Appendix A
Glossary
Category 5e
(Cat5e)
A high-quality type of cable, used for connections with speeds up to
2.5Gbps (2500Base-T or 2.5GBase-T). When purchasing Ethernet cables,
always look for Category 5e cable or higher.
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 discount 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
device connecting to the network. DHCP allows the service provider to
configure 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.
DOCSIS
Data Over Cable System Interface Specification. The interoperability
standards used for data communications equipment on an HFC network.
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.
EMTA
Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter. An MTA device that is
integrated with a cable modem.
Ethernet
A standard method of connecting two or more computers into a Local
Area Network (LAN).
EuroDOCSIS
The European version of DOCSIS.
Event
An informational message used for monitoring network status.
F-connector
The type of connector used on coax cable. There are two common types
of F-connector, slip-on and screw-on. Use coax with screw-on connectors
for connecting your Data Gateway.
Firewall
A hardware or software device that prevents unauthorized access to a
private network from the Internet. The DG6450 provides a built-in
firewall.
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