Unit 15 - Networking Concepts
Web Server
A storage location for Internet sites. Consists of static HTML pages but many sites are developed as front-end applications for databases. They are popular targets for attack, particularly DoS, spoofing, and software exploits.
LAN (Local Area Network)
A type of network covering various different sizes but generally considered to be restricted to a single geographic location and owned/managed by a single organization.
MAC (Media Access Control) Address
A unique hardware address that is hard-coded into a network card by the manufacturer. It is 48 bits long with the first half representing the manufacturer's Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI).
IP Address
A unique name/location for a network host.
Port
A unique number assigned to a particular application protocol (such as HTTP or SMTP). With the IP address, it forms a socket between client and server.
An electronic messaging system that supports text messages and binary file attachments.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator/Identifier)
Application-level addressing scheme for TCP/IP, allowing for human-readable resource addressing.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
Developed by Netscape to provide privacy and authentication over the Internet; used with a variety of protocols, such as HTTP or FTP.
Network
In its most simple form, a connection of two or more computers through an appropriate transmission medium which allows them to share data.
UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
Protocol in the TCP/IP suite operating at the transport layer to provide connectionless, non-guaranteed communication with no sequencing or flow control. Faster than TCP, but does not provide reliability.
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
Protocol operating at the transport layer to provide connection-oriented, guaranteed delivery of packets.
POP (Post Office Protocol)
TCP/IP application protocol providing a means for a client to access email messages stored in a mailbox on a remote server. The server usually deletes messages once the client has downloaded them.
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
TCP/IP application protocol providing a means for a client to access email messages stored in a mailbox on a remote server. Unlike POP3, messages persist on the server after the client has downloaded them.
Frame
The basic "unit" of data transmitted at layer 2.
DNS (Domain Name System)
The industry standard name resolution system that provides a name to IP address mapping services on the Internet and large intranets.
TCP/IP
The network protocol suite used by most operating systems and the Internet. It is widely adopted, industry standard, vendor independent and open.
Addressing (Network)
The process of giving hosts and IPs unique locations. For example, IPv4 uses a 32-bit binary number, typically expressed as a 4-part decimal number (dotted decimal notation) while IPv6 uses a 128-bit binary number expressed in hexadecimal.
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)
The protocol that performs the task of resolving an IP address to a hardware address. When two systems communicate using TCP/IP, an IP address is used to identify the destination machine. The IP address must be mapped to a device (the network adapter's MAC address).
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
The protocol used to provide web content to browsers.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
The protocol used to send mail between hosts on the Internet.
Subnet Mask
The thing that is used to distinguish between the Network ID and a Host ID in an IP address. The typical format is 255.255.0.0.
MAPI (Message Application Programming Interface)
Windows messaging interface used primarily by the email client software Outlook to communicate with an Exchange mail server.
Default Gateway
A TCP/IP address parameter that identifies the location of a router on the local subnet that the host can use to contact other networks.
Client
A computer or software that allows users to request resources shared and hosted on servers.
Host
A device that can directly communicate on a network. In this sense it is similar to a node.
Router
A device that is able to link dissimilar networks and can support multiple alternate paths between locations based upon the parameters of speed, traffic loads, and cost. They form the basic connections of the Internet and allow data to take multiple paths to reach a destination (reducing the likelihood of transmission failure).
Server
A device that provides shared resources on the network and allows clients to access this information.
FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name)
A name in DNS specifying a particular host within a subdomain within a top-level domain.
Intranet
A network designed for information processing within a company or organization. It uses the same technologies as the Internet but is owned and managed by a company or organization.
WAN (Wide Area Network)
A network that spans a relatively large geographical area, incorporating more than one site and often a mix of different media types and protocols. Connections are made using methods such as telephone lines, fiber optic cables, or satellite links.
Protocol
A set of rules enabling systems to communicate (exchange data).
IP (Internet Protocol)
Network (internet) layer protocol in the TCP/IP suite providing packet addressing and routing for all higher level protocols in the suite.
Wireless
Network connectivity that uses the electromagnetic broadcast spectrum as the medium. Most use spread-spectrum radio, but microwave transmitters and infrared are also used.
Mailbox
Part of a message store designed to receive emails for a particular recipient.
