Networking Definitions

This glossary explains the meaning of key words and phrases that information technology (IT) and business professionals use when discussing networking and related software products. You can find additional definitions by visiting WhatIs.com or using the search box below.

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    10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE)

    10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) is a telecommunication technology that offers data speeds up to 10 billion bits per second.

  • 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GbE)

    100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GbE) is an Ethernet standard that supports data speeds of up to 100 billion bits (gigabits) per second (Gbps).

  • 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet)

    1000BASE-T is Gigabit Ethernet -- 1 gigabit is 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps) on copper cables, using four pairs of Category 5 (Cat5) unshielded twisted pair (UTP) to achieve the gigabit data rate.

  • 10BASE-T

    10BASE-T is an Ethernet standard for local area networks and one of several physical media specified in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standard.

  • 3G (third generation of mobile telephony)

    3G refers to the third generation of cellular technology that enables mobile telephony.

  • 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project)

    The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaborative project between a group of telecommunications associations with the initial goal of developing globally applicable specifications for third-generation (3G) mobile systems.

  • streaming network telemetry

    Streaming network telemetry is a real-time data collection service in which network devices such as routers, switches and firewalls continuously push network health data and interface measurements to a centralized collector.

  • What is 5G?

    Fifth-generation wireless (5G) is the latest iteration of cellular technology. Unlike 4G, which requires large, high-power cell towers to radiate signals over longer distances, 5G wireless signals are transmitted through large numbers of small cell stations located on places like light poles or building roofs.

  • What is 6G? Overview of 6G networks & technology

    6G (sixth-generation wireless) is the successor to 5G cellular technology. 6G networks will be able to use higher frequencies than 5G networks and provide substantially higher capacity and much lower latency.

  • A

    access control list (ACL)

    An access control list (ACL) is a list of rules that specifies which users or systems are granted or denied access to a particular object or system resource.

  • ACK

    In some digital communication protocols, ACK is the name of a signal that data has been received successfully (for example, with an acceptable number of errors).

  • adaptive routing (dynamic routing)

    Adaptive routing, also called dynamic routing, is a process for determining the optimal path a data packet should follow through a network to arrive at a specific destination. Adaptive routing can be compared to a commuter taking a different route to work after learning that traffic on his usual route is backed up.

  • Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

    Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a procedure for mapping a dynamic IP address to a permanent physical machine address in a local area network (LAN).

  • ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)

    ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology that facilitates fast data transmission at a high bandwidth on existing copper wire telephone lines to homes and businesses.

  • akamaize

    For a Web site, to akamaize (pronounced AHK-uh-myez) is to accelerate the delivery of Web files by placing copies on servers closer to the user than the server that delivers the main file for a Web page.

  • American Wire Gauge (AWG)

    American Wire Gauge (AWG) is the standard way to denote wire size in North America.

  • anti-replay protocol

    The anti-replay protocol provides Internet Protocol (IP) packet-level security by making it impossible for a hacker to intercept message packets and insert changed packets into the data stream between a source computer and a destination computer.

  • application delivery controller (ADC)

    An application delivery controller (ADC) is a network component that manages and optimizes how client machines connect to web and enterprise application servers.

  • application layer

    The application layer sits at Layer 7, the top of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) communications model. It ensures an application can effectively communicate with other applications on different computer systems and networks.

  • application-aware networking (app-ware networking)

    Application-aware networking is the capacity of an intelligent network to maintain current information about applications that connect to it and, as a result, optimize their functioning as well as that of other applications or systems that they control.

  • ARCNET

    ARCNET is a widely-installed local area network (LAN) technology that uses a token-bus scheme for managing line sharing among the workstations and other devices connected on the LAN.

  • Arista Extensible Operating System (Arista EOS)

    Extensible Operating System (EOS) is a scalable network operating system (OS) that offers high availability, streamlines maintenance processes, and enhances network security.

  • ARPANET

    The U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was the first public packet-switched computer network.

  • asymmetric communications

    Asymmetric communications is a term pertaining to any system in which the data speed or quantity, when averaged over time, is different in one direction from the other.

  • Asynchronous

    In general, asynchronous -- pronounced ay-SIHN-kro-nuhs, from Greek asyn-, meaning "not with," and chronos, meaning "time" -- is an adjective describing objects or events that are not coordinated in time.

  • attenuation

    Attenuation is a general term that refers to any reduction in the strength of a signal.

  • autonomous system (AS)

    An autonomous system (AS) in networking is a collection of one or more associated Internet Protocol (IP) prefixes with a clearly defined routing policy that governs how the AS exchanges routing information with other autonomous systems.

  • network availability

    Network availability is the amount of uptime in a network system over a specific time interval.

  • B

    B-channel (bearer channel)

    In the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), the B-channel is the channel that carries the main data.

  • backbone

    A backbone is a larger transmission line that carries data gathered from smaller lines that interconnect with it.

  • band

    In telecommunication, a band - sometimes called a frequency band - is a specific range of frequencies in the radio frequency (RF) spectrum, which is divided among ranges from very low frequencies (vlf) to extremely high frequencies (ehf).

  • bandwidth (network bandwidth)

    Network bandwidth is a measurement indicating the maximum capacity of a wired or wireless communications link to transmit data over a network connection in a given amount of time.

  • baseband

    Describes a telecommunication system in which information is carried in digital form on a single unmultiplexed signal channel on the transmission medium.

  • baseboard management controller (BMC)

    A baseboard management controller (BMC) is a specialized service processor that monitors the physical state of a computer, network server or other hardware device using sensors and communicating with the system administrator through an independent connection... (continued)

  • beamforming

    Beamforming is a type of radio frequency (RF) management in which a wireless signal is directed toward a specific receiving device.

  • BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)

    BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is the protocol underlying the global routing system of the internet.

  • big-endian and little-endian

    Endianness is a term that describes the order in which a sequence of bytes is stored in computer memory.

  • bit stuffing

    Bit stuffing refers to the insertion of one or more bits into a data transmission as a way to provide signaling information to a receiver.

  • bits per second (bps or bit/sec)

    In data communications, bits per second (bps or bit/sec) is a common measure of data speed for computer modems and transmission carriers.

  • BNC (Bayonet Neil-Concelman or British Naval Connector)

    A BNC (Bayonet Neil-Concelman, or sometimes British Naval Connector) connector is used to connect a computer to a coaxial cable in a 10BASE-2 Ethernet network. 10BASE-2 is a 10 MHz baseband network on a cable extending up to 185 meters - the 2 is a rounding up to 200 meters - without a repeater cable.

  • bogon

    A bogon is an illegitimate IP address that falls into a set of IP addresses that have not been officially assigned to an entity by an internet registration institute, such as the Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA).

  • BOOTP (Bootstrap Protocol)

    BOOTP (Bootstrap Protocol) is an internet protocol that lets a network user automatically be configured to receive an IP address and have an operating system booted without user involvement.

  • bottleneck

    A bottleneck, in a communications context, is a point in the enterprise where the flow of data is impaired or stopped entirely.

  • broadband

    In general, broadband refers to telecommunication in which a wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information.

  • broadband voice gateway

    A broadband voice gateway is a device that allows you to make telephone calls over a high-speed Internet connection rather than through a regular telephone outlet without having to go through your computer.

  • burst

    Burst is a term used in a number of information technology contexts to mean a specific amount of data sent or received in one intermittent operation.

  • bus network

    A bus network is a local area network (LAN) topology in which each node -- a workstation or other device -- is connected to a main cable or link called a bus.

  • C

    cable head-end

    A cable head-end (or headend) is the facility at a local cable TV office that originates and communicates cable TV services and cable modem services to subscribers.

  • cable modem termination system (CMTS)

    A cable modem termination system (CMTS) is a component that exchanges digital signals with cable modems on a cable network.

  • campus network

    A campus network is a proprietary local area network (LAN) or set of interconnected LANs serving a corporation, government agency, university, or similar organization.

  • capacity planning

    In information technology, capacity planning is the science and art of estimating the space, computer hardware, software and connection infrastructure resources that will be needed over some future period of time.

  • CAPWAP (Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points)

    CAPWAP (Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points) is a standardized protocol that enables wireless LAN (WLAN) controllers to centrally manage a group of wireless access points (APs).

  • carrier cloud

    A carrier cloud is a cloud computing environment that is owned and operated by a traditional telecommunications service provider.

  • carrier-to-noise ratio

    In communications, the carrier-to-noise ratio, often written as CNR or C/N, is a measure of the received carrier strength relative to the strength of the received noise.

  • CCITT or ITU-T (Telecommunication Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunications)

    The CCITT, now known as the ITU-T (for Telecommunication Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunications Union), is the primary international body for fostering cooperative standards for telecommunications equipment and systems.

  • CCNA certification

    Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is a technical certification that Cisco offers for early-career networking professionals.

  • CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access)

    CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) refers to any of several protocols used in second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) wireless communications.

  • CDN (content delivery network)

    A CDN (content delivery network), also called a content distribution network, is a group of geographically distributed and interconnected servers.

  • CenturyLink

    CenturyLink is an integrated telecommunications company that provides a wide variety of products and services to clients across the globe, including networking, cloud service and security solutions.

  • chatty protocol

    A chatty protocol is an application or routing protocol requiring a client or server to wait for an acknowledgment before transmitting data again.

  • CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing or supernetting)

    CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) -- also known as supernetting -- is a method of assigning Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that improves the efficiency of address distribution and replaces the previous system based on class A, class B and class C networks.

  • circuit switching

    Circuit switching is a type of network configuration in which a physical path is obtained and dedicated to a single connection between two endpoints in the network for the duration of a dedicated connection.

  • Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT)

    Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) is a now-retired certification offered by Cisco, as part of their certification program.

  • Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE certification)

    Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE certification) is a series of technical certifications for senior networking professionals who design, build, implement, maintain and troubleshoot complex enterprise networking infrastructures.

  • Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)

    Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) is an intermediate-level certification in the Cisco certified professional program.

  • Cisco Enterprise Agreement (EA)

    Cisco Enterprise Agreement (EA) is a software buying program that digitizes and simplifies license management for Cisco suite customers.

  • Cisco IOS (Cisco Internetwork Operating System)

    Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) is a proprietary operating system that runs on Cisco Systems routers and switches.

  • Cisco LISP (Location Identifier Separation Protocol)

    LISP (Location Identifier Separation Protocol) is a routing and addressing architecture developed by Cisco Systems. LISP creates two addresses for each network node: one for its identity and another for its location in the network.

  • Cisco Performance Routing (PfR)

    Cisco Performance Routing (PfR) is a way of sending network packets based on intelligent path control.

  • Class of Service (CoS)

    Class of Service (CoS) is a way of managing traffic in a network by grouping similar types of traffic -- such as email, streaming video, voice over IP and large document file transfer -- together and treating each type as a class with its own level of network service priority.

  • client-server model (client-server architecture)

    Client-server is a relationship in which one program (the client) requests a service or resource from another program (the server).

  • Clos network

    A Clos network is a type of non-blocking, multistage switching architecture that reduces the number of ports required in an interconnected fabric.

  • cloud federation

    Cloud federation is the practice of interconnecting service providers' cloud environments to load balance traffic and accommodate spikes in demand.

  • cloud networking

    Cloud networking is when some or all of an organization's networking resources are hosted in the cloud.

  • cloud radio access network (C-RAN)

    C-RAN, or cloud radio access network, is a centralized, cloud computing-based architecture for radio access networks (RAN) that enables large-scale deployment, collaborative radio technology support and real time virtualization capabilities.

  • coaxial cable

    Coaxial cable is a type of copper cable specially built with a metal shield and other components engineered to block signal interference.

  • coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (COFDM)

    Coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (COFDM) is a telecommunications modulation scheme that divides a single digital signal across 1,000 or more signal carriers simultaneously.

  • cognitive radio (CR)

    Cognitive radio (CR) is a form of wireless communication in which a transceiver can intelligently detect which communication channels are in use and which ones are not.

  • collision

    In a half duplex Ethernet network, a collision is the result of two devices on the same network attempting to transmit data at exactly the same time.

  • committed information rate (CIR)

    Committed information rate (CIR) is the guaranteed rate at which a Frame Relay network will transfer information under normal line conditions.

  • computer hardware

    Computer hardware is a collective term used to describe any of the physical components of an analog or digital computer.

  • computer network

    A computer network, also referred to as a data network, is a series of interconnected nodes that can transmit, receive and exchange data, voice and video traffic.

  • conductance

    Conductance is an expression of the ease with which electric current flows through materials like metals and nonmetals.

  • connection

    In telecommunication and computing in general, a connection is the successful completion of necessary arrangements so that two or more parties (for example, people or programs) can communicate at a long distance.

  • connectionless

    In telecommunications, connectionless describes communication between two network endpoints in which a message can be sent from one endpoint to another without prior arrangement.

  • control plane (CP)

    The control plane is the part of a network that carries signaling traffic and is responsible for routing.

  • CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface)

    CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface) is a specification for wireless communication networks in the interface between radio equipment and radio equipment control.

  • CRC-4 (Cyclic Redundancy Check 4)

    CRC-4 (Cyclic Redundancy Check 4) is a form of cyclic redundancy checking -- a method of checking for errors in transmitted data -- that is used on E1 trunk lines.

  • cross-bar switch

    In a network, a cross-bar switch is a device that is capable of channeling data between any two devices that are attached to it up to its maximum number of ports.

  • crosstalk

    Crosstalk is a disturbance caused by the electric or magnetic fields of one telecommunication signal affecting a signal in an adjacent circuit.

  • CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance)

    CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) is a protocol for carrier transmission in 802.11 networks.

  • CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit)

    A CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit) is a hardware device about the size of an external modem that converts a digital data frame from the communications technology used on a local area network (LAN) into a frame appropriate to a wide-area network (WAN) and vice versa.

  • customer premises equipment (CPE)

    Customer premises equipment (CPE) is telecommunications and information technology equipment kept at the customer's physical location rather than on the service provider's premises.

  • customer proprietary network information (CPNI)

    Customer proprietary network information (CPNI) in the United States is information that telecommunications services -- such as local, long-distance and wireless telephone companies -- acquire about their subscribers.

  • D

    D-channel

    In the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), the D-channel is the channel that carries control and signalling information.

  • data center interconnect (DCI)

    Data center interconnect (DCI) is a segment of the networking market that focuses on the technology used to link two or more data centers so the facilities can share resources. There are many options for DCI connectivity and selecting the right one depends upon a wide range of variables, including the location of the data centers, the distance between data centers, bandwidth and availability requirements, the capabilities of local service providers and security concerns.

  • data link control (DLC)

    DLC also is an abbreviation for digital loop carrier.

  • data link layer

    The data link layer is the protocol layer in a program that handles the moving of data into and out of a physical link in a network.

  • data plane (DP)

    The data plane (sometimes known as the user plane, forwarding plane, carrier plane or bearer plane) is the part of a network that carries user traffic.

  • data streaming

    Data streaming is the continuous transfer of data at a steady, high-speed rate. To facilitate the need for real-time analytics from disparate data sources, many companies have replaced traditional batch processing with streaming data architectures that can accommodate batch processing.

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