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RFC1392, Screenario 1.0 file format.

Network Working Group                                          G. Malkin
Request for Comments: 1392                                Xylogics, Inc.
FYI: 18                                                 T. LaQuey Parker
                                                                  UTexas
                                                                 Editors
                                                            January 1993


                        Internet Users' Glossary

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
   unlimited.


Abstract

   There are many networking glossaries in existence.  This glossary
   concentrates on terms which are specific to the Internet.  Naturally,
   there are entries for some basic terms and acronyms because other
   entries refer to them.


Acknowledgements

   This document is the work of the User Glossary Working Group of the
   User Services Area of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
   Special thanks go to Jon Postel for his definitive definition of
   "datagram".


User Glossary Working Group                                     [Page 1]

RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


Glossary

{10BaseT
   A variant of Ethernet which allows stations to be attached via
   twisted pair cable.  See also: Ethernet, twisted pair.

{802.x
   The set of IEEE standards for the definition of LAN protocols.
   See also: IEEE.
}
822
   See: RFC 822

{:-)
   This odd symbol is one of the ways a person can portray "mood" in
   the very flat medium of computers--by using "smiley faces".  This
   is "metacommunication", and there are literally hundreds of such
   symbols, from the obvious to the obscure.  This particular example
   expresses "happiness".  Don't see it?  Tilt your head to the left
   90 degrees.  Smiles are also used to denote sarcasm.
   [Source: ZEN]

{abstract syntax
   A description of a data structure that is independent of machine-
   oriented structures and encodings.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1)
   The language used by the OSI protocols for describing abstract
   syntax.  This language is also used to encode SNMP packets.  ASN.1
   is defined in ISO documents 8824.2 and 8825.2.  See also: Basic
   Encoding Rules.

{Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
   Many transit networks have policies which restrict the use to
   which the network may be put.  A well known example is NSFNET's
   AUP which does not allow commercial use.  Enforcement of AUPs
   varies with the network.  See also: National Science Foundation.

{Access Control List (ACL)
   Most network security systems operate by allowing selective use of
   services.  An Access Control List is the usual means by which
   access to, and denial of, services is controlled.  It is simply a
   list of the services available, each with a list of the hosts
   permitted to use the service.
}
ACK
   See: Acknowledgment

{acknowledgment (ACK)
   A type of message sent to indicate that a block of data arrived at
   its destination without error.  See also: Negative
   Acknowledgement.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
ACL
   See: Access Control List

AD
   See: Administrative Domain

{address
   There are three types of addresses in common use within the
   Internet.  They are email address; IP, internet or Internet
   address; and hardware or MAC address.  See also: email address, IP
   address, internet address, MAC address.

{address mask
   A bit mask used to identify which bits in an IP address correspond
   to the network and subnet portions of the address.  This mask is
   often referred to as the subnet mask because the network portion
   of the address can be determined by the encoding inherent in an IP
   address.

{address resolution
   Conversion of an internet address into the corresponding physical
   address.

{Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
   Used to dynamically discover the low level physical network
   hardware address that corresponds to the high level IP address for
   a given host.  ARP is limited to physical network systems that
   support broadcast packets that can be heard by all hosts on the
   network.  It is defined in RFC 826.  See also: proxy ARP.

{Administrative Domain (AD)
   A collection of hosts and routers, and the interconnecting
   network(s), managed by a single administrative authority.

{Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET)
   A pioneering longhaul network funded by ARPA (now DARPA).  It
   served as the basis for early networking research, as well as a
   central backbone during the development of the Internet.  The
   ARPANET consisted of individual packet switching computers
   interconnected by leased lines.  See also: Defense Advanced
   Research Projects Agency.
   [Source: FYI4]

{agent
   In the client-server model, the part of the system that performs
   information preparation and exchange on behalf of a client or
   server application.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{alias
   A name, usually short and easy to remember, that is translated
   into another name, usually long and difficult to remember.

{American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
   This organization is responsible for approving U.S. standards in
   many areas, including computers and communications.  Standards
   approved by this organization are often called ANSI standards
   (e.g., ANSI C is the version of the C language approved by ANSI).
   ANSI is a member of ISO.  See also: International Organization for
   Standardization.
   [Source: NNSC]

{American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
   A standard character-to-number encoding widely used in the
   computer industry.  See also: EBCDIC.

{anonymous FTP
   Anonymous FTP allows a user to retrieve documents, files,
   programs, and other archived data from anywhere in the Internet
   without having to establish a userid and password.  By using the
   special userid of "anonymous" the network user will bypass local
   security checks and will have access to publicly accessible files
   on the remote system.  See also: archive site, File Transfer
   Protocol.
}
ANSI
   See: American National Standards Institute

API
   See: Application Program Interface

{Appletalk
   A networking protocol developed by Apple Computer for
   communication between Apple Computer products and other computers.
   This protocol is independent of the network layer on which it is
   run.  Current implementations exist for Localtalk, a 235Kb/s local
   area network; and Ethertalk, a 10Mb/s local area network.
   [Source: NNSC]

{application
   A program that performs a function directly for a user.  FTP, mail
   and Telnet clients are examples of network applications.

{application layer
   The top layer of the network protocol stack.  The application
   layer is concerned with the semantics of work (e.g., formatting
   electronic mail messages).  How to represent that data and how to
   reach the foreign node are issues for lower layers of the network.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Application Program Interface (API)
   A set of calling conventions which define how a service is invoked
   through a software package.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{archie
   A system to automatically gather, index and serve information on
   the Internet.  The initial implementation of archie provided an
   indexed directory of filenames from all anonymous FTP archives on
   the Internet.  Later versions provide other collections of
   information.  See also: archive site, Gopher, Prospero, Wide Area
   Information Servers.

{archive site
   A machine that provides access to a collection of files across the
   Internet.  An "anonymous FTP archive site", for example, provides
   access to this material via the FTP protocol.  See also: anonymous
   FTP, archie, Gopher, Prospero, Wide Area Information Servers.
}
ARP
   See: Address Resolution Protocol

ARPA
   See: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

ARPANET
   See: Advanced Research Projects Agency Network

AS
   See: Autonomous System

ASCII
   See: American Standard Code for Information Interchange

ASN.1
   See: Abstract Syntax Notation One

{assigned numbers
   The RFC [STD2] which documents the currently assigned values from
   several series of numbers used in network protocol
   implementations.  This RFC is updated periodically and, in any
   case, current information can be obtained from the Internet
   Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).  If you are developing a
   protocol or application that will require the use of a link,
   socket, port, protocol, etc., please contact the IANA to receive a
   number assignment.  See also: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority,
   STD.
   [Source: STD2]

{Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
   A method for the dynamic allocation of bandwidth using a fixed-
   size packet (called a cell).  ATM is also known as "fast packet".
}
ATM
   See: Asynchronous Transfer Mode

AUP
   See: Acceptable Use Policy

{authentication
   The verification of the identity of a person or process.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Autonomous System (AS)
   A collection of routers under a single administrative authority
   using a common Interior Gateway Protocol for routing packets.

{backbone
   The top level in a hierarchical network.  Stub and transit
   networks which connect to the same backbone are guaranteed to be
   interconnected.  See also: stub network, transit network.

{bandwidth
   Technically, the difference, in Hertz (Hz), between the highest
   and lowest frequencies of a transmission channel.  However, as
   typically used, the amount of data that can be sent through a
   given communications circuit.

{bang path
   A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one
   user to another, typically by specifying an explicit UUCP path
   through which the mail is to be routed.  See also: email address,
   mail path, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy.

{baseband
   A transmission medium through which digital signals are sent
   without complicated frequency shifting.  In general, only one
   communication channel is available at any given time.  Ethernet is
   an example of a baseband network.  See also: broadband, Ethernet.
   [Source: NNSC]

{Basic Encoding Rules (BER)
   Standard rules for encoding data units described in ASN.1.
   Sometimes incorrectly lumped under the term ASN.1, which properly
   refers only to the abstract syntax description language, not the
   encoding technique.  See also: Abstract Syntax Notation One.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
BBS
   See: Bulletin Board System

BCNU
   Be Seein' You

BER
   See: Basic Encoding Rules

{Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND)
   Implementation of a DNS server developed and distributed by the
   University of California at Berkeley.  Many Internet hosts run
   BIND, and it is the ancestor of many commercial BIND
   implementations.

{Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)
   Implementation of the UNIX operating system and its utilities
   developed and distributed by the University of California at
   Berkeley.  "BSD" is usually preceded by the version number of the
   distribution, e.g., "4.3 BSD" is version 4.3 of the Berkeley UNIX
   distribution.  Many Internet hosts run BSD software, and it is the
   ancestor of many commercial UNIX implementations.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
BGP
   See: Border Gateway Protocol

{big-endian
   A format for storage or transmission of binary data in which the
   most significant bit (or byte) comes first.  The term comes from
   "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift.  The Lilliputians, being
   very small, had correspondingly small political problems.  The
   Big-Endian and Little-Endian parties debated over whether soft-
   boiled eggs should be opened at the big end or the little end.
   See also: little-endian.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{binary
   11001001
}
BIND
   See: Berkeley Internet Name Domain

{Birds Of a Feather (BOF)
   A Birds Of a Feather (flocking together) is an informal discussion
   group.  It is formed, often ad hoc, to consider a specific issue
   and, therefore, has a narrow focus.

{Bitnet
   An academic computer network that provides interactive electronic
   mail and file transfer services, using a store-and-forward
   protocol, based on IBM Network Job Entry protocols.  Bitnet-II
   encapsulates the Bitnet protocol within IP packets and depends on
   the Internet to route them.
}
BOF
   See: Birds Of a Feather

{BOOTP
   The Bootstrap Protocol, described in RFCs 951 and 1084, is used
   for booting diskless nodes.  See also: Reverse Address Resolution
   Protocol.

{Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
   The Border Gateway Protocol is an exterior gateway protocol
   defined in RFCs 1267 and 1268.  It's design is based on experience
   gained with EGP, as defined in STD 18, RFC 904, and EGP usage in
   the NSFNET Backbone, as described in RFCs 1092 and 1093.  See
   also: Exterior Gateway Protocol.

{bounce
   The return of a piece of mail because of an error in its delivery.
   [Source: ZEN]

{bridge
   A device which forwards traffic between network segments based on
   datalink layer information.  These segments would have a common
   network layer address.  See also: gateway, router.

{broadband
   A transmission medium capable of supporting a wide range of
   frequencies.  It can carry multiple signals by dividing the total
   capacity of the medium into multiple, independent bandwidth
   channels, where each channel operates only on a specific range of
   frequencies.  See also: baseband.

{broadcast
   A special type of multicast packet which all nodes on the network
   are always willing to receive.  See also: multicast.

{broadcast storm
   An incorrect packet broadcast onto a network that causes multiple
   hosts to respond all at once, typically with equally incorrect
   packets which causes the storm to grow exponentially in severity.

{brouter
   A device which bridges some packets (i.e., forwards based on
   datalink layer information) and routes other packets (i.e.,
   forwards based on network layer information).  The bridge/route
   decision is based on configuration information.  See also: bridge,
   router.
}
BSD
   See: Berkeley Software Distribution

{BTW
   By The Way

{Bulletin Board System (BBS)
   A computer, and associated software, which typically provides
   electronic messaging services, archives of files, and any other
   services or activities of interest to the bulletin board system's
   operator.  Although BBS's have traditionally been the domain of
   hobbyists, an increasing number of BBS's are connected directly to
   the Internet, and many BBS's are currently operated by government,
   educational, and research institutions.  See also: Electronic
   Mail, Internet, Usenet.
   [Source: NWNET]

{Campus Wide Information System (CWIS)
   A CWIS makes information and services publicly available on campus
   via kiosks, and makes interactive computing available via kiosks,
   interactive computing systems and campus networks. Services
   routinely include directory information, calendars, bulletin
   boards, databases.
}
CCIRN
   See: Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks

CCITT
   See: Comite Consultatif International de Telegraphique et
   Telephonique

CERT
   See: Computer Emergency Response Team

{checksum
   A computed value which is dependent upon the contents of a packet.
   This value is sent along with the packet when it is transmitted.
   The receiving system computes a new checksum based upon the
   received data and compares this value with the one sent with the
   packet.  If the two values are the same, the receiver has a high
   degree of confidence that the data was received correctly.
   [Source: NNSC]

{circuit switching
   A communications paradigm in which a dedicated communication path
   is established between two hosts, and on which all packets travel.
   The telephone system is an example of a circuit switched network.
   See also: connection-oriented, connectionless, packet switching.

{client
   A computer system or process that requests a service of another
   computer system or process.  A workstation requesting the contents
   of a file from a file server is a client of the file server.  See
   also: client-server model, server.
   [Source: NNSC]

{client-server model
   A common way to describe the paradigm of many network protocols.
   Examples include the name-server/name-resolver relationship in DNS
   and the file-server/file-client relationship in NFS.  See also:
   client, server, Domain Name System, Network File System.
}
CNI
   See: Coalition for Networked Information

{Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)
   A consortium formed by American Research Libraries, CAUSE, and
   EDUCOM to promote the creation of, and access to, information
   resources in networked environments in order to enrich scholarship
   and enhance intellectual productivity.

{Comite Consultatif International de Telegraphique et Telephonique
   (CCITT)
   This organization is part of the United National International
   Telecommunications Union (ITU) and is responsible for making
   technical recommendations about telephone and data communications
   systems.  Every four years CCITT holds plenary sessions where they
   adopt new standards; the most recent was in 1992.
   [Source: NNSC]

{Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
   The CERT was formed by DARPA in November 1988 in response to the
   needs exhibited during the Internet worm incident.  The CERT
   charter is to work with the Internet community to facilitate its
   response to computer security events involving Internet hosts, to
   take proactive steps to raise the community's awareness of
   computer security issues, and to conduct research targeted at
   improving the security of existing systems.  CERT products and
   services include 24-hour technical assistance for responding to
   computer security incidents, product vulnerability assistance,
   technical documents, and tutorials.  In addition, the team
   maintains a number of mailing lists (including one for CERT
   Advisories), and provides an anonymous FTP server, at "cert.org",
   where security-related documents and tools are archived.  The CERT
   may be reached by email at "[e-mail]" and by telephone at
   [phone] (24-hour hotline).  See also: Defense Advanced
   Research Projects Agency, worm.

{congestion
   Congestion occurs when the offered load exceeds the capacity of a
   data communication path.

{connection-oriented
   The data communication method in which communication proceeds
   through three well-defined phases: connection establishment, data
   transfer, connection release.  TCP is a connection-oriented
   protocol.  See also: circuit switching, connectionless, packet
   switching, Transmission Control Protocol.

{connectionless
   The data communication method in which communication occurs
   between hosts with no previous setup.  Packets between two hosts
   may take different routes, as each is independent of the other.
   UDP is a connectionless protocol.  See also: circuit switching,
   connection-oriented, packet switching, User Datagram Protocol.

{Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks (CCIRN)
   A committee that includes the United States FNC and its
   counterparts in North America and Europe.  Co-chaired by the
   executive directors of the FNC and the European Association of
   Research Networks (RARE), the CCIRN provides a forum for
   cooperative planning among the principal North American and
   European research networking bodies.  See also: Federal Networking
   Council, RARE.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{core gateway
   Historically, one of a set of gateways (routers) operated by the
   Internet Network Operations Center at Bolt, Beranek and Newman
   (BBN).  The core gateway system formed a central part of Internet
   routing in that all groups must advertise paths to their networks
   from a core gateway.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN)
   This organization was formed in October 1989, when Bitnet and
   CSNET (Computer + Science NETwork) were combined under one
   administrative authority.  CSNET is no longer operational, but
   CREN still runs Bitnet.  See also: Bitnet.
   [Source: NNSC]

{cracker
   A cracker is an individual who attempts to access computer systems
   without authorization.  These individuals are often malicious, as
   opposed to hackers, and have many means at their disposal for
   breaking into a system.  See also: hacker, Computer Emergency
   Response Team, Trojan Horse, virus, worm.
}
CRC
   See: cyclic redundancy check

CREN
   See: Corporation for Research and Educational Networking

CWIS
   See: Campus Wide Information system

{Cyberspace
   A term coined by William Gibson in his fantasy novel Neuromancer
   to describe the "world" of computers, and the society that gathers
   around them.
   [Source: ZEN]

{Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
   A number derived from a set of data that will be transmitted.  By
   recalculating the CRC at the remote end and comparing it to the
   value originally transmitted, the receiving node can detect some
   types of transmission errors.
   [Source: MALAMUD]
}
DARPA
   See: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

{Data Encryption Key (DEK)
   Used for the encryption of message text and for the computation of
   message integrity checks (signatures).  See also: encryption.

{Data Encryption Standard (DES)
   A popular, standard encryption scheme.  See also: encryption.

{datagram
   A self-contained, independent entity of data carrying sufficient
   information to be routed from the source to the destination
   computer without reliance on earlier exchanges between this source
   and destination computer and the transporting network.  See also:
   frame, packet.
   [Source: J. Postel]
}
DCA
   See: Defense Information Systems Agency

{DCE
   Data Circuit-terminating Equipment
}
DCE
   See: Distributed Computing Environment

DDN
   See: Defense Data Network

DDN NIC
   See: Defense Data Network Network Information Center

{DECnet
   A proprietary network protocol designed by Digital Equipment
   Corporation.  The functionality of each Phase of the
   implementation, such as Phase IV and Phase V, is different.

{default route
   A routing table entry which is used to direct packets addressed to
   networks not explicitly listed in the routing table.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
   An agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the
   development of new technology for use by the military.  DARPA
   (formerly known as ARPA) was responsible for funding much of the
   development of the Internet we know today, including the Berkeley
   version of Unix and TCP/IP.
   [Source: NNSC]

{Defense Data Network (DDN)
   A global communications network serving the US Department of
   Defense composed of MILNET, other portions of the Internet, and
   classified networks which are not part of the Internet.  The DDN
   is used to connect military installations and is managed by the
   Defense Information Systems Agency.  See also: Defense Information
   Systems Agency.

{Defense Data Network Network Information Center (DDN NIC)
   Often called "The NIC", the DDN NIC's primary responsibility is
   the assignment of Internet network addresses and Autonomous System
   numbers, the administration of the root domain, and providing
   information and support services to the DDN.  It is also a primary
   repository for RFCs.  See also: Autonomous System, network
   address, Internet Registry, Network Information Center, Request
   For Comments.

{Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
   Formerly called the Defense Communications Agency (DCA), this is
   the government agency responsible for managing the DDN portion of
   the Internet, including the MILNET.  Currently, DISA administers
   the DDN, and supports the user assistance services of the DDN NIC.
   See also: Defense Data Network.
}
DEK
   See: Data Encryption Key

DES
   See: Data Encryption Standard

{dialup
   A temporary, as opposed to dedicated, connection between machines
   established over a standard phone line.

{Directory Access Protocol
   X.500 protocol used for communication between a Directory User
   Agent and a Directory System Agent.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Directory System Agent (DSA)
   The software that provides the X.500 Directory Service for a
   portion of the directory information base.  Generally, each DSA is
   responsible for the directory information for a single
   organization or organizational unit.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Directory User Agent (DUA)
   The software that accesses the X.500 Directory Service on behalf
   of the directory user.  The directory user may be a person or
   another software element.
   [Source: RFC1208]
}
DISA
   See: Defense Information Systems Agency

{Distributed Computing Environment (DCE)
   An architecture of standard programming interfaces, conventions,
   and server functionalities (e.g., naming, distributed file system,
   remote procedure call) for distributing applications transparently
   across networks of heterogeneous computers.  Promoted and
   controlled by the Open Software Foundation (OSF), a consortium led
   by Digital, IBM and Hewlett Packard.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{distributed database
   A collection of several different data repositories that looks
   like a single database to the user.  A prime example in the
   Internet is the Domain Name System.
}
DIX Ethernet
   See: Ethernet

DNS
   See: Domain Name System

{domain
   "Domain" is a heavily overused term in the Internet.  It can be
   used in the Administrative Domain context, or the Domain Name
   context.  See also: Administrative Domain, Domain Name System.

{Domain Name System (DNS)
   The DNS is a general purpose distributed, replicated, data query
   service.  The principal use is the lookup of host IP addresses
   based on host names.  The style of host names now used in the
   Internet is called "domain name", because they are the style of
   names used to look up anything in the DNS.  Some important domains
   are: .COM (commercial), .EDU (educational), .NET (network
   operations), .GOV (U.S. government), and .MIL (U.S. military).
   Most countries also have a domain.  For example, .US (United
   States), .UK (United Kingdom), .AU (Australia).  It is defined in
   STD 13, RFCs 1034 and 1035.  See also: Fully Qualified Domain
   Name.

{dot address (dotted decimal notation)
   Dot address refers to the common notation for IP addresses of the
   form A.B.C.D; where each letter represents, in decimal, one byte
   of a four byte IP address.  See also: IP address.
   [Source: FYI4]

{DS1
   A framing specification for T-1 synchronous lines.  See also: T1

{DS3
   A framing specification for T-3 synchronous lines.  See also: T3
}
DSA
   See: Directory System Agent

{DTE
   Data Terminal Equipment
}
DUA
   See: Directory User Agent

{dynamic adaptive routing
   Automatic rerouting of traffic based on a sensing and analysis of
   current actual network conditions.  NOTE: this does not include
   cases of routing decisions taken on predefined information.
   [Source: J. Postel]
}
EARN
   See: European Academic and Research Network

EBCDIC
   See: Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code

{Ebone
   A pan-European backbone service.
}
EFF
   See: Electronic Frontier Foundation

EFLA
   See: Extended Four Letter Acronym

EGP
   See: Exterior Gateway Protocol

{Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
   A foundation established to address social and legal issues
   arising from the impact on society of the increasingly pervasive
   use of computers as a means of communication and information
   distribution.

{Electronic Mail (email)
   A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages with other
   computer users (or groups of users) via a communications network.
   Electronic mail is one of the most popular uses of the Internet.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
email
   See: Electronic mail

{email address
   The domain-based or UUCP address that is used to send electronic
   mail to a specified destination.  For example an editor's address
   is "[e-mail]".  See also: bang path, mail path, UNIX-
   to-UNIX CoPy.
   [Source: ZEN]

{encapsulation
   The technique used by layered protocols in which a layer adds
   header information to the protocol data unit (PDU) from the layer
   above.  As an example, in Internet terminology, a packet would
   contain a header from the physical layer, followed by a header
   from the network layer (IP), followed by a header from the
   transport layer (TCP), followed by the application protocol data.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{encryption
   Encryption is the manipulation of a packet's data in order to
   prevent any but the intended recipient from reading that data.
   There are many types of data encryption, and they are the basis of
   network security.  See also: Data Encryption Standard.

{Ethernet
   A 10-Mb/s standard for LANs, initially developed by Xerox, and
   later refined by Digital, Intel and Xerox (DIX).  All hosts are
   connected to a coaxial cable where they contend for network access
   using a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
   (CSMA/CD) paradigm.  See also: 802.x, Local Area Network, token
   ring.

{Ethernet meltdown
   An event that causes saturation, or near saturation, on an
   Ethernet.  It usually results from illegal or misrouted packets
   and typically lasts only a short time.
   [Source: COMER]

{European Academic and Research Network (EARN)
   A network connecting European academic and research institutions
   with electronic mail and file transfer services using the Bitnet
   protocol.  See also: Bitnet

{Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
   A standard character-to-number encoding used primarily by IBM
   computer systems.  See also: ASCII.

{Extended Four Letter Acronym (EFLA)
   A recognition of the fact that there are far too many TLAs.  See
   also: Three Letter Acronym.
   [Source: K. Morgan]

{Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP)
   A protocol which distributes routing information to the routers
   which connect autonomous systems.  The term "gateway" is
   historical, as "router" is currently the preferred term.  There is
   also a routing protocol called EGP defined in STD 18, RFC 904.
   See also: Autonomous System, Border Gateway Protocol, Interior
   Gateway Protocol.

{eXternal Data Representation (XDR)
   A standard for machine independent data structures developed by
   Sun Microsystems and defined in RFC 1014.  It is similar to ASN.1.
   See also: Abstract Syntax Notation One.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{FARNET
   A non-profit corporation, established in 1987, whose mission is to
   advance the use of computer networks to improve research and
   education.

{FAQ
   Frequently Asked Question
}
FDDI
   See: Fiber Distributed Data Interface

{Federal Information Exchange (FIX)
   One of the connection points between the American governmental
   internets and the Internet.
   [Source: SURA]

{Federal Networking Council (FNC)
   The coordinating group of representatives from those federal
   agencies involved in the development and use of federal
   networking, especially those networks using TCP/IP and the
   Internet.  Current members include representatives from DOD, DOE,
   DARPA, NSF, NASA, and HHS.  See also: Defense Advanced Research
   Projects Agency, National Science Foundation.

{Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
   A high-speed (100Mb/s) LAN standard.  The underlying medium is
   fiber optics, and the topology is a dual-attached, counter-
   rotating token ring.  See also: Local Area Network, token ring.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{file transfer
   The copying of a file from one computer to another over a computer
   network.  See also: File Transfer Protocol, Kermit.

{File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
   A protocol which allows a user on one host to access, and transfer
   files to and from, another host over a network.  Also, FTP is
   usually the name of the program the user invokes to execute the
   protocol.  It is defined in STD 9, RFC 959.  See also: anonymous
   FTP.

{finger
   A program that displays information about a particular user, or
   all users, logged on the local system or on a remote system.  It
   typically shows full name, last login time, idle time, terminal
   line, and terminal location (where applicable).  It may also
   display plan and project files left by the user.
}
FIX
   See: Federal Information Exchange

{flame
   A strong opinion and/or criticism of something, usually as a frank
   inflammatory statement, in an electronic mail message.  It is
   common to precede a flame with an indication of pending fire
   (i.e., FLAME ON!).  Flame Wars occur when people start flaming
   other people for flaming when they shouldn't have.  See also:
   Electronic Mail
}
FNC
   See: Federal Networking Council

{For Your Information (FYI)
   A subseries of RFCs that are not technical standards or
   descriptions of protocols.  FYIs convey general information about
   topics related to TCP/IP or the Internet.  See also: Request For
   Comments, STD.
}
FQDN
   See: Fully Qualified Domain Name

{fragment
   A piece of a packet.  When a router is forwarding an IP packet to
   a network that has a maximum packet size smaller than the packet
   size, it is forced to break up that packet into multiple
   fragments.  These fragments will be reassembled by the IP layer at
   the destination host.

{fragmentation
   The IP process in which a packet is broken into smaller pieces to
   fit the requirements of a physical network over which the packet
   must pass.  See also: reassembly.

{frame
   A frame is a datalink layer "packet" which contains the header and
   trailer information required by the physical medium.  That is,
   network layer packets are encapsulated to become frames.  See
   also: datagram, encapsulation, packet.

{freenet
   Community-based bulletin board system with email, information
   services, interactive communications, and conferencing.  Freenets
   are funded and operated by individuals and volunteers -- in one
   sense, like public television.  They are part of the National
   Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), an organization based in
   Cleveland, Ohio, devoted to making computer telecommunication and
   networking services as freely available as public libraries.
   [Source: LAQUEY]
}
FTP
   See: File Transfer Protocol

{Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
   The FQDN is the full name of a system, rather than just its
   hostname.  For example, "venera" is a hostname and
   "venera.isi.edu" is an FQDN.  See also: hostname, Domain Name
   System.
}
FYI
   See: For Your Information

{gross
   A dozen dozen (144).

{gated
   Gatedaemon.  A program which supports multiple routing protocols
   and protocol families.  It may be used for routing, and makes an
   effective platform for routing protocol research.  The software is
   freely available by anonymous FTP from "gated.cornell.edu".

   Pronounced "gate-dee".  See also: Exterior Gateway Protocol, Open
   Shortest Path First..., Routing Information Protocol, routed.

{gateway
   The term "router" is now used in place of the original definition
   of "gateway".  Currently, a gateway is a communications
   device/program which passes data between networks having similar
   functions but dissimilar implementations.  This should not be
   confused with a protocol converter.  By this definition, a router
   is a layer 3 (network layer) gateway, and a mail gateway is a
   layer 7 (application layer) gateway.  See also: mail gateway,
   router, protocol converter.

{Gopher
   A distributed information service that makes available
   hierarchical collections of information across the Internet.
   Gopher uses a simple protocol that allows a single Gopher client
   to access information from any accessible Gopher server, providing
   the user with a single "Gopher space" of information.  Public
   domain versions of the client and server are available.  See also:
   archie, archive site, Prospero, Wide Area Information Servers.
}
GOSIP
   See: Government OSI Profile

{Government OSI Profile
   A subset of OSI standards specific to U.S. Government
   procurements, designed to maximize interoperability in areas where
   plain OSI standards are ambiguous or allow excessive options.
   [Source: BIG-LAN]

{hacker
   A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the
   internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in
   particular.  The term is often misused in a pejorative context,
   where "cracker" would be the correct term.  See also: cracker.

{header
   The portion of a packet, preceding the actual data, containing
   source and destination addresses, and error checking and other
   fields.  A header is also the part of an electronic mail message
   that precedes the body of a message and contains, among other
   things, the message originator, date and time.  See also:
   Electronic Mail, packet.

{heterogeneous network
   A network running multiple network layer protocols.  See also:
   DECnet, IP, IPX, XNS.

{hierarchical routing
   The complex problem of routing on large networks can be simplified
   by reducing the size of the networks.  This is accomplished by
   breaking a network into a hierarchy of networks, where each level
   is responsible for its own routing.  The Internet has, basically,
   three levels: the backbones, the mid-levels, and the stub
   networks.  The backbones know how to route between the mid-levels,
   the mid-levels know how to route between the sites, and each site
   (being an autonomous system) knows how to route internally.  See
   also: Autonomous System, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Interior
   Gateway Protocol, stub network, transit network.

{High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC)
   High performance computing encompasses advanced computing,
   communications, and information technologies, including scientific
   workstations, supercomputer systems, high speed networks, special
   purpose and experimental systems, the new generation of large
   scale parallel systems, and application and systems software with
   all components well integrated and linked over a high speed
   network.
   [Source: HPCC]

{High Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI)
   An emerging ANSI standard which extends the computer bus over
   fairly short distances at speeds of 800 and 1600 Mb/s.  HIPPI is
   often used in a computer room to connect a supercomputer to
   routers, frame buffers, mass-storage peripherals, and other
   computers.  See also: American National Standards Institute
   [Source: MALAMUD]
}
HIPPI
   See: High Performance Parallel Interface

{hop
   A term used in routing.  A path to a destination on a network is a
   series of hops, through routers, away from the origin.

{host
   A computer that allows users to communicate with other host
   computers on a network.  Individual users communicate by using
   application programs, such as electronic mail, Telnet and FTP.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
host address
   See: internet address

{hostname
   The name given to a machine.  See also: Fully Qualified Domain
   Name.
   [Source: ZEN]
}
host number
   See: host address

HPCC
   See: High Performance Computing and Communications

{hub
   A device connected to several other devices.  In ARCnet, a hub is
   used to connect several computers together.  In a message handling
   service, a hub is used for the transfer of messages across the
   network.
   [Source: MALAMUD]
}
I-D
   See: Internet-Draft

IAB
   See: Internet Architecture Board

IANA
   See: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

ICMP
   See: Internet Control Message Protocol

{IEEE
   Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
}
IEEE 802
   See: 802.x

IEN
   See: Internet Experiment Note

IESG
   See: Internet Engineering Steering Group

IETF
   See: Internet Engineering Task Force

IINREN
   See: Interagency Interim National Research and Education Network

IGP
   See: Interior Gateway Protocol

{IMHO
   In My Humble Opinion
}
IMR
   See: Internet Monthly Report

{Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
   An emerging technology which is beginning to be offered by the
   telephone carriers of the world.  ISDN combines voice and digital
   network services in a single medium, making it possible to offer
   customers digital data services as well as voice connections
   through a single "wire".  The standards that define ISDN are
   specified by CCITT.  See also: CCITT.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Interagency Interim National Research and Education Network (IINREN)
   An evolving operating network system.  Near term (1992-1996)
   research and development activities will provide for the smooth
   evolution of this networking infrastructure into the future
   gigabit NREN.
   [Source: HPCC]

{Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP)
   A protocol which distributes routing information to the routers
   within an autonomous system.  The term "gateway" is historical, as
   "router" is currently the preferred term.  See also: Autonomous
   System, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest Path First...,
   Routing Information Protocol.

{Intermediate System (IS)
   An OSI system which performs network layer forwarding.  It is
   analogous to an IP router.  See also: Open Systems
   Interconnection, router.

{Intermediate System-Intermediate System (IS-IS)
   The OSI IGP.  See also: Open Systems Interconnection, Interior
   Gateway Protocol.

{International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
   A voluntary, nontreaty organization founded in 1946 which is
   responsible for creating international standards in many areas,
   including computers and communications.  Its members are the
   national standards organizations of the 89 member countries,
   including ANSI for the U.S.  See also: American National Standards
   Institute, Open Systems Interconnection.
   [Source: TAN]

{internet
   While an internet is a network, the term "internet" is usually
   used to refer to a collection of networks interconnected with
   routers.  See also: network.

{Internet
   (note the capital "I") The Internet is the largest internet in the
   world.  Is a three level hierarchy composed of backbone networks
   (e.g., NSFNET, MILNET), mid-level networks, and stub networks.
   The Internet is a multiprotocol internet.  See also: backbone,
   mid-level network, stub network, transit network, Internet
   Protocol, Corporation for Research and Educational Networks,
   National Science Foundation.

{internet address
   A IP address that uniquely identifies a node on an internet.  An
   Internet address (capital "I"), uniquely identifies a node on the
   Internet.  See also: internet, Internet, IP address.

{Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
   The technical body that oversees the development of the Internet
   suite of protocols.  It has two task forces: the IETF and the
   IRTF.  "IAB" previously stood for Internet Activities Board.  See
   also: Internet Engineering Task Force, Internet Research Task
   Force.

{Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
   The central registry for various Internet protocol parameters,
   such as port, protocol and enterprise numbers, and options, codes
   and types.  The currently assigned values are listed in the
   "Assigned Numbers" document [STD2].  To request a number
   assignment, contact the IANA at "[e-mail]".  See also:
   assigned numbers, STD.

{Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
   ICMP is an extension to the Internet Protocol.  It allows for the
   generation of error messages, test packets and informational
   messages related to IP.  It is defined in STD 5, RFC 792.
   [Source: FYI4]

{Internet-Draft (I-D)
   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the IETF, its Areas, and
   its Working Groups.   As the name implies, Internet-Drafts are
   draft documents.  They are valid for a maximum of six months and
   may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  Very often, I-Ds are precursors to RFCs.  See also:
   Internet Engineering Task Force, Request For Comments.

{Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)
   The IESG is composed of the IETF Area Directors and the IETF
   Chair.  It provides the first technical review of Internet
   standards and is responsible for day-to-day "management" of the
   IETF.  See also: Internet Engineering Task Force.

{Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
   The IETF is a large, open community of network designers,
   operators, vendors, and researchers whose purpose is to coordinate
   the operation, management and evolution of the Internet, and to
   resolve short-range and mid-range protocol and architectural
   issues.  It is a major source of proposals for protocol standards
   which are submitted to the IAB for final approval.  The IETF meets
   three times a year and extensive minutes are included in the IETF
   Proceedings.  See also: Internet, Internet Architecture Board.
   [Source: FYI4]

{Internet Experiment Note (IEN)
   A series of reports pertinent to the Internet.  IENs were
   published in parallel to RFCs and are no longer active.  See also:
   Internet-Draft, Request For Comments.

{Internet Monthly Report (IMR)
   Published monthly, the purpose of the Internet Monthly Reports is
   to communicate to the Internet Research Group the accomplishments,
   milestones reached, or problems discovered by the participating
   organizations.

{internet number
   See: internet address

{Internet Protocol (IP)
   The Internet Protocol, defined in STD 5, RFC 791, is the network
   layer for the TCP/IP Protocol Suite.  It is a connectionless,
   best-effort packet switching protocol.  See also: packet
   switching, Request For Comments, TCP/IP Protocol Suite.

{Internet Registry (IR)
   The IANA has the discretionary authority to delegate portions of
   its responsibility and, with respect to network address and
   Autonomous System identifiers, has lodged this responsibility with
   an IR.  The IR function is performed by the DDN NIC.  See also:
   Autonomous System, network address, Defense Data Network...,
   Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

{Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
   A world-wide "party line" protocol that allows one to converse
   with others in real time.  IRC is structured as a network of
   servers, each of which accepts connections from client programs,
   one per user.  See also: talk.
   [Source: HACKER]

{Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG)
   The "governing body" of the IRTF.  See also: Internet Research
   Task Force.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
   The IRTF is chartered by the IAB to consider long-term Internet
   issues from a theoretical point of view.  It has Research Groups,
   similar to IETF Working Groups, which are each tasked to discuss
   different research topics.  Multi-cast audio/video conferencing
   and privacy enhanced mail are samples of IRTF output.  See also:
   Internet Architecture Board, Internet Engineering Task Force,
   Privacy Enhanced Mail.

{Internet Society (ISOC)
   The Internet Society is a non-profit, professional membership
   organization which facilitates and supports the technical
   evolution of the Internet, stimulates interest in and educates the
   scientific and academic communities, industry and the public about
   the technology, uses and applications of the Internet, and
   promotes the development of new applications for the system.  The
   Society provides a forum for discussion and collaboration in the
   operation and use of the global Internet infrastructure.  The
   Internet Society publishes a quarterly newsletter, the Internet
   Society News, and holds an annual conference, INET.  The
   development of Internet technical standards takes place under the
   auspices of the Internet Society with substantial support from the
   Corporation for National Research Initiatives under a cooperative
   agreement with the US Federal Government.
   [Source: V. Cerf]

{Internetwork Packet eXchange (IPX)
   Novell's protocol used by Netware.  A router with IPX routing can
   interconnect LANs so that Novell Netware clients and servers can
   communicate.  See also: Local Area Network.

{interoperability
   The ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from
   multiple vendors to communicate meaningfully.
}
IP
   See: Internet Protocol

{IP address
   The 32-bit address defined by the Internet Protocol in STD 5, RFC
   791.  It is usually represented in dotted decimal notation.  See
   also: dot address, internet address, Internet Protocol, network
   address, subnet address, host address.
}
IP datagram
   See: datagram

IPX
   See: Internetwork Packet eXchange

IR
   See: Internet Registry

IRC
   See: Internet Relay Chat

IRSG
   See: Internet Research Steering Group

IRTF
   See: Internet Research Task Force

IS
   See: Intermediate System

IS-IS
   See: Intermediate System-Intermediate System

ISDN
   See: Integrated Services Digital Network

ISO
   See: International Organization for Standardization

{ISO Development Environment (ISODE)
   Software that allows OSI services to use a TCP/IP network.
   Pronounced eye-so-dee-eee.  See also: Open Systems
   Interconnection, TCP/IP Protocol Suite.
}
ISOC
   See: Internet Society

ISODE
   See: ISO Development Environment

{JKREY
   Joyce K. Reynolds

{KA9Q
   A popular implementation of TCP/IP and associated protocols for
   amateur packet radio systems.  See also: TCP/IP Protocol Suite.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Kerberos
   Kerberos is the security system of MIT's Project Athena.  It is
   based on symmetric key cryptography.  See also: encryption.

{Kermit
   A popular file transfer protocol developed by Columbia University.
   Because Kermit runs in most operating environments, it provides an
   easy method of file transfer.  Kermit is NOT the same as FTP.  See
   also: File Transfer Protocol
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Knowbot
   An experimental directory service.  See also: white pages, WHOIS,
   X.500.
}
LAN
   See: Local Area Network

{layer
   Communication networks for computers may be organized as a set of
   more or less independent protocols, each in a different layer
   (also called level).  The lowest layer governs direct host-to-host
   communication between the hardware at different hosts; the highest
   consists of user applications.  Each layer builds on the layer
   beneath it.  For each layer, programs at different hosts use
   protocols appropriate to the layer to communicate with each other.
   TCP/IP has five layers of protocols; OSI has seven.  The
   advantages of different layers of protocols is that the methods of
   passing information from one layer to another are specified
   clearly as part of the protocol suite, and changes within a
   protocol layer are prevented from affecting the other layers.
   This greatly simplifies the task of designing and maintaining
   communication programs.  See also: Open Systems Interconnection,
   TCP/IP Protocol Suite.

{listserv
   An automated mailing list distribution system originally designed
   for the Bitnet/EARN network.  See also: Bitnet, European Academic
   Research Network, mailing list.

{little-endian
   A format for storage or transmission of binary data in which the
   least significant byte (bit) comes first.  See also: big-endian.
   [Source: RFC1208]
}
LLC
   See: Logical Link Control

{Local Area Network (LAN)
   A data network intended to serve an area of only a few square
   kilometers or less.  Because the network is known to cover only a
   small area, optimizations can be made in the network signal
   protocols that permit data rates up to 100Mb/s.  See also:
   Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface, token ring, Wide Area
   Network.
   [Source: NNSC]

{Logical Link Control (LLC)
   The upper portion of the datalink layer, as defined in IEEE 802.2.
   The LLC sublayer presents a uniform interface to the user of the
   datalink service, usually the network layer.  Beneath the LLC
   sublayer is the MAC sublayer.  See also: 802.x, layer, Media
   Access Control.

{Lurking
   No active participation on the part of a subscriber to an mailing
   list or USENET newsgroup.  A person who is lurking is just
   listening to the discussion.  Lurking is encouraged for beginners
   who need to get up to speed on the history of the group.  See
   also: Electronic Mail, mailing list, Usenet.
   [Source: LAQUEY]
}
MAC
   See: Media Access Control

{MAC address
   The hardware address of a device connected to a shared media.  See
   also: Media Access Control, Ethernet, token ring.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{mail bridge
   A mail gateway that forwards electronic mail between two or more
   networks while ensuring that the messages it forwards meet certain
   administrative criteria.  A mail bridge is simply a specialized
   form of mail gateway that enforces an administrative policy with
   regard to what mail it forwards.  See also: Electronic Mail, mail
   gateway.
   [Source: NNSC]

{Mail Exchange Record (MX Record)
   A DNS resource record type indicating which host can handle mail
   for a particular domain.  See also: Domain Name System, Electronic
   Mail.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{mail exploder
   Part of an electronic mail delivery system which allows a message
   to be delivered to a list of addresses.  Mail exploders are used
   to implement mailing lists.  Users send messages to a single
   address and the mail exploder takes care of delivery to the
   individual mailboxes in the list.  See also: Electronic Mail,
   email address, mailing list.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{mail gateway
   A machine that connects two or more electronic mail systems
   (including dissimilar mail systems) and transfers messages between
   them.  Sometimes the mapping and translation can be quite complex,
   and it generally requires a store-and-forward scheme whereby the
   message is received from one system completely before it is
   transmitted to the next system, after suitable translations.  See
   also: Electronic Mail.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{mail path
   A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one
   user to another.  This system of email addressing has been used
   primarily in UUCP networks which are trying to eliminate its use
   altogether.  See also: bang path, email address, UNIX-to-UNIX
   CoPy.

{mail server
   A software program that distributes files or information in
   response to requests sent via email.  Internet examples include
   Almanac and netlib.  Mail servers have also been used in Bitnet to
   provide FTP-like services.  See also: Bitnet, Electronic Mail,
   FTP.
   [Source: NWNET]

{mailing list
   A list of email addresses, used by a mail exploder, to forward
   messages to groups of people.  Generally, a mailing list is used
   to discuss certain set of topics, and different mailing lists
   discuss different topics.  A mailing list may be moderated.  This
   means that messages sent to the list are actually sent to a
   moderator who determines whether or not to send the messages on to
   everyone else.  Requests to subscribe to, or leave, a mailing list
   should ALWAYS be sent to the list's "-request" address (e.g.,
   [e-mail] for the IETF mailing list).  See
   also: Electronic Mail, mail exploder.
}
MAN
   See: Metropolitan Area Network

{Management Information Base (MIB)
   The set of parameters an SNMP management station can query or set
   in the SNMP agent of a network device (e.g., router).  Standard,
   minimal MIBs have been defined, and vendors often have Private
   enterprise MIBs.  In theory, any SNMP manager can talk to any SNMP
   agent with a properly defined MIB.  See also: client-server model,
   Simple Network Management Protocol.
   [Source: BIG-LAN]

{Martian
   A humorous term applied to packets that turn up unexpectedly on
   the wrong network because of bogus routing entries.  Also used as
   a name for a packet which has an altogether bogus (non-registered
   or ill-formed) internet address.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU)
   The largest frame length which may be sent on a physical medium.
   See also: fragmentation, frame.

{Media Access Control (MAC)
   The lower portion of the datalink layer.  The MAC differs for
   various physical media.  See also: MAC Address, Ethernet, Logical
   Link Control, token ring.
}
message switching
   See: packet switching

{Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
   A data network intended to serve an area approximating that of a
   large city.  Such networks are being implemented by innovative
   techniques, such as running fiber cables through subway tunnels.
   A popular example of a MAN is SMDS.  See also: Local Area Network,
   Switched Multimegabit Data Service, Wide Area Network.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
MIB
   See: Management Information Base

{mid-level network
   Mid-level networks (a.k.a. regionals) make up the second level of
   the Internet hierarchy.  They are the transit networks which
   connect the stub networks to the backbone networks.  See also:
   backbone, Internet, stub network, transit network.
}
MIME
   See: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
{
moderator
   A person, or small group of people, who manage moderated mailing
   lists and newsgroups.  Moderators are responsible for determining
   which email submissions are passed on to list.  See also:
   Electronic Mail, mailing list, Usenet.
}
MTU
   See: Maximum Transmission Unit

MUD
   See: Multi-User Dungeon

{multicast
   A packet with a special destination address which multiple nodes
   on the network may be willing to receive.  See also: broadcast.

{multihomed host
   A host which has more than one connection to a network.  The host
   may send and receive data over any of the links but will not route
   traffic for other nodes.  See also: host, router.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
   An extension to Internet email which provides the ability to
   transfer non-textual data, such as graphics, audio and fax.  It is
   defined in RFC 1341.  See also: Electronic Mail

{Multi-User Dungeon (MUD)
   Adventure, role playing games, or simulations played on the
   Internet.  Devotees call them "text-based virtual reality
   adventures".  The games can feature fantasy combat, booby traps
   and magic.  Players interact in real time and can change the
   "world" in the game as they play it.  Most MUDs are based on the
   Telnet protocol.  See also: Telnet.
   [Source: LAQUEY]
}
MX Record
   See: Mail Exchange Record

NAK
   See: Negative Acknowledgment

{name resolution
   The process of mapping a name into its corresponding address.  See
   also: Domain Name System.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{namespace
   A commonly distributed set of names in which all names are unique.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
   United States governmental body that provides assistance in
   developing standards.  Formerly the National Bureau of Standards.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{National Research and Education Network (NREN)
   The NREN is the realization of an interconnected gigabit computer
   network devoted to Hign Performance Computing and Communications.
   See also: HPPC, IINREN.
   [Source: HPCC]

{National Science Foundation (NSF)
   A U.S. government agency whose purpose is to promote the
   advancement of science.  NSF funds science researchers, scientific
   projects, and infrastructure to improve the quality of scientific
   research.  The NSFNET, funded by NSF, is an essential part of
   academic and research communications.  It is a highspeed "network
   of networks" which is hierarchical in nature.  At the highest
   level, it is a backbone network currently comprising 16 nodes
   connected to a 45Mb/s facility which spans the continental United
   States.  Attached to that are mid-level networks and attached to
   the mid-levels are campus and local networks.  NSFNET also has
   connections out of the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the
   Pacific Rim.  The NSFNET is part of the Internet.

{Negative Acknowledgment (NAK)
   Response to receipt of a corrupted packet of information.  See
   also: Acknowledgement.

{netiquette
   A pun on "etiquette" referring to proper behavior on a network.
}
Netnews
   See: Usenet

{network
   A computer network is a data communications system which
   interconnects computer systems at various different sites.  A
   network may be composed of any combination of LANs, MANs or WANs.
   See also: Local Area Network, Metropolitan Area Network, Wide Area
   Network, internet.

{network address
   The network portion of an IP address.  For a class A network, the
   network address is the first byte of the IP address.  For a class
   B network, the network address is the first two bytes of the IP
   address.  For a class C network, the network address is the first
   three bytes of the IP address.  In each case, the remainder is the
   host address.  In the Internet, assigned network addresses are
   globally unique.  See also: Internet, IP address, subnet address,
   host address, Internet Registry.

{Network File System (NFS)
   A protocol developed by Sun Microsystems, and defined in RFC 1094,
   which allows a computer system to access files over a network as
   if they were on its local disks.  This protocol has been
   incorporated in products by more than two hundred companies, and
   is now a de facto Internet standard.
   [Source: NNSC]

{Network Information Center (NIC)
   A NIC provides information, assistance and services to network
   users.  See also: Network Operations Center.

{Network Information Services (NIS)
   A set of services, generally provided by a NIC, to assist users in
   using the network.  See also: Network Information Center.

{Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)
   A protocol, defined in RFC 977, for the distribution, inquiry,
   retrieval, and posting of news articles.  See also: Usenet.
}
network number
   See: network address

{Network Operations Center (NOC)
   A location from which the operation of a network or internet is
   monitored.  Additionally, this center usually serves as a
   clearinghouse for connectivity problems and efforts to resolve
   those problems.  See also: Network Information Center.
   [Source: NNSC]

{Network Time Protocol (NTP)
   A protocol that assures accurate local timekeeping with reference
   to radio and atomic clocks located on the Internet.  This protocol
   is capable of synchronizing distributed clocks within milliseconds
   over long time periods.  It is defined in STD 12, RFC 1119.  See
   also: Internet.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
NFS
   See: Network File System

NIC
   See: Network Information Center

{NIC.DDN.MIL
   This is the domain name of the DDN NIC.  See also: Defense Data
   Network..., Domain Name System, Network Information Center.
}
NIS
   See: Network Information Services

NIST
   See: National Institute of Standards and Technology

NNTP
   See: Network News Transfer Protocol

NOC
   See: Network Operations Center

{Nodal Switching System (NSS)
   Main routing nodes in the NSFnet backbone.  See also: backbone,
   National Science Foundation.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{node
   An addressable device attached to a computer network.  See also:
   host, router.
}
NREN
   See: National Research and Education Network

NSF
   See: National Science Foundation

NSS
   See: Nodal Switching System

NTP
   See: Network Time Protocol

OCLC
   See: Online Computer Library Catalog

{octet
   An octet is 8 bits.  This term is used in networking, rather than
   byte, because some systems have bytes that are not 8 bits long.

{Online Computer Library Catalog
   OCLC is a nonprofit membership organization offering computer-
   based services to libraries, educational organizations, and their
   users.  The OCLC library information network connects more than
   10,000 libraries worldwide.  Libraries use the OCLC System for
   cataloging, interlibrary loan, collection development,
   bibliographic verification, and reference searching.
   [Source: OCLC]

{Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol (OSPF)
   A link state, as opposed to distance vector, routing protocol.  It
   is an Internet standard IGP defined in RFC 1247.  See also:
   Interior Gateway Protocol, Routing Information Protocol.

{Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
   A suite of protocols, designed by ISO committees, to be the
   international standard computer network architecture.  See also:
   International Organization for Standardization.
}
OSI
   See: Open Systems Interconnection

{OSI Reference Model
   A seven-layer structure designed to describe computer network
   architectures and the way that data passes through them.  This
   model was developed by the ISO in 1978 to clearly define the
   interfaces in multivendor networks, and to provide users of those
   networks with conceptual guidelines in the construction of such
   networks.  See also: International Organization for
   Standardization.
   [Source: NNSC]
}
OSPF
   See: Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol

{packet
   The unit of data sent across a network.  "Packet" a generic term
   used to describe unit of data at all levels of the protocol stack,
   but it is most correctly used to describe application data units.
   See also: datagram, frame.

{Packet InterNet Groper (PING)
   A program used to test reachability of destinations by sending
   them an ICMP echo request and waiting for a reply.  The term is
   used as a verb: "Ping host X to see if it is up!"  See also:
   Internet Control Message Protocol.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Packet Switch Node (PSN)
   A dedicated computer whose purpose is to accept, route and forward
   packets in a packet switched network.  See also: packet switching,
   router.
   [Source: NNSC]

{packet switching
   A communications paradigm in which packets (messages) are
   individually routed between hosts, with no previously established
   communication path.  See also: circuit switching, connection-
   oriented, connectionless.

{PD
   Public Domain
}
PDU
   See: Protocol Data Unit

PEM
   See: Privacy Enhanced Mail

PING
   See: Packet INternet Groper

{Point Of Presence (POP)
   A site where there exists a collection of telecommunications
   equipment, usually digital leased lines and multi-protocol
   routers.

{Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
   The Point-to-Point Protocol, defined in RFC 1171, provides a
   method for transmitting packets over serial point-to-point links.
   See also: Serial Line IP.
   [Source: FYI4]
}
POP
   See: Post Office Protocol and Point Of Presence

{port
   A port is a transport layer demultiplexing value.  Each
   application has a unique port number associated with it.  See
   also: Transmission Control Protocol, User Datagram Protocol.

{Post Office Protocol (POP)
   A protocol designed to allow single user hosts to read mail from a
   server.  There are three versions: POP, POP2, and POP3.  Latter
   versions are NOT compatible with earlier versions.  See also:
   Electronic Mail.

{Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT)
   Outside the USA, PTT refers to a telephone service provider, which
   is usually a monopoly, in a particular country.

{postmaster
   The person responsible for taking care of electronic mail
   problems, answering queries about users, and other related work at
   a site.  See also: Electronic Mail.
   [Source: ZEN]
}
PPP
   See: Point-to-Point Protocol

{Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM)
   Internet email which provides confidentiality, authentication and
   message integrity using various encryption methods.  See also:
   Electronic Mail, encryption.

{Prospero
   A distributed filesystem which provides the user with the ability
   to create multiple views of a single collection of files
   distributed across the Internet.  Prospero provides a file naming
   system, and file access is provided by existing access methods
   (e.g., anonymous FTP and NFS).  The Prospero protocol is also used
   for communication between clients and servers in the archie
   system.  See also: anonymous FTP, archie, archive site, Gopher,
   Network File System, Wide Area Information Servers.

{protocol
   A formal description of message formats and the rules two
   computers must follow to exchange those messages.  Protocols can
   describe low-level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g.,
   the order in which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or
   high-level exchanges between allocation programs (e.g., the way in
   which two programs transfer a file across the Internet).
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{protocol converter
   A device/program which translates between different protocols
   which serve similar functions (e.g., TCP and TP4).

{Protocol Data Unit (PDU)
   "PDU" is internationalstandardscomitteespeak for packet.  See
   also: packet.

{protocol stack
   A layered set of protocols which work together to provide a set of
   network functions.  See also: layer, protocol.

{proxy ARP
   The technique in which one machine, usually a router, answers ARP
   requests intended for another machine.  By "faking" its identity,
   the router accepts responsibility for routing packets to the
   "real" destination.  Proxy ARP allows a site to use a single IP
   address with two physical networks.  Subnetting would normally be
   a better solution.  See also: Address Resolution Protocol
   [Source: RFC1208]
}
PSN
   See: Packet Switch Node.

PTT
   See: Postal, Telegraph and Telephone

{queue
   A backup of packets awaiting processing.
}
RARE
   See: Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne

RARP
   See: Reverse Address Resolution Protocol

{RBOC
   Regional Bell Operating Company
}
RCP
   See: Remote copy program

{Read the F*cking Manual (RTFM)
   This acronym is often used when someone asks a simple or common
   question.

{reassembly
   The IP process in which a previously fragmented packet is
   reassembled before being passed to the transport layer.  See also:
   fragmentation.

{recursive
   See: recursive
}
regional
   See: mid-level network

{remote login
   Operating on a remote computer, using a protocol over a computer
   network, as though locally attached.  See also: Telnet.

{Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
   An easy and popular paradigm for implementing the client-server
   model of distributed computing.  In general, a request is sent to
   a remote system to execute a designated procedure, using arguments
   supplied, and the result returned to the caller.  There are many
   variations and subtleties in various implementations, resulting in
   a variety of different (incompatible) RPC protocols.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{repeater
   A device which propagates electrical signals from one cable to
   another.  See also: bridge, gateway, router.

{Request For Comments (RFC)
   The document series, begun in 1969, which describes the Internet
   suite of protocols and related experiments.  Not all (in fact very
   few) RFCs describe Internet standards, but all Internet standards
   are written up as RFCs.  The RFC series of documents is unusual in
   that the proposed protocols are forwarded by the Internet research
   and development community, acting on their own behalf, as opposed
   to the formally reviewed and standardized protocols that are
   promoted by organizations such as CCITT and ANSI.  See also: For
   Your Information, STD.

{Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne (RARE)
   European association of research networks.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Reseaux IP Europeenne (RIPE)
   A collaboration between European networks which use the TCP/IP
   protocol suite.

{Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)
   A protocol, defined in RFC 903, which provides the reverse
   function of ARP.  RARP maps a hardware (MAC) address to an
   internet address.  It is used primarily by diskless nodes when
   they first initialize to find their internet address.  See also:
   Address Resolution Protocol, BOOTP, internet address, MAC address.
}

RFC
   See: Request For Comments

{RFC 822
   The Internet standard format for electronic mail message headers.
   Mail experts often refer to "822 messages".  The name comes from
   "RFC 822", which contains the specification (STD 11, RFC 822).
   822 format was previously known as 733 format.  See also:
   Electronic Mail.
   [Source: COMER]
}
RIP
   See: Routing Information Protocol

RIPE
   See: Reseaux IP Europeenne

{Round-Trip Time (RTT)
   A measure of the current delay on a network.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{route
   The path that network traffic takes from its source to its
   destination.  Also, a possible path from a given host to another
   host or destination.

{routed
   Route Daemon.  A program which runs under 4.2BSD/4.3BSD UNIX
   systems (and derived operating systems) to propagate routes among
   machines on a local area network, using the RIP protocol.
   Pronounced "route-dee".  See also: Routing Information Protocol,
   gated.

{router
   A device which forwards traffic between networks.  The forwarding
   decision is based on network layer information and routing tables,
   often constructed by routing protocols.  See also: bridge,
   gateway, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Interior Gateway Protocol.

{routing
   The process of selecting the correct interface and next hop for a
   packet being forwarded.  See also: hop, router, Exterior Gateway
   Protocol, Interior Gateway Protocol.

{routing domain
   A set of routers exchanging routing information within an
   administrative domain.  See also: Administrative Domain, router.

{Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
   A distance vector, as opposed to link state, routing protocol.  It
   is an Internet standard IGP defined in STD 34, RFC 1058 (updated
   by RFC 1388).  See also: Interior Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest
   Path First....
}
RPC
   See: Remote Procedure Call

RTFM
   See: Read the F*cking Manual

RTT
   See: Round-Trip Time

{Serial Line IP (SLIP)
   A protocol used to run IP over serial lines, such as telephone
   circuits or RS-232 cables, interconnecting two systems.  SLIP is
   defined in RFC 1055.  See also: Point-to-Point Protocol.

{server
   A provider of resources (e.g., file servers and name servers).
   See also: client, Domain Name System, Network File System.

{SIG
   Special Interest Group

{signature
   The three or four line message at the bottom of a piece of email
   or a Usenet article which identifies the sender.  Large signatures
   (over five lines) are generally frowned upon.  See also:
   Electronic Mail, Usenet.

{Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
   A protocol, defined in STD 10, RFC 821, used to transfer
   electronic mail between computers.  It is a server to server
   protocol, so other protocols are used to access the messages.  See
   also: Electronic Mail, Post Office Protocol, RFC 822.

{Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
   The Internet standard protocol, defined in STD 15, RFC 1157,
   developed to manage nodes on an IP network.  It is currently
   possible to manage wiring hubs, toasters, jukeboxes, etc.  See
   also: Management Information Base.
}
SLIP
   See: Serial Line IP

SMDS
   See: Switched Multimegabit Data Service

SMI
   See: Structure of Management Information

SMTP
   See: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

SNA
   See: Systems Network Architecture

{snail mail
   A pejorative term referring to the U.S. postal service.
}
SNMP
   See: Simple Network Management Protocol

{STD
   A subseries of RFCs that specify Internet standards.  The official
   list of Internet standards is in STD 1.  See also: For Your
   Information, Request For Comments.

{stream-oriented
   A type of transport service that allows its client to send data in
   a continuous stream.  The transport service will guarantee that
   all data will be delivered to the other end in the same order as
   sent and without duplicates.  See also: Transmission Control
   Protocol.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{Structure of Management Information (SMI)
   The rules used to define the objects that can be accessed via a
   network management protocol.  This protocol is defined in STD 16,
   RFC 1155.  See also: Management Information Base.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{stub network
   A stub network only carries packets to and from local hosts.  Even
   if it has paths to more than one other network, it does not carry
   traffic for other networks.  See also: backbone, transit network.

{subnet
   A portion of a network, which may be a physically independent
   network segment, which shares a network address with other
   portions of the network and is distinguished by a subnet number.
   A subnet is to a network what a network is to an internet.  See
   also: internet, network.

{subnet address
   The subnet portion of an IP address.  In a subnetted network, the
   host portion of an IP address is split into a subnet portion and a
   host portion using an address (subnet) mask.  See also: address
   mask, IP address, network address, host address.
}
subnet mask
   See: address mask

subnet number
   See: subnet address

{Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS)
   An emerging high-speed datagram-based public data network service
   developed by Bellcore and expected to be widely used by telephone
   companies as the basis for their data networks.  See also:
   Metropolitan Area Network.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{Systems Network Architecture (SNA)
   A proprietary networking architecture used by IBM and IBM-
   compatible mainframe computers.
   [Source: NNSC]

{T1
   An AT&T term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a
   DS-1 formatted digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second.

{T3
   A term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a DS-3
   formatted digital signal at 44.746 megabits per second.
   [Source: FYI4]
}
TAC
   See: Terminal Access Controller (TAC)

{talk
   A protocol which allows two people on remote computers to
   communicate in a real-time fashion.  See also: Internet Relay
   Chat.
}
TCP
   See: Transmission Control Protocol

{TCP/IP Protocol Suite
   Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol.  This is a
   common shorthand which refers to the suite of transport and
   application protocols which runs over IP.  See also: IP, ICMP,
   TCP, UDP, FTP, Telnet, SMTP, SNMP.

{TELENET
   A public packet switched network using the CCITT X.25 protocols.
   It should not be confused with Telnet.

{Telnet
   Telnet is the Internet standard protocol for remote terminal
   connection service.  It is defined in STD 8, RFC 854 and extended
   with options by many other RFCs.

{Terminal Access Controller (TAC)
   A device which connects terminals to the Internet, usually using
   dialup modem connections and the TACACS protocol.

{terminal emulator
   A program that allows a computer to emulate a terminal.  The
   workstation thus appears as a terminal to the remote host.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{terminal server
   A device which connects many terminals to a LAN through one
   network connection.  A terminal server can also connect many
   network users to its asynchronous ports for dial-out capabilities
   and printer access.  See also: Local Area Network.

{Three Letter Acronym (TLA)
   A tribute to the use of acronyms in the computer field.  See also:
   Extended Four Letter Acronym.

{Time to Live (TTL)
   A field in the IP header which indicates how long this packet
   should be allowed to survive before being discarded.  It is
   primarily used as a hop count.  See also: Internet Protocol.
   [Source: MALAMUD]
}
TLA
   See: Three Letter Acronym

{TN3270
   A variant of the Telnet program that allows one to attach to IBM
   mainframes and use the mainframe as if you had a 3270 or similar
   terminal.
   [Source: BIG-LAN]

{token ring
   A token ring is a type of LAN with nodes wired into a ring.  Each
   node constantly passes a control message (token) on to the next;
   whichever node has the token can send a message.  Often, "Token
   Ring" is used to refer to the IEEE 802.5 token ring standard,
   which is the most common type of token ring.  See also: 802.x,
   Local Area Network.

{topology
   A network topology shows the computers and the links between them.
   A network layer must stay abreast of the current network topology
   to be able to route packets to their final destination.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{transceiver
   Transmitter-receiver.  The physical device that connects a host
   interface to a local area network, such as Ethernet.  Ethernet
   transceivers contain electronics that apply signals to the cable
   and sense collisions.
   [Source: RFC1208]

{transit network
   A transit network passes traffic between networks in addition to
   carrying traffic for its own hosts.  It must have paths to at
   least two other networks.  See also: backbone, stub network.

{Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
   An Internet Standard transport layer protocol defined in STD 7,
   RFC 793.  It is connection-oriented and stream-oriented, as
   opposed to UDP.  See also: connection-oriented, stream-oriented,
   User Datagram Protocol.

{Trojan Horse
   A computer program which carries within itself a means to allow
   the creator of the program access to the system using it.  See
   also: virus, worm.  See RFC 1135.

{TTFN
   Ta-Ta For Now
}
TTL
   See: Time to Live

{tunnelling
   Tunnelling refers to encapsulation of protocol A within protocol
   B, such that A treats B as though it were a datalink layer.
   Tunnelling is used to get data between administrative domains
   which use a protocol that is not supported by the internet
   connecting those domains.  See also: Administrative Domain.

{twisted pair
   A type of cable in which pairs of conductors are twisted together
   to produce certain electrical properties.
}
UDP
   See: User Datagram Protocol

{Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)
   This is Greenwich Mean Time.
   [Source: MALAMUD]

{UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy (UUCP)
   This was initially a program run under the UNIX operating system
   that allowed one UNIX system to send files to another UNIX system
   via dial-up phone lines.  Today, the term is more commonly used to
   describe the large international network which uses the UUCP
   protocol to pass news and electronic mail.  See also: Electronic
   Mail, Usenet.

{urban legend
   A story, which may have started with a grain of truth, that has
   been embroidered and retold until it has passed into the realm of
   myth.  It is an interesting phenonmenon that these stories get
   spread so far, so fast and so often.  Urban legends never die,
   they just end up on the Internet!  Some legends that periodically
   make their rounds include "The Infamous Modem Tax," "Craig
   Shergold/Brain Tumor/Get Well Cards," and "The $250 Cookie
   Recipe".
   [Source: LAQUEY]

{Usenet
   A collection of thousands of topically named newsgroups, the
   computers which run the protocols, and the people who read and
   submit Usenet news.  Not all Internet hosts subscribe to Usenet
   and not all Usenet hosts are on the Internet.  See also: Network
   News Transfer Protocol, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy.
   [Source: NWNET]

{User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
   An Internet Standard transport layer protocol defined in STD 6,
   RFC 768.  It is a connectionless protocol which adds a level of
   reliability and multiplexing to IP.  See also: connectionless,
   Transmission Control Protocol.
}
UTC
   See: Universal Time Coordinated

UUCP
   See: UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy

{virtual circuit
   A network service which provides connection-oriented service
   regardless of the underlying network structure.  See also:
   connection-oriented.

{virus
   A program which replicates itself on computer systems by
   incorporating itself into other programs which are shared among
   computer systems.  See also: Trojan Horse, worm.
}
W3
   See: World Wide Web

WAIS
   See: Wide Area Information Servers

WAN
   See: Wide area network

{WG
   Working Group

{white pages
   The Internet supports several databases that contain basic
   information about users, such as email addresses, telephone
   numbers, and postal addresses.  These databases can be searched to
   get information about particular individuals.  Because they serve
   a function akin to the telephone book, these databases are often
   referred to as "white pages.  See also: Knowbot, WHOIS, X.500.

{WHOIS
   An Internet program which allows users to query a database of
   people and other Internet entities, such as domains, networks, and
   hosts, kept at the DDN NIC.  The information for people shows a
   person's company name, address, phone number and email address.
   See also: Defense Data Network Network ..., white pages, Knowbot,
   X.500.
   [Source: FYI4]

{Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
   A distributed information service which offers simple natural
   language input, indexed searching for fast retrieval, and a
   "relevance feedback" mechanism which allows the results of initial
   searches to influence future searches.  Public domain
   implementations are available.  See also: archie, Gopher,
   Prospero.

{Wide Area Network (WAN)
   A network, usually constructed with serial lines, which covers a
   large geographic area.  See also: Local Area Network, Metropolitan
   Area Network.

{World Wide Web (WWW or W3)
   A hypertext-based, distributed information system created by
   researchers at CERN in Switzerland.  Users may create, edit or
   browse hypertext documents.  The clients and servers are freely
   available.

{worm
   A computer program which replicates itself and is self-
   propagating.  Worms, as opposed to viruses, are meant to spawn in
   network environments.  Network worms were first defined by Shoch &
   Hupp of Xerox in ACM Communications (March 1982).  The Internet
   worm of November 1988 is perhaps the most famous; it successfully
   propagated itself on over 6,000 systems across the Internet.  See
   also: Trojan Horse, virus.

{WRT
   With Respect To
}
WWW
   See: World Wide Web

{WYSIWYG
   What You See is What You Get

{X
   X is the name for TCP/IP based network-oriented window systems.
   Network window systems allow a program to use a display on a
   different computer.   The most widely-implemented window system is
   X11 - a component of MIT's Project Athena.

{X.25
   A data communications interface specification developed to
   describe how data passes into and out of public data
   communications networks.  The CCITT and ISO approved protocol
   suite defines protocol layers 1 through 3.

{X.400
   The CCITT and ISO standard for electronic mail.  It is widely used
   in Europe and Canada.

{X.500
   The CCITT and ISO standard for electronic directory services.  See
   also: white pages, Knowbot, WHOIS.
}
XDR
   See: eXternal Data Representation

{Xerox Network System (XNS)
   A network developed by Xerox corporation.  Implementations exist
   for both 4.3BSD derived systems, as well as the Xerox Star
   computers.
}
XNS
   See: Xerox Network System

{Yellow Pages (YP)
   A service used by UNIX administrators to manage databases
   distributed across a network.
}
YP
   See: Yellow Pages

{zone
   A logical group of network devices (AppleTalk).
}

References

   BIG-LAN "BIG-LAN Frequently Asked Questions Memo", BIG-LAN DIGEST
           V4:I8, February 14, 1992.

   COMER   Comer, D., "Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles,
           Protocols and Architecture", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
           NJ, 1991.

   FYI4    Malkin, G., and A. Marine, "FYI on Questions and Answers:
           Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User" Questions", FYI
           4, RFC 1325, Xylogics, SRI, May 1992.

   HACKER  "THIS IS THE JARGON FILE", Version 2.9.8, January 1992.

   HPCC    "Grand Challenges 1993: High Performance Computing and
           Communications", Committee on Physical, Mathmatical and
           Engineering Sciences of the Federal Coordinating Council for
           Science, Engineering and Technology.

   MALAMUD Malamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold,
           New York, NY, 1992.

   NNSC    "NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".

   LAQUEY  LaQuey, T. (with J. Ryer), "The Internet Companion: A
           Beginner's Guide to Global Networking", Addison-Wesley,
           Reading, MA, 1992.

   NWNET   Kochmer, J., and NorthWestNet, "The Internet Passport:
           NorthWestNets Guide to Our World Online", NorthWestNet,
           Bellevue, WA, 1992.

   RFC1208 Jacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms",
           RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.

   STD1    Postel, J., "IAB Official Protocol Standards", STD 1, RFC
           1360, Internet Architecture Board, September 1992.

   STD2    Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2, RFC
           1340, USC/Information Sciences Institute, July 1992.

   TAN     Tanenbaum, A., "Computer Networks; 2nd ed.", Prentice Hall,
           Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989.

   ZEN     Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.

Security Considerations

   While security is not explicitly discussed in this document, some of
   the glossary's entries are security related.  See the entries for
   Access Control List (ACL), authentication, Computer Emergency
   Response Team (CERT), cracker, Data Encryption Key (DEK), Data
   Encryption Standard (DES), encryption, Kerberos, Privacy Enhanced
   Mail (PEM), Trojan Horse, virus, and worm.


Authors' Addresses

   Gary Scott Malkin
   Xylogics, Inc.
   53 Third Avenue
   Burlington, MA 01803

   Phone:  [phone]
   EMail:  [e-mail]


   Tracy LaQuey Parker
   University of Texas at Austin
   Computation Center
   Austin, TX 78712

   Phone: [phone]
   EMail: [e-mail]