Appendix A
Glossary
Category 5e (Cat5e)
A high-quality type of cable, used for connections with speeds
up to 2.5Gbps (2500Base-T or 2.5GBase-T). When purchasing
Ethernet cables, always look for Category 5e cable or higher.
Coaxial cable (coax)
A thin wire, used to connect your television and Data Gateway
to the cable TV system. You can buy coax from any electronics
retailer and many discount stores.
CPE
Customer Premise Equipment. This is the equipment that is
plugged in to the Data Gateway; typically a computer or hub.
Cross-over
An Ethernet cable used to connect two hubs (or a hub and a
cable modem) together. Also, some Ethernet hubs may have
built-in cross-over on one or more ports (which eliminates the
need for a cross-over cable).
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. An IP protocol used to
provide an IP address and location of services (such as DNS
and TFTP) needed by a device connecting to the network.
DHCP allows the service provider to configure your computer's
networking software for you.
DNS
Domain Name Service (Server). An IP service that associates a
domain name (such as www.example.com) with an IP address.
DOCSIS
Data Over Cable System Interface Specification. The
interoperability standards used for data communications
equipment on an HFC network.
Downstream
In an HFC network, the direction from the head-end to the
subscriber. Some older cable documentation may refer to this
as the forward path.
EMTA
Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter. An MTA device that is
integrated with a cable modem.
Ethernet
A standard method of connecting two or more computers into a
Local Area Network (LAN).
EuroDOCSIS
The European version of DOCSIS.
Event
An informational message used for monitoring network status.
F-connector
The type of connector used on coax cable. There are two
common types of F-connector, slip-on and screw-on. Use coax
with screw-on connectors for connecting your Data Gateway.
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