Cabletron Systems Cabletron BRIM-F6, Networking Manual

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Glossary-5
FDDI to Impedance
FDDI
Fiber Distributed Data Interface. A high-speed networking technology.
FDDI requires that stations only transmit data when they have been
given permission by the operation of the network, and dictates that
stations will receive information at pre-determined intervals. See also
Token
.
Fiber Optics
Network media made of thin filaments of glass surrounded by a plastic
cladding. Fiber optics transmit and receive information in the form of
pulses of light. See multimode and single mode.
File
A collection of related data.
Fileserver
A network server device which stores and maintains data files for access
and modification by users.
Firmware
The software instructions which allow a network device to function.
Flash EEPROM
See EEPROM.
FNB
Flexible Network Bus. A Cabletron Systems backplane design which
enables an FNB-configured chassis to support multiple network
technologies simultaneously.
Frame
A group of bits that form a discrete block of information. Frames contain
network control information or data. The size and composition of a frame
is determined by the network protocol being used. Frames are typically
generated by operations at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the
OSI Model
.
Gateway
A device which connects networks with dissimilar network architectures
and which operates at the Application Layer of the OSI Model. May also
be used to refer to a router.
Heartbeat
See SQE.
Hexadecimal
A base 16 numerical system. Digits in hexadecimal run from 0 to 9 and
continue from A to F, where F is equivalent to the decimal number 16.
Host
A device which acts as the source or destination of data on the network.
IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. A standards-making body.
IETF
Internet Engineering Task Force. A standards-making body.
Impedance
A measure of the opposition of electrical current or signal flow in a length
of cable.