UDP – User Datagram Protocol. UDP is a stateless protocol in that UDP makes no provision for acknowledgement of packets received. UNIX – UNIX is a multi-user operating system that are commonly used for servers and back-end tasks. It was first developed at Bell Labs but later universities began using it to create a academic […]

SLP – Serial Line Internet Protocol. A standard Protocol used to establish connections over dial-ups. SSL – Secure Socket layer. A method used to encrypt data from a computer to a web server. STM – Synchronous Transfer Mode. A transmission process by which information is transmitted sequentially with respect to time. SSH – Secure Socket […]

Packet Switching – This terms refers to the data from one computer sent to another is broken up into packets and sent along best routes. Parts of the original data is tagged with information of where it is from and where it is going so this allows all different types of packets. PGP – Pretty […]

LAN – Local Area Network. A network of computers within a limited area eg building. Modem – MOdulator and DEModulator. This device is often used to transmit data over networks and telephone lines. In most cases, it is used to convert digital signals from your computer to analogue waves and also vice versa. NOC – […]

Gateway – A connection between two or more networks. The connection may be between physical networks, logical networks, or network services. Host – This term is often referred to a server. The host computer is usually a processing/storage or distribution point. HTTP – Hyper text Protocol. This protocol is used to communicate with web servers […]

Firewall – A method used in a combination of software and hardware to split a LAN into two or more segments for security purposes. FTP – File Transfer Protocol. This is used to transfer files from one computer to another.

E-mail – Electronic Mail. An electronic way of sending messages, images, video and sound to other users with an e-mail account. It is much faster than traditional ways of postal delivery and also very cheap. Extranet – An infrastructure similar to an intranet but is expanded to include businesses within a particular industry.

DNS – Domain Name Server. Each machine on the Internet must have a unique IP address or linked to one. The Internet stores addresses of servers or hosts as IP addresses (eg 129.65.25.185) Domain Name – A unique name that identifies an address on the Internet. DSL – Digital Subscribers Line. This technology enables users […]

CAN – Campus Area Network. A network linking up campus buildings to each other and with external networks like the Internet. CGI – Common gateway Interface. A set of guidelines used on a web server in how to communicate with a piece of software and vice versa. CGI-BIN – A directory where CGI scripts are […]

Bandwidth – The amount of data transfer available at one time. Bit – The smallest unit of information in a computer either representing the state “on” or “off”, or 1 or 0. Browser – A piece of software that allows you to access and display information on the Internet or any other network, either visually […]