Short Networking Dictionary

Driver A software program that tells an operating system how to use a hardware device.

Ethernet A standard for the physical wiring and signaling on a LAN.

Ethernet cable A wire similar to telephone cable that carries the signals between Ethernet devices. The Ethernet cables included in the Network-to-Go kit are Category 5 Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) cables with straight-through wiring.

File and Print Sharing An application supplied by Microsoft that allows the computers on your network to share files and printers. The File and Print Sharing can use the TCP/IP protocol as a carrier.

Frame A frame includes: the data packet, the destination devices's address, source device's address, the length of the data packet, and error checking information.

Hub A hub is a device which allows you to connect computers and other devices together to form a LAN. When a hub receives packets from a computer or other device, it repeats the packets to all of the devices connected to its ports. Hubs transmit "frames." All workstations receive the frames from hubs, but only the devices that correspond to the destination devices' address respond--all other devices simply ignore the packets. The process of examining, responding to, and ignoring packets is handled automatically by software running on the computers connected to the hub. In practice, when several computers are connected to the same hub, they can communicate with each other, sharing files and printers.

Internet Protocol (IP) Address An IP address is the electronic address of a computer on a network. Each IP address on your network must be unique. An IP address is like a telephone number for a computer.

Local Area Network (LAN) A Local Area Network, or LAN, is a group of computers and other devices that are connected together in order to share files, printers, and other services such as Internet access.

Network Interface Card (NIC) A Network Interface Card (NIC) contains the electronic circuitry to act as an intermidiary between the network and your PC. A NIC installs into an expansion slot in a PC and lets the PC share files, printers, and other services such as Internet access.

Packet A collection of data that contains, among other things, the address of the computer that should respond to it. A typical computer transmission can consist of hundreds or even thousands of packets. When a computer sends information across a network, it divides that information into packets. These packets are re-assembled into the original transmission by the computer that receives them.

Protocol A standard way of exchanging information between computers, packets are structured according to the guidelines of a protocol. Protocols permit devices and software from different manufacturers to exchange packets with each other.

Subnet Mask A model IP address that tells a computer which parts of the IP address are common to all of the machines on the network.

TCP/IP TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. TCP/IP is the most popular networking protocol in the world, and is the protocol used by computers when they communicate across the Internet. You can use TCP/IP as the networking protocol in your office, making it easy to connect your network to the Internet in the future.

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