| 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 | A device that connects two LAN segments together, which may be of similar or dissimilar types, such as Ethernet and Token Ring. |
| Brouter | bridge 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. RJ-45 plugs and sockets are used in Ethernet and Token Ring Type 3 devices. |
| Cat 5 | A UNIX command that displays the contents of a file. |
| BNC Connector | A commonly used plug and socket for audio, video and networking applications. BNCs connect two-wire coaxial cable (signal and ground) using a bayonet mount |
| Fiber-optic cable | 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 | address of a computer attached to a TCP/IP network. Every client and server station must have a unique IP address. |
| IPX | A NetWare communications protocol used to route messages from one node to another. IPX packets include network addresses and can be routed from one network to another |
| SPX | The NetWare communications protocol used to control the transport of messages across a network |
| NetBEUI | Pronounced "net-booey." The transport layer for NetBIOS. NetBIOS and NetBEUI were originally part of a single protocol suite that was later separated. |
