Infrastructure Definitions

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  • R

    Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)

    Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) is a protocol a physical machine in a local area network (LAN) can use to request its IP address.

  • ROADM (reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer)

    An ROADM (reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer) is a device that can add, block, pass or redirect modulated infrared (IR) and visible light beams of various wavelengths in a fiber optic network. ... (Continued)

  • route summarization (route aggregation)

    Route summarization -- also known as route aggregation -- is a method to minimize the number of routing tables in an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

  • router

    A router is a physical or virtual appliance that passes information between two or more packet-switched computer networks.

  • Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

    Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is a distance vector protocol that uses hop count as its primary metric.

  • routing table

    A routing table is a set of rules, often viewed in table format, that's used to determine where data packets traveling over an Internet Protocol (IP) network will be directed.

  • S

    SD-branch

    SD-branch is a single, automated, centrally managed software-centric platform that replaces or supplements an existing branch network architecture.

  • SDN controller (software-defined networking controller)

    A software-defined networking controller is an application in SDN architecture that manages flow control for improved network management and application performance.

  • secure access service edge (SASE)

    Secure access service edge, also known as SASE and pronounced sassy, is a cloud architecture model that bundles network and cloud-native security technologies together and delivers them as a single cloud service.

  • Seebeck effect

    The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.

  • serial digital interface (SDI)

    Serial digital interface (SDI) is a standard for digital video and audio transmission over coaxial or fiber optic cabling.

  • Server Message Block protocol (SMB protocol)

    The Server Message Block protocol (SMB protocol) is a client-server communication protocol used for sharing access to files, printers, serial ports and other resources on a network.

  • Service Profile Identifier (SPID)

    In telecommunications, a Service Profile Identifier (SPID) is a number assigned by a phone company to a terminal on an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) B-channel.

  • session border controller (SBC)

    A session border controller (SBC) is a dedicated hardware device or software application that governs the manner in which phone calls are initiated, conducted and terminated on a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

  • session layer

    The session layer is Layer 5 of the OSI communications model. It is the long-lived logical connection that persists between endpoints over time.

  • shielded twisted pair (STP)

    Shielded twisted pair (STP) is a special kind of copper telephone and local area network (LAN) wiring used in some business installations.

  • signal-to-noise ratio (S/N or SNR)

    In analog and digital communications, a signal-to-noise ratio, often written S/N or SNR, is a measure of the strength of the desired signal relative to background noise (undesired signal).

  • Signaling System 7 (SS7)

    Signaling System 7 (SS7) is an international telecommunication protocol standard that defines how the network elements in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) exchange information and control signals.

  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

    Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an application-layer protocol for monitoring and managing network devices on a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).

  • single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO)

    Single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO) is a multitransmitter and receiver technology that lets a wireless access point send multiple, simultaneous data streams to one compatible endpoint at a time.

  • sliding window (windowing)

    The sliding window (windowing) technique is used by Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to manage the flow of packets between two computers or network hosts.

  • small cell

    A small cell is an umbrella term used to describe a miniature radio access point or wireless network base station with a low radio frequency power output, footprint and range.

  • software-defined networking (SDN)

    Software-defined networking (SDN) is an architecture that abstracts different, distinguishable layers of a network to make networks agile and flexible.

  • Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

    Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a Layer 2 network protocol used to prevent looping within a network topology.

  • split horizon

    Split horizon is a method used by distance vector protocols to prevent network routing loops.

  • star network

    A star network is a local area network (LAN) topology in which all nodes -- personal computers (PCs), workstations or other devices -- are directly connected to a common central computer that is often referred to as a hub.

  • Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP)

    Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is a connection-oriented network protocol for transmitting multiple streams of data simultaneously between two endpoints that have established a connection in a network.

  • subcarrier

    A subcarrier is a secondary modulated signal frequency modulated into the main frequency (the carrier) to provide an additional channel of transmission.

  • subnet (subnetwork)

    A subnet, or subnetwork, is a segmented piece of a larger network.

  • Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS)

    Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS) is a public, packet-switched service aimed at enterprises that need to exchange large amounts of data with other enterprises over the wide area network on a nonconstant or bursty basis.

  • Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC)

    Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC) is a transmission protocol used to synchronously transfer code-transparent, serial-by-bit data over a communications channel.

  • Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)

    Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) is a group of fiber optic transmission rates that transport digital signals with different capacities.

  • Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)

    Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) is a North American standard for synchronous data transmission over optical fibers.

  • T

    TCP/IP

    TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and is a suite of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet.

  • telecommunications (telecom)

    Telecommunications, also known as telecom, is the exchange of information over significant distances by electronic means and refers to all types of voice, data and video transmission.

  • telematics

    Telematics is a term that combines the words telecommunications and informatics to describe the use of communications and IT to transmit, store and receive information from devices to remote objects over a network.

  • Telnet

    Telnet is a network protocol used to virtually access a computer and provide a two-way, collaborative and text-based communication channel between two machines.

  • ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM)

    Ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) is a specialized type of high-speed memory that searches its entire contents in a single clock cycle.

  • thin client (lean client)

    A thin client (or lean client) is a virtual desktop computing model that runs on the resources stores on a central server instead of a computer's resources.

  • throughput

    Throughput is a measure of how many units of information a system can process in a given amount of time.

  • time-to-live (TTL)

    Time-to-live (TTL) is a value for the period of time that a packet, or data, should exist on a computer or network before being discarded.

  • token ring

    A token ring is a data link for a local area network (LAN) in which all devices are connected in a ring or star topology and pass one or more tokens from host to host.

  • top-of-rack switching

    Top-of-rack switching is a data center architecture design in which computing equipment like servers, appliances and other switches located within the same or adjacent rack connect to an in-rack network switch.

  • traffic shaping

    Traffic shaping, also known as packet shaping, is a congestion management method that regulates network data transfer by delaying the flow of less important or less desired packets.

  • Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

    Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a standard that defines how to establish and maintain a network conversation by which applications can exchange data.

  • transport layer

    The transport layer is Layer 4 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) communications model. It is responsible for ensuring that the data packets arrive accurately and reliably between sender and receiver.

  • trunk (trunking)

    A network trunk is a communications line or link designed to carry multiple signals simultaneously to provide network access between two points.

  • U

    Universal Service Fund (USF)

    The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a United States government program that supports telecommunications access and affordability in rural and low-income communities.

  • unshielded twisted pair (UTP)

    Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) is a ubiquitous type of copper cabling used in telephone wiring and local area networks (LANs).

  • URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

    A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a unique identifier used to locate a resource on the Internet.

  • User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

    User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a communications protocol primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerating connections between applications on the internet.

  • Uuencode (Uuencode/Uudecode)

    Uuencode (also called Uuencode/Uudecode) is a popular utility for encoding and decoding files exchanged between users or systems in a network.

  • V

    Variable Length Subnet Mask (VLSM)

    Variable Length Subnet Mask (VLSM) is a subnet -- a segmented piece of a larger network -- design strategy where all subnet masks can have varying sizes.

  • virtual network adapter

    A virtual network adapter is software that operates like a physical network adapter within the host operating system (OS) or through an application installed on the endpoint or server.

  • virtual network functions (VNFs)

    Virtual network functions (VNFs) are virtualized tasks formerly carried out by proprietary, dedicated hardware.

  • virtual networking

    Virtual networking is the abstraction of network resources from the underlying physical network infrastructure.

  • virtual routing and forwarding (VRF)

    Virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) is a technology included in Internet Protocol (IP) network routers that enables multiple instances of a routing table to exist in a virtual router and work simultaneously.

  • visitor-based networking (visitor-based network)

    Visitor-based networking (VBN) is a computer network with high-speed internet access provided by an organization for temporary use by visitors, guests or other users in a public area.

  • VLAN (virtual LAN)

    A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a logical overlay network that groups together a subset of devices that share a physical LAN, isolating the traffic for each group.

  • W

    WAN (wide area network)

    A wide area network (WAN) is a geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs).

  • wavelength

    Wavelength is the distance between identical points (adjacent crests) in the adjacent cycles of a waveform signal propagated in space or along a wire.

  • well-known port numbers

    The well-known port numbers are the port numbers that are reserved for assignment by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for use by the application end points that communicate using the Internet's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or the User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

  • wireless mesh network (WMN)

    A wireless mesh network (WMN) is a mesh network created through the connection of wireless access point (WAP) nodes installed at each network user's locale.

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