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Appendix D: Glossary
Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports
Appendix D: Glossary
Adapter
- A device that adds network functionality to your PC.
Backbone
- The part of a network that connects most of the systems and networks together, and handles the
most data.
Bandwidth
- The transmission capacity of a given device or network.
Beacon Interval
- Data transmitted on your wireless network that keeps the network synchronized.
Bit
- A binary digit.
Boot
- To start a device and cause it to start executing instructions.
Bridge
- A device that connects different networks.
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.
Buffer
- A shared or assigned memory area that is used to support and coordinate different computing and
networking activities so one isn't held up by the other.
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.
CSMA/CA
(
C
arrier
S
ense
M
ultiple
A
ccess/
C
ollision
A
voidance) - A method of data transfer that is used to prevent
data collisions.
Daisy Chain
- A method used to connect devices in a series, one after the other.
Database
- A collection of data that is organized so that its contents can easily be accessed, managed, and
updated.
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.