Week 1 Flash Cards Transcript

Term 1: Definition:
Network Collection of computers, printers, routers, switches, and other devices that can communicate with each other over some transmission medium.

Term 2: Definition:

Internet The network that combines enterprise networks, individual users, and ISPs into a single global IP network.

Term 3: Definition:

Instant Messaging (IM) Real-time communication between two or more people through text. The text is conveyed through computers connected over a network such as the Internet. Files can also be transferred through the IM program to share files. A good example of an IM program is Microsoft Messenger.

Term 4: Definition:

Intranet A corporate system such as a website that is explicitly used by internal employees. Can be accessed internally or remotely.

Term 5: Definition:

Extranet Part of a companys intranet that is extended to users outside the company (that is, normally over the Internet).

Term 6: Definition:

Wireless Technology Technology that allows communication without needing physical connectivity. Examples of wireless technology include cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDA), wireless access points, and wireless NICs.

Term 7:

Bits

Definition:

Binary digits used in the binary numbering system. Binary digits are units of information storage and communication in computing. Each bit can be either a 0 or a 1.

Term 8: Definition: Term 9: Definition:

Binary A numbering system characterized by 1s and 0s. Router A network device, typically connected to a range of LAN and WAN interfaces, that forwards packets based on their destination IP addresses.

Term 10: Definition:

Fault Tolerance The design on networks that can continue to operate without interruption in the case of hardware, software, or communications failures.

Term 11: Definition:

Packet When used generically, this term refers to end-user data along with networking headers and trailers that are transmitted through a network. When used specifically, it is end-user data, along with the network or Internet layer headers and any higher-layer headers, but no lower-layer headers or trailers.

Term 12: Definition:

Quality of Service (QoS) A control mechanism that can provide different priorities to different users or data flows, or guarantee a certain level of performance to a data flow in accordance with requests from the application program.

Term 13: Definition:

Bandwidth In networking, a measurement of the speed of bits that can be transmitted over a particular link. It is the amount of data that can be

transmitted in a certain amount of time. For digital bandwidth, it is usually expressed in bits per second (bps).

Term 14:

Firewall

Definition:

Any combination of hardware device and/or software application designed to protect network devices from outside network users and/or malicious applications and files.

Term 15: Definition:

Segmentation In TCP, the process of taking a large chunk of data and breaking it into small-enough pieces to fit within a TCP segment without breaking any rules about the maximum amount of data allowed in a segment.

Term 16: Definition:

Multiplexing A process where multiple digital data streams are combined into one signal.

Term 17: Definition:

Switch In Ethernet, a Layer 2 device that receives an electrical signal in one port, interprets the bits, and makes a filtering or forwarding decision about the frame. If it forwards, it sends a regenerated signal. Switches typically have many physical ports, oftentimes RJ-45 jacks, whereas bridges traditionally have two ports.

Term 18: Definition:

Host A network device that has an IPv4 address assigned to it to communicate over a network.

Term 19:

Client

Definition:

A network device that accesses a service on another computer remotely by accessing the network.

Term 20: Definition:

Host Address IPv4 address of a network host. When talking about host addresses, they are the network layer addresses.

Term 21: Definition: Term 22: Definition:

Physical Address A data link layer address, for example, a MAC address. Local-Area Network (LAN) A network created for devices located in a limited geographic area, through which the company owning the LAN has the right to run cables.

Term 23: Definition:

Internet Service Provider (ISP) A company that helps create the Internet by providing connectivity to enterprises and individuals, as well as interconnecting to other ISPs to create connectivity to all other ISPs.

Term 24: Definition:

Protocols Written specifications that define what tasks a service or device should perform. Each protocol defines messages, often in the form of headers, plus the rules and processes by which these messages are used to achieve some stated purpose.

Term 25: Definition:

Encapsulation The process by which a device adds networking headers and trailers to data from an application for the eventual transmission of the data onto a transmission medium.

Term 26:

Decapsulation

Definition:

A process by which an end device, after it receives data over some transmission medium, examines the headers and trailers at each successive higher layer, eventually handing the data to the correct application. Sometimes called de-encapsulation.

Term 27: Definition:

Segment A collision domain that is a section of a LAN that is bound by bridges, routers, or switches.

Term 28: Definition:

Frame The Layer 2 PDU that has been encoded by a data link layer protocol for digital transmission. Some different kinds of frames are Ethernet frames and PPP frames.

Term 29: Definition:

Port In networking, this term is used in several ways. With Ethernet hub and switch hardware, port is simply another name for interface, which is a physical connector in the switch into which a cable can be connected. With TCP and UDP, a port is a software function that uniquely identifies a software process on a computer that uses TCP or UDP. With PCs, a port can be a physical connector on the PC, like a parallel or USB port.