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Appendix B: Glossary
802.11b
– One of the IEEE standards of wireless networking hardware. Products that
adhere to a specific IEEE standard will work with each other, even if they are
manufactured by different companies. The 802.11b standard specifies a maximum
data transfer rate of 11Mbps, an operating frequency of 2.4GHz, and WEP encryption
for security. 802.11b networks are also referred to as Wi-Fi networks.
802.11g
– Refers to the proposed extension of the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless
networking, which has not been ratified by IEEE. The 802.11g specifications
specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps using OFDM modulation, an
operating frequency of 2.4GHz, backward compatibility with IEEE 802.11b devices
and WEP encryption for security.
Ad-hoc Network
- An ad-hoc network is a group of computers, each with a wireless
adapter, connected as an independent 802.11 wireless LAN. Ad-hoc wireless
computers operate on a peer-to-peer basis, communicating directly with each other
without the use of an access point. Ad-hoc mode is also referred to as an Independent
Basic Service Set (IBSS) or as peer-to-peer mode, and is useful at a departmental
scale or SOHO operation.
CTS
(
C
lear
T
o
S
end) – An RS-232 signal sent from the receiving station to the
transmitting station that indicates it is ready to accept data.
Default Gateway
- The router used to forward all traffic that is not addressed to a
station within the local subnet.
DHCP
(
D
ynamic
H
ost
C
onfiguration
P
rotocol)- A protocol that lets network
administrators manage centrally and automate the assignment of Internet Protocol (IP)
addresses in an organization’s network. Using the Internet’s set of protocol (TCP/IP),
each machine that can connect to the Internet needs a unique IP address. When an
organization sets up its computer users with a connection to the Internet, an IP address
must be assigned to each machine. Without DHCP, the IP address must be entered
manually at each computer and, if computers move to another location in another part
of the network, new IP address must be entered. DHCP lets a network administrator
supervise and distribute IP address from a central point and automatically sends a new
IP address when a computer is plugged into a different place in the network.
