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Appendix E: Glossary
MAC
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Psion Teklogix 9160 G2 Wireless Gateway User Manual
M
MAC
The Media Access Control (MAC) layer handles moving data packets between
NICs across a shared channel. It is a higher level protocol over the PHY layer. It
provides an arbitration mechanism in an attempt to prevent signals from colliding.
It uses a hardware address, known as the MAC address, that uniquely identifies each
node of a network. IEEE 802 network devices share a common 48-bit MAC
address format, displayed as a string of twelve (12) hexadecimal digits separated by
colons, for example
FE:DC:BA:09:87:65
.
MDI and MDI-X
Medium Dependent Interface (MDI) and MDI crossover (MDIX) are twisted pair
cabling technologies for Ethernet ports in hardware devices. Built-in twisted pair
cabling and auto-sensing enable connection between like devices with the use of a
standard Ethernet cable. (For example, if a wireless access point supports
MDI/MDIX, one can successfully connect a PC and that access point with an
Ethernet cable rather than having to use a crossover cable).
MIB
Management Information Base (MIB) is a virtual database of objects used for
network management. SNMP agents along with other SNMP tools can be used to
monitor any network device defined in the MIB.
MSCHAP V2
Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol Version 2 (MSCHAP V2)
provides authentication for PPP connections between a Windows-based computer
and an Access Point or other network access device.
MTU
The Maximum Transmission Unit is the largest physical packet size, measured in
bytes, that a network can transmit. Any messages larger than the MTU are
fragmented into smaller packets before being sent.