G L O S S A R Y 1 6
5
SIP
Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP). Developed by the
Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF), this is a signaling
protocol designed to be much
more simple and flexible than
the H.323 protocol. SIP uses
the existing Internet and HTML
structures to provide VoIP
transmissions. In addition, SIP
is more scalable, allowing
applications to grow in scope
without any concern for the
existing architecture. SIP gives
network managers the
flexibility to select any type of
architecture, from a heavily
centralized network controlled
extensively by a server, to a
less concentrated network
where intelligence is found at
the endpoints that
communicate directly with
each other.
Serial Port
Serial Ports are physical ‘plug-
ins’. They allow two devices to
exchange information or data.
A Serial Cable is used to
connect the two Serial Ports
together.
SOHO
Acronym for Small Office/Home
Office. It’s a burgeoning market
comprised of solo
professionals, part-time work-
at-homes, telecommuters and
small businesses.
Tel Lines 1, 2, 3, or 4
A port or plug-in on the back
panel of TalkSwitch which can
accept a RJ-11 plug from either
a telephone line or PBX system.
A single line telephone cable
can be plugged into this port
and will become a usable
TalkSwitch Line.
Telephone Keypad
The collection of push buttons
on a touch-tone telephone.
Telephone Wall Jack
A wall outlet for a standard
telephone jack.
Touch-tone telephone
A push-button telephone
which emits distinctive (DTMF)
tones as different buttons on
the keypad are pressed.
Two Line Telephone
A telephone which allows you
to make and receive calls on
two separate telephone lines.
TX/RX
An acronym for transmit and
receive.
USB
Short for Universal Serial Bus,
the USB connection supports
more bandwidth than a serial
or parallel connection.
Virtual Extension
A telephone or other
communications device not
physically connected to
TalkSwitch as an extension,
but which provides the same
functionality. In general, the
term ‘virtual’ distinguishes
something that is merely
conceptual from something
that has physical reality.