| A | B |
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| VPN | ) A private network that is configured within a public network. For years, common carriers have built VPNs that appear as private national or international networks to the customer, but physically share backbone trunks with other customers. |
| DNS | Name resolution software that lets users locate computers on a UNIX network or the Internet (TCP/IP network) by domain name. |
| Hub | A central connecting device in a network that joins communications lines together in a star configuration. Passive hubs are just connecting units that add nothing to the data passing through them |
| Repeater | A communications device that amplifies (analog) or regenerates (digital) the data signal in order to extend the transmission distance |
| Birdge | A device that connects two LAN segments together, which may be of similar or dissimilar types, such as Ethernet and Token Ring. |
| Brouter | A communications device that provides the functions of a bridge and router. |
| Gateway | A computer that performs protocol conversion between different types of networks or applications. |
| RJ-4 | A telephone connector that holds up to eight wires. |
| CAT 5 | The majority of new wiring installations use Category 5 UTP wire in order to be able to run or upgrade to the faster network technologies that will require it. |
| BNC Connector | A commonly used plug and socket for audio, video and networking applications. |
| Fiber-Optic Cable | Refers to systems that use optical fibers. Fiber- optic communications networks have transformed the world. |
| Network Adapter | A printed circuit board that plugs into both the clients (personal computers or workstations) and servers and controls the exchange of data between them. |
| Half Duplex | The transmission of data in both directions, but only one direction at a time |
| Full Duplex | Transmitting and receiving simultaneously. In pure digital networks, this is achieved with two pairs of wires. |
| TCP/IP | A communications protocol developed under contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to internetwork dissimilar systems. |
| IP Address | The address of a computer attached to a TCP/IP network. Every client and server station must have a unique IP address |
| IPX | (Internetwork Packet EXchange) A NetWare communications protocol used to route messages from one node to another. |
| SPX | (Sequenced Packet EXchange) The NetWare communications protocol used to control the transport of messages across a network. |
| NetBEUI | NetBIOS Extended User Interface) Pronounced "net-booey." The transport layer for NetBIOS. NetBIOS and NetBEUI were originally part of a single protocol suite that was later separated. |
