Using the Network Interface
Network Terminology
8-2
SPARCbook Portable Workstation User Guide
Network Terminology
Some of the terms used in this chapter are explained below:
AUI
Attachment Unit Interface. A widely-used standard
Ethernet connection and electrical interface.
Client
A network client machine is a system that uses the
services provided by a server machine for disk storage
space, printer access or some other network-wide service.
Domain
The name assigned to a group of machines within an
organization on a site is called a domain.
DNS
Domain Name Service (DNS). A service that allows
systems on a network to find out the names of other
systems on a network from a server.
Hostname
The name given to a computer so that it can be referred to
easily by other users on the network.
Internet
The name given to a wide area network that spans the
world. Many computers connected to an Ethernet local
area network (LAN) are part of or have access to the
Internet.
IP Address
A unique number assigned to each machine on the
network. Each system address has a corresponding
system name, or hostname.
NFS
The Network File System (NFS) allows you to use
directories or files on a remote machine as if they were
actually on your own computer.
NIS
Network Information Service (NIS). A service that
allows systems on a network to find out the names of
other systems on a network from a server. This is not
recommended for SPARCbooks that are frequently
operated away from the network.
S3UG4_Book Page 2 Friday, August 8, 1997 11:37 am
