Vonage IP8100-2 Features Guide - Page 45

Glossary MTU MTU (Maximum Transmission/Transfer Unit) is the largest packet size that can be sent over a network. Messages larger than the MTU are divided into smaller packets. NAT NAT (Network Address Translation - also known as IP masquerading) enables a LAN to present itself to the Internet with one address. NAT converts the address of each LAN node into one IP address for the Internet (and vice versa). NAT also provides a certain amount of security by acting as a firewall by keeping individual IP addresses hidden from the WAN. Ping Ping (Packet Internet Groper) is a utility used to find out if a particular IP address is presently online. Port Ports are the physical and/or logical communications pathways in and out of computers and network devices (routers and switches). Most PCs have serial and parallel ports, which are external sockets for connecting devices such as printers, modems, and mice. All network adapters also use ports to connect to the LAN. Finally, applications that communicate over the Internet also have ports; these are the endpoints of the application and are given a specific port number. PPPoE PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol Over Ethernet) is a protocol used to communicate between two computers using a serial interface, such as dialup Internet connections, over an Ethernet link. Protocol A protocol is a rule that governs the communication of data. Server Servers are typically powerful and fast computers that store programs and data. The programs and data are shared by client computers (workstations) on the network. Subnet Mask Subnet Masks (subnetwork masks) are used by IP protocol to direct messages into a specified network segment (i.e., subnet). A subnet mask is stored in the client machine, server or router and is compared with an incoming IP address to determine whether to accept or reject the packet. 43 Glossary