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Troubleshooting Wireless Networks

• COPS (Common Open Policy Service Protocol)

  COPS (Common Open Policy Service Protocol) is a proposed standard protocol for exchanging network policy information between a policy decision point (PDP) in a network and policy enforcement points (PEPs) as part of overall Quality of Service (QoS) ... Continue Reading

• round-trip time (RTT)

  Round-trip time (RTT), also called round-trip delay, is the time required for a signal pulse or packet to travel from a specific source to a specific destination and back again...(Continued) Continue Reading

• Technical Office Protocol (TOP)

  Technical Office Protocol (TOP), also called Technical and Office Protocol, is a set of protocols intended for networks that perform distributed information processing in business offices... (Continued) Continue Reading

• DEN (Directory-Enabled Networking)

  Directory-Enabled Networking (DEN) is an industry-standard initiative and specification for how to construct and store information about a network's users, applications, and data in a central directory. Continue Reading

• FireWire

  FireWire is Apple Computer's version of a standard, IEEE 1394, High Performance Serial Bus, for connecting devices to your personal computer. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • 5G
  • WAN optimization (WAN acceleration)
  • SD-WAN (Software-defined WAN)
  • edge router

  • computer network
  • Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
  • Asynchronous
  • bandwidth

  View All Definitions

• VTAM (Virtual Telecommunications Access Method)

  VTAM (Virtual Telecommunications Access Method) is an IBM application program interface (API) for communicating with telecommunication devices and their users.Continue Reading

• HomeRF (home radio frequency)

  HomeRF (for home radio frequency) is a home networking standard developed by Proxim Inc.Continue Reading

• SDLC (Synchronous Data Link Control)

  (SDLC is also an abbreviation for systems development life cycle.Continue Reading

• Bearer Independent Call Control (BICC)

  Bearer Independent Call Control (BICC) is a signaling protocol based on N-ISUP that is used to support narrowband ISDN service over a broadband backbone network without interfering with interfaces to the existing network and end-to-end services.Continue Reading

• DVMRP (Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol)

  DVMRP (Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol) is the oldest routing protocol that has been used to support multicast data transmission over networks.Continue Reading

• Fast Ethernet

  Fast Ethernet is a local area network (LAN) transmission standard that provides a data rate of 100 megabits per second (referred to as "100BASE-T").Continue Reading

• TP0-TP4 (transport protocols 0 to 4)

  TP0-TP4 (transport protocols 0 to 4) are the five protocols in the Transport layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model for telecommunication.Continue Reading

• IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange)

  IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange) is a networking protocol from Novell that interconnects networks that use Novell's NetWare clients and servers.Continue Reading

• BYE packet

  A BYE (or Goodbye) packet is a type of Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) packet that is sent when a participant in a multicast event leaves the session.Continue Reading

• spanning tree protocol (STP)

  Spanning tree protocol (STP) is a Layer 2 network protocol used to prevent looping within a network topology. The protocol allows two bridges to exchange information for only one bridge to handle a given message sent between two computers within the...Continue Reading

• Dynamic Source Routing (DSR)

  Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) is a self-maintaining routing protocol for wireless networks. The protocol can also function with cellular telephone systems and mobile networks with up to about 200 nodes. A Dynamic Source Routing network can configure ...Continue Reading

• X.25

  The X.25 protocol, adopted as a standard by the Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT), is a commonly-used network protocol.Continue Reading

• GARP (Generic Attribute Registration Protocol)

  GARP (Generic Attribute Registration Protocol) is a local area network (LAN) protocol that defines procedures by which end stations and switches can register and de-register attributes, such as network identifiers or addresses, with each other...Continue Reading

• policy-based networking

  Policy-based networking is the management of a network so that various kinds of traffic - data, voice, and video - get the priority of availability and bandwidth needed to serve the network's users effectively.Continue Reading

• sniffer

  In common industry usage, a sniffer (with lower case "s") is a program that monitors and analyzes network traffic, detecting bottlenecks and problems.Continue Reading

• source quench

  Using the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), a source quench is a message from one host computer to another telling it to reduce the pace at which it is sending packet to that host.Continue Reading

• Source Quench Introduced Delay (SQuID)

  Also see SQUID, a UNIX-based program for caching Web pages and other Internet content closer to the user.Continue Reading

• Network Job Entry (NJE)

  Network Job Entry (NJE) is an application designed for the transfer of commands, messages, programs, and jobs among different computing systems in a network.Continue Reading

• n-tier

  An n-tier application program is one that is distributed among three or more separate computers in a distributed network.Continue Reading

• NBMA (non-broadcast multiple access)

  NBMA (non-broadcast multiple access) is one of four network types in the OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) communications protocol.Continue Reading

• Nagle's algorithm

  Named for its creator, John Nagle, the Nagle algorithm is used to automatically concatenate a number of small buffer messages; this process (called nagling) increases the efficiency of a network application system by decreasing the number of packets...Continue Reading

• running disparity (RD)

  Running disparity (RD or rd) is the difference between the number of logic 1 bits and logic 0 bits between the start of a data sequence and a particular instant in time during its transmission.Continue Reading

• response time

  According to the IBM Dictionary of Computing (which cites International Organization for Standardization Information Technology Vocabulary as the source), response time is: The elapsed time between the end of an inquiry or demand on a computer ...Continue Reading

• FCAPS (fault-management, configuration, accounting, performance, and security)

  FCAPS is a network management framework created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). FCAPS categorizes the working objectives of network management into five levels. The five levels are:  fault-management (F), the ...Continue Reading

• connectionless

  In telecommunication, connectionless describes communication between two network end points in which a message can be sent from one end point to another without prior arrangement.Continue Reading

• circuit-switched

  Circuit-switched is a type of network in which a physical path is obtained for and dedicated to a single connection between two end-points in the network for the duration of the connection.Continue Reading

• DTE (Data Terminal Equipment)

  In computer data transmission, DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) is the RS-232C interface that a computer uses to exchange data with a modem or other serial device.Continue Reading

• Intelligent Network (IN)

  Intelligent Network (IN) is a telephone network architecture originated by Bell Communications Research (Bellcore) in which the service logic for a call is located separately from the switching facilities, allowing services to be added or changed ...Continue Reading

• DCE (Distributed Computing Environment)

  In network computing, DCE (Distributed Computing Environment) is an industry-standard software technology for setting up and managing computing and data exchange in a system of distributed computers.Continue Reading

• duplex

  In telecommunication, duplex communication means that both ends of the communication can send and receive signals at the same time.Continue Reading

• XDMA (Xing Distributed Media Architecture)

  XDMA (Xing Distributed Media Architecture) is a network architecture for multicast streaming media transmissions.Continue Reading

• dumb network

  A dumb network is one that provides the physical interconnection between nodes but not much processing to support signaling.Continue Reading

• SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy)

  SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) is a standard technology for synchronous data transmission on optical media.Continue Reading

• corporate area network (CAN)

  A corporate area network (CAN) is a separate, protected portion of a corporation's intranet.Continue Reading

• connection-oriented

  In telecommunications, connection-oriented describes a means of transmitting data in which the devices at the end points use a preliminary protocol to establish an end-to-end connection before any data is sent.Continue Reading

• ring

  A ring is a network topology or circuit arrangement in which each device is attached along the same signal path to two other devices, forming a path in the shape of a ring.Continue Reading

• NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System)

  NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) is a program that allows applications on different computers to communicate within a local area network (LAN).Continue Reading

• Service Location Protocol (SLP)

  The Service Location Protocol (SLP) is a protocol or method of organizing and locating the resources (such as printers, disk drives, databases, e-mail directories, and schedulers) in a network.Continue Reading

• run book

  In a computer system or network, a run book is a written set of procedures for the routine and exceptional operation of the system or network by an administrator or operator.Continue Reading

• IP addressing and subnetting fundamentals

  Our IP addressing and subnetting crash course provides an overview of IP addressing-related topics network engineers need to know, including IPv4 and IPv6, subnetting, DHCP, and calculating subnet masks. For more in-depth information, visit our ...Continue Reading

• 10BASE-T

  10BASE-T, one of several physical media specified in the IEEE 802.3 standard for Ethernet local area networks (LANs), is ordinary telephone twisted pair wire.Continue Reading

• 100BASE-T

  In 100 Mbps (megabits per second) Ethernet (known as Fast Ethernet), there are three types of physical wiring that can carry signals: 100BASE-T4 (four pairs of telephone twisted pair wire) 100BASE-TX (two pairs of data grade twisted-pair wire) ...Continue Reading

• high-speed dialup

  High-speed dialup, sometimes advertised as broadband dialup, is an Internet service provider (ISP) feature that speeds up data transfer by using a special server, called an acceleration server, to act as a bridge between the user's dialup connection...Continue Reading

• Asynchronous Pulsed Radiated Incident Light

  Asynchronous Pulsed Radiated Incident Light is a multi-duplicitous communication protocol (MDCP) used to configure wireless local area networks (WLANs) on the fly.Continue Reading

• 32-bit IP addressing

  32-bit IP addressing is the IP address scheme used in Internet Protocol 4 (IPv6 uses a 128-bit system)... (Continued)Continue Reading

• graceful degradation

  Graceful degradation is the ability of a computer, machine, electronic system or network to maintain limited functionality even when a large portion of it has been destroyed or rendered inoperative. The purpose of graceful degradation is to prevent ...Continue Reading

• bottleneck

  A bottleneck is a stage in a process that causes the entire process to slow down or stop. In a communications context, a bottleneck is a point in the enterprise where the flow of data is impaired or stopped entirely... (Continued)Continue Reading

• TCP/IP troubleshooting: A structured approach -- Introduction

  This tip from WindowsNetworking.com describes a structured approach for troubleshooting connectivity problems with TCP/IP networks. This is the first of a series of articles on TCP/IP troubleshootingContinue Reading

• CompTIA Security+ exam overview

  An overview of the CompTIA Security+ exam overview including some basic facts about the exam and some analysis and perspectives of the exam.Continue Reading

• disruption-tolerant network (DTN)

  A disruption-tolerant network (DTN) is a network designed so that temporary or intermittent communications problems, limitations and anomalies have the least possible adverse impact... (Continued)Continue Reading

• Wireless network security best practices

  Don't let your wireless LAN (WLAN) jeopardize your corporate networks, servers and data. In this guide, you'll discover how to mitigate the risks WLAN pose and learn how to perform vulnerability assessments to manage potential risks.Continue Reading

• star network

  A star network is a local area network (LAN) in which all nodes (workstations or other devices) are directly connected to a common central computer.Continue Reading

• Intrusion detection systems -- introduction to IDS and IPCop

  This article, excerpted from the book "Configuring IPCop Firewalls: Closing Borders with Open Source," explores how intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) including Snort and IPCop protect the network from malicious...Continue Reading

• email response management service (ERMS)

  An email response management service (ERMS) is a set of programs that automatically handles email messages and attachments according to user-defined rules... (Continued)Continue Reading

• Network administration: Help for designing, managing and troubleshooting your network

  Network administrators are responsible for designing, managing and troubleshooting their corporate networks. This guide provides a list of tasks and helpful hints for those working in network administration.Continue Reading

• Introduction -- Chapter 1 of 'Network Analysis, Architecture and Design'

  This chapter introduces the analysis, architecture, and design processes. Described are the fundamental concepts of the processes of network analysis, architecture, and design; systems and services; as well as their characteristics and prepares the ...Continue Reading

• WATS (wide-area telephone service)

  WATS (wide-area telephone service) is a specialized form of fixed-rate long-distance telecommunication service.Continue Reading

• wideband

  Wideband is a transmission medium or channel that has a wider bandwidth than one voice channel (with a carrier wave of a certain modulated frequency).Continue Reading

• TDMA (time division multiple access)

  TDMA (time division multiple access) is a technology used in digital cellular telephone communication that divides each cellular channel into three time slots in order to increase the amount of data that can be carried. (Continued...)Continue Reading

• out-of-band signaling

  Out-of-band signaling is telecommunication signaling (exchange of information in order to control a telephone call) that is done on a channel that is dedicated for the purpose and separate from the channels used for the telephone call.Continue Reading

• E-carrier system

  To see the relationship between the E-carrier system, the T-carrier system, and DS0 multiples, see digital signal X. E1 (or E- is a European digital transmission format devised by the ITU-TS and given the name by the Conference of European Postal ...Continue Reading

• committed information rate (CIR)

  committed information rateContinue Reading

• digital loop carrier (DLC)

  DLC also is an abbreviation for Data Link Control.Continue Reading

• carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR or C/N)

  In communications, the carrier-to-noise ratio, often written CNR or C/N, is a measure of the received carrier strength relative to the strength of the received noise.Continue Reading

• microwave

  The term microwave refers to electromagnetic energy having a frequency higher than 1 gigahertz (billions of cycles per second), corresponding to wavelength shorter than 30 centimeters.Continue Reading

• in-band signaling

  In the public switched telephone network, (PSTN), in-band signaling is the exchange of signaling (call control) information on the same channel that the telephone call itself is using.Continue Reading

• baseband

  Describes a telecommunication system in which information is carried in digital form on a single unmultiplexed signal channel on the transmission medium.Continue Reading

• band

  In telecommunication, a band - sometimes called a frequency band - is a specific range of frequencies in the radio frequency (RF) spectrum, which is divided among ranges from very low frequencies (vlf) to extremely high frequencies (ehf).Continue Reading

• broadband voice gateway

  A broadband voice gateway is a device that allows you to make telephone calls over a high-speed Internet connection rather than through a regular telephone outlet without having to go through your computer.Continue Reading

• attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio (ACR) or headroom

  Attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio (ACR), also called headroom, is the difference, expressed as a figure in decibels (dB), between the signal attenuation produced by a wire or cable transmission medium and the near-end crosstalk (NEXT).Continue Reading

• ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)

  Also see Fast Guide to DSL. ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology for transmitting digital information at a high bandwidth on existing phone lines to homes and businesses.Continue Reading

• four-way server

  A four-way server is a server that incorporates a multi-core processor for increased performance... (Continued)Continue Reading

• ARCNET

  ARCNET is a widely-installed local area network (LAN) technology that uses a token-bus scheme for managing line sharing among the workstations and other devices connected on the LAN.Continue Reading

• STUN (Simple Traversal of UDP through NAT)

  Simple Traversal of UDP through NAT (STUN) is a protocol that governs the exchange of data over a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) connection by communications devices operating behind a Network Address Translator (NAT) or firewall... (Continued)Continue Reading

• CCNA exam preparation guide

  A learning guide for CCNA exam preparation with book chapters, expert advice and quiz.Continue Reading

• predictive dialer

  A predictive dialer is a telephone control system that automatically calls a list of telephone numbers in sequence, screening out no-answers, busy signals, answering machines and disconnected numbers while predicting at what point a human caller ...Continue Reading

• V.90

  V.90 is a A Tour of the Internet, Who Runs It, Standards Org, approved by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU-TS), for transmitting data downstream to modems at 56 Kbps (thousand bits per second).Continue Reading

• spread spectrum

  Spread spectrum is a form of wireless communications in which the frequency of the transmitted signal is deliberately varied.Continue Reading

• Nessus

  Nessus is an open-source network vulnerability scanner that uses the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures architecture for easy cross-linking between compliant security tools.Continue Reading

• layer 2

  Layer 2 refers to the Data Link layer of the commonly-referenced multilayered communication model, Open Systems Interconnection (OSI).Continue Reading

• Local Number Portability (LNP)

  Local Number Portability (LNP) is the ability of a telephone customer in the U.S. to retain their local phone number if they switch to another local telephone service provider.Continue Reading

• Network access control

  No network security topic is hotter these days than network access control (NAC). The general concept behind NAC is to secure the network by giving it the power to decide which endpoint devices to let in, namely those that are compliant with all ...Continue Reading

• PCS (personal communications service)

  PCS (personal communications service) is a wireless phone service similar to cellular telephone service but emphasizing personal service and extended mobility. (Continued...)Continue Reading

• two-tiered Internet

  Two-tiered Internet refers to proposed changes in Internet architecture that would give priority to the traffic of those who have paid for premium service.Continue Reading

• virtual circuit

  A virtual circuit is a circuit or path between points in a network that appears to be a discrete, physical path but is actually a managed pool of circuit resources from which specific circuits are allocated as needed to meet traffic requirements.Continue Reading

• switched virtual circuit (SVC)

  In a network, a switched virtual circuit (SVC) is a temporary virtual circuit that is established and maintained only for the duration of a data transfer session.Continue Reading

• permanent virtual circuit (PVC)

  A permanent virtual circuit (PVC) is a software-defined logical connection in a network such as a frame relay network.Continue Reading

• Network+ certification: General certification exam taking tips, Part 7

  Network+ certification: General certification exam taking tipsContinue Reading

• Network+ certification: Review of exam specifics, Part 1

  The CompTIA Network+ certification is an international, vendor-neutral industry credential that validates the knowledge of networking professionals with at least nine months of experience in network support or administration or adequate academic ...Continue Reading

• Network+ certification: Saving money with CompTIA vouchers, Part 5

  Network+ certification: Saving money with CompTIA vouchersContinue Reading

• Network+ certification: The Lowdown on the CompTIA Network+ Certification, Part 4

  Network+ certification: The Lowdown on the CompTIA Network+ CertificationContinue Reading

• CompTIA Network+ exam FAQs, Part 6

  If you have questions about the CompTIA Network+ exam, find answers in this FAQ provided by ProProfs.Continue Reading

• CompTIA Network+ certification

  Networking operators or administrators wishing to undertake the ComTIA Network+ certification test should read through the following articles. They offer clarification on some commonly asked questions (FAQs) about the Network+ exam and provides ...Continue Reading

• Network+ certification: Exam strategies, Part 2

  Before you begin to study specific components of exam, it is always good to get a general feel for the exam first. This tip provides some exam strategies to help with taking the CompTIA Network+ certification test.Continue Reading

• Network+ certification: Where does CompTIA Network+ take you? Part 3

  Network+ certification: Where does CompTIA Network+ take you?Continue Reading