| A | B |
|---|
| vpn | A private network that is configured within a public network |
| 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 |
| repeater | A communications device that amplifies (analog) or regenerates (digital) the data signal in order to extend the transmission distance |
| bridge | To cross from one circuit, channel or element over to another |
| 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-45 | A telephone connector that holds up to eight wires |
| cat 5 | Type of cabling that consists of four twisted pairs of copper wire terminated by RJ-45 connectors |
| bnc connector | A commonly used plug and socket for audio, video and networking applications |
| fiber-optic cable | Carries pulses of laser light which are encoded with digital signals |
| 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 |
| ipx | A NetWare communications protocol used to route messages from one node to another |
| spx | The NetWare communications protocol used to control the transport of messages across a network |
| netbeui | The transport layer for NetBIOS |
