Uniden WNP1000 - Manual (Page 27)

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NIC (Network Interface Card) – A board installed in a computer system, usually
a PC, to provide network communication capabilities to and from that computer
system. Also called an adapter.
Packet Filtering - Discarding unwanted network traffic based on its originating
address or range of addresses or its type (e-mail, file transfer, etc.).
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) – A peripheral bus commonly used in
PCs, Macintoshes and workstations. It was designed primarily by Intel and first
appeared on PCs in late 1993. PCI provides a high-speed data path between
the CPU and peripheral devices (video, disk, network, etc.). There are typically
three of four PCI slots on the motherboard. In a Pentium PC, there is generally
a mix of PCI and ISA slots or PCI and EISA slots. Early on, the PCI bus was
known as a “local bus.” PCI allows IRQs to be shared, which helps to solve the
problem of limited IRQs available on a PC. For example, if there were only one
IRQ left over after ISA devices were given their required IRQs, all PCI devices
could share it. In a PCI-only machine, there cannot be insufficient IRQs, as all
can be shared.
PCMCIA - The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a
credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer,
usually a notebook or laptop computer.
Peer-to-Peer Networking – Allows users to share local resources between
PCs without needing an access point or router.
Ping (Packet Internet Groper) – An Internet utility used to determine whether a
particular IP address is online. It is used to test and debug a network by
sending out a packet and waiting for a response.
Plug-and-Play – The ability of a computer system to configure expansion
boards and other devices automatically without requiring the user to turn off the
system during installation.
Port – A pathway into and out of the computer of a network device such as a
switch or router. For example, the serial and parallel ports on a personal
computer are external sockets for plugging in communications lines, modems,
and printers.
PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) – A method used mostly by DSL
providers for connecting personal computers to a broadband modem for
Internet access. It is similar to how a dial-up connection works but at higher
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PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) – A protocol (set of communication
rules) that allows corporations to extend their own corporate network through
private “tunnels” over the public Internet. Effectively, a corporation uses a wide-
area network as a single large local area network. A company no longer needs
to lease its own lines for wide-area communication but can securely use the
public networks. This kind of interconnection is known as a virtual private
network (VPN).
Print Server - A hardware device that enables a printer to be located anywhere
in the network.
RIP (Routing Information Protocol) – A simple routing protocol that is part of the
TCP/IP protocol suite. It determines a route based on the smallest hop count
between source and destination. RIP is a distance vector protocol that routinely
broadcasts routing information to its neighboring routers and is known to waste
bandwidth. AppleTalk, DECnet, TCP/IP, NetWare, and VINES all use
incompatible versions of RIP.
RJ-11 (Registered Jack-11) – A telephone connector that holds up to six wires.
The RJ-11 is the common connector used to plug a telephone into a wall.
RJ-45 - A connector similar to a telephone connector that holds up to eight
wires, used for connecting Ethernet devices.
Router - Protocol-dependent device that connects sub networks together.
Routers are useful in breaking down a very large network into smaller sub
networks; they introduce longer delays and typically have much lower
throughput rates than bridges.
Server - Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to
files, printing, communications, and other services.
Signal Strength – The amount of electromagnetic energy is present. A
receiver (such as the one in your access point determines the strength of the
signal for each wireless channel.
Software – Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs
a particular task is called a “program.” The two major categories of software
are “system software” and “application software.” System software is made up
of control programs such as the operating system and database management
system (DBMS). Application software is any program that processes data for
the user. A common misconception is that software is data. It is not, software
tells the hardware how to process the data.