160 GLOSSARY
DNS Domain Name System. This system maps a numerical Internet Protocol
(IP) address to a more meaningful and easy-to-remember name. When
you need to access another device on your network, you enter the
name of the device, instead of its IP address.
Ethernet A LAN specification developed jointly by Xerox, Intel and Digital
Equipment Corporation. Ethernet networks use CSMA/CD to transmit
packets at a rate of 10 Mbps over a variety of cables.
Ethernet address See MAC address.
Fast Ethernet An Ethernet system that is designed to operate at 100Mbps.
FTP File Transfer Protocol. A protocol based on TCP/IP for reliable file
transfer.
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.
gateway See router.
half duplex A system that allows packets to transmitted and received, but not at
the same time. Contrast with full duplex.
HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol. This is a set of rules for exchanging files
(text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the
World Wide Web.
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.
Intranet An Intranet is an organisation wide network using Internet protocols
such as web services, TCP/IP, HTTP and HTML. An Intranet is normally
used for internal communication and information, and is not accessible
to computers on the wider Internet.
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.
IP address Internet Protocol address. A unique identifier for a device attached to a
network using TCP/IP. The address is written as four octets separated
