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License
Glossary
broadband
High-speed telecommunication over a wide range of frequencies, typically 256 Kbps or faster. Broadband enables more information to
be transmitted in less time. The most common broadband service types available to home and small-office users are cable modem or
DSL. Both cable modem and DSL are much faster than a traditional dial-up Internet connection.
broadband service
provider
If you have a cable modem, the cable company from which you subscribe to high-speed data service.
If you have a DSL modem, the company from which you subscribe to DSL service.
cable modem
A device enabling a broadband connection to the Internet over cable television lines. It requires a subscription for high-speed data
service from your local broadband service provider.
coaxial cable
(coax)
A type of wire consisting of a center wire surrounded by insulation and a grounded shield of braided wire traditionally used mainly to
carry cable television signals. The shield minimizes electrical and radio frequency interference.
digital subscriber
line (DSL) modem
A device enabling a broadband connection to the Internet over traditional telephone lines that support DSL. It requires a subscription
for DSL service from your local telephone company.
Domain Name
System (DNS)
The DNS is the Internet system for converting domain names to IP addresses. A DNS server contains a table matching domain names
such as Internetname.com to IP addresses such as 192.169.9.1. When you access the world-wide web, a DNS server translates the
URL displayed on the browser to the destination website IP address. The DNS lookup table is a distributed Internet database; no one
DNS server lists all domain name to IP address matches.
download
To copy a file from one computer to another. You can use the Internet to download files from a server to your home computer.
downstream
In a cable data or DSL network, downstream describes the direction of data received by your computer from the Internet.
Dynamic Host
Configuration
Protocol (DHCP)
A DHCP server dynamically assigns IP addresses to client hosts on an IP network. DHCP eliminates the need to manually assign
static IP addresses by “leasing” an IP address and subnet mask to each client. It enables the automatic reuse of unused IP addresses.
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