Glossary
The following is a list of common cable and networking terms.
Category 5e (Cat5e)
A high-quality type of cable, used for gigabit Ethernet (1000BaseT) connec-
tions. When purchasing Ethernet cables, always look for Category 5e cable.
Coaxial cable (coax)
A thin wire, used to connect your television and Data Gateway to the cable
TV system. You can buy coax from any electronics retailer and many dis-
count stores.
CPE
Customer Premise Equipment. This is the equipment that is plugged in to the
Data Gateway; typically a computer or hub.
Cross-over
An Ethernet cable used to connect two hubs (or a hub and a cable modem)
together. Also, some Ethernet hubs may have built-in cross-over on one or
more ports (which eliminates the need for a cross-over cable).
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. An IP protocol used to provide an IP
address and location of services (such as DNS and TFTP) needed by a de-
vice connecting to the network. DHCP allows the cable company to con figure
your computer’s networking software for you.
DNS
Domain Name Service (Server). An IP service that associates a domain
name (such as www.example.com) with an IP address.
Downstream
In an HFC network, the direction from the head-end to the subscriber. Some
older cable documentation may refer to this as the forward path.
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