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the computers on your home network is the location of the DNS server your ISP has
assigned to you.
Firewall
:
A firewall determines which information passes in and out of a network. NAT can
create a natural firewall by hiding a local network
’
s IP addresses from the Internet. A
Firewall prevents anyone outside of your network from accessing your computer and
possibly damaging or viewing your files.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
:
A program used to transfer files between computers
connected to the Internet. Common uses include uploading new or updated files to a web
server, and downloading files from web server.
Gateway
:
A network point that manages all the data traffic of your network, as well as to
the Internet and connects one network to another.
Head-end
:
Central distribution point for a CATV system. Video signals are received here
from satellites and maybe other sources, frequency converted to the appropriate channels,
combined with locally originated signals, and rebroadcast onto the HFC plant. The
head-end is where the CMTS is normally located.
HFC
:
Hybrid fiber-coaxial (cable network). Older CATV systems were provisioned using
only coaxial cable. Modern systems use fiber transport from the head-end to an optical
node located in the neighborhood to reduce system noise. Coaxial cable runs from the
node to the subscriber. The fiber plant is generally a star configuration with all optical node
fibers terminating at a head-end. The coaxial cable part of the system is generally a
trunk-and-branch configuration.
IEEE
:
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE sets standards for
networking, including Ethernet LANs. IEEE standards ensure interoperability between
systems of the same type.
IP Address and Network (Subnet) Mask
:
IP stands for Internet Protocol. An IP address
consists of a series of four numbers separated by periods, that identifies a single, unique
Internet computer host in an IP network. Example: 192.168.2.1. It consists of 2 portions:
the IP network address, and the host identifier.
The IP address is a 32-bit binary pattern, which can be represented as four cascaded
decimal numbers separated by
“
.
”
: aaa.aaa.aaa.aaa, where each
“
aaa
”
can be anything
from 000 to 255, or as four cascaded binary numbers separated by
“
bbbbbbbb.bbbbbbbb.bbbbbbbb.bbbbbbbb, where each
“
b
”
can either be 0 or1.
