There are hundred of words, phrases and terms used in the computer networking. Since most of us are not future Cisco employees thus I decided to list some of the more common terminology you may come across or need to know. Here is a list of important words, phrases and terms you should know about networking.
-
Bandwidth – the rated throughput capacity of a given network media or protocol. The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time.
-
Backbone – A high-speed link joining together several networks.
-
Bit – A unit of information having just two possible values, as either of the binary digits 0 or 1.
-
Byte – a series of consecutive binary digits that are operated upon as a unit. There are 8 bits in a byte.
-
Category 5 (cat 5) cable -A type of twisted pair network wiring in which there is a certain number of twists per foot. It is the most commonly used network cabling.
-
Coaxial Cable – A type of cable consisting of two insulating layers and two conductors most commonly used in older networks.
-
Collision – An attempt by two devices to transmit over the network at the same time usually resulting in the data being lost.
-
DNS (Domain Name System) – an internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. For example www.google.com translates to 66.102.7.99.
-
Dynamic DNS – A method of keeping a domain name linked to a changing IP address using a pool of available IP addresses so you can use applications that require a static IP address.
- Domain – A group of computers and devices on a network that are administered as a unit.
-
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ) – A TCP/IP protocol that dynamically assigns an IP address to a computer. Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration because the software keeps track of IP addresses rather than requiring a network administrator to do so.
-
Ethernet – Ethernet is the most widely installed local area network technology. It was developed during the late 1970s through a partnership of DEC, Intel, and Xerox.
-
Fiber Optic – A cable technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. It is a very fast technology
ALSO READ: COMPUTER HARDWARE TERMINOLOGY
-
Gateway – A device on a network that serves as an entrance to another network and routes traffic
-
Hardware (MAC) address – A unique address associated with a particular network device
-
Hub – A common connection point for computers and devices in a network that takes an incoming signal and repeats it on all other ports
-
Internet – Term used to refer to the world’s largest internetwork, connecting thousands of networks worldwide. Also known as the world wide web (www)
-
IP address – a 32-bit address assigned to hosts using the TCP/IP protocol. Each computer/device on the public internet has a unique IP address. An example of an IP address is 192.168.1.
-
LAN (Local Area Network) – computer/data network which is confined in a limited geographical area.
-
MAC Address (Media Access Control) – A unique identifier attached to most forms of networking equipment. It is burned into the device and cannot be changed
-
Megabit – A measure of data transmission speed – 1 million bits per second or approximately 125,000 characters per second
-
Megabyte – A unit of measure for memory or hard disk storage capacity. 1024 megabytes = 1 gigabyte.
-
Network – A group of computers and devices that can communicate with each other and share resources.
-
Network Interface Card (NIC) – A hardware device inside a computer or other network device that enables communication with a network.
-
Packet – The unit of data sent across a network. Data is broken up into packets for sending over a packet switching network.
-
PING (Packet Internet Groper) – A command used to test connectivity to a device over a TCP/IP network.
-
Protocol – Rules determining the format and transmission of data over a network
-
RJ–45 – Standard connectors used for unshielded twisted-pair cable. Most commonly used with Cat5 network cabling.
-
Route – A path through an internetwork.
-
Router – A device that routes/forwards data across a networks.
-
Server – A computer that handles requests for data, email, files, and other network services from other computers (clients)
-
Subnet – A portion of a network that shares a common address component but is on a different segment than the rest of the network.
-
TI Line – A high speed dedicated data line that supports a transmission rate of 1.544 Mbps
-
TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A suite of protocols used as the basis of the nation’s internetwork (Internet). It can also be used on internal networks.
-
UNC (Universal Naming Convention) Path – A UNC provides a naming convention for identifying network resources.UNC names consist of three parts, a server name, a share name, and an optional file path.
-
WAN (wide area network) – A network linking together networks located in other geographic areas.
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and Google+ as well as share this to your social networks to support us.
Please comment below if you have any query.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!