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Appendix E: Glossary
Wireless-B Ethernet Bridge
Dynamic IP Address
- A temporary IP address assigned by a DHCP server.
Encryption
- Encoding data to prevent it from being read by unauthorized people.
Ethernet
- An IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common
transmission medium.
Finger
- A program that tells you the name associated with an e-mail address.
Firewall
- Security measures that protect the resources of a local network from intruders.
Firmware
- 1. In network devices, the programming that runs the device. 2. Programming loaded into read-only
memory (ROM) or programmable read-only memory (PROM) that cannot be altered by end-users.
Fragmentation
- Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a network medium that cannot
support the original size of the packet.
FTP
(File Transfer Protocol) - A standard protocol for sending files between computers over a TCP/IP network and
the Internet.
Full Duplex
- The ability of a networking device to receive and transmit data simultaneously.
Gateway
- A system that interconnects networks.
Half Duplex
- Data transmission that can occur in two directions over a single line, but only one direction at a
time.
Hardware
- The physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other information technology devices.
HTTP
(HyperText Transport Protocol) - The communications protocol used to connect to servers on the World
Wide Web.
IEEE
(The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) - An independent institute that develops networking
standards.
Infrastructure
- Currently installed computing and networking equipment.
Infrastructure Mode
- Configuration in which a wireless network is bridged to a wired network via an access
point.
IP
(Internet Protocol) - A protocol used to send data over a network.
IP Address
- The address used to identify a computer or device on a network.
