Internet Glossary of Terms
10BaseT
10 Megabit per second baseband Ethernet specification using two paris of twisted-pair
cabling (Category 3, 4 or 5): one pair for transmitting data and the other for
receiving data. 10BaseT has a distance limit of approximately 100 meters per
segment.
100BaseT
100 Mebabit per second baseband Fast Ehternet specification using UTP wiring.
Like the 10BaseT technology on which it is based, 100BaseT sends link pulses
over the network segment when no traffic is present. However, these link pulses
contain more information than those used in 10BaseT.
A Record
An A record is part of the zone file. It is used to point Internet traffic to
an IP address. For example, you can use an "A record" to designate
abc.yourdomain.com to send traffic to your web site at IP address 209.15.32.135.
You can also designate xyz.yourdomain.com to go to a separate IP address.
Access [Microsoft®]
MS Access® published by Microsoft is an easy to use and highly integrated
database creation and maintenance software. Capable of online databases, the
software is supported with the NT® hosting platform.
ADSL
(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) -- A method for moving data over regular
phone lines. An ADSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection,
and the wires coming into the subscriber's premises are the same (copper) wires
used for regular phone service. An ADSL circuit must be configured to connect
two specific locations, similar to a leased line.
A commonly discussed configuration of ADSL would allow a subscriber to receive
data (download) at speeds of up to 1.544 Megabits per second, and to send (upload)
data at speeds of 128 kilobits per second. Thus the 'Asymmetric' part of the
acronym.
Another commonly discussed configuration would be symmetrical: 384 kilobits per second in both directions. In theory ADSL allows download speeds of up to 9 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 640 kilobits per second.
Anonymous FTP
Anonymous File Transfer Protocol allows the public to log into an FTP server
with a common login (usually "ftp" or "anonymous" and any
password (usually the person's e-mail address is used as the password). Anonymous
FTP is benefitial for the distribution of large files to the public, avoiding
the need to assign large numbers of login and password combinations for FTP
access.
ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers)
A non-profit organization established for the purpose of administration and
registration of Internet Protocol (IP) numbers.
ASP
ASP - Active Server Pages (ASP). ASP files, which provide Web developers with
an easier, faster, and more powerful way to build Web applications, are regular
HTML pages with embedded scripts. These scripts can be written in any language
and processed by the server when the file's URL is requested.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/exec/overview/changed.asp
ATM
ATM -- Asynchronous Transfer Mode. International sandard for cell relay in which
multiple service types (such as voice, video, or data) are conveyed in fixed-length
(53-byte) cells. Fixed-length cells allow cell processing to occur in hardware,
thereby reducing transit delays. ATM is designed to take advantage of high-speed
transmission media such as E3, SONET, and T3.
Backbone
A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within
a network. The term is relative, as a backbone in a small network will likely
be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network.
Bandwidth
The difference between the highest and lowest frequencies available for network
signals. The term is also used to describe the rated throughput capacity of
a given network medium or protocol. In short, bandwidth is a loose term used
to describe the throughput capacity (measured in Kilobits or Megabits per second)
of a specific circuit.
BBS (Bulletin Board System)
A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on
discussions, upload and download files, and make announcements without the people
being connected to the computer at the same time. There are many thousands (millions?)
of BBS's around the world, most are very small, running on a single IBM clone
PC with 1 or 2 phone lines. Some are very large and the line between a BBS and
a system like CompuServe gets crossed at some point, but it is not clearly drawn.
Bps
(Bits-Per-Second) -- A measurement of how fast data is moved from one place
to another. A 28.8 modem can move 28,800 bits per second.
Browser
Client software that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources.
Examples include Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator.
Byte
A set of Bits that represent a single character. Usually there are 8 Bits in
a Byte, sometimes more, depending on how the measurement is being made. See
Also: Bit
Certificate Authority
An issuer of Security Certificates used in SSL connections.
CGI
(Common Gateway Interface) -- A set of rules that describe how a Web Server
communicates with another piece of software on the same machine, and how the
other piece of software (the 'CGI program') talks to the web server. Any piece
of software can be a CGI program if it handles input and output according to
the CGI standard.
Usually a CGI program is a small program that takes data from a web server and
does something with it, like putting the content of a form into an e-mail message,
or turning the data into a database query.
CGI "scripts" are just scripts which use CGI. CGI is often confused with Perl, which is a programming language, while CGI is an interface to the server from a particular program. Perl is an application of CGI, as well as MIVA, Python, PHP3, and other scripting languages.
cgi-bin
The most common name of a directory on a web server in which CGI programs are
stored. The 'bin' part of 'cgi-bin' is a shorthand version of 'binary', because
once upon a time, most programs were referred to as 'binaries'. In real life,
most programs found in cgi-bin directories are text files -- scripts that are
executed by binaries located elsewhere on the server. While most programs using
CGI are stored in this directory, it is not a requirement for using CGI.
Client
A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a server software
program on another computer, often across a great distance. Each client program
is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of server programs, and
each server requires a specific kind of client. A web browser and an FTP program
are specific kinds of clients. See Also: Browser, Server
Colocation
Network Operations Centers offer the ability for customers to place their webservers
and other network equipment in thier NOC which are connected via high speed
fiber data lines to the backbone of the Internet. Administration is done remotely
so that a customer far away can configure and control their network equipment.
Cold Fusion
Cold Fusion is a scripting language for web designers that want wish to do advanced
development and/or database interfacing. Cold Fusion supports MS Access, dBASE,
FoxPro, and Paradox databases.
Contact Record
In the case of many registries, contact information for technical, billing and
administrative purposes are maintained in their database. It is important to
keep your contact records updated to ensure that billing and renewal can proceed
without problems.
Cookie
The most common meaning of 'Cookie' on the Internet refers to a piece of information
sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the Browser software is expected
to save and to send back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional
requests from the Server.
Depending on the type of Cookie used, and the Browser's settings, the Browser
may accept or not accept the Cookie, and may save the Cookie for either a short
time or a long time.
Cookies might contain information such as login or registration information, online 'shopping cart' information, user preferences, etc.
When a Server receives a request from a Browser that includes a Cookie, the Server is able to use the information stored in the Cookie. For example, the Server might customize what is sent back to the user, or keep a log of particular user's requests.
Cookies are usually set to expire after a predetermined amount of time and are usually saved in memory until the Browser software is closed down, at which time they may be saved to disk if their 'expire time' has not been reached.
Cookies do not read your hard drive and send your life story to the CIA, but they can be used to gather more information about a user than would be possible without them.
Datacenter
See NOC.
Data Transfer
This is the amount of data that is transferred from an account as visitors view
the pages of the web site. If you have a web site with lots of video, audio,
and images that gets many visitors per day, you would have to make sure that
you choose a host that will allow large amounts of data to be transferred. If
you choose a host that only allows 200 MB of data transfer per month, and your
site transferred 500 MB per month, then the host may stop half of your visitors
from viewing your site and you could lose potential customers. Your best bet
is to try to find a host that offers unlimited data transfer or at least a Gig
of transfer. A gig is more than enough for most web sites. As a general rule,
500 MB of data transfer is equivalent to 20,000 page views.
DNS: Domain Naming System
The DNS is a distributed, replicated that allows nameservers to map easily remembered
domain names to an IP number.
Dedicated Server
For those customers that want the advantages of colocation without the hassles
of purchasing their own server. See colocation.
Domain Name
The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2
or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific,
and the part on the right is the most general. A given machine may have more
than one Domain Name but a given Domain Name points to only one machine. For
example, the domain names: communitech.net, ftp.communitech.net, whatever.communitech.net
can all refer to the same machine, but each domain name can refer to no more
than one machine.
Usually, all of the machines on a given Network will have the same thing as
the right-hand portion of their Domain Names in the examples above. It is also
possible for a Domain Name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine.
This is often done so that a group or business can have an Internet e-mail address
without having to establish a real Internet site. In these cases, some real
Internet machine must handle the mail on behalf of the listed Domain Name.
E-Commerce
Electronic Commerce. Refers to the general exchange of goods and services via
the Internet.
E-mail
(Electronic Mail) -- Messages, usually text, sent from one person to another
via computer. E-mail can also be sent automatically to a large number of addresses
(Mailing List).
E-Mail Aliases/Forwarders
E-mail forwarders and aliases are e-mail addresses such as billing@yourdomain.com
which do not have a username/password as a "POP" account would. Instead,
you would set up billing@yourdomain.com to forward to a real POP account such
as customerservice@yourdomain.com. The only real distinction between an alias
and a forward, is than an alias will likely forward to another existing account
at the same domain, whereas a forward might be sent to another e-mail account
with an ISP: such as cs@yourdomain.com being forwarded to cs@gte.net or similar.
Ethernet
A very common method of networking computers in a LAN. Ethernet will handle
about 10,000,000 bits-per-second and can be used with almost any kind of computer.
FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions) -- FAQs are documents that list and answer the
most common questions on a particular subject. There are hundreds of FAQs on
subjects as diverse as Pet Grooming and Cryptography. FAQs are usually written
by people who have tired of answering the same question over and over.
FDDI
(Fiber Distributed Data Interface) -- A standard for transmitting data on optical
fiber cables at a rate of around 100,000,000 bits-per-second (10 times as fast
as Ethernet, about twice as fast as T-3). See Also: Bandwidth , Ethernet , T-1
, T-3
FireWall
A combination of hardware and software that separates a LAN into two or more
parts for security purposes.
FrontPage Microsoft®
FrontPage® is a site creation and management software
tool. One of the most popular website creation software packages the software,
both FrontPage® 98 and FrontPage ®2000 is widely supported by the hosting
community.
FTP
(File Transfer Protocol) -- A very common method of moving files between two
Internet sites. FTP is a special way to login to another Internet site for the
purposes of retrieving and/or sending files. There are many Internet sites that
have established publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained
using FTP, by logging in using the account name anonymous, thus these sites
are called anonymous ftp servers.
Gateway
The technical meaning is a hardware or software set-up that translates between
two dissimilar protocols.
Gigabyte
1024 Megabytes
Hit
As used in reference to the World Wide Web, 'hit' means a single request from
a web browser for a single item from a web server; thus in order for a web browser
to display a page that contains 3 graphics, 4 'hits' would occur at the server:
1 for the HTML page, and one for each of the 3 graphics.
'hits' are often used as a very rough measure of load on a server, e.g. 'Our
server has been getting 300,000 hits per month.' Because each 'hit' can represent
anything from a request for a tiny document (or even a request for a missing
document) all the way to a request that requires some significant extra processing
(such as a complex search request), the actual load on a machine from 1 hit
is almost impossible to define.
Home Page (or Homepage)
Several meanings. Originally, the web page that your browser is set to use when
it starts up. The more common meaning refers to the main web page for a business,
organization, person or simply the main page out of a collection of web pages,
e.g. 'Check out so-and-so's new Home Page.'
Another sloppier use of the term refers to practically any web page as a 'homepage,'
e.g. 'That web site has 65 homepages and none of them are interesting.'
Host
Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other
computers on the network. It is quite common to have one host machine provide
several services, such as WWW and USENET.
Hosting
This term can be used to refer to the housing of a web site, email or a domain.
See Email hosting and Web Site hosting for more details.
HTML
(HyperText Markup Language) -- The coding language used to create Hypertext
documents for use on the World Wide Web. HTML looks a lot like old-fashioned
typesetting code, where you surround a block of text with codes that indicate
how it should appear, additionally, in HTML you can specify that a block of
text, or a word, is linked to another file on the Internet. HTML files are meant
to be viewed using a World Wide Web Client Program, such as Netscape or Mosaic.
HTTP
(HyperText Transport Protocol) -- The protocol for moving hypertext files across
the Internet. Requires a HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP server
program on the other end. HTTP is the most important protocol used in the World
Wide Web (WWW).
Index Server
Index Server indexes the contents and properties of documents on an Internet
or intranet Web site served by IIS 4.0. Index Server enables Web clients with
any browser to search a Web site by filling in the fields of an HTML query form.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/exec/overview/changed.asp
Internet
(Upper case I) The vast collection of inter-connected networks that all use
the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60's and
early 70's. The Internet now (July 1995) connects roughly 60,000 independent
networks into a vast global internet.
internet
(Lower case i) Any time you connect 2 or more networks together, you have an
internet - as in inter-national or inter-state.
InterNIC
InterNIC (now known as Network Solutions) currently holds an exclusive contract
with the U.S. government to assign domain names for .COM, .NET and .ORG. The
contract is scheduled to expire September 30, 1998. Network Solutions is the
company that runs the InterNIC registry.
Intranet
A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds
of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for
internal use.
As the Internet has become more popular many of the tools used on the Internet
are being used in private networks, for example, many companies have web servers
that are available only to employees.
IP Number
(Internet Protocol Number) -- Sometimes called a dotted quad. A unique number
consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g.165.113.245.2
Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine
does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Most machines
also have one or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember.
IRC
(Internet Relay Chat) -- Basically a huge multi-user live chat facility. There
are a number of major IRC servers around the world which are linked to each
other. Anyone can create a channel and anything that anyone types in a given
channel is seen by all others in the channel. Private channels can (and are)
created for multi-person conference calls.
ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) -- Basically a way to move more data over
existing regular phone lines. ISDN is rapidly becoming available to much of
the USA and in most markets it is priced very comparably to standard analog
phone circuits. It can provide speeds of roughly 128,000 bits-per-second over
regular phone lines. In practice, most people will be limited to 56,000 or 64,000
bits-per-second.
ISP
(Internet Service Provider) -- An institution that provides access to the Internet
in some form, usually for money.
Java
Java is a network-oriented programming language invented by Sun Microsystems
that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be safely downloaded
to your computer through the Internet and immediately run without fear of viruses
or other harm to your computer or files. Using small Java programs (called "Applets"),
Web pages can include functions such as animations, calculators, and other fancy
tricks.
We can expect to see a huge variety of features added to the Web using Java,
since you can write a Java program to do almost anything a regular computer
program can do, and then include that Java program in a Web page.
Kilobyte
A thousand bytes. Actually, usually 1024 (210) bytes.
LAN
(Local Area Network) -- A computer network limited to the immediate area, usually
the same building or floor of a building.
Leased-line
Refers to a phone line that is rented for exclusive 24-hour, 7 -days-a-week
use from your location to another location. The highest speed data connections
require a leased line.
Listserv
The most common kind of maillist, Listservs originated on BITNET but they are
now common on the Internet.
Local Registry Fees
Most TLDs require initial registration fees as well as annual or bi-annual renewal
fees. Prices vary from cost-free to thousands of dollars per domain depending
on the TLD chosen. For example, .COM domains cost which covers the first two
years. Re newal fees for .COM are annually after the first two years expire.
Login
Noun or a verb. Noun: The account name used to gain access to a computer system.
Not a secret (contrast with Password). Verb: The act of entering into a computer
system, e.g. Login to the WELL and then go to the GBN conference.
Maillist
(or Mailing List) A (usually automated) system that allows people to send e-mail
to one address, whereupon their message is copied and sent to all of the other
subscribers to the maillist. In this way, people who have many different kinds
of e-mail access can participate in discussions together.
Megabyte
A million bytes. A thousand kilobytes.
Mirror
Generally speaking, 'to mirror' is to maintain an exact copy of something. Probably
the most common use of the term on the Internet refers to 'mirror sites' which
are web sites, or FTP sites that maintain exact copies of material originated
at another location, usually in order to provide more widespread access to the
resource.
Another common use of the term 'mirror' refers to an arrangement where information
is written to more than one hard disk simultaneously, so that if one disk fails,
the computer keeps on working without losing anything.
Modem
(MOdulator, DEModulator) -- A device that you connect to your computer and to
a phone line, that allows the computer to talk to other computers through the
phone system. Basically, modems do for computers what a telephone does for humans.
Modify (Domain Name)
The database that the TLD registries maintain need to be accurate in order for
name resolution, billing, renewal notices and public records to be processed
correctly. Typically modifications are required when nameservers need to change
or the contacts change email or postal address or phone number. The procedures
for modifying records will depend on the registry.
MX Record: Mail Exchange
Mail Exchange record is part of the zone file and is used to designate which
mail server machine should process email for a specific domain.
Name Servers
A computer that performs the mapping of easily remembered domain names to IP
addresses. Sometimes referred to as a host server.
Network
Any time you connect 2 or more computers together so that they can share resources,
you have a computer network. Connect 2 or more networks together and you have
an internet.
Newsgroup
The name for discussion groups on USENET. See Also: USENET
NNTP
(Network News Transport Protocol) -- The protocol used by client and server
software to carry USENET postings back and forth over a TCP/IP network. If you
are using any of the more common software such as Netscape, Nuntius, Internet
Explorer, etc. to participate in newsgroups then you are benefiting from an
NNTP connection.
NOC (Network Operation Center)
Sometimes called a Datacenter. This is the term for a secure, managed network
environment which may house tens or thousands of Web servers with power backup
and high-speed connections to the Internet Backbone. NOCs usually have a mixture
of OC-3 and DS-3 connections, or higher (i.e., OC12), and may also have a hardline
connection to a high-speed overseas data trunk.
Node
Any single computer connected to a network.
ODBC Sources
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a generic way for applications to speak
to a database. ODBC acts as an interpreter between an application (say a Cold
Fusion or ASP application) and a database (like Microsoft Access). By using
ODBC, a connector can be created that will allow a web application that you
create to read data from and insert data into an Access database that you've
created. An ODBC source is a directory entry that specifies database information.
This ODBC source (or DSN Source) allows your site to point to the correct database
located on the web server. It is possible to connect to a db without ODBC, but
it is a safe bet to assume you need 1 ODBC connection per individual database
you will have.
Parking (Domain Name)
Registries require the use of name servers or hosts for every domain registered.
Parking is the process by which someone selects a domain name, and "parks"
it by registering the domain name under someone's name servers. Parking can
be done by anyone, to anyone else who has active name servers. However, parking
a domain name alone will result in no service (webhosting, e-mail) for that
particular domain name.
Password
A code used to gain access to a locked system. Good passwords contain letters
and non-letters and are not simple combinations such as: "$FggT%^98f"
POP
(Point of Presence, also Post Office Protocol) -- Two commonly used meanings:
Point of Presence and Post Office Protocol. A Point of Presence usually means
a city or location where a network can be connected to, often with dial up phone
lines. So if an Internet company says they will soon have a POP in Belgrade,
it means that they will soon have a local phone number in Belgrade and/or a
place where leased lines can connect to their network. A second meaning, Post
Office Protocol refers to the way e-mail software such as Eudora gets mail from
a mail server. When you obtain a SLIP, PPP, or shell account you almost always
get a POP account with it, and it is this POP account that you tell your e-mail
software to use to get your mail.
PPP
(Point to Point Protocol) -- Most well known as a protocol that allows a computer
to use a regular telephone line and a modem to make TCP/IP connections and thus
be really and truly on the Internet.
Propagation
The process whereby the nameservers throughout the world have updated their
records for a specific domain. For example, if you move your domain from one
host to another, it will take around 24 hours or so for the new address to broadcast
everywhere. During that 24 hour period, the traffic is decreasing at the old
location and increasing at the new location.
Real Audio / Real Video
Real Audio/Real Video enables users of personal computers and other consumer
electronic devices to send and receive audio, video and other multimedia services
using the Web.
enable users of personal computers and other consumer electronic devices to
send and receive audio, video and other multimedia services using the Web.
Register (Domain Name)
Since every domain is unique, registries have been set up to assign domains
to individuals and organziations. When a domain is registered with the appropriate
registry, that domain is assigned and becomes no longer available for anyone
else to use. Typically, there are registration and renewal fees (local registry
fees) associated with the right to use a domain. However, there are some TLDs
that are provided at no charge.
Registrant (Domain Name)
The entity, organization or individual that will be using the domain name.
Registrar (Domain Name)
Some registries don't provide the ability for end users to register domains
with them directly. They might require end users to purchase the domain through
an internet provider that is acting as the registrar.
Registry (Domain Name)
An organization responsible for assigning domain names for the TLD that they
manage. Furthermore, it is their responsibility to update the global DNS tables
that all nameservers use to resolve domain names. For example, InterNIC is the
registry for .COM, .NET and .ORG domain names.
Renewal (Domain Name)
Most TLDs need to be renewed at some scheduled yearly interval. This is an opportunity
for both the registrant and the registry to update their records as well as
collect any applicable renewal fees.
Resolution (domain Name)
The conversion of an internet address or domain name into the corresponding
physical location.
RFC
(Request For Comments) -- The name of the result and the process for creating
a standard on the Internet. New standards are proposed and published on line,
as a Request For Comments. The Internet Engineering Task Force is a consensus-building
body that facilitates discussion, and eventually a new standard is established,
but the reference number/name for the standard retains the acronym RFC, e.g.
the official standard for e-mail is RFC 822.
Security Certificate
A chunk of information (often stored as a text file) that is used by the SSL
protocol to establish a secure connection.
Security Certificates contain information about who it belongs to, who it was
issued by, a unique serial number or other unique identification, valid dates,
and an encrypted 'fingerprint' that can be used to verify the contents of the
certificate.
In order for an SSL connection to be created both sides must have a valid Security Certificate.
Server
A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of service
to client software running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular
piece of software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software
is running, e.g.Our mail server is down today, that's why e-mail isn't getting
out. A single server machine could have several different server software packages
running on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the network.
SMTP
(Simple Mail Transport Protocol) -- The main protocol used to send electronic
mail on the Internet.
SMTP consists of a set of rules for how a program sending mail and a program
receiving mail should interact.
Almost all Internet email is sent and received by clients and servers using SMTP, thus if one wanted to set up an email server on the Internet one would look for email server software that supports SMTP.
SNMP
(Simple Network Management Protocol) -- A set of standards for communication
with devices connected to a TCP/IP network. Examples of these devices include
routers, hubs, and switches.
A device is said to be 'SNMP compatible' if it can be monitored and/or controlled
using SNMP messages. SNMP messages are known as 'PDU's' - Protocol Data Units.
Devices that are SNMP compatible contain SNMP 'agent' software to receive, send, and act upon SNMP messages.
Software for managing devices via SNMP are available for every kind of commonly used computer and are often bundled along with the device they are designed to manage. Some SNMP software is designed to handle a wide variety of devices.
Spam (or Spamming)
An inappropriate attempt to use a mailing list, or USENET or other networked
communications facility as if it was a broadcast medium (which it is not) by
sending the same message to a large number of people who didn't ask for it.
The term probably comes from a famous Monty Python skit which featured the word
spam repeated over and over. The term may also have come from someone's low
opinion of the food product with the same name, which is generally perceived
as a generic content-free waste of resources. (Spam is a registered trademark
of Hormel Corporation, for its processed meat product.)
E.g. Mary spammed 50 USENET groups by posting the same message to each.
SQL
(Structured Query Language) -- A specialized programming language for sending
queries to databases. Most industrial-strength and many smaller database applications
can be addressed using SQL. Each specific application will have its own version
of SQL implementing features unique to that application, but all SQL-capable
databases support a common subset of SQL.
SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer) -- A protocol designed by Netscape Communications to
enable encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet.
SSL used mostly (but not exclusively) in communications between web browsers
and web servers. URL's that begin with 'https' indicate that an SSL connection
will be used.
SSL provides 3 important things: Privacy, Authentication, and Message Integrity.
In an SSL connection each side of the connection must have a Security Certificate, which each side's software sends to the other. Each side then encrypts what it sends using information from both its own and the other side's Certificate, ensuring that only the intended recipient can de-crypt it, and that the other side can be sure the data came from the place it claims to have come from, and that the message has not been tampered with.
TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) -- This is the suite of protocols
that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system,
TCP/IP software is now available for every major kind of computer operating
system. To be truly on the Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP software.
Telnet
The command and program used to login from one Internet site to another. The
telnet command/program gets you to the login: prompt of another host.
Terabyte
1024 gigabytes.
Terminal
A device that allows you to send commands to a computer somewhere else. At a
minimum, this usually means a keyboard and a display screen and some simple
circuitry. Usually you will use terminal software in a personal computer - the
software pretends to be (emulates) a physical terminal and allows you to type
commands to a computer somewhere else.
Top Level Domain: (TLD)
A Top Level Domain (TLD) is the uppermost in the hierarchy of domain names.
For example, communitech.net is our domain name. The "net" is considered
the TLD and the "communitech.net" is considered the second level domain.
Together they form a domain name which is unique. There are two types of TLDs.
The most common type is the Generic or Global TLDs which include .COM, .NET,
.ORG, .MIL, .INT and .EDU. There is a possibility that new gTLDs will be introduced
in the near future. National or ccTLDs are two letter country code domains that
are managed by a registry designated and controlled by each specific country.
Each registry might have differing prices, residency requirements and structure.
Trademark
As it relates to domain names... a word, phrase or slogan used to identify and
distinguish the source of the goods or services. Trademark law may be different
worldwide. If someone registers a domain name such as microsoft.to then Microsoft
would need to go to the courts in Tonga to fight to get the name back. Expensive
international litigation is one reason why it is important to protect your trademarks
before someone else registers the names.
Transfer (Domain Name)
On occasion, domains are sold to another organization or sometimes the name
of a company might change. Most registries require a letter of permission from
the old owner to hand over control to the new owner. The procedures for Transfer
of ownership will depend on the registry.
Transfer Rate
Transfer rate and bandwidth is essentially the same thing, referring to the
amount of data that can flow through a communications channel over a given time.
UNIX
A computer operating system (the basic software running on a computer, underneath
things like word processors and spreadsheets). UNIX is designed to be used by
many people at the same time (it is multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in. It
is the most common operating system for servers on the Internet.
URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) -- The standard way to give the address of any resource
on the Internet that is part of the World Wide Web (WWW). A URL looks like this:
http://www.communitech.net/glossary/ or telnet://anywhere.you.want or news:new.newusers.questions
etc.
The most common way to use a URL is to enter into a WWW browser program, such
as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Connection that has the appearance and many of the advantages of a dedicated
link but occurs over a shared network.
USENET
A world-wide system of discussion groups, with comments passed among hundreds
of thousands of machines. Not all USENET machines are on the Internet, maybe
half. USENET is completely decentralized, with over 10,000 discussion areas,
called newsgroups. See Also: Newsgroup
WAN
(Wide Area Network) -- Any internet or network that covers an area larger than
a single building or campus.
Web
See: WWW
Whois
Most registries maintain a database of domain names and their associated contact
information. Users can query these databases through a program called Whois.
WWW
(World Wide Web) -- Two meanings - First, loosely used: the whole constellation
of resources that can be accessed using Gopher, FTP, HTTP, telnet, USENET, WAIS
and some other tools. Second, the universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers)
which are the servers that allow text, graphics, sound files, etc. to be mixed
together.
Zone file
The group of files that reside on the domain host or nameserver. The zone file
designates a domain, its subdomains and mail server.