AG2500Series Software User’s Guide
June, 2002
47
APPENDIX D:
GLOSSARY
802.1X
An IEEE standard for local and metropolitan area networks,
called Port-based Network Access Control. It is used to
securely establish an authenticated association between the
client and the AP.
AP (Access Point)
A hardware device, or software used in conjunction with a
computer, that serves as a communications “hub” for
wireless clients and provides a connection to a wired LAN.
An AP can double the range of wireless clients and provide
enhanced security.
Ad-Hoc Mode
A client setting that provides independent peer-to-peer
connectivity in a wireless LAN. An alternative set-up is
where PCs communicate with each other through an AP (see
also
Infrastructure Mode
).
Bandwidth
The amount of data that can be transmitted by the network
“information highway”, used as an indication for speed of
data transmission. An Ethernet link is capable of moving 10
million bits of data per second.
Bit
The term used to refer to a single unit of data in digital data
communications. It takes 8 bits to make 1 byte, which is a
unit of measurement for computer data.
Bps (Bits per second)
Refers to the unit of measurement used for data transmission
speeds over a data communication link.
Bridge
A hardware device that passes packets between multiple
network segments using the same networking protocol to
connect the different network segments. Bridge operates at
the hardware layer and has no routing capabilities.
Broadband
Any high-bandwidth (see also
Bandwidth
) data
communication technology that runs at speeds of 200 Kbps
or more and allows combined transmission of voice, data,
and video over a single physical connection. Broadband is in
contrast to narrowband such as traditional 56K analog
modem. DSL, Cable, wireless, and satellite technology are
all different types of broadband technology.
Byte
A unit of data equaling to 8 bits (1 Byte = 8 bits).
DHCP (Dynamic
Host Configuration
Protocol)
An Internet protocol that allows the DHCP server to
dynamically assign IP addresses to any client workstation
(any device connected to your LAN, such as a PC) for a set
period of time and then sends them back so that they can be
reassigned to other workstations. This feature saves the ISP
and Network Managers from having to manually configure
IP addresses for each PC on the LAN.
DNS (Domain Name
System)
A mechanism that translates host domain names into its
numeric IP Address and vice-versa. A domain name is an
easy-to-remember nickname for numerical IP addresses
required by a computer, such as [email protected].
