Lucent Technologies PortMaster - Manual (Page 297)

A-1
Networking Concepts A
This chapter describes general network concepts that you must understand before you
configure your PortMaster.
This chapter discusses the following topics:
• “Network Addressing” on page A-1
• “Using Naming Services and the Host Table” on page A-8
• “Managing Network Security” on page A-9
See the PortMaster Routing Guide for information on routing and how Lucent’s ComOS
implements routing protocols. See the glossary for unfamiliar terms.
Network Addressing
PortMaster products support packet routing using both IP and IPX protocols. The
Internet Protocol (IP) is a packet-based protocol used to exchange data over computer
networks. IP provides addressing and control information that allows data packets to be
routed across networks.
Novell Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) is another protocol used to exchange data
over PC-based networks. IPX uses Novell’s proprietary Service Advertising Protocol
(SAP) to advertise special services such as print and file servers.
IP Addressing
IP address descriptions are found in RFC 1166, Internet Numbers. Refer to “Additional
References” in the preface for more information. The Internet Network Information
Center (InterNIC) maintains and distributes the RFC documents. The InterNIC also
assigns IP addresses and network numbers to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), who in
turn provide to their customers a range of addresses appropriate to the number of host
devices on their network.
The sections that follow describe the various types of IP addresses, how addresses are
given, and routing issues related to IP.