Netgear FS726TP FS726TP Hardware manual - Page 15

APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY This appendix defines terms associated with switching technology. 10BASE-T The IEEE specification for 10 Mbps Ethernet over Category 3, 4, or 5 twisted-pair cable. 100BASE-FX The IEEE specification for 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet over fiber-optic cable. 100BASE-TX The IEEE specification for 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet over Category 5 twisted-pair cable. 1000BASE-SX The IEEE specification for 1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet over fiber-optic cable. 1000BASE-T The IEEE specification for 1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet over Category 5 twisted-pair cable. A feature that allows twisted-pair ports to advertise their capabilities for speed, duplex and flow control. When Auto-negotiation connected to a port that also supports auto-negotiation, the link can automatically configure itself to the optimum setup. Auto Uplink A feature that allows twisted-pair ports to sense if a normal (MDI-X) or uplink (MDI) connection is necessary and make the right link. It adjusts for straight-through or crossover cables. Backbone The part of a network used as a primary path for transporting traffic between network segments. Bandwidth The information capacity, measured in bits per second that a channel could transmit. Bandwidth examples include 10 Mbps for Ethernet, 100 Mbps for Fast Ethernet, and 1000 Mbps (I Gbps) for Gigabit Ethernet. Baud The signaling rate of a line, that is, the number of transitions (voltage or frequency changes) made per second. Also known as line speed. Broadcast A packet sent to all devices on a network. Broadcast storm Multiple simultaneous broadcasts that typically absorb all the available network bandwidth and can cause a network to fail. Broadcast storms can be due to faulty network devices or network loops. Capacity planning Determining whether current solutions can satisfy future demands. Capacity planning includes evaluating potential workload and infrastructure changes. Class of Service A term to describe treating different types of traffic with different levels of service priority. Higher priority traffic gets faster treatment during times of switch congestion A term used to describe two colliding packets in an Ethernet network. Collisions are a part of normal Ethernet Collision operation, but a sudden prolonged increase in the number of collisions can indicate a problem with a device, particularly if it is not accompanied by a general increase in traffic. End station A computer, printer, or server that is connected to a network. Ethernet A LAN specification developed jointly by Xerox, Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation. Ethernet networks transmit packets at a rate of 10 Mbps. Fast Ethernet An Ethernet system that is designed to operate at 100 Mbps. Gigabit Ethernet An Ethernet system that is designed to operate at 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps). Fault isolation A technique for identifying and alerting administrators about connections (such as those associated with switch ports) that are experiencing congestion or failure, or exceeding an administrator-defined threshold. Forwarding The process of sending a packet toward its destination using a networking device. The process of screening a packet for certain characteristics, such as source address, destination address, or Filtering protocol. Filtering is used to determine whether traffic is to be forwarded, and can also prevent unauthorized access to a network or network devices. A congestion- control mechanism. Congestion is caused by devices sending traffic to already overloaded port on a Flow control switch. Flow control prevents packet loss and temporarily inhibits devices from generating more traffic until the period of congestion ends. Full-duplex A system that allows packets to be transmitted and received at the same time and, in effect, doubles the potential throughput of a link. Half-duplex A system that allows packets to transmitted and received, but not at the same time. Contrast with full duplex. IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This American organization was founded in 1963 and sets standards for computers and communications. IETF Internet Engineering Task Force. An organization responsible for providing engineering solutions for TCP/IP networks. In the network management area, this group is responsible for the development of the SNMP protocol. IGMP Internet Group Management Protocol, the standard for IP multicasting in the Internet. IGMP is used to establish host memberships in multicast groups on a single network. (See IP multicast) IP Internet Protocol. IP is a layer 3 network protocol that is the standard for sending data through a network. IP is part of the TCP/IP set of protocols that describe the routing of packets to addressed devices. Internet Protocol address. A unique identifier for a device attached to a network using TCP/IP. The address is IP address written as four octets separated with periods (full-stops), and is made up of a network section, an optional subnet section and a host section. Sending data to distributed servers on a multicast backbone. For large amounts of data, IP Multicast is more efficient than normal Internet transmissions, because the server can broadcast a message to many recipients IP multicast simultaneously. Unlike traditional Internet traffic that requires separate connections for each source-destination pair, IP multicasting allows many recipients to share the same source. This means that just one set of packets is transmitted for all the destinations. LAN Local Area Network. A network of end stations (such as PCs, printers, servers) and network devices (hubs and switches) that cover a relatively small geographic area (usually not larger than a floor or building). Load balancing The ability to distribute traffic across various ports of a device, such as a switch, to provide efficient, optimized traffic throughout the network. Loop An event that occurs when two network devices are connected by more than one path, thereby causing packets to Page 15 of 19