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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 arB
e 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 definitivD
e definition of "datagram".
Authors' Addresses
Gary Scott Malkin
Xylogics, Inc.
53 Third Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803
Phone: (617) 272-8140
EMail: gmalkin@Xylogics.COM
Tracy LaQuey Parker
University of T
Ebexas at Austin
Computation Center
Austin, TX 78712
Phone: (512) 471-2444
EMail: tracy@utexas.edu
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A]A Box of Rain - A Comprehensive Database for Tracking Music Collections (CDs, Tapes, Albums)
A Box of Rain
"A Box of Rain is pleasing to the eye and has lots of useful features as well as some extravagant ones."
- Stereo ReB
view, November 1994
"A Box of Rain is an extremely versatile database that lets you get a handle on even the largest of music collections... It's worth the file's download time just to see the well-designed l
ayouts ... Designer Tom Hyde uses colors and buttons very creatively."
- Inside Filemaker Pro,
Two Shareware Gems,
DROctober 1994
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ELA Comprehensive Database for Tracking Music Collections (CDs, Tapes, Albums)
Go To Company Listing
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A Box of Rain is actually three databases interlinked through scripts and buttons.
This suite lets the user catalog albums, tapes, DATs, and CDs. Total album times are calculated for you. With just a click yB
ou can look up the lyrics for a song on an album or you can design your own tape cassette insert and keep track of those concert tapes.
You can even paste a thumbnail picture of an album, or a sound sample, an
d have them stored in the database.
A Box of Rain is one of the most comprehensive music collection tracking databases available.
Features of
A Box of Rain
Features of
A Box of Rain
A Box of Rain is available for download from America Online and Internet Sites (including mac.archive.umich.edu - pub/mac/util/filemaker/boxofrain20.sit.hqx)
For more information contact: Seastack @ aol.com
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$E!Enter Term and Press Enter
And/Or
E)Enter Definition Keywords
And Press Enter
TermT
definitionW
See also
10BaseTTRA variant of Ethernet which allows stations to be attached via twisted pair cable.X
Ethernet
twisted pair
802.xT>The set of IEEE standards for the definition of LAN protocols.X
RFC 822
:-) (Smiley)
This odd symbol is one of the ways a person can portray "mood" in the very flat medium of computers--by using "smiley faces". This is "metacommunication", and there are literally hundreds of such symbols,
from the obvious to the obscure. This particular example expresses "happiness". Don't see it? Tilt your head to the left 90 degrees. Smiles are also used to denote sarcasm.
V<Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.
abstract syntaxTdA description of a data structure that is independent of machine- oriented structures and encodings.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
S$Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1)T
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.X
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.
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
Nservices available, each with a list of the hosts permitted to use the service
Acknowledgment
Acknowledgment (ACK)
TaA type of message sent to indicate that a block of data arrived at its destination without error.V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
Negative Acknowledgement.
Access Control List
Administrative Domain
addressT
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.X
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
Caddress can be determined by the encoding inherent in an IP address
address resolutionTIConversion of an internet address into the corresponding physical address
S!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
Qpackets that can be heard by all hosts on the network. It is defined in RFC 826.
X proxy ARP
Administrative Domain (AD)TsA collection of hosts and routers, and the interconnecting network(s), managed by a single administrative authority
S3Advanced 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
Eindividual packet switching computers interconnected by leased lines.
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.X*Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
agentT
In the client-server model, the part of the system that performs information preparation and exchange on behalf of a client or server application.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
alias
TxA name, usually short and easy to remember, that is translated into another name, usually long and difficult to remember
S,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
Ithe version of the C language approved by ANSI). ANSI is a member of ISO.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X/International Organization for Standardization.
S:American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)TMA standard character-to-number encoding widely used in the computer industry.X
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.
archive site
File Transfer Protocol
ANSIW%American National Standards Institute
Application Program Interface
S 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
nimplementations exist for Localtalk, a 235Kb/s local area network; and Ethertalk, a 10Mb/s local area network.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
applicationTzA 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
0node are issues for lower layers of the network.
VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
S#Application Program Interface (API)T^A set of calling conventions which define how a service is invoked through a software package.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
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.
8Later versions provide other collections of information.
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.X
anonymous FTP
archie
Gopher
Prospero
Wide Area Information Servers
Address Resolution Protocol
ARPAW)Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
ARPANETW)Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
Autonomous System
ASCIIW2American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASN.1W
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.
VpReynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2, RFC 1340, USC/Information Sciences Institute, July 1992.X#Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
(S Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)T
A method for the dynamic allocation of bandwidth using a fixed- size packet (called a cell). ATM is also known as "fast packet"
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Acceptable Use Policy
authentication
+T8The verification of the identity of a person or process.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
Autonomous System (AS)T|A collection of routers under a single administrative authority using a common Interior Gateway Protocol for routing packets
backboneT
The top level in a hierarchical network. Stub and transit networks which connect to the same backbone are guaranteed to be interconnected.X
stub network
transit network
.S 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
/S bang pathT
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.X
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.
V'"NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet"X broadband
Ethernet.
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.V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
Abstract Syntax Notation One.
Bulletin Board System
BCNUT
Be Seein' You
Basic Encoding Rules
5S$Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND)
Implementation of a DNS server developed and distributed by the University of California at Berkeley. Many Internet hosts run BIND, and it is the ancestor of many commercial BIND implementations
6S$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.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
little-endian.
binaryT
11001001
BINDW
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
KBitnet protocol within IP packets and depends on the Internet to route them
Birds Of a Feather
BOOTPT[The Bootstrap Protocol, described in RFCs 951 and 1084, is used for booting diskless nodes.X#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.
Exterior Gateway Protocol
bounce
@TBThe return of a piece of mail because of an error in its delivery.V<Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.
bridgeT
A device which forwards traffic between network segments based on datalink layer information. These segments would have a common network layer address.X
gateway
router
BS 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
9channel operates only on a specific range of frequencies.
baseband
CS broadcastT`A special type of multicast packet which all nodes on the network are always willing to receive.X 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.
bridgerouter
Berkeley Software Distribution
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.
Kochmer, J., and NorthWestNet, "The Internet Passport: NorthWestNets Guide to Our World Online", NorthWestNet, Bellevue, WA, 1992.X
Electronic Mail
Internet
Usenet.
IS%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
CCIRNW=Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks
CCITTWAComite Consultatif International de Telegraphique et Telephonique
CERTW 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.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
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.X
connection-oriented
connectionless
packet switching
clientT
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.
OV("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
client-server model
server.
client-server modelT
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.X
client
server
Domain Name System
Network File System
CNIW#Coalition for Networked Information
RS)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
SSAComite 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.
jEvery four years CCITT holds plenary sessions where they adopt new standards; the most recent was in 1992.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
TS'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
Zreached by email at "cert@cert.org" and by telephone at +1-412-268-7090 (24-hour hotline).
X)Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
congestionTYCongestion occurs when the offered load exceeds the capacity of a data communication path
connection-orientedT
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.
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.
circuit switching
connection-oriented
packet switching
User Datagram Protocol
XSECoordinating 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.
XVQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
Federal Networking Council
RARE.
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
Fall groups must advertise paths to their networks from a core gateway.
YVQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
ZS:Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN)T
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.V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
Bitnet.
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.
hacker
Computer Emergency Response Team
Trojan Horse
virus
cyclic redundancy check
CRENW3Corporation for Research and Educational Networking
CWISW
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.V<Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.
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.
`VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
DARPAW)Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Data Encryption Key (DEK)TiUsed for the encryption of message text and for the computation of message integrity checks (signatures).X
encryption
Data Encryption Standard (DES)T&A popular, standard encryption scheme.X
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.
frame
packet.
DCAW"Defense Information Systems Agency
DCET"Data Circuit-terminating Equipment
DCEW!Distributed Computing Environment
Defense Data Network
DDN NIC
iW/Defense Data Network Network Information Center
DECnetT
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 routeTwA routing table entry which is used to direct packets addressed to networks not explicitly listed in the routing table.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
lS1Defense 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
JInternet we know today, including the Berkeley version of Unix and TCP/IP.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
ARPAnet
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
Pmilitary installations and is managed by the Defense Information Systems Agency.
X"Defense Information Systems Agency
nS9Defense 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
Gsupport services to the DDN. It is also a primary repository for RFCs.
Autonomous System
network address
Internet Registry
Network Information Center
Request For Comments
oS)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
5supports the user assistance services of the DDN NIC.
Defense Data Network
Data Encryption Key
Data Encryption Standard
dialupThA temporary, as opposed to dedicated, connection between machines established over a standard phone line
Directory Access ProtocolTbX.500 protocol used for communication between a Directory User Agent and a Directory System Agent.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
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.
tVbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
Directory User Agent (DUA)T
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.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
DISAW"Defense Information Systems Agency
wS'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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
distributed databaseT
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 EthernetW
Ethernet
Domain Name System
domainT
"Domain" is a heavily overused term in the Internet. It can be used in the Administrative Domain context, or the Domain Name context.X
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.
Fully Qualified Domain Name
}S%dot address (dotted decimal notation)T
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.
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.X
IP address.
DS1T2A framing specification for T-1 synchronous lines.X
DS3T2A framing specification for T-3 synchronous lines.X
Directory System Agent
Data Terminal Equipment
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.W J. Postel
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)T
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.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
emailW
Electronic mail
email addressT
The domain-based or UUCP address that is used to send electronic mail to a specified destination. For example an editor's address is "gmalkin@xylogics.com".V<Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.X bang path
mail path
UNIX- to-UNIX CoPy.
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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
encryptionT
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.X
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
BSense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) paradigm.
802.x
Local Area Network
token ring
Ethernet meltdownT
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.V|Comer, D., "Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols and Architecture", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1991.
S-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.X
Bitnet
S7Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)TOA standard character-to-number encoding used primarily by IBM computer systems.X
ASCII
S#Extended Four Letter Acronym (EFLA)T;A recognition of the fact that there are far too many TLAs.X
Three Letter Acronym.
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.
Autonomous System
Border Gateway Protocol
Interior Gateway Protocol
S"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.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
Abstract Syntax Notation One.
FARNETT
A non-profit corporation, established in 1987, whose mission is to advance the use of computer networks to improve research and education
Frequently Asked Question
FDDIW Fiber Distributed Data Interface
S"Federal Information Exchange (FIX)TZOne of the connection points between the American governmental internets and the Internet.
S 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
Ainclude representatives from DOD, DOE, DARPA, NSF, NASA, and HHS.
X)Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
National Science Foundation
S'Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)T
A high-speed (100Mb/s) LAN standard. The underlying medium is fiber optics, and the topology is a dual-attached, counter- rotating token ring.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
Local Area Network
token ring.
file transferTKThe copying of a file from one computer to another over a computer network.X
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.
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
bterminal location (where applicable). It may also display plan and project files left by the user
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.
Electronic Mail
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.X
Request For Comments
FQDNW
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
Efragments will be reassembled by the IP layer at the destination host
fragmentationT
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.X
reassembly
frameT
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.X
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.
LaQuey, T. (with J. Ryer), "The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking", Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1992.
File Transfer Protocol
S"Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)T
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.X
hostname
Domain Name System
For Your Information
grossT
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
Kavailable by anonymous FTP from "gated.cornell.edu". Pronounced "gate-dee".
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.
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.
archie
archive site
Prospero
Wide Area Information Servers
GOSIPW
Government OSI Profile
Government OSI ProfileT
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.VS"BIG-LAN Frequently Asked Questions Memo", BIG-LAN DIGEST V4:I8, February 14, 1992.
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.
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
Zbody of a message and contains, among other things, the message originator, date and time.
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
ihow to route between the sites, and each site (being an autonomous system) knows how to route internally.
Autonomous System
Exterior Gateway Protocol
Interior Gateway Protocol
stub network
transit network
S4High 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.
"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.
S+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
7buffers, mass-storage peripherals, and other computers.
VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X%American National Standards Institute
HIPPIW#High Performance Parallel Interface
hopTxA term used in routing. A path to a destination on a network is a series of hops, through routers, away from the origin
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.V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
host addressW
internet address
hostnameT
The name given to a machine.V<Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.X
Fully Qualified Domain Name.
host numberW
host address
HPCCW-High Performance Computing and Communications
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.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
Internet-Draft
Internet Architecture Board
IANAW#Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
ICMPW!Internet Control Message Protocol
T1Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IEEE 802W
802.x
Internet Experiment Note
IESGW#Internet Engineering Steering Group
IETFW
Internet Engineering Task Force
IINRENW;Interagency Interim National Research and Education Network
Interior Gateway Protocol
IMHOT
In My Humble Opinion
Internet Monthly Report
S*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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
CCITT.
SDInteragency Interim National Research and Education Network (IINREN)T
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.V
"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.
Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP)T
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.X
Autonomous System
Exterior Gateway Protocol
Open Shortest Path First...
Routing Information Protocol
Intermediate System (IS)TXAn OSI system which performs network layer forwarding. It is analogous to an IP router.X
Open Systems Interconnection
router
S/Intermediate System-Intermediate System (IS-IS)T
The OSI IGP.X
Open Systems Interconnection
Interior Gateway Protocol
S4International 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
Eorganizations of the 89 member countries, including ANSI for the U.S.
VWTanenbaum, A., "Computer Networks; 2nd ed.", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989.X%American National Standards Institute
Open Systems Interconnection.
internetT
While an internet is a network, the term "internet" is usually used to refer to a collection of networks interconnected with routers.X
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.
backbone
mid-level network
stub network
transit network
Internet Protocol
1Corporation 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.X
internet
Internet
IP address
S!Internet Architecture Board (IAB)T
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.X
Internet Engineering Task Force
Internet Research Task Force
S*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"
Tdocument [STD2. To request a number assignment, contact the IANA at "iana@isi.edu".
assigned numbers
S(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.V
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.
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.
Internet Engineering Task Force
Request For Comments
S*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.X
Internet Engineering Task Force
S&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.
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.X
Internet
Internet Architecture Board.
Internet Experiment Note (IEN)TqA series of reports pertinent to the Internet. IENs were published in parallel to RFCs and are no longer active.X
Internet-Draft
Request For Comments
Internet Monthly Report (IMR)T
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 numberW
internet address
Internet Protocol (IP)T
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.X
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.
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.V7"THIS IS THE JARGON FILE", Version 2.9.8, January 1992.X
talk.
S'Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG)T!The "governing body" of the IRTF.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
Internet Research Task Force.
S#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
kresearch topics. Multi-cast audio/video conferencing and privacy enhanced mail are samples of IRTF output.
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.
S"Internetwork Packet eXchange (IPX)T
Novell's protocol used by Netware. A router with IPX routing can interconnect LANs so that Novell Netware clients and servers can communicate.X
Local Area Network
interoperabilityTkThe ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from multiple vendors to communicate meaningfully
Internet Protocol
IP address
T}The 32-bit address defined by the Internet Protocol in STD 5, RFC 791. It is usually represented in dotted decimal notation.X
dot address
internet address
Internet Protocol
network address
subnet address
host address
IP datagramW
datagram
Internetwork Packet eXchange
Internet Registry
Internet Relay Chat
IRSGW Internet Research Steering Group
IRTFW
Internet Research Task Force
Intermediate System
IS-IS
W'Intermediate System-Intermediate System
ISDNW#Integrated Services Digital Network
ISOW.International Organization for Standardization
S#ISO Development Environment (ISODE)TUSoftware that allows OSI services to use a TCP/IP network. Pronounced eye-so-dee-eee.X
Open Systems Interconnection
TCP/IP Protocol Suite
ISOCW
Internet Society
ISODEW
ISO Development Environment
JKREYT
Joyce K. Reynolds
T]A popular implementation of TCP/IP and associated protocols for amateur packet radio systems.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
TCP/IP Protocol Suite.
KerberosTdKerberos is the security system of MIT's Project Athena. It is based on symmetric key cryptography.X
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.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
File Transfer Protocol
KnowbotT"An experimental directory service.X
white pages
WHOIS
X.500
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.
Open Systems Interconnection
TCP/IP Protocol Suite
listservT^An automated mailing list distribution system originally designed for the Bitnet/EARN network.X
Bitnet
"European Academic Research Network
mailing list
little-endianTjA format for storage or transmission of binary data in which the least significant byte (bit) comes first.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
big-endian.
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.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
Ethernet
Fiber Distributed Data Interface
token ring
Wide Area Network.
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.
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.
LaQuey, T. (with J. Ryer), "The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking", Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1992.X
Electronic Mail
mailing list
Usenet.
Media Access Control
MAC address
T=The hardware address of a device connected to a shared media.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
Media Access Control
Ethernet
token ring.
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
Tgateway that enforces an administrative policy with regard to what mail it forwards.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
Electronic Mail
mail gateway.
S Mail Exchange Record (MX Record)TYA DNS resource record type indicating which host can handle mail for a particular domain.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
Domain Name System
Electronic Mail.
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
Mmail exploder takes care of delivery to the individual mailboxes in the list.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
Electronic Mail
email address
mailing list.
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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
Electronic Mail.
S mail pathT
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.X 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.
Kochmer, J., and NorthWestNet, "The Internet Passport: NorthWestNets Guide to Our World Online", NorthWestNet, Bellevue, WA, 1992.X
Bitnet
Electronic Mail
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., ietf-request@cnri.reston.va.us for the IETF mailing list).
Electronic Mail
mail exploder
Metropolitan Area Network
S!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
ZMIBs. In theory, any SNMP manager can talk to any SNMP agent with a properly defined MIB.
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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU)T@The largest frame length which may be sent on a physical medium.X
fragmentation
frame
Media Access Control (MAC)TUThe lower portion of the datalink layer. The MAC differs for various physical media.X
MAC Address
Ethernet
Logical Link Control
token ring
message switchingW
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.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
Local Area Network
"Switched Multimegabit Data Service
Wide Area Network.
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.X
backbone
Internet
stub network
transit network
MIMEW%Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
S moderatorT
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.
Electronic Mail
mailing list
Usenet
Maximum Transmission Unit
Multi-User Dungeon
S multicastTjA packet with a special destination address which multiple nodes on the network may be willing to receive.X broadcast
multihomed hostT
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.
VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
router.
S,Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)T
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.X
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
zinteract in real time and can change the "world" in the game as they play it. Most MUDs are based on the Telnet protocol.
LaQuey, T. (with J. Ryer), "The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking", Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1992.X
Telnet.
S MX Record
Mail Exchange Record
Negative Acknowledgment
name resolutionT=The process of mapping a name into its corresponding address.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
Domain Name System.
S namespaceTBA commonly distributed set of names in which all names are unique.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
!S5National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
!T}United States governmental body that provides assistance in developing standards. Formerly the National Bureau of Standards.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
"S.National Research and Education Network (NREN)T
The NREN is the realization of an interconnected gigabit computer network devoted to Hign Performance Computing and Communications.
"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.X
IINREN.
#S!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)T9Response to receipt of a corrupted packet of information.X
Acknowledgement
netiquetteT>A pun on "etiquette" referring to proper behavior on a network
NetnewsW
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.X
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.
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
Uproducts by more than two hundred companies, and is now a de facto Internet standard.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
*S Network Information Center (NIC)
*TEA NIC provides information, assistance and services to network users.X
Network Operations Center
+S"Network Information Services (NIS)TUA set of services, generally provided by a NIC, to assist users in using the network.X
Network Information Center
,S%Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)TgA protocol, defined in RFC 977, for the distribution, inquiry, retrieval, and posting of news articles.X
Usenet
network numberW
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.V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
Network Information Center.
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
1time periods. It is defined in STD 12, RFC 1119.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X Internet.
Network File System
Network Information Center
NIC.DDN.MILT'This is the domain name of the DDN NIC.X
Defense Data Network...
Domain Name System
Network Information Center
Network Information Services
NISTW.National Institute of Standards and Technology
NNTPW
Network News Transfer Protocol
Network Operations Center
Nodal Switching System (NSS)T*Main routing nodes in the NSFnet backbone.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
backbone
National Science Foundation.
8T5An addressable device attached to a computer network.X
router
NRENW'National Research and Education Network
National Science Foundation
Nodal Switching System
Network Time Protocol
OCLCW
Online Computer Library Catalog
octetT
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.
@S9Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol (OSPF)
@TsA link state, as opposed to distance vector, routing protocol. It is an Internet standard IGP defined in RFC 1247.X
Interior Gateway Protocol
Routing Information Protocol
AS"Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)TqA suite of protocols, designed by ISO committees, to be the international standard computer network architecture.X.International Organization for Standardization
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.
V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X/International Organization for Standardization.
OSPFW2Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol
packetT
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.X
datagram
frame
Packet InterNet Groper (PING)T
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!"
FVbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X"Internet Control Message Protocol.
Packet Switch Node (PSN)ThA dedicated computer whose purpose is to accept, route and forward packets in a packet switched network.V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".X
packet switching
router.
packet switching
A communications paradigm in which packets (messages) are individually routed between hosts, with no previously established communication path.X
circuit switching
connection- oriented
connectionless
Public Domain
Protocol Data Unit
Privacy Enhanced Mail
PINGW
Packet INternet Groper
Point Of Presence (POP)T
A site where there exists a collection of telecommunications equipment, usually digital leased lines and multi-protocol routers
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)T~The Point-to-Point Protocol, defined in RFC 1171, provides a method for transmitting packets over serial point-to-point links.V
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.X
Serial Line IP.
POPW*Post Office Protocol and Point Of Presence
PTpA port is a transport layer demultiplexing value. Each application has a unique port number associated with it.X
Transmission Control Protocol
User Datagram Protocol
Post Office Protocol (POP)T
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.X
Electronic Mail
RS$Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT)
RTqOutside the USA, PTT refers to a telephone service provider, which is usually a monopoly, in a particular country
postmasterT
The person responsible for taking care of electronic mail problems, answering queries about users, and other related work at a site.V<Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.X
Electronic Mail.
Point-to-Point Protocol
Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM)
UTuInternet email which provides confidentiality, authentication and message integrity using various encryption methods.X
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.
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).
VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
protocol converter
XToA device/program which translates between different protocols which serve similar functions (e.g., TCP and TP4)
Protocol Data Unit (PDU)T8"PDU" is internationalstandardscomitteespeak for packet.X
packet
protocol stackTUA layered set of protocols which work together to provide a set of network functions.X
layer
protocol
[S 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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
Address Resolution Protocol
Packet Switch Node
Postal, Telegraph and Telephone
queueT'A backup of packets awaiting processing
RAREW-Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne
RARPW#Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
RBOCT
Regional Bell Operating Company
Remote copy program
Read the F*cking Manual (RTFM)THThis acronym is often used when someone asks a simple or common question
reassembly
dTqThe IP process in which a previously fragmented packet is reassembled before being passed to the transport layer.X
fragmentation
eS recursiveW recursive
regionalW
mid-level network
remote loginTeOperating on a remote computer, using a protocol over a computer network, as though locally attached.X
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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
repeaterTGA device which propagates electrical signals from one cable to another.X
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.
For Your Information
kS4Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne (RARE)T*European association of research networks.
kVbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
Reseaux IP Europeenne (RIPE)TMA collaboration between European networks which use the TCP/IP protocol suite
mS*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.
Address Resolution Protocol
BOOTP
internet address
MAC address
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.
oV|Comer, D., "Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols and Architecture", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1991.X
Electronic Mail.
Routing Information Protocol
RIPEW
Reseaux IP Europeenne
Round-Trip Time (RTT)T,A measure of the current delay on a network.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
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
routedT
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".X
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.X
bridge
gateway
Exterior Gateway Protocol
Interior Gateway Protocol
routingTYThe process of selecting the correct interface and next hop for a packet being forwarded.X
router
Exterior Gateway Protocol
Interior Gateway Protocol
routing domain
wTPA set of routers exchanging routing information within an administrative domain.X
Administrative Domain
router
xS"Routing Information Protocol (RIP)T
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).X
Interior Gateway Protocol
Open Shortest Path First...
Remote Procedure Call
RTFMW
Read the F*cking Manual
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.X
Point-to-Point Protocol
serverT>A provider of resources (e.g., file servers and name servers).X
client
Domain Name System
Network File System
Special Interest Group
S 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.X
Electronic Mail
Usenet
S$Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)T
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.X
Electronic Mail
Post Office Protocol
RFC 822
S)Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)T
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.X
Management Information Base
SLIPW
Serial Line IP
SMDSW"Switched Multimegabit Data Service
SMIW#Structure of Management Information
SMTPW
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Systems Network Architecture
snail mail
T6A pejorative term referring to the U.S. postal service
SNMPW"Simple Network Management Protocol
STDTjA subseries of RFCs that specify Internet standards. The official list of Internet standards is in STD 1.X
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.
VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
Transmission Control Protocol.
S)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.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
Management Information Base.
stub networkT
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.X
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.
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.X
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.X
address mask
IP address
network address
host address
subnet maskW
address mask
subnet numberW
subnet address
S)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.VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.X
Metropolitan Area Network.
S"Systems Network Architecture (SNA)TZA proprietary networking architecture used by IBM and IBM- compatible mainframe computers.V("NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".
TyAn AT&T term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a DS-1 formatted digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second
T3TuA term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a DS-3 formatted digital signal at 44.746 megabits per second.V
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.
TACW Terminal Access Controller (TAC)
T]A protocol which allows two people on remote computers to communicate in a real-time fashion.X
Internet Relay Chat
Transmission Control Protocol
TCP/IP Protocol SuiteT
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.X
Telnet
TELENET
TfA public packet switched network using the CCITT X.25 protocols. It should not be confused with Telnet
TelnetT
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
S Terminal Access Controller (TAC)TqA device which connects terminals to the Internet, usually using dialup modem connections and the TACACS protocol
terminal emulator
TwA program that allows a computer to emulate a terminal. The workstation thus appears as a terminal to the remote host.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
terminal serverT
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.X
Local Area Network
Three Letter Acronym (TLA)
T7A tribute to the use of acronyms in the computer field.X
Extended Four Letter Acronym
Time to Live (TTL)T
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.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.X
Internet Protocol.
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.VS"BIG-LAN Frequently Asked Questions Memo", BIG-LAN DIGEST V4:I8, February 14, 1992.
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.
802.x
Local Area Network
topologyT
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.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
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.
VbJacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms", RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.
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.X
backbone
network
S#Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)T
An Internet Standard transport layer protocol defined in STD 7, RFC 793. It is connection-oriented and stream-oriented, as opposed to UDP.X
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 RFC 1135.X
virus
TTFNT
Ta-Ta For Now
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.
Administrative Domain
twisted pairTjA type of cable in which pairs of conductors are twisted together to produce certain electrical properties
User Datagram Protocol
S Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)T
This is Greenwich Mean Time.VQMalamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1992.
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.
X$Electronic Mail See RFC 1135.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".
LaQuey, T. (with J. Ryer), "The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking", Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1992.
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.
Kochmer, J., and NorthWestNet, "The Internet Passport: NorthWestNets Guide to Our World Online", NorthWestNet, Bellevue, WA, 1992.X
Network News Transfer Protocol
UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy.
User Datagram Protocol (UDP)T
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.X
connectionless
Transmission Control Protocol
Universal Time Coordinated
UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy
virtual circuitTlA network service which provides connection-oriented service regardless of the underlying network structure.X
connection-oriented
virusT
A program which replicates itself on computer systems by incorporating itself into other programs which are shared among computer systems.X
Trojan Horse
World Wide Web
WAISW
Wide Area Information Servers
Wide area network
Working Group
white pages
ation
Berkeley
Software
Distribution
Client
Cyclic
Redundancy
Check
Directory
Agent
Encryption
Transfer
Protocol
Performance
Parallel
Interface
Hippi
Intermediate
System-intermediate
System
Is-is
Internet
Number
Maximum
Transmission
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.
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.
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.X Defense Data Network Network ...
white pages
Knowbot
X.500.
S$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
Hinfluence future searches. Public domain implementations are available.
archie
Gopher
Prospero
Wide Area Network (WAN)TWA network, usually constructed with serial lines, which covers a large geographic area.
Local Area Network
Metropolitan Area Network
World Wide Web (WWW or W3)T
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
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.
Trojan Horse
virus
With Respect To
World Wide Web
WYSIWYG
What You See is What You Get
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
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.400TWThe CCITT and ISO standard for electronic mail. It is widely used in Europe and Canada
X.500T=The CCITT and ISO standard for electronic directory services.X
white pages
Knowbot
WHOIS
eXternal Data Representation
Xerox Network System (XNS)T
A network developed by Xerox corporation. Implementations exist for both 4.3BSD derived systems, as well as the Xerox Star computers
Xerox Network System
Yellow Pages (YP)TVA service used by UNIX administrators to manage databases distributed across a network
Yellow Pages
zoneT.A logical group of network devices (AppleTalk)
(.txt)