Chapter 16: Networking

Question 1

LAN

Answer 1

Local area network. A network in which the components connect through network cables; if a router is used, the network is a WAN.

Question 2

WAN

Answer 2

Wide area network. Network that spans multiple cities, countries, or continents. Network sections might be linked by leased line, Internet backbone, or satellite feed; routers connect LANs to WANs and WAN segments to each other

Question 3

client

Answer 3

Computer that uses shared resources on network.

Question 4

server

Answer 4

Computer that shares drives and other resources over a network. Peer servers can also be used as workstations; dedicated servers provide services to other computers such as file, print, email, and so on

Question 5

client/server

Answer 5

Network using dedicated servers such as Novell NetWare or Windows Server.

Question 6

peer-to-peer

Answer 6

Network in which some or all of the client PCs also act as peer servers.

Question 7

modem

Answer 7

Short for modulate-demodulate, this device converts digital computer information into analog form and transmits it via telephone system to another computer

Question 8

DUN

Answer 8

Dial-up networking. Using an analog (phone line) modem to connect to other computers.

Question 9

DSL

Answer 9

Digital Subscriber Line. A type of broadband Internet service that uses telephone lines to carry Internet traffic at speeds as high as 768Kbps or more while allowing you to use your phone for normal functions at the same time. Two major types of DSL are ADSL and SDSL. See those entries for details.

Question 10

ADSL

Answer 10

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A form of DSL that enables faster downloads than uploads. Can be provided over high-quality existing phone lines and is well suited for residential and small-business use.

Question 11

SDSL

Answer 11

Synchronous DSL. A type of DSL connection in which upload and download speeds are the same. SDSL connections are marketed to business rather than to home users and almost always require a newly installed circuit to the location and professional installation. See also DSL, ADSL.

Question 12

TCP/IP

Answer 12

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The Internet’s standard network protocol that is now becoming the standard for all networks.

Question 13

HTTP

Answer 13

Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The basis for hyperlinking and the Internet; it is interpreted by a web browser program.

Question 14

HTTPS

Answer 14

Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Sockets Layer. HTTPS connections are often used for payment transactions on the World Wide Web and for sensitive transactions in corporate information systems.

Question 15

SSL

Answer 15

Secure Sockets Layer. Predecessor of TLS. Used for securing online transactions.

Question 16

TLS

Answer 16

Transport Layer Security. Successor of SSL. A cryptographic protocol that provides security and data integrity for communications over networks such as the Internet.

Question 17

HTML

Answer 17

Hypertext Markup Language. A standard for markup symbols that enables hyperlinking, fonts, special text attributes, graphics, and other enhancements to be added to text files for display with web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. The official source for HTML standards is the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), but both Microsoft and Netscape have added proprietary features to the HTML dialects they understand.

Question 18

FTP

Answer 18

File Transfer Protocol. File transfer to or from a special server site on the World Wide Web.

Question 19

DNS

Answer 19

Domain name service or domain name server. Translates domain names into IP addresses.

Question 20

domain name

Answer 20

Unique alphanumeric identifier for websites.

Question 21

SMTP

Answer 21

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. A common Internet standard for uploading or sending email.

Question 22

POP3

Answer 22

Post Office Protocol 3. Email protocol used by client computers to download or receive email.

Question 23

IMAP

Answer 23

Internet Message Access Protocol. Second most common protocol used to download email.

Question 24

802.11a

Answer 24

A wireless Ethernet standard that uses 5GHz radio signals and provides performance at rates from 6Mbps up to 54Mbps. It is not compatible with other 802.11-based wireless networks unless dual-band access points are used.

Question 25

802.11b

Answer 25

A wireless Ethernet standard that uses 2.4GHz radio signaling for performance from 2Mbps to 11Mbps. It is compatible with 802.11g-based wireless networks but not with 802.11a-based networks unless dual-band access points are used.

Question 26

802.11g

Answer 26

A wireless Ethernet standard that uses 2.4GHz radio signaling for performance up to 54Mbps. It is compatible with 802.11b-based wireless networks but not with 802.11a-based networks unless dual-band access points are used.

Question 27

802.11n

Answer 27

A wireless Ethernet standard that uses 2.4GHz and 5-GHz radio signaling for performance up to 600Mbps.

Question 28

IrDA

Answer 28

Infrared Data Association. Defines physical specifications and communications protocol standards for the short-range exchange of data over infrared, used in personal area networks (PANs).

Question 29

VoIP

Answer 29

Voice over Internet Protocol. Delivery of voice communications over IP networks such as the Internet.

Question 30

SSID

Answer 30

Service set identifier is a user-friendly name that identifies the wireless network. It is usually set on a SOHO router device.

Question 31

WAP

Answer 31

Wireless Access Point. A device that enables connectivity between computers with wireless network adapters to create a wireless network.

Question 32

WEP

Answer 32

Wired equivalent privacy. An older wireless network security standard, succeeded by WPA.

Question 33

WPA

Answer 33

Wi-Fi Protected Access. A security protocol developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless networking. Takes the place of WEP. Uses the TKIP encryption protocol.

Question 34

star topology

Answer 34

Network topology in which a central hub or switch is connected to individual workstations with separate cables. This topology is used by Ethernet networks that use UTP cables. Wireless networks also use this topology but substitute a wireless access point in place of a hub or switch and radio waves in place of cables.

Question 35

repeater

Answer 35

Amplifies a network signal to enable it to run over longer cable than normal; hubs or switches also act as repeaters.

Question 36

hub

Answer 36

Central connecting point for UTP-based forms of Ethernet. A hub broadcasts messages to all computers connected to it and subdivides the bandwidth of the network among the computers connected to it. See switch. Also refers to a device used to enable multiple USB devices to connect to a single USB port.

Question 37

switch

Answer 37

Network device that sets a direct path for data to run from one system to another; can be combined with a router or wireless access point; faster than a hub because it supports the full bandwidth of the network at each port, rather than subdividing the bandwidth among active ports as a hub does.

Question 38

router

Answer 38

Device that routes data from one network to another. Often integrated with wireless access points and switches.

Question 39

WINS

Answer 39

Windows Internet Name Service. Method sometimes used by server versions of Windows to dynamically match NetBIOS computer names to their IP addresses (NetBIOS name resolution)

Question 40

DHCP

Answer 40

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. Provides IP addresses as required; allows a limited number of IP addresses to service many devices that are not connected at the same time.

Question 41

LDAP

Answer 41

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. Maintains distributed directory information services. Examples include email and Microsoft Active Directory.

Question 42

DMZ

Answer 42

Demilitarized zone. In network computing it is a subnetwork that provides external services. It is often between the LAN and the Internet but is controlled by the organization that also controls the LAN.