LIF200 User Manual
26
Half Duplex
– Data transmission that can occur in two directions over a single line, but only one direction
at a time.
Hardware
– Hardware is the physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other information
technology devices. The term arose as a way to distinguish the “box” and the electronic circuitry and
components of a computer from the program you put in it to make it do things. The program came to be
known as the software.
Hub
– The device that serves as the central location for attaching wires from workstations. Can be passive,
where there is no amplification of the signals; or active, where the hubs are used like repeaters to provide
an extension of the cable that connects to a workstation.
HTTP (Hyper-Text Transport Protocol)
– The communications protocol used to connect to servers on
the World Wide Web. Its primary function is to establish a connection with a Web server and transmit
HTML pages to the client browser.
MAC Address
– The MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique number assigned by the
manufacturer to any Ethernet networking device, such as a network adapter, that allows the network to
identify it at the hardware level.
Mbps (Mega-Bits per Second)
– One million bits per second; unit of measurement for data transmission.
IP Address
– In the most widely installed level of the Internet Protocol (IP) today, an IP address is a 32-
binary digital number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the
Internet. When you request an HTML page or send e-mail, the Internet Protocol part of TCP/IP includes
your IP address in the message (actually, in each of the packets if more than one is required) and sends it
to the IP address that is obtained by looking up the domain name in the Uniform Resource Locator you
requested or in the e-mail address you're sending a note to. At the other end, the recipient can see the IP
address of the Web page requestor or the e-mail sender and can respond by sending another message using
the IP address it received.
IPCONFIG
– A utility that provides for querying, defining, and managing IP addresses within a network.
A commonly used utility, under Windows NT and 2000, for configuring networks with static IP addresses.
ISP
– An ISP (Internet service provider) is a company that provides individuals and companies access to
the Internet and other related services such as website building and virtual hosting.
Packet
– A unit of data routed between an origin and a destination in a network.
Network Mask
– Also known as the “Subnet Mask.”
NIC (Network Interface Card)
– A board installed in a computer system, usually a PC, to provide network
communication capabilities to and from that computer system. Also called an adapter.
