Networks Flashcards
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange
the type of code that tells your keys what is being typed, offering 128 characters, with one bit per character
Application Software
enables the user to perform a specific task, for example a word processer allows storage of text and simple images and web browser displays web pages
Attenuation
the loss of signal strength when transmitting signals
Batch Processing
where large amounts of information are processed all at once
Bridge
a computer networking device that creates a single aggregate network from multiple communication networks or network segments
Brouter
does the work of the bridge and router
Buffer
a temporary memory area, which holds the data for the output hardware
Character
single character, eg a s d f g h j k l ; 1 5 6
Character Set
a defined list of characters recognised by computer hardware and software
Connectivity
methods for connecting devices to each other in order to transfer data, including cabling and wireless
Data
a set of raw facts or figures with no apparent reason
Device Drivers
manages the connection with a peripheral device, handles the different requests between a computer and a device, puts a device into sleep mode if it is idle for a specified time, can control multiple peripherals using the same protocol
Disk Defragmentation
a process the reduces the amount of fragmentation on a hard drive
Domain Name System
a distributed database that matches IP addresses to computer system resources, for example, to give a domain name google instead of 173.194.34.191
Domain Space Hierarchical Structure
a way of representing the structure of URLs
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Server
a server that allocates IP addresses
EBCDIC
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
a method of character encoding that uses 8 bits instead of 7 bits like ASCII, and so is less efficient and isn’t used as much
Fibre Optic Cables
cables made of many optical fibres in plastic casing, transferring data signals in forms of light
Full Duplex
allows more than one person to transmit data at one time, unlike half duplex
Gateway
a piece of networking hardware used in telecommunications networks that allows data to follow from one discreet network to another
Half Duplex
same as walky-talkies, allows only one person to transmit data at a single time, despite all people bieng able to transmit data
Hub
node that broadcasts to every computer or ethernet-based device connected to it
Information
data which has been processed and given meaning
Integer
whole number
Interrupt
where a signal is sent that temporarily halts a program
Internet
a global computer network providing information and communication facilities, consisting of many networks
IP Address
Internet Protocol Address
an address allocated to a computer system on a network, used to uniquely identify systems on a network, allowing communication between them
Kernels
the control centre of the operating system that deals with hardware operations
LAN
Local Area Network
used for small, localised networks, such as in homes and schools
Lossless Data
a way of compressing data without removing parts, such as ZIP files
Lossy Data
a way of compressing data by removing parts, permanently changing it
compression ratio = original file size / compressed file size
MAC Address
Media Access Control Address
a 12-digit hexadecimal number that is most often displayed with a colon or hyphen separating every two digits to make it easier to read
Memory Management
the operating system allocates memory to each process, often using defragmentation, paging and segmentation
Multiprogramming
when an operating system is multi-tasking and running several programs at once
Network Interface Card
provides the computer with a connection to the network
Network Protocols
allows computers on a network to communicate
Wi-Fi
wireless, two common standards are Bluetooth and 801.11
TCP
Transmission Control Protocol
popular communication protocol which is used for communicating over a network and divides any messages into a series of packets that are sent from source to destination where it gets reassembled
IP
Internet Protocol
an addressing protocol that is often combined with TCP to use with a series of packets
HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol
allows webpages to be shared