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Compact USB 2.0 10/100 Network Adapter
45
Instant EtherFast
®
Series
44
Network - A system that transmits any combination of voice, video and/or data
between users.
Notebook (PC) - A notebook computer is a battery-powered personal comput-
er generally smaller than a briefcase that can easily be transported and conve-
niently used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in libraries, temporary
offices, and at meetings. A notebook computer, sometimes called a laptop com-
puter, typically weighs less than five pounds and is three inches or less in thick-
ness.
Packet - A unit of data routed between an origin and a destination in a network.
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 or a network device such as a
switch or router. For example, the serial and parallel ports on a personal com-
puter are external sockets for plugging in communications lines, modems and
printers.
RJ-45 (Registered Jack-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 subnetworks together.
Routers are useful in breaking down a very large network into smaller subnet-
works; 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.
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 sys-
tem (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.
than one is required) and sends it to the IP address that is obtained by looking
up the domain name in the Uniform Resource Locator you requested or in the
e-mail address you're sending a note to. At the other end, the recipient can see
the IP address of the Web page requester or the e-mail sender and can respond
by sending another message using the IP address it received.
IPCONFIG - A Windows NT or 2000 utility that provides for querying, defin-
ing and managing IP addresses within a network.
LAN - A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated
devices that share a common communications line and typically share the
resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for
example, within an office building).
Mbps (MegaBits Per Second) - One million bits per second; unit of measure-
ment for data transmission.
Motherboard - A motherboard is the physical arrangement in a computer that
contains the computer's basic circuitry and components.
NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended User Interface) - The transport layer for
NetBIOS. NetBIOS and NetBEUI were originally part of a single protocol
suite that was later separated. NetBIOS sessions can be transported over
NetBEUI, TCP/IP and SPX/IPX protocols.
NetBIOS - The native networking protocol in DOS and Windows networks.
Although originally combined with its transport layer protocol (NetBEUI),
NetBIOS today provides a programming interface for applications at the ses-
sion layer (layer 5). NetBIOS can ride over NetBEUI, its native transport,
which is not routable, or over TCP/IP and IPX/SPX, which are routable proto-
cols.
NetBIOS computers are identified by a unique 15-character name, and
Windows machines (NetBIOS machines) periodically broadcast their names
over the network so that Network Neighborhood can catalog them. For TCP/IP
networks, NetBIOS names are turned into IP addresses via manual configura-
tion in an LMHOSTS file or a WINS server.
There are two NetBIOS modes. The Datagram mode is the fastest mode, but
does not guarantee delivery. It uses a self-contained packet with send and
receive name, usually limited to 512 bytes. If the recipient device is not listen-
ing for messages, the datagram is lost. The Session mode establishes a connec-
tion until broken. It guarantees delivery of messages up to 64KB long.