


Port

This is an interface device on a computer.  For example, if you have an external modem, it is attached to your computer at one of the COM ports on the back of your computer.


POST

When you are creating a backend service, you can use either the GET or POST method to call it. The POST method sends name=value pairs, similar to the way the GET method does.  However, the POST method places the pairs in the body of the message, not in the URL.  Upon receiving these pairs, the web server places them in a separate file with the general format

name=value&name=value...

using as many pairs as variables in the form.  This file is where the CGI code obtains the information.  The POST method is more commonly used than the GET method.


PPP

The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is a way to transmit IP packets over a serial line.  An example is a dial-up connection to the Internet.  The SuperTCP Family of Products supports PPP.


Presentation layer

This is Layer 6 of the OSI model which includes software that controls how the screen looks.  In addition, software at this layer controls peripheral devices like printers and plotters.


Print server

This is a computer or program that manages print requests.


Profile

A profile includes values used every time you run an application.  For example FTP, News Reader, VT320 or tn3270 are all used to access remote hosts.  These applications support profiles.  After you enter the hostname and login information, you can save it as a profile.  The next time you want to connect to the remote host, you just use your existing profile.


Proofing

Proofing is the process of checking the fields of a certificate request, prior to approving it and issuing a certificate.


Properties

If you click an icon in Windows Program Manager and click File, Properties, you can get information about the application associated with the icon.


Protocol

A protocol defines the rules and the format of messages passed between computers.  If all of the computers are using the same rules and the same formats, they can all communicate with one another.  The Internet supports many different protocols used by all of the computers on the Internet.


Protocol port

A protocol port identifies a port number that a protocol uses to access a host computer.  For example, the protocol port for the Telnet protocol is 23. Usually, the operating system allows an application program to specify which port it wants to use. Some ports, like 23 for Telnet, are protocol ports which are reserved.


PseudoColor

This is an option in the SuperX Server that lets you define different Shades of RGB colors.  The Colors option in the X Server Configuration lets you define your own colors.  PseudoColor is only available if your PC is set for 256 colors.


Queue

This is a storage area for an application.  For example, if a print server receives several print requests, they are stored in a queue and processed one-by-one.


RARP

The Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) is an Internet protocol used to obtain an IP address based on the address of the computers adapter card.  Typical uses of RARP are on an Ethernet or Token-Ring LAN.  Organizations typically use RARP when they dont have enough IP addresses for all of the computers on their network.  RARP works in conjunction with ARP.

The SuperTCP family of products also uses RARP to designate dynamic assignment of IP addresses.  Used in this context, the RARP protocol may not necessarily be used.  See ARP, BOOTP, and DHCP.


Raster graphic

This is a graphical image made up of rows and columns of dots.  Another name for a Raster graphic is a bitmap.


Recursion

On the Internet, recursion has a special meaning with respect to sending DNS queries from one host to another.  Recursion allows a DNS server to use partial information received from another Internet host to send a DNS query to the next hop.  See Iteration.


Relay

This is a device that connects two or more networks or computers.


Relay host

This is a computer that routes and forwards e-mail messages from your PC. Because the relay host does this processing, your PC is free for other tasks.


Remote Access

When you are using the SuperWeb Server software from a computer where the SuperWeb Server is NOT physically installed, you are accessing the Server remotely.  For example, if you access the Server from another computer on your LAN, you are performing a remote access.  Remote people need to have the SuperWeb Server client component installed on their PC.  See Local Access.


Remote host

This is a computer you are accessing through the network. Depending on the network youre using, a remote host may be across the room or around the world.


Repeater

This is a hardware device that copies electrical signals from one network to another.  It is less intelligent than a bridge, gateway or router.


Reply

From a technical standpoint, a reply is information that the sender of a message is expecting.  The protocol being used determines whether a reply is expected.


Request

This is a message sent to a server which asks the server to do a certain process. Depending on the protocol, the server may send a response to the request.


Resolver

Resolvers are client applications that send queries to the DNS servers to supply IP addresses.  For many TCP/IP implementations, including Windows, the resolver is built into the TCP/IP stack and is not seen by the user.


rexec

The Remote Command Execution (rexec) protocol connects to a UNIX host and executes a command to run a specified program.  It does require a password.


RFC

Requests for Comments (RFCs) are the numbered, informational documents used to discuss Internet issues and define standards.  For example, the Internet email standard is defined in RFC 822.  Standards on the Internet are established after they have been tried and commented upon by the Internet community.  They are available on-line from the Network Information Center.


RGB values

RGB values are red, green, and blue intensity values that define a color.  The Colors option in the X Server Configuration program lets you modify RGB values when your PC is set for 256 colors.

The RGB values in the SuperX Server are always represented as 16-bit, unsigned numbers, with 0 being the minimum intensity and 65535 being the maximum intensity.


RIP

The Routing Information Protocol(RIP) is used by machines to exchange Internet routing information across network. This protocol is limited to a small number of machines attached to a LAN.


rlogin

Remote LOGIN (rlogin) is one of the ways a SuperX Server starts an X client on a remote UNIX host.


Root issuer
Root (self-signed) issuer

A root issuer issues certificate to itself.  To verify a client certificate that is issued by a root issuer (or one of its subissuers), the verifier has to trust the root issuer certificate directly.  The root issuer certificate has to be distributed to all members of the trust system.  A root issuer is the top of the trust system hierarchy.  See also Issuer.


Round trip time

See RTT.


Route

In general, a route is a path that network traffic takes from its source to its destination. On the Internet, the route of a packet may include many gateways and many physical networks.


Router

Router has a general and a technical meaning.  Generally, a router is any computer that makes decisions about which path network traffic uses.  From a technical standpoint, a router operates at the network level.  It routes packets between networks using the IP address.


RPC

Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) are requests a client sends a UNIX server.  The UNIX server executes the command received in the RPC and returns the results to the client.


RS-232

This is a standard that describes the physical connection through your serial port.  From the standpoint of the SuperTCP Family of Products, the RS-232 standard is important because it defines a uniform way of connecting your PC to an external modem.


rsh

Remote Shell (rsh) protocol connects to the command processor shell on a UNIX host and executes a command to run a specified program.  rsh is like rexec, but it doesnt require a password.


RTT

Round Trip Time (RTT) measures the delay between two hosts. The round trip time is the total time for a single packet to leave one computer, reach the other, and return. In most networks, delays vary as a result of congestion.  Thus, measures of round trip times usually are based on averages.


Save under

This is an option available with the SuperX Server.  If one window covers up another window behind it, the window that is covered up stays in memory.  If you dont use save unders, the window that is covered up needs to be redrawn. The Save Under option in SuperX Configuration lets you turn save unders on and off.


Script

This is a file containing commands that execute without user interaction.  For example, when you dial in to an Internet Service Provider through a modem, a PPP or SLIP connection uses a script to log in.


Security

In general, security includes the techniques and procedures to safeguard computer systems and information from unwanted access.  Requiring a password to log in to a system is a common example of a security procedure.


Segment

This is the kind of unit that TCP transfers from one computer to another.   Each segment includes data, the position of the data within the message and a checksum to ensure the validity of the received data.


Select

To double click an object on your screen, such as a an icon.


Send text

This refers to the text strings in a modem script.  The modem waits for the expect text and returns the send text in response.  For example, the expect text might be a prompt for a username and the send text is the username.  The next expect text might be a password prompt and the send text is the password.  See expect text.


Server

A server is an application that provides data or does processing for a client.  Servers typically run on a powerful computer like a UNIX host, while clients usually run on a smaller computer like a PC.  For example, your PC is a client when it sends a print request to your network printer.  The print server that manages the network printer makes sure each document is printed one-by-one.

In the case of the Super-X Server, your PC is running a display server that displays graphics to your PC's screen.  The client sends the information to your PC and the SuperX Server displays it to your PC's screen.


Service

See Backend Service.


Session

This refers to one instance of running an application.  For example, you can log in to an FTP server, download files and end the connection. When you log in, you start the session and when you close the connection, you end the session with the FTP server.


Session layer

This is Layer 5 of the OSI model and allows two applications to communicate with each other.  Software at this layer performs security checks, name and password recognition, logging, and various administrative functions.  Examples are NetBIOS, SMTP, FTP and Telnet.


SLIP

The Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) is a way  to transmit IP packets over a serial line.  An example is a dial-up connection to the Internet.  The SuperTCP Family of Products supports SLIP.


SMTP

The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is a protocol for transmitting email.  SMTP stores email messages on your PC, not on a remote server, such as POP2 or POP3 server.

SMTP is not as reliable as POP2 or POP3.  For example, suppose the following:

Your mailbox is open on Wednesday, but you go on vacation from Thursday and come back on Monday.

You close your mailbox while you are gone.

The mail gateway on your network is configured to forward SMTP email for four days.

You are going to lose messages sent to you on Thursday.  This is because your mailbox can't receive them when it's closed and you haven't opened your mailbox for five days.  If you don't have a POP2 or POP3 account, it's important to always leave your PC on and your mailbox open.  If you are using the Email application, leave Master Services running all the time, and your email will always reach you.

To prevent loss of email, Internet Service Providers usually provide a POP2 or POP3 account for their users.  POP2 and POP3 store email messages on a server.  When you log in to your account, your email is immediately available.


SMTP Channel Alias

When you are using the SMTP protocol on your mail server, an SMTP Channel Alias identifies which PC receives mail for a particular email address.


SNA

System Network Architecture (SNA) is communications software from IBM.  It does not interoperate with TCP/IP.


SNMP

The Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol used to monitor gateways and the networks to which they attach. SNMP defines a set of variables that the gateway must keep and specifies a means of retrieving and changing those values.  Also see MIB-II.


Socket

This is the software that allows an application program to access the TCP/IP protocols.  An application opens a socket and specifies the service desired, for example establishing a connection.  The application uses the socket until it is done processing.  The SuperTCP Family of Products complies with the Windows Sockets standard.


Source quench

This is a congestion control technique used when a computer is getting more packets than it can handle.  The computer sends a message back to the source of the packets.  The message asks the source to stop transmitting.  TCP/IP gateways use ICMP source quench to stop or reduce the transmission of packets.


Source route

This is a route that a source specifies.  TCP/IP implements source routing by using an optional field in a datagram.  The source fills in a sequence of computers that the datagram must pass through to  reach its destination.  Each gateway along the path sends the datagram to the next gateway in the source route list.


StaticColor

StaticColor is a fixed mapping for different colors.  The SuperX Server uses StaticColor when your PC is set to 16 colors.  If you are using 256 colors, you can change the mapping by using the Colors option in the X Server Configuration.


StaticGray

StaticGray is a fixed mapping for shades of gray.  The SuperX Server uses StaticGray when your PC is set to 16 colors.  If you are using 256 colors, you can change the mapping by using the Colors option in the X Server Configuration.


Static routing

In static routing, an unchanging table of information determines what gateway to use.


Subnet address

This defines the part of an Internet Protocol (IP) address that identifies individual networks within your organization. The address mask defines the part of your IP address that identifies your network. For example, suppose that your PC's IP address is 192.104.1.20 and your address mask is 255.255.255.0.  This means that 192.104.1.0 identifies your network, and 20 is the host ID for your PC.  The digits after the third period can be used to identify the subnet address of your PC.


SuperTCP DLL Kernel

The SuperTCP DLL Kernel is for use with dial-up products within the SuperTCP Family of Products.  In a dial-up environment, this kernel makes more efficient use of memory than the SuperTCP VxD Kernel.  A LAN requires a certain amount of overhead that the SuperTCP VxD Kernel handles.  The DLL Kernel doesnt have this additional overhead and is more efficient for dial-up access.


SuperTCP Kernel

The SuperTCP Kernel is the software that implements TCP/IP on your PC.  See SuperTCP VxD Kernel, and SuperTCP DLL Kernel.


SuperTCP VxD Kernel

The SuperTCP VxD Kernel is for use with LAN products within the SuperTCP Family of Products.  In a LAN environment, this kernel allows faster response times than the SuperTCP DLL Kernel.  A LAN requires a certain amount of overhead that the SuperTCP VxD Kernel handles.  The DLL Kernel doesnt have this additional overhead and is more efficient for dial-up access.


SuperWeb Master

For each SuperWeb Server, there is only one SuperWeb Master.  This person, often the system administrator, has complete control over the Server.  The SuperWeb Master can also distribute responsibility to other Webmasters.


SYN

This is the synchronizing (SYN) segment, which is the first segment sent by the TCP protocol. It is used to synchronize the two ends of a connection in preparation for opening a connection.


TCP

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is part of the TCP/IP protocol.  TCP is a transport-layer protocol and defines segments as the unit of information passed across a network.  It provides the basis for reliable connections between computers on the Internet.


TCP/IP Internet Protocol Suite

This is the official name of the TCP/IP protocols.


Telnet

This a TCP/IP protocol that lets you log in to a remote host as if your PC were a dumb terminal connected to it.  The remote host is usually a UNIX system.  When you use Telnet, you log in to the remote host and enter text commands to access applications and information.


Terminal emulator

This is software your PC runs to make it look like a dumb terminal connected to a remote host.  Terminal emulators in the SuperTCP Family of Products include VT100, VT320 and tn3270.


TFTP

The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is a simple file transfer protocol.  Its primary use is to download boot code to diskless workstations so they can start themselves.


Time to live

See TTL.


Timeout

A timeout occurs if you cant make a connection to a remote computer within a pre-defined length of time.  A timeout may cause a retransmission of the information, or it may end the attempt to connect.  Timeouts have many causes:

The remote system being down

A bad physical connections such as a noisy telephone line or problem with the network's cabling

An unknown or unresolvable network address


Token-Ring

When used in a general way, this is a network technology that uses a special packet, called a token, to control media access.  The computers on the network pass the token from one machine to the next.  A computer can only transmit packets when its holding the token.

When used in a specific way, Token-Ring refers to the network hardware produced by IBM and others.


TP-4/IP

This is the term for the ISO protocol Suite that closely resembles TCP/IP.  Both TCP and ISO TP-4 protocols provide reliable delivery service using basically the same techniques.


Transceiver

This is a device that makes a physical connection between a host interface and a local area network, typically Ethernet.  The transceiver checks the cable for other hosts messages in order to keep packets from colliding.


Transparent

This means that the user interface for a complex process makes the process look simple to a user.  For example, the process of downloading a file is transparent. You only need to click on the file name and drag the file to a directory on your computer.


Transport layer

This is Layer 4 of the OSI model which ensures a reliable, end-to-end connection when messages are exchanged.  The TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol operates at this layer.


TTL

Time To Live (TTL) identifies the maximum number of hops available for a datagram.  Best-effort delivery systems use TTL to avoid endlessly looping packets.  For example, a datagram is assigned a TTL when it is created.  The Internet gateways decrease the time to live field when they process the datagram and discard the datagram if the time to live reaches zero.


UART

The Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter (UART) is an electronic chip that controls a serial port.


UDP

The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) offers unreliable datagram transfer service. Standard Network File System(NFS), and TFTP services use UDP.


Universal Resource Locator

See URL.


URL (Universal Resource Locator)

A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is basically an address of a file, database, query, etc. on a computer anywhere in the world.  There are different parts to a URL.  The first part you see is the protocol (such as http or ftp) used to reach the document.  Two slashes in the URL usually indicate that a machine name follows.

Take, for example, the following URL:

http://www.FrontierTech.com/prodinfo.htm

The http tells you the protocol used to access the page.  The rest of the URL is the pages path.  The prodinfo.htm is the full path of the document.  The browser can find this specific file and open it for you.  However, you may not always see the full path in a URL.  For example, you might see:

http://www.FrontierTech.com

URLs such as this one probably bring up that servers home page or it might return a directory index.


Username

This is the name you use to identify yourself to the computer.  When you log in, a prompt usually asks for your username.


Validity

Validity is the time-frame during which a certificate is considered usable, assuming it has not been revoked.  The validity period is determined by the issuer and put into the certificate prior to signing of the certificate by the issuer.


Van Jacobson Compression

This is the method used to compress the packet header when you dial in using the CSLIP and PPP protocol.  Van Jacobson Compression makes use of Karns algorithm.  See CSLIP, PPP and Karn's algorithm.


Veronica

This is a way to search for files or directories on many Gopher sites by entering keywords in the description of the file or directory.


Virtual circuit

This is a logical connection established by the transport or network layers to a remote application. An example is a TCP connection.  A dial-up connection is a real, not a virtual circuit.


Visual

This is the type of color display used with the SuperX Server.  The options include:  StaticGray, GrayScale, StaticColor and PseudoColor.


VxD kernel

See SuperTCP VxD Kernel.


WAIS

Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS, pronounced ways)  is a way of searching a Web site for a word or phrase.


WAN

A wide area network (WAN) is a network that spans large geographic distances.  The Internet is a WAN.


Web

See WWW.


Web Page

An HTML document, or file, which people but on a web site so other web users can access it.  Many web pages contain graphics and hyperlinks, which contain links to other web pages on the same web site or on different web sites.


Web User

A person who accesses the SuperWeb Server only through a browser.  For example, if you enter http://www.frontiertech.com in a Connect To dialog in your browser, you are accessing Frontier's SuperWeb Server as a Web user.


Webmaster

A person who uses the SuperWeb Server software and is either a group owner or folder owner.  There can be multiple Webmasters who can access the SuperWeb Server locally or remotely.


Well-known port

A well-known port identifies a port number that a protocol uses to access a remote service.  For example, the well-known port for the Telnet protocol is 23. Usually, the operating system allows an application program to specify which port it wants to use. Some ports, like 23 for Telnet, are well-known ports which are reserved.


Window

This is a rectangular area on your screen that displays an application, a document or some other object.  You can resize windows, minimize them, maximize them and switch between them.


Window manager

A window manager, in the X Window system, controls the look and feel of the windows displayed on your screen. The SuperX Server lets you use Windows as a local window manager, or a remote UNIX window manager like the OpenLook Window Manager (olwm), to manage the look and feel.


WWW

The World Wide Web (WWW or Web) is a means of accessing information on the Internet.  The Web itself consists of many computers linked together only through hypertext, which is text you can click on to access another page.  After you access a Web site, you click on hypertext links or do a WAIS search to find the information you want.  Web sites also display images and pictures you can download to your PC.


X

See X Windows System.


XDM Broadcast

This is a method the SuperX Server uses to establish a session with another host on the network.  A message broadcasts to all of the UNIX hosts listed in the ACCESS.SRC file of your SuperX Server.  The UNIX hosts accept or reject the broadcast depending on whether your PC is listed in their XDM access file.


XDM Direct

XDM Direct is a method the SuperX Server uses to establish a session with the UNIX host you select.  No broadcast is necessary.  The UNIX host accepts or rejects the login depending on whether your PC is listed in its XDM access file.


XDM Indirect

XDM Indirect is a method the SuperX Server uses to go to a specific UNIX host and get a list of available UNIX hosts.  After getting this list, the SuperX Server sends a broadcast message to every UNIX host on the list.  The UNIX hosts accept or reject the broadcast depending on whether your PC is listed in their XDM access file.


XDMCP

The X Display Manager Control Protocol (XDMCP) is the protocol the SuperX Server uses to establish a connection with the UNIX hosts on your network.  A benefit of XDMCP is it allows a network administrator to manage X terminals and workstations from a single host.


XDR

eXternal Data Representation is a machine independent format used by the NFS protocol to do Remote Procedure calls (RPCs).  An NFS client translates its message into the XDR format and sends it to the UNIX host.  After receiving the message, the UNIX host translates the message from the XDR format to its own format.


X protocol

This is the protocol used to exchange graphical display messages, and keyboard or mouse input events between an X client and X server across a network.


X Window System

The X Window System is graphical terminal software that presents and manages windows on an X Windows terminal or a PC.  It was developed at MIT.  Each window consists of a rectangular area of the display that contains text or graphics.  X displays output from a variety of in separate windows on a single display. The window manager in X lets you create, move, overlap and delete windows using the SuperX Server.