Dual-Band Wireless A/G Broadband Router
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service” for carrying PPP (a tunneling service is any network service enabled
by tunneling protocols such as PPTP, L2F, L2TP, and IPSEC tunnel mode). One
example of a tunneling service is secure access from a remote small office net-
work to a headquarters corporate intranet via a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
that traverses the Internet. However, tunneling services are not restricted to
corporate environments and may also be used for personal (i.e., non-business)
applications.
RIP
(
R
outing
I
nformation
P
rotocol) - A simple routing protocol that is part of
the TCP/IP protocol suite. It determines a route based on the smallest hop count
between source and destination. RIP is a distance vector protocol that routine-
ly broadcasts routing information to its neighboring routers.
RJ-11
(
R
egistered
J
ack-
11
) - A telephone connector that holds up to six wires.
The RJ-11 is the common connector used to plug a telephone into a wall.
RJ-45
- A connector similar to a telephone connector that holds up to eight
wires, used for connecting Ethernet devices.
Roaming
- In an infrastructure mode wireless network, this refers to the abil-
ity to move out of one access point's range and into another and transparently
reassociate and reauthenticate to the new access point. This reassociation and
reauthentication should occur without user intervention and ideally without
interruption to network connectivity. A typical scenario would be a location
with multiple access points, where users can physically relocate from one area
to another and easily maintain connectivity.
Router
- Protocol-dependent device that connects subnetworks together.
Routers are useful in breaking down a very large network into smaller subnet-
works; they introduce longer delays and typically have much lower throughput
rates than bridges.
RTS
(
R
equest
T
o
S
end) - An RS-232 signal sent from the transmitting station
to the receiving station requesting permission to transmit.
Server
- Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access
to files, printing, communications, and other services.
SMTP
(
S
imple
M
ail
T
ransfer
P
rotocol) - The standard e-mail protocol on the
Internet. It is a TCP/IP protocol that defines the message format and the mes-
sage transfer agent (MTA), which stores and forwards the mail.
PCMCIA
- The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a
credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer,
usually a notebook or laptop computer.
Ping
(
P
acket
IN
ternet
G
roper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether
a particular IP address is online. It is used to test and debug a network by send-
ing out a packet and waiting for a response.
Plug-and-Play
- The ability of a computer system to configure expansion
boards and other devices automatically without requiring the user to turn off
the system during installation.
POP3
(
P
ost
O
ffice
P
rotocol
3
) - A standard mail server commonly used on the
Internet. It provides a message store that holds incoming e-mail until users log
on and download it. POP3 is a simple system with little selectivity. All pending
messages and attachments are downloaded at the same time. POP3 uses the
SMTP messaging protocol.
Port
- A pathway into and out of the computer or a network device such as a
switch or router. For example, the serial and parallel ports on a personal com-
puter are external sockets for plugging in communications lines, modems, and
printers.
Port Mirroring
- Port mirroring, also known as a roving analysis port, is a
method of monitoring network traffic that forwards a copy of each incoming
and outgoing packet from one port of a network switch to another port where
the packet can be studied. A network administrator uses port mirroring as a
diagnostic tool or debugging feature, especially when fending off an attack. It
enables the administrator to keep close track of switch performance and alter it
if necessary. Port mirroring can be managed locally or remotely.
PPPoE
(
P
oint to
P
oint
P
rotocol
o
ver
E
thernet) - PPPoE is a method for the
encapsulation of PPP packets over Ethernet frames from the user to the ISP
over the Internet. One reason PPPoE is preferred by ISPs is because it provides
authentication (username and password) in addition to data transport. A PPPoE
session can be initiated by either a client application residing on a PC, or by
client firmware residing on a modem or router.
PPTP
(
P
oint-to-
P
oint
T
unneling
P
rotocol) - A protocol which allows the
Point to Point Protocol (PPP) to be tunneled through an IP network. PPTP does
not specify any changes to the PPP protocol but rather describes a “tunneling
