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EtherFast
®
Cable/DSL Routers
Ethernet - IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed
on and retrieved from a common transmission medium. Has a transfer rate of
10 Mbps. Forms the underlying transport vehicle used by several upper-level
protocols, including TCP/IP and XNS.
Fast Ethernet - A 100 Mbps technology based on the 10Base-T Ethernet
CSMA/CD network access method.
Firewall - A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network gateway
server, that protects the resources of a network from users from other networks.
(The term also implies the security policy that is used with the programs.) An
enterprise with an intranet that allows its workers access to the wider Internet
installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its own private data
resources and for controlling what outside resources to which its own users
have access.
Basically, a firewall, working closely with a router, examines each network
packet to determine whether to forward it toward its destination.
Firmware - Programming that is inserted into programmable read-only mem-
ory, thus becoming a permanent part of a computing device.
Fragmentation - Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over
a network medium that cannot support the original size of the packet.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP
network (Internet, UNIX, etc.). For example, after developing the HTML pages
for a website on a local machine, they are typically uploaded to the Web serv-
er using FTP.
FTP includes functions to log onto the network, list directories, and copy files.
It can also convert between the ASCII and EBCDIC character codes. FTP oper-
ations can be performed by typing commands at a command prompt or via an
FTP utility running under a graphical interface such as Windows. FTP transfers
can also be initiated from within a Web browser by entering the URL preceded
with ftp://.
Unlike e-mail programs in which graphics and program files have to be
“attached,” FTP is designed to handle binary files directly and does not add the
overhead of encoding and decoding the data.
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Instant Broadband
™
Series
DMZ - (DeMilitarized Zone) allows one IP address (or computer) to be
exposed to the Internet. Some applications require multiple TCP/IP ports to be
open. It is recommended that you set your computer with a static IP address if
you want to use DMZ Hosting.
DNS - The Domain Name System (DNS) is the way that Internet domain
names are located and translated into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. A
domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember “handle” for an Internet
address.
Domain - A subnetwork comprised of a group of clients and servers under the
control of one security database. Dividing LANs into domains improves per-
formance and security.
Download - To receive a file transmitted over a network. In a communications
session, download means receive, and upload means transmit.
Driver - A workstation or server software module that provides an interface
between a network interface card and the upper-layer protocol software running
in the computer; it is designed for a specific NIC, and is installed during the
initial installation of a network-compatible client or server operating system.
DSSS (Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum) - DSSS generates a redundant bit
pattern for each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chip-
ping code). The longer the chip, the greater the probability that the original data
can be recovered. Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during
transmission, statistical techniques embedded in the radio can recover the orig-
inal data without the need for retransmission. To an unintended receiver, DSSS
appears as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most nar-
rowband receivers.
Dynamic IP Address - An IP address that is automatically assigned to a client
station in a TCP/IP network, typically by a DHCP server. Network devices that
serve multiple users, such as servers and printers, are usually assigned static IP
addresses.
Dynamic Routing - The ability for a router to forward data via a different route
based on the current conditions of the communications circuits. For example,
it can adjust for overloaded traffic or failing lines and is much more flexible
than static routing, which uses a fixed forwarding path.
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