Glossary
AT&T Plug&Share
™
Wireless USB Adapter 54 Mbps 6602G
32
Access Point
Access points are the contact points (wireless
routers and transmitters) in a wireless LAN that
are connected to an Ethernet hub or server.
Users can roam within the range of access points
and their wireless device connections are passed
from one access point to the next.
Administrator
The network administrator is the person who
manages the LAN. The administrator's tasks
include ensuring network security, keeping soft-
ware, hardware, and firmware up-to-date, and
keeping track of network activity. Your router
Administrator is the person in control of access to
your router. The system starts out with all users
as administrators.
Authentication
Authentication refers to the verification of a
transmitted message's integrity.
Beacon Interval
Refers to the interval between packets sent by
routers for the purposes of synchronizing wireless
LANs.
Broadband
Usually refers to Internet connections that provide
faster data transfer than standard dial-up
connections (cable modem, DSL, T-1, etc.)
DDNS
Dynamic DNS (Domain Name System).
DHCP
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) soft-
ware automatically assigns IP addresses to client
stations logging onto a TCP/IP network, which
eliminates the need to manually assign permanent
IP addresses.
DHCP Client
The DHCP client list shows all of the computers
attached to your local network. The list shows the
host name of the computer.
DMZ
DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) is a part of an network
that is located between a secure LAN and an
insecure WAN. DMZs provide a way for some
clients to have unrestricted access to the Internet.
DNS
DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS
converts domain names to the IP addresses that
all machines on the Internet have. It translates
from name to address and from address to name.
Domain Name
The domain name is the "readable" version of an
Internet site address. A typical domain name has
the form "www.somedomainname.com" or
"www.somedomainname.org", etc.
DTIM
DTIM (Delivery Traffic Indication Message) pro-
vides client stations with information on the next
opportunity to monitor for broadcast or multicast
messages.
Filter
Filters only allow specified data to be transmitted
or received. For example, the router can filter
specific IP addresses so that users cannot con-
nect to those addresses.
Firewall
Firewalls are methods used to keep networks
secure from intruders and unauthorized access.
Firewalls use filters to prevent unwanted data
from being transmitted to and/or from a local net-
work. Firewalls are typically used to prevent out-
siders from accessing your private data
resources and for controlling what outside (WAN)
resources your users can access.
Firmware
Firmware refers to memory chips that retain their
content without electrical power (for example,
BIOS ROM). The router firmware stores all of the
router administration settings.
Fragmentation
Refers to the breaking up of data packets during
transmission.
FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used to transfer
files over a TCP/IP network, and is typically used
for transferring large files or uploading the HTML
pages for a web site to the web server.
Glossary
