Creative Broadband Blaster 8015U, User Manual

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Glossary D-3
IP Address
The address for a computer on a TCP/IP network. An IP address identifies a
particular machine on a network. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric
address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be 0 to
255, for example, 11.160.10.240 is an IP address. Any machine connected to the
Internet is assigned an IP address.
ISP
Internet Service Provider — An organization that provides Internet access to
computer users.
LAN
Local Area Network — A computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most
LANs are confined to an office, single building, or group of buildings.
Mbps
Megabits per second — A measure of data transfer speed.
NIC
Network Interface Card — A card that is installed in a computer so that it can be
connected to a network. The NIC manages the flow of network information to and
from the computer.
Packet
A unit of information, which is data of a fixed length, sent as a whole from one
device to another on a network. It contains a header with a destination address
and control information, and a payload that has the user data.
PING
’Packet Internet Groper — An Internet program used to determine whether a
specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified
address and waiting for a reply. PING is used primarily to troubleshoot network
connections.
PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol — A communication protocol that allows a computer to be
connected to the Internet.
Protocol
A set of agreed-upon rules for transmitting data between two devices. A computer
must support the right protocols in order to communicate with other computers.