GLOSSARY Flashcards
(310 cards)
66 Block
Traditionally used in corporate environments for cross-connecting phone system cabling. As
10Mbps LANs started to grow in popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, these termination
blocks were used to cross-connect Category 3 UTP cabling. The electrical characteristics
(specifically, crosstalk) of a 66 block, however, do not support higher-speed LAN technologies, such
as 100Mbps Ethernet networks.
110 Block
Because 66 blocks are subject to too much crosstalk for higher-speed LAN connections,
110 blocks can be used to terminate a cable (such as a Category 5 cable) being used for those higherspeed LANs.
802.11a
Ratified in 1999, this standard supports speeds as high as 54Mbps. Other supported data
rates (which can be used if conditions are not suitable for the 54Mbps rate) include 6, 9, 12, 18, 24,
36, and 48Mbps. The 802.11a standard uses the 5GHz band and the OFDM transmission method.
802.11ac
An IEEE wireless networking standard operating in the 5GHz range, with increased
throughput compared to previous Wi-Fi IEEE standards.
802.11b
Ratified in 1999, this standard supports speeds as high as 11Mbps. However, 5.5Mbps is
another supported data rate. The 802.11b standard uses the 2.4GHz band and the DSSS transmission
method.
802.11g
Ratified in 2003, this standard supports speeds as high as 54Mbps. Like 802.11a, other
supported data rates include 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48Mbps. However, like 802.11b, 802.11g
operates in the 2.4GHz band, which allows it to offer backward compatibility to 802.11b devices.
802.11g can use either the OFDM or DSSS transmission method.
802.11n
Ratified in 2009, this standard supports a variety of speeds, depending on its
implementation. Although the speed of an 802.11n network could approach 300Mbps (through the use
of channel bonding), many 802.11n devices on the market have speed ratings in the 130 Mbps–
150Mbps range. Interestingly, an 802.11n WLAN can operate in the 2.4GHz band, the 5GHz band, or
both simultaneously. 802.11n uses the OFDM transmission method.
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
Identifies what users of a network are and are not allowed to do on that
network. For example, retrieving sports scores during working hours via an organization’s Internet
connection might be deemed inappropriate by an AUP.
Access Control List
Rules typically applied to router interfaces, which specify permitted and
denied traffic.
Address Resolution Protocol
An A RP request is a broadcast asking for the MAC address
corresponding to a known IP address. An A RP reply contains the requested MAC address.
Administrative Distance (AD)
A routing protocol’s index of believable. Routing protocols with a
smaller AD are considered more believable than routing protocols with a higher AD.
Advanced Encryption Standard
Released in 2001, A ES is typically considered the preferred
symmetric encryption algorithm. A ES is available in 128-bit key, 192-bit key, and 256-bit key
versions.
alerts
Various monitoring devices and services can provide you with automated alerting as to
network events. This is often a key element in network security to quickly learn when a potential
ANT+
A wireless protocol for monitoring sensor data such as a person’s heart rate or a car’s tire
pressure, as well as for controlling systems such as indoor lighting and television sets. ANT+ is
designed and maintained by the ANT+ Alliance, which is owned by Garmin. It is based on the ANT
protocol.
anycast
An any cast communication flow is a one-to-nearest (from the perspective of a router’s
routing table) flow.
application layer (OSI model)
Layer 7 of the OSI model. This layer provides application services to
a network. An important yet often-misunderstood concept is that end-user applications do not reside
at the application layer. Instead, the application layer supports services used by end-user
applications. Another function of the application layer is advertising available services.
application layer (TCP/IP stack)
Addresses concepts described by Layers 5, 6, and 7 (that is, the
session, presentation, and application layers) of the OSI model.
arp command
Can be used in either the Microsoft Windows or the UNIX environment to see what a
Layer 2 MAC address corresponds to in a Layer 3 IP address.
asset management
As related to networks, this is a formalized system of tracking network
components and managing the lifecycle of those components.
asset tracking tags
Tags applied to physical network assets to permit the monitoring of the location
of these devices.
asymmetric encryption
With asymmetric encryption, the sender and receiver of a packet use
different keys.
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
A Layer 2 WAN technology that interconnects sites using
virtual circuits. These virtual circuits are identified by a pair of numbers, called the VPI/VCI pair. A
virtual path identifier (VPI) identifies a logical path, which can contain multiple virtual circuits. A
virtual circuit identifier (VCI) identifies the unique logical circuit within a virtual path.
Authentication Header (AH)
An IPSec protocol that provides authentication and integrity services.
However, it does not provide encryption services.
authentication server
In a network using 802.1X user authentication, an authentication server
(typically, a RADIUS server) checks a supplicant’s credentials. If the credentials are acceptable, the
authentication server notifies the authenticator that the supplicant is allowed to communicate on a
network. The authentication server also gives the authenticator a key that can be used to securely
transmit data during the authenticator’s session with the supplicant.