ZyXEL Communications Prestige 724, User Manual

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Prestige 724 G.SHDSL CSU/DSU
L Glossary
Loop-reach
Loop reach defines speed that can be attained at various distances. This is very
important for DSL technology as distance from the CO (Central Office) influences
attainable speeds.
MAC On a local area network (LAN) or other network, the MAC (Media Access Control)
address is a computer's unique hardware number. (On an Ethernet LAN, it's the same
as your Ethernet address). The MAC layer frames data for transmission over the
network, then passes the frame to the physical layer interface where it is transmitted
as a stream of bits.
Multiplexor
Multiplexors or MUXs, as they are often called, are devices that combine signals
from various sources such as PBX (Private Branch Exchange), asynchronous
terminals or a bridge connected to a WAN. A multiplexor transmits these signals as a
single data stream over a digital line. Multiplexors, among other tasks, conserve
bandwidth.
Name Resolution The allocation of an IP address to a host name. See also DNS.
NetBIOS
Network Basic Input/Output System. NetBIOS is an extension of the DOS BIOS that
enables a computer to connect to and communicate with a LAN.
Network Any time you connect two or more computers together, allowing them to share
resources, you have a computer network. Connect two or more networks together and
you have an internet.
NIC
Network Interface Card. A board that provides network communication capabilities to
and from a computer system. Also called an adapter.
Node Any single computer connected to a network.
PAP
Password Authentication Protocol is a security protocol that requires users to enter a
password before accessing a secure system. The user’s name and password are sent
over the wire to a server where they are compared with a database of user account
names and passwords. This technique is vulnerable to wiretapping (eavesdropping)
because the password can be captured and used by someone to log onto the system.
Point of
Demarcation
The physical point where the phone company ends its responsibility with the wiring
of the phone line.
POP
Post Office Protocol. This is a common protocol used for sending, receiving, and
delivering mail messages.
Port
An Internet port refers to a number that is part of a URL, appearing after a colon (:),
directly following the domain name. Every service on an Internet server listens on a
particular port number on that server. Most services have standard port numbers, e.g.
Web servers normally listen on port 80.