Multicast Switching
A process whereby the switch filters incoming multicast frames for services for which no
attached host has registered, or forwards them to all ports contained within the designated
multicast group.
Layer 2
Data Link layer in the ISO 7-Layer Data Communications Protocol. This is related directly to the
hardware interface for network devices and passes on traffic based on MAC addresses.
Link Aggregation
See Port Trunk.
Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
Allows ports to automatically negotiate a trunked link with LACP-configured ports on another
device.
Management Information Base (MIB)
An acronym for Management Information Base. It is a set of database objects that contains
information about a specific device.
MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm
An algorithm that is used to create digital signatures. It is intended for use with 32 bit machines
and is safer than the MD4 algorithm, which has been broken. MD5 is a one-way hash function,
meaning that it takes a message and converts it into a fixed string of digits, also called a
message digest.
Network Time Protocol (NTP)
NTP provides the mechanisms to synchronize time across the network. The time servers
operate in a hierarchical-master-member configuration in order to synchronize local clocks
within the subnet and to national time standards via wire or radio.
Port Authentication
See IEEE 802.1X.
Port Mirroring
A method whereby data on a target port is mirrored to a monitor port for troubleshooting with a
logic analyzer or RMON probe. This allows data on the target port to be studied unobstructively.
Port Trunk
Defines a network link aggregation and trunking method which specifies how to create a single
high-speed logical link that combines several lower-speed physical links.
Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS)
RADIUS is a logon authentication protocol that uses software running on a central server to
control access to RADIUS-compliant devices on the network.
Remote Monitoring (RMON)
RMON provides comprehensive network monitoring capabilities. It eliminates the polling
required in standard SNMP, and can set alarms on a variety of traffic conditions, including
specific error types.
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