Multi-Tech Systems MVP120 - Manual (Page 96)

Local Access and Transport Area (LATA): A post-divestiture geographical area generally equivalent to a Standard Metropolitan
Statistical Area. At divestiture, the territory served by the Bell system was divided into approximately 161 LATAs. The Bell Operating
Companies (BOCs) provide Intra-LATA services.
Local Exchange Carrier (LEC): The local phone company which provides local (i.e., not long distance) transmission services.
AKA "telco". LECs provide T1 or FT1 access to LDCs (unless the T1 circuit is completely intra-LATA). Inter-LATA T1 circuits are
made up of a combination of Access and Long Haul facilities.
Local Management Interface (LMI): A specification for frame relay equipment that defines status information exchange.
Local Loop: A transmission path, typically twisted-pair wire, between an individual subscriber and the nearest public telecommuni-
cations network switching center. The wires provide ISDN service, but require an NT1 at the user end and an LT at the network
end. (AKA, "loop" or "subscriber loop".)
Logical Link Control (LLC2): In a local area network, the protocol that governs the exchange of transmission frames between
data stations independently of how the transmission medium is shared. The LLC2 protocol was developed by the IEEE 802
committee and is common to all LAN standards.
Logical Unit (LU): A type of network accessible unit that enables end users to gain access to network resources and communicate
with each other.
Long Haul: The T1 element that connects to the Access portion of the long distance company's (LDC's) central office. The LDC is
commonly called the point of presence (POP). Each LDC has a number of POPs, located throughout the country. The LDC is also
called an IEC (Inter Exchange Carrier).
Long Haul Communications: The type of phone call reaching outside of a local exchange (LE).
M
Management Information Base (MIB): A database of network management information used by the Common Management
Information Protocol (CMIP) and the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
Megacom: An AT&T service with a normal WATS line (typically T1) between the customer premise and the AT&T serving class 4
CO are the customer's responsibility.
MegaLink: BellSouth's leased T1 service.
Message: Associated with such terms as packet, frame, and segment. 1. In information theory, an ordered series of characters
intended to convey information. 2. An assembly of characters and sometimes control codes that is transferred as an entry from an
originator to one or more recipients.
Modem: A communications device that enables a computer to transmit information over a phone line. It converts the computer's
digital signals into analog signals to send over a phone line and converts them back to digital signals at the receiving end. Modems
can be internal and fit into an expansion slot, or external and connect to a serial port.
Multicast: A process of transmitting from one source to many destinations. The actual mechanism may be different for different
LAN technologies.
Multiplexer (Mux): 1. A device that takes several input signals and combines them into a single output signal in such a manner
that each of the input signals can be recovered. 2. A device capable of interleaving the events of two or more activities or capable of
distributing the events of an interleaved sequence to the respective activities. 3. Putting multiple signals on a single channel.
Multipoint Conference: A conference between three or more terminals, which may be on the LAN or on the Circuit Switched
Network.
Multipoint Control Unit (MCU): An H.323 endpoint on the LAN which enables three or more terminals and Gateways to participate
in a multipoint conference. The MCU includes a mandatory Multipoint Controller and optional Multipoint Processors.
Multipoint Controller (MC): An H.323 entity which provides for the control of three or more terminals in a multipoint conference.
Multipoint Processor (MP): An H.323 entity which provides for the processing of audio, video, and/or data streams in a multipoint
conference. The MP provides for the mixing, switching, or other processing of media streams under the control of the MC.
Multiprotocol: A device that can interoperate with devices utilizing different network protocols.
Multithreading: The ability of a software system to be able to handle more than one transaction concurrently. This is contrasted to
the case where a single transaction is accepted and completely processed before the next transaction processing is started.
N
Nailed Connection: A permanent or dedicated circuit of a previously switched circuit or circuits.
Nailed-up Circuit: A semipermanent circuit established through a circuit-switching facility for point-to-point connectivity.
NAK (Negative Acknowledgment): Communications code used to indicate that a message was not properly received, or that a
terminal does not wish to transmit. Contrast with ACK.