A removable device, approximately the size of a credit card, designed to plug into a notebook or laptop computer.


A VxD (virtual device driver) is a 32-bit-protected mode driver that manages a system resource, such as a hardware device or installed software, so that more than one application can use the resource at the same time.


Lists the devices supported by Windows. The latest version of the HCL can be downloaded from the Microsoft Web Page (http://www.microsoft.com/hwtest/hcl/) on the Internet.


Small computer system interface. A standard high-speed parallel interface defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). A SCSI interface is used for connecting microcomputers to peripheral devices such as hard disks and printers and to other computers and local area networks.


Used to identify a node on a network and to specify routing information. Each node on the network must be assigned a unique IP address, which is made up of the network ID plus a unique host ID assigned by the network administrator. This address is typically represented in dotted-decimal notation, with the decimal value of each octet separated by a period (for example, 138.57.7.27).

In Windows, the IP address can be configured statically on the client or configured dynamically through Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). IP stands for Internet Protocol.


In TCP/IP, an intermediate device on the local network that transfers information to other gateways. Information may go through multiple gateways before it reaches a gateway connected to the specified destination.


A 32-bit value that allows the recipient of IP packets to distinguish the network ID portion of the IP address from the host ID.


A printer that uses the PostScript page description language to create text and graphics on the output medium, such as paper or overhead transparency. Examples of PostScript printers include the Apple LaserWriter, the NEC LC-890, and the QMS PS-810.


Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. An organization of engineering and electronics professionals; notable for developing the IEEE 802 standards for the physical and data-link layers of LANs following the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.


A hardware device other than a modem or X.25 PAD, located between a client and the remote access server. This device is typically a switch or security host and requires either a static or interactive dialog between the client and itself.


A program designed to allow other programs to work with a particular printer without concerning themselves with the specifics of the printer's hardware and internal language. By using printer drivers that handle the subtleties of each printer, programs can communicate properly with a variety of printers.


A page description language (PDL) developed by Adobe Systems for printing on laser printers that offers flexible font capability and high quality graphics. PostScript is the standard for desktop publishing because it is supported by imagesetters, the high-resolution printers used by printing services for commercial typesetting.


A system service that provides print spooler services. A print spooler is software that accepts documents sent by a user to be printed, and then stores those documents and sends them, one by one, to available printers.


Generally, a connection point on your computer where you can connect devices that pass data in and out of a computer. For example, a printer is typically connected to a parallel port (also known as an LPT port), and a modem is typically connected to a serial port (also known as a COM port).


An operating system feature which allows executable routines (generally serving a specific function or set of functions) to be stored separately as files with .dll extensions and to be loaded only when needed by the program that calls them.


A string consisting of environment information, such as a drive, path, or file name, associated with a symbolic name that can be used by Windows. You use the System option in Control Panel or the Set command from the Windows command prompt to define environment variables.


Line Printer Remote. A connectivity utility that runs on client systems and is used to print files to a computer running an LPD server.


A command used to verify connections to one or more remote hosts. The ping utility uses the ICMP echo request and echo reply packets to determine whether a particular IP system on a network is functional. The ping utility is useful for diagnosing IP network or router failures.


Refers to the computer that receives documents from clients.


Hardware lines over which devices can send signals to get the attention of the processor when the device is ready to accept or send information. Interrupt request (IRQ) lines are numbered from 0 to 15. Each device must have its own unique IRQ line.


A set of specifications developed by Intel that allows a computer to automatically detect and configure a device and install the appropriate device drivers.


Locations within the input/output address space of your computer, used by a device such as a printer or modem.


Memory access that does not involve the microprocessor. Direct Memory Access is frequently used for data transfer directly between memory and a peripheral device such as a disk drive.


Integrated device electronics. A type of disk-drive interface in which the controller electronics reside on the drive itself, eliminating the need for a separate adapter card.


Enhanced Small Device Interface. A device that allows disks to communicate with computers at high speeds.


# Pointer records provide static mapping of IP addresses to host names within a reverse-lookup zone. IP numbers are written in backward order and "in-addr.arpa." is appended to the end to create this pointer record. As an example, looking up the name for "157.55.200.51" requires a PTR query for the name "51.200.55.157.in-addr.arpa."


An extension of the Microsoft Windows operating system designed to provide Windows-based games and multimedia-rich programs with high performance, real-time access to available hardware on current computer systems.


Node	Description

B-Node (0x1)	Broadcast nodes communicate using a mix of UDP datagrams (both broadcast and directed) and TCP connections. They interoperate within a single broadcast area, not across routers, and generate high-broadcast traffic since each node on the LAN must examine every broadcast datagram.

P-Node (0x2)	Point-to-point nodes communicate using only directed UDP datagrams and TCP sessions. P-nodes rely on a NetBIOS name server; if this goes down, a P-node can't communicate with any other system.

M-Node (0x4)	Mixed nodes are P-nodes with certain B-node characteristics. They try broadcast first  for name registration and resolution (which optimizes performance when most resources are local), with point-to-point as a backup. They generate high-broadcast traffic, but can cross routers. If the name server goes down, they continue to operate normally.

H-Node (0x8)	Hybrid nodes are also a combination of B-node and P-node functionality, but try point-to-point communication first and will continue to poll for a NetBIOS name server, returning to point-to-point communication as soon as a server becomes available.


A name that identifies a host's position in the logical DNS hierarchy, using periods to separate the levels of the hierarchy. For example, the fully qualified domain name "rhino.microsoft.com" identifies a host named "rhino"  within the "microsoft" domain, which is in turn part of the top-level "com" (commercial) domain.


A popular implementation of the DNS protocol developed for computers running the UNIX operating system. The term "BIND server" refers to a UNIX computer being used as a DNS server. BIND stands for Berkeley Internet Name Domain.


A pull partner requests WINS database entries from its push partner that have higher version numbers than the last entry it received during the last replication from that push partner. A pull partner can be set to regularly request updated entries, at a time interval set by the WINS administrator.

A push partner sends a message to its pull partners to inform them that the WINS database has changed. When the pull partners respond to the message with a replication request, the push partner sends them a copy of the new WINS database entries. The push partner notifies pull partners of the need for replication after a certain number of updates occur; this number is set by the WINS administrator.

The WINS administrator can also request immediate replication from the WINS management console of either a push or pull partner.


For previous Windows NT releases, Windows NT LAN Manager (NTLM) was the primary authentication protocol. In the current Windows 2000 release, NTLM is used as the authentication protocol for transactions between two computers in a domain, where one or both computers is running a previous version of Windows 2000.

The following configuration would use NTLM as the authentication mechanism: A Windows NT 4.0 or earlier workstation authenticating to a Windows NT 4.0 or earlier domain controller.

In addition, NTLM is the authentication protocol for computers not participating in a domain (stand-alone server and Workgroups).

For more information about NTLM authentication, see the Windows NT Server Resource Kit documentation.


A network protocol commonly used on local area networks.

Each 16-character NetBIOS name must be unique within a network. These names are registered dynamically with a WINS server when computers or services start, and when users log on. NetBIOS names can either be mapped to the IP address of a single computer or network adapter, or can be group names mapped to more than one IP address.


An administrative grouping of scopes that can be used to support multiple logical IP subnets on the same physical subnet, such as an Ethernet LAN segment, but not to configure other details of scope usage. Superscopes are useful when a network is renumbered or more hosts must be added on a wire than originally planned.

The scopes in a superscope are called members, or children, of the superscope.


The full consecutive range of possible IP addresses for a network. Typically defines a single physical subnet on your network to which DHCP services are offered.

Scopes provide the primary way for the server to manage distribution and assignment of IP addresses and any related configuration parameters to clients on the network.


A length of time, specified by a DHCP server, during which a client computer can use an assigned IP address.

When a lease is made to a client, the lease is active. Before the lease expires, the client typically needs to renew its address lease assignment with the server. A lease becomes inactive when it either expires or is deleted at the server. The duration of a lease determines when it will expire and how often the client needs to renew with the server.


Bootstrap Protocol lets a network user be automatically configured (receive an IP address) and have an operating system booted or initiated without user involvement. The BOOTP server, managed by a network administrator, automatically assigns the IP address, from a pool of addresses, for a certain length of time.


Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange is a network protocol used by NetWare. It is equivalent to the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) used by Windows.


A file that runs when a client logs on to a server, executing startup tasks such as mapping drives, connecting to printers, and utilizing services.


On PC-compatible computers, the set of essential software routines that test hardware at startup, start the operating system, and support the transfer of data among hardware devices. The BIOS is stored in read-only memory (ROM) so that it can be executed when the computer is turned on. Although critical to performance, the BIOS is usually invisible to computer users. BIOS is also called basic input/output system.


A Universal Serial Bus (USB) replaces serial and parallel port connectors with a single, general-purpose port with a bandwidth of 1.5 megabits per second. With a USB, you can connect as many as 127 peripherals (such as mice, keyboards, modems, printers, and external CD-ROM drives) to your system. Peripherals can be configured automatically once they are physically connected, without the user needing to install cards into dedicated computer slots, reconfigure the system, restart the computer, or run a setup program.


Hardware, usually a card plugged into one of the expansion slots in your computer, that generates the video signal sent to your monitor. Also called a video card or video board.


The path describes the route the operating system follows from the root through the hierarchical structure to locate a folder or file.

To indicate a path, type first the drive name, followed by a colon and a backslash, then the name of each folder, in the order you would open them, separated by a backslash. For example:

C:\My Computer\Working Files\Document


The bar that contains the Start button and appears by default at the bottom of the desktop. You can click the taskbar buttons to switch between running programs. You can also hide the taskbar, move it to the sides or top of the desktop, and customize it in other ways.


Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A set of networking protocols that provides communications across interconnected networks made up of computers with diverse hardware architectures and various operating systems. TCP/IP includes standards for how computers communicate and conventions for connecting networks and routing traffic.


A temporary IP address in the 169.254.0.1 with mask 255.254.0.0 range. This range is reserved for private TCP/IP usage and isn't used on the Internet.

If no DHCP server is available to provide an IP lease, a DHCP-enabled client issues itself an Autonet address. This process is transparent to the user, who isn't notified that the client has failed to obtain an IP address lease. The client computer continues to try to obtain a valid lease, making attempts to contact a DHCP server at five minute intervals.


The tree view pane in a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that displays the hierarchical namespace. By default it is the left pane of a console window, but it can be hidden. The items in the console tree (for example, Web pages, folders, and controls) and their hierarchical organization determine the management capabilities of a console.


The directory service included with Windows 2000 Server. It stores information about objects on a network and makes this information available to users and network administrators. Active Directory gives network users access to permitted resources anywhere on the network using a single logon process. It provides network administrators with an intuitive hierarchical view of the network and a single point of administration for all network objects.


A shared directory that stores the server's copy of the domain's public files, which are replicated among all domain controllers in the domain.


In a Windows 2000 Server domain, a computer running Windows 2000 Server that manages user access to a network, which includes logging on, authentication, and access to the directory and shared resources.


A friendly name assigned to security principals (users and groups) that is shorter than the distinguished name and easier to remember. The default user principal name is composed of the security principal name for the user and the DNS name of the root domain where the user object resides. For example, user MyName in the tree for microsoft.com might have a user principal name of MyName@microsoft.com. The user principal name is the preferred logon name for Windows 2000 users and is independent of the distinguished name, so a user object can be moved or renamed without affecting the user's logon name.


In Windows 2000 and Active Directory, a collection of computers defined by the administrator of a Windows 2000 Server network that share a common directory database. A domain has a unique name and provides access to the centralized user accounts and group accounts maintained by the domain administrator. Each domain has its own security policies and security relationships with other domains and represents a single security boundary of a Windows 2000 computer network. Active Directory is made up of one or more domains, each of which can span more than one physical location.

For DNS, a domain is any tree or subtree within the DNS namespace. Although the names for DNS domains often correspond to Active Directory domains, DNS domains should not be confused with Windows 2000 and Active Directory networking domains.


A resource record used in a zone to register and locate well-known TCP/IP services. The SRV resource record is specified in RFC 2052 and is used in Windows 2000 or later to locate domain controllers for Active Directory.


The process of copying data from a data store or file system to multiple computers to synchronize the data. Active Directory provides multimaster replication of the directory between domain controllers within a given naming context. The replicas of the directory on each domain controller are writeable. This allows updates to be applied to any replica of a given naming context. The replication service automatically copies the changes from a given replica to all other replicas.


The process by which the system validates the user's logon information. A user's name and password are compared against an authorized list. If the system detects a match, access is granted to the extent specified in the permissions list for that user. When a user logs on to an account on a computer running Windows 2000 Professional, the authentication is performed by the workstation. When a user logs on to an account on a Windows 2000 Server domain, authentication may be performed by any server of that domain.


A simple grouping of computers, intended only to help users find such things as printers and shared folders within that group. Workgroups in Windows 2000 do not offer the centralized user accounts and authentication offered by domains.


An Active Directory container object used within domains. Organizational units are logical containers into which you can place users, groups, computers, and other organizational units. An organizational unit can contain objects only from its parent domain, and is the smallest scope to which you can apply a Group Policy Object or delegate authority.