Cabletron Systems MMAC-Plus 9F116-01, User Manual, Page: 405 / 420

Glossary Glossary-3
D
Database
contains the files that define network configuration, subscribers, alarms and statistics.
Datagram
is the basic unit of information passed across the Internet. It is the IP equivalent of a
packet.
DCE
stands for “data circuit-terminating equipment,” which provides the functions nec-
essary for communication operations between the end-user device (see “DTE”) and
the network. “Physical DCE” refers to the hardware configuration, and “Logical
DCE” refers to the software configuration. Note that physical and logical DCE are
independent of each other; however, for each, if one end of the connection is DCE, the
other must be DTE, and vice versa.
Designated Bridge, Designated Port
is the bridge (and the FRX/FRM port on the bridge) on a LAN that provides the
minimum-cost path to the root bridge (described later).
Dial Port
is an X.25 port connected to a dialup modem.
Dotted Decimal Notation
is the syntactic representation for a 32-bit integer consisting of four 8-bit numbers (in
base 10) separated by periods. This format is used for IP addresses.
DSAP
stands for “destination service access point,” which is the address of the link service
access point (LSAP) to which a link protocol data unit (LPDU) is sent.
DTE
stands for “data terminal equipment,” which is the device at either end of a user-to-
network communications path. “Physical DTE” refers to the hardware configuration,
and “Logical DTE” refers to the software configuration. Note that physical and logical
DTE are independent of each other; however, for each, if one end of the connection is
DCE, the other must be DTE, and vice versa.
E
Encapsulation
is the process whereby one protocol layer receives a message from a higher layer and
attached a header to the message for transmission to the next lower layer or out over
the network.
Ethernet
is a LAN technology defined by IEEE standard 802.3, which supports CSMA/CD
(carrier sense multiple access/collision detection) protocol.