ADSL -
(Asymmetric digital subscriber line) - Mostly widely used form
of high speed internet in the home and office, the high speed
internet travels through the phone lines. Speed vary depending
on how close you live to a phone exchange.
ADSL Filter - Use to connect both
phone and internet to one wall connection, all phones need this
filter to stop interference between phone calls and the internet
ADSL Modem -
ADSL modem or DSL modem is a device used to
connect a single computer or router to a DSL phone line, in
order to use an ADSL service
ADSL RJ11 - The cable used to
connect the ADSL modem/router to the phone line.
Backbone – A
segment of a network that is higher speed than the rest of the
network that connects segments together.
Bandwidth – In
digital terms, the capacity of a connection to transmit data,
expressed as data speed in bits per second (bps), thousands of
bits per second (Kbps) or Millions of bits per second (Mbps). .
Broadband –
Describes a high-speed network connection (ISDN, DSL, Cable
Modem, T-1) as opposed to a dial-up modem connection which are
allot slower.
Cable Modem – A
device that enables a PC to connect to a local cable TV line and
receive data at about 1.5 Mbps. This data rate far exceeds that
of the prevalent 28.8 and 56 Kbps telephone modems and the up to
512 Kbps of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and is
about the data rate available to subscribers of Digital
Subscriber Line (DSL) telephone service.
Coupler - A small device to allow
you to connect two or more network cables together. Usually used
to expand a network
Cross Over Cable - This cable is
the same as a network cable apart from the wiring which allows
to Network devices (Usually 2 computers) to connect directly
together. Also see Network cable.
Data Transfer Rate
– This is the amount of digital data that is moved
from one place to another in a given time, usually in a second's
time. The data transfer rate can be viewed as the speed of
travel of a given amount of data from one place to another. In
general, the greater the bandwidth of a given path, the higher
the data transfer rate.
DSL – (Digital
Subscriber Line) See ADSL
Hosting – A
Hosting Services Provider (HSP) is an application service
provider dedicated to providing hosting services. Typically
operates a Web server farm, either at a data center or
co-location facility.
HUB - A hardware device used to
connect multiple network independent devices.
ISDN –
(Integrated Services Digital Network) An upgrade to standard
dial-up connection over
digital telephone lines or normal telephone wires. ISDN supports
data transfer rates of 64 Kbps and 128Kbps (Which required two
phone line.) ISDN is quickly becoming obsolete especially since
ADSL came about.
ISP – (Internet
Service Provider) Companies that offer Internet access to
subscribers.
Kbps – (Kilobits
Per Second) A measure of data transfer speed. Modems, for
example, are measured in Kbps. Note that one Kbps is 1,024
bytes.
LAN –
(Local-Area Network) A computer network that spans a relatively
small area. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group
of buildings. A home network would be a LAN, the internet a WAN.
See WAN
Latency – The
delay of the transmission of data or the amount of time it takes
for a switch or router after receiving a packet of data to
determine which switch or forward it to next.
Mbps – (Megabits
Per Second) A measure of data transfer speed (a megabit is equal
to one million bits). Network transmissions, for example, are
generally measured in Mbps.
Modem – A modem modulates outgoing digital
signals from a computer or other digital device to analog
signals for a conventional copper twisted pair telephone line
and demodulates the incoming analog signal and converts it to a
digital signal for the digital device, usually a computer.
NAS – (Network
Attached Storage) A hard disk storage device that is set up with
its own network address rather than being attached directly to
the computer that is serving applications or files to a
network's users.
Network Congestion
– Traffic on the Internet, WAN or LAN that slows the
transmission of data.
Network Cable - Used to connect a
computer to a network via a network switch, hub or
router. The connection is called RJ45, cat 5 or 5e. These cables
can be 10BASE-T (10mbps), 100BASE-TX (100mbps) or 1000BASE-T4
(1000 mbps), they will connect at these speeds as long as the
network card/router/switch/hub is/are compatible.
Network Cable Plug - RJ45 is the
name of this plug, it is at either end of the network cable.
Network Card - Used to connect a
computer or peripheral to a network, most modern computers have
these built into the motherboards, so check before you buy,
although they are inexpensive.
Network Media Player - This is used
to stream media across a network, sometimes directly to a hi-fi
or television.
Packet Loss –
Data is transmitted in small units known as packets.
Occasionally, packets are lost or delayed due to network
congestion, resulting in dropped frames.
Peer to Peer Networking -
Used for sharing files online, from person to person.
Also a type of networking where two computers are connected
together usually using a cross-over cable.
Powerline Network / adapter - A
type of networking this uses the internal power cables to
connect pc's in different rooms, requires an adapter, RJ45 cable
and network cards in the PC's, Speed is limited but more stable
and secure than wireless.
RAID –
(Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) A category of disk
drivers that employ two or more drives in combination for fault
tolerance, performance, capacity and security. RAID disk drives
are used frequently on servers but aren't generally necessary
for personal computers.
Redundancy – A
systematic approach to eliminating single points-of-failure in a
network or data storage system.
Router or Switch
– A switch is a device used throughout a network that receives
incoming data and determines the route for the date to travel in
order to reach its intended destination. A router is a switch
with built-in capabilities that enhance its functions and
performance.
SAN – (Storage
Area Network) Is a high-speed sub-network of shared storage
devices. A storage device is a machine that contains nothing but
a disk or disks for storing data.
Streaming Media
– Allows the user to watch or listen to a media file without
downloading it. The file is simultaneously "streamed" to the
user as he or she is watching or listening to it. The user needs
a player to view or listen to the files - a media player that is
compatible with the format of the file must decompress files.
Switch - See
Router
USB Print Server
- A device used to
connect a USB printer directly to a network, allowing others to
share and print without the reliance of another computer to be
switch on.
WAN – (Wide-Area
Network) A computer network that spans a relatively large
geographical area. Typically, a WAN consists of two or more
local-area networks (LAN's). Computers connected to a wide-area
network are often connected through public networks, such as the
telephone system. They can also be connected through leased
lines or satellites. The largest WAN in existence is the
Internet.
Webcast –
(Internet Broadcasting) Is the process of capturing, encoding,
hosting and delivering multimedia events, such as training,
infomercials, concerts, meetings, or conferences, usually from a
remote location, for Internet broadcast on a one-time or limited
basis. Live events usually require establishing an Internet
connection and/or links for streaming over the Internet. Events
can also be archived for viewing on demand.
Wireless
Network - A form of network used to connect computers
and computer hardware together without cables. Also see
WI-FI.
Wireless Network Card - A device
used to connect a computer/laptop/peripheral to a wireless
network.
Wireless Print Server - A device
used to connect a USB printer directly to a wireless network,
allowing others to share and print without the reliance of
another computer to be switch on.
Wi-Fi –
(Wireless Fidelity) It's a term used by the Wireless Ethernet
Compatibility Alliance to describe wireless networking
technology.
