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Wireless-N Home Router
Appendix F: Glossary
This glossary contains some basic networking terms you may come across when using this product. For more advanced terms, see the complete Linksys glossary at http://www.linksys.com/glossary.
Access Point - A device that allows wireless-equipped computers and other devices to communicate with a wired network. Also used to expand the range of a wireless network.
Ad-hoc - A group of wireless devices communicating directly with each other (peer-to-peer) without the use of an access point.
AES ( A dvanced E ncryption S tandard) - A security method that uses symmetric 128-bit block data encryption.
Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of a given device or network.
Bit - A binary digit.
Boot - To start a device and cause it to start executing instructions.
Broadband - An always-on, fast Internet connection.
Browser - An application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the
World Wide Web.
Byte - A unit of data that is usually eight bits long
Cable Modem - A device that connects a computer to the cable television network, which in turn connects to the
Internet.
Daisy Chain - A method used to connect devices in a series, one after the other.
DDNS ( D ynamic D omain N ame S ystem) - Allows the hosting of a website, FTP server, or e-mail server with a fixed domain name (e.g., www.xyz.com) and a dynamic IP address.
Default Gateway - A device that forwards Internet traffic from your local area network.
DHCP ( D ynamic H ost C onfiguration P rotocol) - A networking protocol that allows administrators to assign temporary IP addresses to network computers by “leasing” an IP address to a user for a limited amount of time, instead of assigning permanent IP addresses.
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DMZ ( D e m ilitarized Z one) - Removes the Router's firewall protection from one PC, allowing it to be “seen” from the Internet.
DNS ( D omain N ame S erver) - The IP address of your ISP's server, which translates the names of websites into IP addresses.
Domain - A specific name for a network of computers.
Download - To receive a file transmitted over a network.
DSL ( D igital S ubscriber L ine) - An always-on broadband connection over traditional phone lines.
Dynamic IP Address - A temporary IP address assigned by a DHCP server.
EAP ( E xtensible A uthentication P rotocol) - A general authentication protocol used to control network access.
Many specific authentication methods work within this framework.
Encryption - Encoding data transmitted in a network.
Ethernet - IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium.
Firewall - A set of related programs located at a network gateway server that protects the resources of a network from users from other networks.
Firmware - The programming code that runs a networking device.
FTP ( F ile T ransfer P rotocol) - A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network.
Full Duplex - The ability of a networking device to receive and transmit data simultaneously.
Gateway - A device that interconnects networks with different, incompatible communications protocols.
Half Duplex - Data transmission that can occur in two directions over a single line, but only one direction at a time.
HTTP ( H yper T ext T ransport P rotocol) - The communications protocol used to connect to servers on the World
Wide Web.
Infrastructure - A wireless network that is bridged to a wired network via an access point.
IP ( I nternet P rotocol) - A protocol used to send data over a network.
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IP Address - The address used to identify a computer or device on a network.
IPCONFIG - A Windows 2000 and XP utility that displays the IP address for a particular networking device.
IPSec ( I nternet P rotocol Sec urity) - A VPN protocol used to implement secure exchange of packets at the IP layer.
ISP ( I nternet S ervice P rovider) - A company that provides access to the Internet.
LAN - The computers and networking products that make up your local network.
MAC ( M edia A ccess C ontrol) Address - The unique address that a manufacturer assigns to each networking device.
Mbps ( M ega B its P er S econd) - One million bits per second; a unit of measurement for data transmission.
NAT ( N etwork A ddress T ranslation) - NAT technology translates IP addresses of a local area network to a different
IP address for the Internet.
Network - A series of computers or devices connected for the purpose of data sharing, storage, and/or transmission between users.
Packet - A unit of data sent over a network.
Passphrase - Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP encryption process by automatically generating the WEP encryption keys for Linksys products.
Ping ( P acket IN ternet G roper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online.
POP3 ( P ost O ffice P rotocol 3 ) - A standard mail server commonly used on the Internet.
Port - The connection point on a computer or networking device used for plugging in cables or adapters.
P ower o ver E thernet ( PoE ) - A technology enabling an Ethernet network cable to deliver both data and power.
PPPoE ( P oint to P oint P rotocol o ver E thernet) - A type of broadband connection that provides authentication
(username and password) in addition to data transport.
PPTP ( P oint-toP oint T unneling P rotocol) - A VPN protocol that allows the Point to Point Protocol (PPP) to be tunneled through an IP network. This protocol is also used as a type of broadband connection in Europe.
RADIUS ( R emote A uthentication D ialI n U ser S ervice) - A protocol that uses an authentication server to control network access.
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RJ-45 ( R egistered J ack -45 ) - An Ethernet connector that holds up to eight wires.
Roaming - The ability to take a wireless device from one access point's range to another without losing the connection.
Router - A networking device that connects multiple networks together.
Server - Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to files, printing, communications, and other services.
SMTP ( S imple M ail T ransfer P rotocol) - The standard e-mail protocol on the Internet.
SNMP ( S imple N etwork M anagement P rotocol) - A widely used network monitoring and control protocol.
SPI ( S tateful P acket I nspection) Firewall - A technology that inspects incoming packets of information before allowing them to enter the network.
SSID ( S ervice S et ID entifier) - Your wireless network's name.
Static IP Address - A fixed address assigned to a computer or device that is connected to a network.
Static Routing - Forwarding data in a network via a fixed path.
Subnet Mask - An address code that determines the size of the network.
Switch - 1. A data switch that connects computing devices to host computers, allowing a large number of devices to share a limited number of ports. 2. A device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit.
TCP ( T ransmission C ontrol P rotocol) - A network protocol for transmitting data that requires acknowledgement from the recipient of data sent.
TCP/IP ( T ransmission C ontrol P rotocol/ I nternet P rotocol) - A set of instructions PCs use to communicate over a network.
Telnet - A user command and TCP/IP protocol used for accessing remote PCs.
TFTP ( T rivial F ile T ransfer P rotocol) - A version of the TCP/IP FTP protocol that has no directory or password capability.
Throughput - The amount of data moved successfully from one node to another in a given time period.
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Wireless-N Home Router
TKIP ( T emporal K ey I ntegrity P rotocol) - a wireless encryption protocol that provides dynamic encryption keys for each packet transmitted.
Topology - The physical layout of a network.
TX Rate - Transmission Rate.
Upgrade - To replace existing software or firmware with a newer version.
Upload - To transmit a file over a network.
URL ( U niform R esource L ocator) - The address of a file located on the Internet.
VPN ( V irtual P rivate N etwork) - A security measure to protect data as it leaves one network and goes to another over the Internet.
WAN ( W ide A rea N etwork)- The Internet.
WEP ( W ired E quivalent P rivacy) - A method of encrypting network data transmitted on a wireless network for greater security.
WLAN ( W ireless L ocal A rea N etwork) - A group of computers and associated devices that communicate with each other wirelessly.
WPA ( W i-Fi P rotected A ccess) - a wireless security protocol using TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) encryption, which can be used in conjunction with a RADIUS server.
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