CompTIA Terms Flashcards
6in4
IPv6 tunneling standards; one of two IPv6 tunneling protocols that can go through NAT
6to4
dominant IPv6 tunneling protocol; only IPv6 tunnel that doesnt require a tunnel broker; generally used to directly connect two routers because it normally requires a public IPv4 address
10BaseFL
fiber-optic implementation of Ethernet that runs 10 mbps using baseband signaling. 2km max length
10BaseT
Ethernet LAN designed to run on UTP cabling. runs at 10 mbps and uses baseband signaling; 100 m max length
10GBaseER/10GBaseEW
10 GbE standard using 1550-nm single-mode fiber. 40 km max cable length
10GBaseLR/10GBaseLW
10 GbE standard using 1310-nm single-mode fiber. 10 km
10GBaseSR/10GBaseSW
10 GbE standard using 850-nm multimode fiber. 300 m.
10GBaseT
10 GbE standard; runs at CAT 6a UTP cabling. 100 m cable length
10 Gigabet Ethernet (10GbE)
currently (2012) the fastest Ethernet designation availabla, with a number of fiber-optic and copper standards
100BaseFX
Ethernet LAN; fiber-optic cabling. 100 mbps using baseband signaling. 400 m max for half-duplex and 2 km for full-duplex
100BaseT
Ethernet LAN; UTP cabling; 100 Mbps using baseband signaling and uses two pairs of wires on CAT 5 or better cabling
100BaseT4
Ethernet LAN; UTP cabling; 100 Mbps and uses four-pair CAT 3 or better cabling. made obsolete by 100BaseT
100BaseTX
same as 100BaseT
110-Punchdown Block
most common connection used on the back of an RJ-45 jack and patch panels
110-Punchdown Tool
used to connect UTP wires to 110-block
802 committee
IEEE committee responsible for all Ethernet standards
802.IX
port-authentication network access control mechanish for networks
802.3 (Ethernet)
coined by Xerox for the first standard of network cabling and protocols. Ethernet is based on a bus topology. The IEEE 802.3 subcommittee defines the current Ethernet specifications
802.3ab
IEEE standard for 1000BaseT
802.3z
umbrella IEEE standard for all versions of Gigabit Ethernet other than 1000BaseT
802.11
standards for wireless
802.11a
5 GHz; 54 Mbps
802.11b
2.4 GHz; 11 Mbps
802.11g
2.4 GHz; 54 Mbps
802.11i
wireless standard w/ added security features
802.11n
increases transfer speeds and adds support for MIMO (multiple in/multiple out) by using multiple antennas. operate at 2.4 or 5 GHz; 400 Mbps
802.16
wireless standard (aka WiMax) with a range of up to 30 miles
1000BaseCX
Gigabit Ethernet; copper cabling; 25-m max cable distance
1000BaseSX
Gigabit Ethernet; multi-mode fiber cabling; 220-500 m max cable distance
1000BaseLX
Gigabit Ethernet; single-mode fiber cabling; 5 km
1000BaseT
Gigabit Ethernet; CAT 5e/6 UTP cabling; 100 m
1000BaseX
umbrella Gigabit Ethernet standard. Also known as 802.3z
A record
list of IP addresses and names of all the systems on a DNS server; maps host name to IP address
Acceptable Use Policy
document that defines what a person may and may not do on an organizations computers and networks
ACL
Access Control List; list of permissions that specifies what actions an authenticated user may perform on a shared resource.
Active Directory
directory service used in networks with Windows servers. organization of related computers that share one or more Windows domains.
Activity Light
an LED on a NIC, hub, or switch that blinks rapidly to show data transfers over the network
Ad Hoc Mode
wireless networking mode where each mode is in direct contact with every other node in a decentralized free-for-all. Ad hoc mode is similar to mesh topology
ARP
address resolution protocol; TCP/IP based thats used with the command-line utility of the same name to determine the MAC address that corresponds to a particular IP address
ADSL
asymmetric digital subscriber line;
AES
Advanced Encryption Standard; block cipher created in the late 1990s that uses a 128-bit block size and a 128-, 192-, or 256-bit key size. Practically uncrackable
Adware
program that monitors the types of web sites you frequent and uses that information to generate targeted advertisements, usually pop-up windows
Aggregation
router hierarchy in which every router underneath a higher router always uses a subnet of that router’s existing routes
Algorithm
set of rules for solving a problem in a given number of steps
Anycast
method of addressing groups of computers as though they were a single computer. anycasting starts by giving a number of computers the same IP address. Advanced routers then send incoming packets to the closest of the computers.
Apache HTTP server
open-source HTTP server program that runs on a wide variety of operating systems
Application Log
tracks application events
Archive Bit
attribute of a file that shows whether the file has been backed up since the last change. each time a file is opened, changed, or saved, the archive bit is turned on. some types of backups turn off this archive bit to indicate that a good backup of the file exist on tape.
Area ID
address assigned to routers in an OSPF network to prevent flooding beyond the routers in that particular network. See OSPF
arping
command used to discover hosts on a network, similar to ping, but that relies on ARP rather than ICMP. Arping command wont cross any routers, so it will only work within a broadcast domain. See ARP and ping.
ADSL
asymmetric digital subscriber line; fully digital, dedicated connection to the telephone system that provides download speeds of up to 9 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1 Mbps
Asymmetric-Key Algorithm
encryption method in which the key used to encrypt a message and they key used to decrypt it are different, or asymmetrical
ATM
asynchronous transfer mode; network technology that runs at speeds between 25 and 622 Mbps using fiber-optic cabling or CAT 5 or better UTP
Attenuation
degradation of a signal as it progresses down the network cable
Authentication
proves good data traffic truly came from where it says it originated by verifying the sending and receiving users and computers
AAA
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting; security philosophy wherein a computer trying to connect to a network must first present some form of credential in order to be authenticated and then must have limitable permissions within the network. The authenticating server should also record session information about the client
AS (authentication server)
authentication server; In kerberos, a system that hands out Ticket-Granting tickets to clients after comparing the client has its own.
Authoritative DNS Servers
DNS servers that hold the IP addresses and names of systems for a particular domain or domains in special storage areas called ‘forward lookup zones’.
Authorization
step in AAA philosophy during which a client’s permissions are decided upon
APIPA
automatic private IP addressing; enabled DHCP clients to self-configure an IP address and subnet mask automatically when DHCP server isnt available
AS (autonomouse system)
one or more networks that are governed by a single protocol within that AS, which provides routing for the internet backbone
BDR
backup designated router
Bandwidth
max amount of data transferred through a cable per second
Baseband
digital signaling that has only one signal on the cable at a time. signal is one of three states; one, zero, or idle
Baseline
static image of a systems (or network’s) performance when all elements are known to be working properly
Basic NAT
translates a computers private or internal IP address to a global IP address on a one-to-one basis
BRI
basic rate interface; basic ISDN configuration, which consists of two B channels (which can carry voice or data at a rate of 64 Kbps) and one D channel (carries setup and configuration info, as well as data at 16 Kbps)
BSS
basic service set; wireless networking, single access point servicing a given area
BSSID
basic service set identifier (BSSID); name scheme in wireless networks
Baud
one analog cycle on a telephone line
Baud Rate
number of bauds per second
B Channel
Bearer channel - type of ISDN channel that carries data and voice info using standard DS0 channels at 64 kbps
BERT
Bit error rate test (BERT) end-to-end test that verifies a T-carrier connection
Block cipher
encryption algorithm which data is encrypted in ‘chunks’ of a certain length at a time. popular in wired networks
BNC Connector
connected used for 10Base2 coaxial cable. All BNC connectors have to be locked into place by turning the locking ring 90 degrees
Bonding
two or more NIC’s in a system working together to act as a single NIC to increase performance
BOOTP
bootstrap protocol; component of TCP/IP that allows computers to discover and receive an IP address from DHCP server prior to booting the OS. Other items that may be discovered during the BOOTP process are the IP address of the default gateway for the subnet and the IP addresses of any name servers
BGP-4
border gateway protocol; exterior gateway routing protocol that enables groups of routers to share routing information so that efficient, loop-free routes can be established
Botnet
group of computers under the control of one operator, used for malicious purposes
Bps
bits per second; measurement of how fast data is moved across a transmission medium. Gigabit Ethernet connection moves 1,000,000,000 bps.
Bridge
device that connects two networks and passes traffic between them based on node address
Bridge Loop
negative situation in which bridging devices (usually switches) are installed in a loop configuration, causing frames to loop continuously. Switches using STP prevent bridge loops by automatically turning off looping ports.
formula to determine number of host
2 to the power of x minus 2; x = number of 0’s in subnet mask
formula to determine number of subnets
2 to the power of y; y = number of bits added to subnet mask
Bridged Connection
early type of DSL connection that made the DSL line function the same as if you snapped an Ethernet cable into your NIC
Broadband
analog signaling that sends multiple signals over the cable at the same time. (ex: cable televesion)
Broadcast
frame or packet addressed to all machines, almost always limited to a broadcast domain
Broadcast address
the address a NIC attaches to a frame when it wants every other NIC on the network to read it. In TCP/IP, general broadcast address is 255.255.255.255. In Ethernet, the broadcast MAC address is FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF.
Broadcast domain
network of computers that will hear each others broadcasts. The older term collision domain is the same, but rarely used today.
Broadcast Storm
one or more devices sending a nonstop flurry of broadcast frames on the network
Bus topology
network topology that uses a single bus cable that connects all of the computers in line. must be terminated to prevent signal reflection.
Butt Set
device that can tap into a 66- or 110-punchdown block to see if a particular line is working
CAB Files
cabinet files - files are compressed and most commonly used during Microsoft operating system installation to store many smaller files, such as device drivers
Cable Modem
a bridge device that internconnects the cable company’s DOCSIS service to the user’s Ethernet network. in most locations, the cable modem is the demarc.
Cable stripper
device that enables the creation of UTP cables
Cable tester
generic name for a device that tests cables. some common test for continuity, electrical shorts, crossed wires or other electrical characteristics.
Cable Tray
organizes cable runs in a drop ceiling
Cache-Only DNS servers
DNS servers taht do not have any forward lookup zones. Resolve names of systems on the internet for the network, but are not responsible for telling other DNS servers the names of any clients.
cache lookup
list kept by DNS server of IP addresses is has already resolved so it wont have to re-resolve a FQDN it has already checked
CNAME
canonical name - less common type of DNS record that acts as a computer’s alias
CSMA/ CA
carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance
CSMA/ CD
carrier sense multiple access with collision detection
CAT 3
UTP wiring; up to 16 Mbps
CAT 5
UTP wiring; up to 100 Mbps
CAT 5e
UTP wiring; improved support for 100 Mbps using two pairs and support for 1000 Mbps using four pairs
CAT 6
UTP wiring; support for 1000 Mbps
Category (CAT) rating
rated in megahertz (MHz), indicating the highest frequency bandwidth the cable can handle
Certificate
public encryption key signed with the digital signature from a trusted third party called a CA, certificate authority. key serves to validate the identity of its holder when that person or company sends data to other parties
CHAP
challenge handshake authentication protocol; remote access authentication protocol. serving system challenge the remote client, which much provide an encrypted password
Channel
portion of wireless spectrum on which a particular wireless network operates; setting wireless networks to different channels enables separation of the networks
Channel Bonding
wireless technology that enables WAPs to use two channels for transmission
CSU/DSU
channel service unit/ digital service unit;
checksum
simple error-detection method that adds a numerical value to each data packet, based on the number of data bits in the packet. receiving node applies the same formula to the data and verifies it. if numerical value is not the same, data has been corrupted and must be re-sent
circuit switching
process for connecting two phones together on one circuit
Cladding
part of a fiber-optic cable that makes the light reflect down the fiber
CIDR
Classless Inter-Domain Routing; method of categorizing IP addresses in order to distribute them. in correlation to subnetting.
