3Com 3C319 - Manual (Page 102)

4 G LOSSARY
Parallel Tasking architecture
A proprietary technique developed and patented by 3Com
that provides significant performance improvement by
allowing network interchanges of data to occur in parallel.
Plug and Play (PnP)
A standard that defines automatic techniques for making
PC configuration simple and straightforward. Read-only
memory (ROM) chips with unique identification numbers
are added to each NIC, and the NIC can then arbitrate
conflicts with interrupts, input/output ports, and memory.
Protocol
A formalized set of rules that PCs use to communicate.
Because of the complexity of communications between PCs
and the need for different communication requirements,
protocols have been divided into modular layers, in which
each layer performs a specific function for an adjacent layer.
Protocol layers
A model for describing the hierarchical set of or levels
of protocols in which each protocol layer obtains services
from the layer below it and performs services for the layer
above it.
PROTOCOL.INI
An ASCII file containing control information for network
protocol elements of NDIS network stations and servers.
Token ring
A network that employs a ring topology and passes
tokens for ring access.
TSR
Terminate and stay resident. A program that upon
execution, loads itself (or an executable portion of itself)
into PC working memory (RAM).
WAN
Wide area network. A network covering large
distances (50 square miles or more) that may include
packet-switched, or public data, and value-added
networks.