path: root/doc/rfc/rfc1392.txt

Network Working Group                                          G. Malkin
Request for Comments: 1392                                Xylogics, Inc.
FYI: 18                                                 T. LaQuey Parker
                                                                  UTexas
                                                                 Editors
                                                            January 1993


                        Internet Users' Glossary

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
   unlimited.


Abstract

   There are many networking glossaries in existence.  This glossary
   concentrates on terms which are specific to the Internet.  Naturally,
   there are entries for some basic terms and acronyms because other
   entries refer to them.


Acknowledgements

   This document is the work of the User Glossary Working Group of the
   User Services Area of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
   Special thanks go to Jon Postel for his definitive definition of
   "datagram".


Table of Contents

   non-letter  . .  2      I . . . . . . . 23      R . . . . . . . 40
   A . . . . . . .  2      J . . . . . . . 29      S . . . . . . . 43
   B . . . . . . .  6      K . . . . . . . 29      T . . . . . . . 45
   C . . . . . . .  9      L . . . . . . . 29      U . . . . . . . 48
   D . . . . . . . 12      M . . . . . . . 30      V . . . . . . . 49
   E . . . . . . . 16      N . . . . . . . 33      W . . . . . . . 49
   F . . . . . . . 18      O . . . . . . . 36      X . . . . . . . 50
   G . . . . . . . 20      P . . . . . . . 37      Y . . . . . . . 51
   H . . . . . . . 21      Q . . . . . . . 40      Z . . . . . . . 51

   References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
   Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53



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Glossary

   10BaseT
      A variant of Ethernet which allows stations to be attached via
      twisted pair cable.  See also: Ethernet, twisted pair.

   802.x
      The set of IEEE standards for the definition of LAN protocols.
      See also: IEEE.

   822
      See: RFC 822

   :-)
      This odd symbol is one of the ways a person can portray "mood" in
      the very flat medium of computers--by using "smiley faces".  This
      is "metacommunication", and there are literally hundreds of such
      symbols, from the obvious to the obscure.  This particular example
      expresses "happiness".  Don't see it?  Tilt your head to the left
      90 degrees.  Smiles are also used to denote sarcasm.
      [Source: ZEN]

   abstract syntax
      A description of a data structure that is independent of machine-
      oriented structures and encodings.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1)
      The language used by the OSI protocols for describing abstract
      syntax.  This language is also used to encode SNMP packets.  ASN.1
      is defined in ISO documents 8824.2 and 8825.2.  See also: Basic
      Encoding Rules.

   Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
      Many transit networks have policies which restrict the use to
      which the network may be put.  A well known example is NSFNET's
      AUP which does not allow commercial use.  Enforcement of AUPs
      varies with the network.  See also: National Science Foundation.

   Access Control List (ACL)
      Most network security systems operate by allowing selective use of
      services.  An Access Control List is the usual means by which
      access to, and denial of, services is controlled.  It is simply a
      list of the services available, each with a list of the hosts
      permitted to use the service.

   ACK
      See: Acknowledgment



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   acknowledgment (ACK)
      A type of message sent to indicate that a block of data arrived at
      its destination without error.  See also: Negative
      Acknowledgement.
      [Source: NNSC]

   ACL
      See: Access Control List

   AD
      See: Administrative Domain

   address
      There are three types of addresses in common use within the
      Internet.  They are email address; IP, internet or Internet
      address; and hardware or MAC address.  See also: email address, IP
      address, internet address, MAC address.

   address mask
      A bit mask used to identify which bits in an IP address correspond
      to the network and subnet portions of the address.  This mask is
      often referred to as the subnet mask because the network portion
      of the address can be determined by the encoding inherent in an IP
      address.

   address resolution
      Conversion of an internet address into the corresponding physical
      address.

   Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
      Used to dynamically discover the low level physical network
      hardware address that corresponds to the high level IP address for
      a given host.  ARP is limited to physical network systems that
      support broadcast packets that can be heard by all hosts on the
      network.  It is defined in RFC 826.  See also: proxy ARP.

   Administrative Domain (AD)
      A collection of hosts and routers, and the interconnecting
      network(s), managed by a single administrative authority.

   Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET)
      A pioneering longhaul network funded by ARPA (now DARPA).  It
      served as the basis for early networking research, as well as a
      central backbone during the development of the Internet.  The
      ARPANET consisted of individual packet switching computers
      interconnected by leased lines.  See also: Defense Advanced
      Research Projects Agency.
      [Source: FYI4]



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   agent
      In the client-server model, the part of the system that performs
      information preparation and exchange on behalf of a client or
      server application.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   alias
      A name, usually short and easy to remember, that is translated
      into another name, usually long and difficult to remember.

   American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
      This organization is responsible for approving U.S. standards in
      many areas, including computers and communications.  Standards
      approved by this organization are often called ANSI standards
      (e.g., ANSI C is the version of the C language approved by ANSI).
      ANSI is a member of ISO.  See also: International Organization for
      Standardization.
      [Source: NNSC]

   American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
      A standard character-to-number encoding widely used in the
      computer industry.  See also: EBCDIC.

   anonymous FTP
      Anonymous FTP allows a user to retrieve documents, files,
      programs, and other archived data from anywhere in the Internet
      without having to establish a userid and password.  By using the
      special userid of "anonymous" the network user will bypass local
      security checks and will have access to publicly accessible files
      on the remote system.  See also: archive site, File Transfer
      Protocol.

   ANSI
      See: American National Standards Institute

   API
      See: Application Program Interface

   Appletalk
      A networking protocol developed by Apple Computer for
      communication between Apple Computer products and other computers.
      This protocol is independent of the network layer on which it is
      run.  Current implementations exist for Localtalk, a 235Kb/s local
      area network; and Ethertalk, a 10Mb/s local area network.
      [Source: NNSC]

   application
      A program that performs a function directly for a user.  FTP, mail



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      and Telnet clients are examples of network applications.

   application layer
      The top layer of the network protocol stack.  The application
      layer is concerned with the semantics of work (e.g., formatting
      electronic mail messages).  How to represent that data and how to
      reach the foreign node are issues for lower layers of the network.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Application Program Interface (API)
      A set of calling conventions which define how a service is invoked
      through a software package.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   archie
      A system to automatically gather, index and serve information on
      the Internet.  The initial implementation of archie provided an
      indexed directory of filenames from all anonymous FTP archives on
      the Internet.  Later versions provide other collections of
      information.  See also: archive site, Gopher, Prospero, Wide Area
      Information Servers.

   archive site
      A machine that provides access to a collection of files across the
      Internet.  An "anonymous FTP archive site", for example, provides
      access to this material via the FTP protocol.  See also: anonymous
      FTP, archie, Gopher, Prospero, Wide Area Information Servers.

   ARP
      See: Address Resolution Protocol

   ARPA
      See: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

   ARPANET
      See: Advanced Research Projects Agency Network

   AS
      See: Autonomous System

   ASCII
      See: American Standard Code for Information Interchange

   ASN.1
      See: Abstract Syntax Notation One

   assigned numbers
      The RFC [STD2] which documents the currently assigned values from



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      several series of numbers used in network protocol
      implementations.  This RFC is updated periodically and, in any
      case, current information can be obtained from the Internet
      Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).  If you are developing a
      protocol or application that will require the use of a link,
      socket, port, protocol, etc., please contact the IANA to receive a
      number assignment.  See also: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority,
      STD.
      [Source: STD2]

   Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
      A method for the dynamic allocation of bandwidth using a fixed-
      size packet (called a cell).  ATM is also known as "fast packet".

   ATM
      See: Asynchronous Transfer Mode

   AUP
      See: Acceptable Use Policy

   authentication
      The verification of the identity of a person or process.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Autonomous System (AS)
      A collection of routers under a single administrative authority
      using a common Interior Gateway Protocol for routing packets.

   backbone
      The top level in a hierarchical network.  Stub and transit
      networks which connect to the same backbone are guaranteed to be
      interconnected.  See also: stub network, transit network.

   bandwidth
      Technically, the difference, in Hertz (Hz), between the highest
      and lowest frequencies of a transmission channel.  However, as
      typically used, the amount of data that can be sent through a
      given communications circuit.

   bang path
      A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one
      user to another, typically by specifying an explicit UUCP path
      through which the mail is to be routed.  See also: email address,
      mail path, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy.

   baseband
      A transmission medium through which digital signals are sent
      without complicated frequency shifting.  In general, only one



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      communication channel is available at any given time.  Ethernet is
      an example of a baseband network.  See also: broadband, Ethernet.
      [Source: NNSC]

   Basic Encoding Rules (BER)
      Standard rules for encoding data units described in ASN.1.
      Sometimes incorrectly lumped under the term ASN.1, which properly
      refers only to the abstract syntax description language, not the
      encoding technique.  See also: Abstract Syntax Notation One.
      [Source: NNSC]

   BBS
      See: Bulletin Board System

   BCNU
      Be Seein' You

   BER
      See: Basic Encoding Rules

   Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND)
      Implementation of a DNS server developed and distributed by the
      University of California at Berkeley.  Many Internet hosts run
      BIND, and it is the ancestor of many commercial BIND
      implementations.

   Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)
      Implementation of the UNIX operating system and its utilities
      developed and distributed by the University of California at
      Berkeley.  "BSD" is usually preceded by the version number of the
      distribution, e.g., "4.3 BSD" is version 4.3 of the Berkeley UNIX
      distribution.  Many Internet hosts run BSD software, and it is the
      ancestor of many commercial UNIX implementations.
      [Source: NNSC]

   BGP
      See: Border Gateway Protocol

   big-endian
      A format for storage or transmission of binary data in which the
      most significant bit (or byte) comes first.  The term comes from
      "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift.  The Lilliputians, being
      very small, had correspondingly small political problems.  The
      Big-Endian and Little-Endian parties debated over whether soft-
      boiled eggs should be opened at the big end or the little end.
      See also: little-endian.
      [Source: RFC1208]




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   binary
      11001001

   BIND
      See: Berkeley Internet Name Domain

   Birds Of a Feather (BOF)
      A Birds Of a Feather (flocking together) is an informal discussion
      group.  It is formed, often ad hoc, to consider a specific issue
      and, therefore, has a narrow focus.

   Bitnet
      An academic computer network that provides interactive electronic
      mail and file transfer services, using a store-and-forward
      protocol, based on IBM Network Job Entry protocols.  Bitnet-II
      encapsulates the Bitnet protocol within IP packets and depends on
      the Internet to route them.

   BOF
      See: Birds Of a Feather

   BOOTP
      The Bootstrap Protocol, described in RFCs 951 and 1084, is used
      for booting diskless nodes.  See also: Reverse Address Resolution
      Protocol.

   Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
      The Border Gateway Protocol is an exterior gateway protocol
      defined in RFCs 1267 and 1268.  It's design is based on experience
      gained with EGP, as defined in STD 18, RFC 904, and EGP usage in
      the NSFNET Backbone, as described in RFCs 1092 and 1093.  See
      also: Exterior Gateway Protocol.

   bounce
      The return of a piece of mail because of an error in its delivery.
      [Source: ZEN]

   bridge
      A device which forwards traffic between network segments based on
      datalink layer information.  These segments would have a common
      network layer address.  See also: gateway, router.

   broadband
      A transmission medium capable of supporting a wide range of
      frequencies.  It can carry multiple signals by dividing the total
      capacity of the medium into multiple, independent bandwidth
      channels, where each channel operates only on a specific range of
      frequencies.  See also: baseband.



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   broadcast
      A special type of multicast packet which all nodes on the network
      are always willing to receive.  See also: multicast.

   broadcast storm
      An incorrect packet broadcast onto a network that causes multiple
      hosts to respond all at once, typically with equally incorrect
      packets which causes the storm to grow exponentially in severity.

   brouter
      A device which bridges some packets (i.e., forwards based on
      datalink layer information) and routes other packets (i.e.,
      forwards based on network layer information).  The bridge/route
      decision is based on configuration information.  See also: bridge,
      router.

   BSD
      See: Berkeley Software Distribution

   BTW
      By The Way

   Bulletin Board System (BBS)
      A computer, and associated software, which typically provides
      electronic messaging services, archives of files, and any other
      services or activities of interest to the bulletin board system's
      operator.  Although BBS's have traditionally been the domain of
      hobbyists, an increasing number of BBS's are connected directly to
      the Internet, and many BBS's are currently operated by government,
      educational, and research institutions.  See also: Electronic
      Mail, Internet, Usenet.
      [Source: NWNET]

   Campus Wide Information System (CWIS)
      A CWIS makes information and services publicly available on campus
      via kiosks, and makes interactive computing available via kiosks,
      interactive computing systems and campus networks. Services
      routinely include directory information, calendars, bulletin
      boards, databases.

   CCIRN
      See: Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks

   CCITT
      See: Comite Consultatif International de Telegraphique et
      Telephonique





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   CERT
      See: Computer Emergency Response Team

   checksum
      A computed value which is dependent upon the contents of a packet.
      This value is sent along with the packet when it is transmitted.
      The receiving system computes a new checksum based upon the
      received data and compares this value with the one sent with the
      packet.  If the two values are the same, the receiver has a high
      degree of confidence that the data was received correctly.
      [Source: NNSC]

   circuit switching
      A communications paradigm in which a dedicated communication path
      is established between two hosts, and on which all packets travel.
      The telephone system is an example of a circuit switched network.
      See also: connection-oriented, connectionless, packet switching.

   client
      A computer system or process that requests a service of another
      computer system or process.  A workstation requesting the contents
      of a file from a file server is a client of the file server.  See
      also: client-server model, server.
      [Source: NNSC]

   client-server model
      A common way to describe the paradigm of many network protocols.
      Examples include the name-server/name-resolver relationship in DNS
      and the file-server/file-client relationship in NFS.  See also:
      client, server, Domain Name System, Network File System.

   CNI
      See: Coalition for Networked Information

   Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)
      A consortium formed by American Research Libraries, CAUSE, and
      EDUCOM to promote the creation of, and access to, information
      resources in networked environments in order to enrich scholarship
      and enhance intellectual productivity.

   Comite Consultatif International de Telegraphique et Telephonique
      (CCITT)
      This organization is part of the United National International
      Telecommunications Union (ITU) and is responsible for making
      technical recommendations about telephone and data communications
      systems.  Every four years CCITT holds plenary sessions where they
      adopt new standards; the most recent was in 1992.
      [Source: NNSC]



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   Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
      The CERT was formed by DARPA in November 1988 in response to the
      needs exhibited during the Internet worm incident.  The CERT
      charter is to work with the Internet community to facilitate its
      response to computer security events involving Internet hosts, to
      take proactive steps to raise the community's awareness of
      computer security issues, and to conduct research targeted at
      improving the security of existing systems.  CERT products and
      services include 24-hour technical assistance for responding to
      computer security incidents, product vulnerability assistance,
      technical documents, and tutorials.  In addition, the team
      maintains a number of mailing lists (including one for CERT
      Advisories), and provides an anonymous FTP server, at "cert.org",
      where security-related documents and tools are archived.  The CERT
      may be reached by email at "cert@cert.org" and by telephone at
      +1-412-268-7090 (24-hour hotline).  See also: Defense Advanced
      Research Projects Agency, worm.

   congestion
      Congestion occurs when the offered load exceeds the capacity of a
      data communication path.

   connection-oriented
      The data communication method in which communication proceeds
      through three well-defined phases: connection establishment, data
      transfer, connection release.  TCP is a connection-oriented
      protocol.  See also: circuit switching, connectionless, packet
      switching, Transmission Control Protocol.

   connectionless
      The data communication method in which communication occurs
      between hosts with no previous setup.  Packets between two hosts
      may take different routes, as each is independent of the other.
      UDP is a connectionless protocol.  See also: circuit switching,
      connection-oriented, packet switching, User Datagram Protocol.

   Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks (CCIRN)
      A committee that includes the United States FNC and its
      counterparts in North America and Europe.  Co-chaired by the
      executive directors of the FNC and the European Association of
      Research Networks (RARE), the CCIRN provides a forum for
      cooperative planning among the principal North American and
      European research networking bodies.  See also: Federal Networking
      Council, RARE.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   core gateway
      Historically, one of a set of gateways (routers) operated by the



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      Internet Network Operations Center at Bolt, Beranek and Newman
      (BBN).  The core gateway system formed a central part of Internet
      routing in that all groups must advertise paths to their networks
      from a core gateway.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN)
      This organization was formed in October 1989, when Bitnet and
      CSNET (Computer + Science NETwork) were combined under one
      administrative authority.  CSNET is no longer operational, but
      CREN still runs Bitnet.  See also: Bitnet.
      [Source: NNSC]

   cracker
      A cracker is an individual who attempts to access computer systems
      without authorization.  These individuals are often malicious, as
      opposed to hackers, and have many means at their disposal for
      breaking into a system.  See also: hacker, Computer Emergency
      Response Team, Trojan Horse, virus, worm.

   CRC
      See: cyclic redundancy check

   CREN
      See: Corporation for Research and Educational Networking

   CWIS
      See: Campus Wide Information system

   Cyberspace
      A term coined by William Gibson in his fantasy novel Neuromancer
      to describe the "world" of computers, and the society that gathers
      around them.
      [Source: ZEN]

   Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
      A number derived from a set of data that will be transmitted.  By
      recalculating the CRC at the remote end and comparing it to the
      value originally transmitted, the receiving node can detect some
      types of transmission errors.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   DARPA
      See: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

   Data Encryption Key (DEK)
      Used for the encryption of message text and for the computation of
      message integrity checks (signatures).  See also: encryption.



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   Data Encryption Standard (DES)
      A popular, standard encryption scheme.  See also: encryption.

   datagram
      A self-contained, independent entity of data carrying sufficient
      information to be routed from the source to the destination
      computer without reliance on earlier exchanges between this source
      and destination computer and the transporting network.  See also:
      frame, packet.
      [Source: J. Postel]

   DCA
      See: Defense Information Systems Agency

   DCE
      Data Circuit-terminating Equipment

   DCE
      See: Distributed Computing Environment

   DDN
      See: Defense Data Network

   DDN NIC
      See: Defense Data Network Network Information Center

   DECnet
      A proprietary network protocol designed by Digital Equipment
      Corporation.  The functionality of each Phase of the
      implementation, such as Phase IV and Phase V, is different.

   default route
      A routing table entry which is used to direct packets addressed to
      networks not explicitly listed in the routing table.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
      An agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the
      development of new technology for use by the military.  DARPA
      (formerly known as ARPA) was responsible for funding much of the
      development of the Internet we know today, including the Berkeley
      version of Unix and TCP/IP.
      [Source: NNSC]

   Defense Data Network (DDN)
      A global communications network serving the US Department of
      Defense composed of MILNET, other portions of the Internet, and
      classified networks which are not part of the Internet.  The DDN



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      is used to connect military installations and is managed by the
      Defense Information Systems Agency.  See also: Defense Information
      Systems Agency.

   Defense Data Network Network Information Center (DDN NIC)
      Often called "The NIC", the DDN NIC's primary responsibility is
      the assignment of Internet network addresses and Autonomous System
      numbers, the administration of the root domain, and providing
      information and support services to the DDN.  It is also a primary
      repository for RFCs.  See also: Autonomous System, network
      address, Internet Registry, Network Information Center, Request
      For Comments.

   Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
      Formerly called the Defense Communications Agency (DCA), this is
      the government agency responsible for managing the DDN portion of
      the Internet, including the MILNET.  Currently, DISA administers
      the DDN, and supports the user assistance services of the DDN NIC.
      See also: Defense Data Network.

   DEK
      See: Data Encryption Key

   DES
      See: Data Encryption Standard

   dialup
      A temporary, as opposed to dedicated, connection between machines
      established over a standard phone line.

   Directory Access Protocol
      X.500 protocol used for communication between a Directory User
      Agent and a Directory System Agent.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Directory System Agent (DSA)
      The software that provides the X.500 Directory Service for a
      portion of the directory information base.  Generally, each DSA is
      responsible for the directory information for a single
      organization or organizational unit.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Directory User Agent (DUA)
      The software that accesses the X.500 Directory Service on behalf
      of the directory user.  The directory user may be a person or
      another software element.
      [Source: RFC1208]




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   DISA
      See: Defense Information Systems Agency

   Distributed Computing Environment (DCE)
      An architecture of standard programming interfaces, conventions,
      and server functionalities (e.g., naming, distributed file system,
      remote procedure call) for distributing applications transparently
      across networks of heterogeneous computers.  Promoted and
      controlled by the Open Software Foundation (OSF), a consortium led
      by Digital, IBM and Hewlett Packard.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   distributed database
      A collection of several different data repositories that looks
      like a single database to the user.  A prime example in the
      Internet is the Domain Name System.

   DIX Ethernet
      See: Ethernet

   DNS
      See: Domain Name System

   domain
      "Domain" is a heavily overused term in the Internet.  It can be
      used in the Administrative Domain context, or the Domain Name
      context.  See also: Administrative Domain, Domain Name System.

   Domain Name System (DNS)
      The DNS is a general purpose distributed, replicated, data query
      service.  The principal use is the lookup of host IP addresses
      based on host names.  The style of host names now used in the
      Internet is called "domain name", because they are the style of
      names used to look up anything in the DNS.  Some important domains
      are: .COM (commercial), .EDU (educational), .NET (network
      operations), .GOV (U.S. government), and .MIL (U.S. military).
      Most countries also have a domain.  For example, .US (United
      States), .UK (United Kingdom), .AU (Australia).  It is defined in
      STD 13, RFCs 1034 and 1035.  See also: Fully Qualified Domain
      Name.

   dot address (dotted decimal notation)
      Dot address refers to the common notation for IP addresses of the
      form A.B.C.D; where each letter represents, in decimal, one byte
      of a four byte IP address.  See also: IP address.
      [Source: FYI4]





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   DS1
      A framing specification for T-1 synchronous lines.  See also: T1

   DS3
      A framing specification for T-3 synchronous lines.  See also: T3

   DSA
      See: Directory System Agent

   DTE
      Data Terminal Equipment

   DUA
      See: Directory User Agent

   dynamic adaptive routing
      Automatic rerouting of traffic based on a sensing and analysis of
      current actual network conditions.  NOTE: this does not include
      cases of routing decisions taken on predefined information.
      [Source: J. Postel]

   EARN
      See: European Academic and Research Network

   EBCDIC
      See: Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code

   Ebone
      A pan-European backbone service.

   EFF
      See: Electronic Frontier Foundation

   EFLA
      See: Extended Four Letter Acronym

   EGP
      See: Exterior Gateway Protocol

   Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
      A foundation established to address social and legal issues
      arising from the impact on society of the increasingly pervasive
      use of computers as a means of communication and information
      distribution.

   Electronic Mail (email)
      A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages with other
      computer users (or groups of users) via a communications network.



User Glossary Working Group                                    [Page 16]
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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


      Electronic mail is one of the most popular uses of the Internet.
      [Source: NNSC]

   email
      See: Electronic mail

   email address
      The domain-based or UUCP address that is used to send electronic
      mail to a specified destination.  For example an editor's address
      is "gmalkin@xylogics.com".  See also: bang path, mail path, UNIX-
      to-UNIX CoPy.
      [Source: ZEN]

   encapsulation
      The technique used by layered protocols in which a layer adds
      header information to the protocol data unit (PDU) from the layer
      above.  As an example, in Internet terminology, a packet would
      contain a header from the physical layer, followed by a header
      from the network layer (IP), followed by a header from the
      transport layer (TCP), followed by the application protocol data.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   encryption
      Encryption is the manipulation of a packet's data in order to
      prevent any but the intended recipient from reading that data.
      There are many types of data encryption, and they are the basis of
      network security.  See also: Data Encryption Standard.

   Ethernet
      A 10-Mb/s standard for LANs, initially developed by Xerox, and
      later refined by Digital, Intel and Xerox (DIX).  All hosts are
      connected to a coaxial cable where they contend for network access
      using a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
      (CSMA/CD) paradigm.  See also: 802.x, Local Area Network, token
      ring.

   Ethernet meltdown
      An event that causes saturation, or near saturation, on an
      Ethernet.  It usually results from illegal or misrouted packets
      and typically lasts only a short time.
      [Source: COMER]

   European Academic and Research Network (EARN)
      A network connecting European academic and research institutions
      with electronic mail and file transfer services using the Bitnet
      protocol.  See also: Bitnet





User Glossary Working Group                                    [Page 17]
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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


   Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
      A standard character-to-number encoding used primarily by IBM
      computer systems.  See also: ASCII.

   Extended Four Letter Acronym (EFLA)
      A recognition of the fact that there are far too many TLAs.  See
      also: Three Letter Acronym.
      [Source: K. Morgan]

   Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP)
      A protocol which distributes routing information to the routers
      which connect autonomous systems.  The term "gateway" is
      historical, as "router" is currently the preferred term.  There is
      also a routing protocol called EGP defined in STD 18, RFC 904.
      See also: Autonomous System, Border Gateway Protocol, Interior
      Gateway Protocol.

   eXternal Data Representation (XDR)
      A standard for machine independent data structures developed by
      Sun Microsystems and defined in RFC 1014.  It is similar to ASN.1.
      See also: Abstract Syntax Notation One.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   FARNET
      A non-profit corporation, established in 1987, whose mission is to
      advance the use of computer networks to improve research and
      education.

   FAQ
      Frequently Asked Question

   FDDI
      See: Fiber Distributed Data Interface

   Federal Information Exchange (FIX)
      One of the connection points between the American governmental
      internets and the Internet.
      [Source: SURA]

   Federal Networking Council (FNC)
      The coordinating group of representatives from those federal
      agencies involved in the development and use of federal
      networking, especially those networks using TCP/IP and the
      Internet.  Current members include representatives from DOD, DOE,
      DARPA, NSF, NASA, and HHS.  See also: Defense Advanced Research
      Projects Agency, National Science Foundation.





User Glossary Working Group                                    [Page 18]
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   Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
      A high-speed (100Mb/s) LAN standard.  The underlying medium is
      fiber optics, and the topology is a dual-attached, counter-
      rotating token ring.  See also: Local Area Network, token ring.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   file transfer
      The copying of a file from one computer to another over a computer
      network.  See also: File Transfer Protocol, Kermit.

   File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
      A protocol which allows a user on one host to access, and transfer
      files to and from, another host over a network.  Also, FTP is
      usually the name of the program the user invokes to execute the
      protocol.  It is defined in STD 9, RFC 959.  See also: anonymous
      FTP.

   finger
      A program that displays information about a particular user, or
      all users, logged on the local system or on a remote system.  It
      typically shows full name, last login time, idle time, terminal
      line, and terminal location (where applicable).  It may also
      display plan and project files left by the user.

   FIX
      See: Federal Information Exchange

   flame
      A strong opinion and/or criticism of something, usually as a frank
      inflammatory statement, in an electronic mail message.  It is
      common to precede a flame with an indication of pending fire
      (i.e., FLAME ON!).  Flame Wars occur when people start flaming
      other people for flaming when they shouldn't have.  See also:
      Electronic Mail

   FNC
      See: Federal Networking Council

   For Your Information (FYI)
      A subseries of RFCs that are not technical standards or
      descriptions of protocols.  FYIs convey general information about
      topics related to TCP/IP or the Internet.  See also: Request For
      Comments, STD.

   FQDN
      See: Fully Qualified Domain Name





User Glossary Working Group                                    [Page 19]
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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


   fragment
      A piece of a packet.  When a router is forwarding an IP packet to
      a network that has a maximum packet size smaller than the packet
      size, it is forced to break up that packet into multiple
      fragments.  These fragments will be reassembled by the IP layer at
      the destination host.

   fragmentation
      The IP process in which a packet is broken into smaller pieces to
      fit the requirements of a physical network over which the packet
      must pass.  See also: reassembly.

   frame
      A frame is a datalink layer "packet" which contains the header and
      trailer information required by the physical medium.  That is,
      network layer packets are encapsulated to become frames.  See
      also: datagram, encapsulation, packet.

   freenet
      Community-based bulletin board system with email, information
      services, interactive communications, and conferencing.  Freenets
      are funded and operated by individuals and volunteers -- in one
      sense, like public television.  They are part of the National
      Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), an organization based in
      Cleveland, Ohio, devoted to making computer telecommunication and
      networking services as freely available as public libraries.
      [Source: LAQUEY]

   FTP
      See: File Transfer Protocol

   Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
      The FQDN is the full name of a system, rather than just its
      hostname.  For example, "venera" is a hostname and
      "venera.isi.edu" is an FQDN.  See also: hostname, Domain Name
      System.

   FYI
      See: For Your Information

   gross
      A dozen dozen (144).

   gated
      Gatedaemon.  A program which supports multiple routing protocols
      and protocol families.  It may be used for routing, and makes an
      effective platform for routing protocol research.  The software is
      freely available by anonymous FTP from "gated.cornell.edu".



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      Pronounced "gate-dee".  See also: Exterior Gateway Protocol, Open
      Shortest Path First..., Routing Information Protocol, routed.

   gateway
      The term "router" is now used in place of the original definition
      of "gateway".  Currently, a gateway is a communications
      device/program which passes data between networks having similar
      functions but dissimilar implementations.  This should not be
      confused with a protocol converter.  By this definition, a router
      is a layer 3 (network layer) gateway, and a mail gateway is a
      layer 7 (application layer) gateway.  See also: mail gateway,
      router, protocol converter.

   Gopher
      A distributed information service that makes available
      hierarchical collections of information across the Internet.
      Gopher uses a simple protocol that allows a single Gopher client
      to access information from any accessible Gopher server, providing
      the user with a single "Gopher space" of information.  Public
      domain versions of the client and server are available.  See also:
      archie, archive site, Prospero, Wide Area Information Servers.

   GOSIP
      See: Government OSI Profile

   Government OSI Profile
      A subset of OSI standards specific to U.S. Government
      procurements, designed to maximize interoperability in areas where
      plain OSI standards are ambiguous or allow excessive options.
      [Source: BIG-LAN]

   hacker
      A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the
      internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in
      particular.  The term is often misused in a pejorative context,
      where "cracker" would be the correct term.  See also: cracker.

   header
      The portion of a packet, preceding the actual data, containing
      source and destination addresses, and error checking and other
      fields.  A header is also the part of an electronic mail message
      that precedes the body of a message and contains, among other
      things, the message originator, date and time.  See also:
      Electronic Mail, packet.

   heterogeneous network
      A network running multiple network layer protocols.  See also:
      DECnet, IP, IPX, XNS.



User Glossary Working Group                                    [Page 21]
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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


   hierarchical routing
      The complex problem of routing on large networks can be simplified
      by reducing the size of the networks.  This is accomplished by
      breaking a network into a hierarchy of networks, where each level
      is responsible for its own routing.  The Internet has, basically,
      three levels: the backbones, the mid-levels, and the stub
      networks.  The backbones know how to route between the mid-levels,
      the mid-levels know how to route between the sites, and each site
      (being an autonomous system) knows how to route internally.  See
      also: Autonomous System, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Interior
      Gateway Protocol, stub network, transit network.

   High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC)
      High performance computing encompasses advanced computing,
      communications, and information technologies, including scientific
      workstations, supercomputer systems, high speed networks, special
      purpose and experimental systems, the new generation of large
      scale parallel systems, and application and systems software with
      all components well integrated and linked over a high speed
      network.
      [Source: HPCC]

   High Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI)
      An emerging ANSI standard which extends the computer bus over
      fairly short distances at speeds of 800 and 1600 Mb/s.  HIPPI is
      often used in a computer room to connect a supercomputer to
      routers, frame buffers, mass-storage peripherals, and other
      computers.  See also: American National Standards Institute
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   HIPPI
      See: High Performance Parallel Interface

   hop
      A term used in routing.  A path to a destination on a network is a
      series of hops, through routers, away from the origin.

   host
      A computer that allows users to communicate with other host
      computers on a network.  Individual users communicate by using
      application programs, such as electronic mail, Telnet and FTP.
      [Source: NNSC]

   host address
      See: internet address

   hostname
      The name given to a machine.  See also: Fully Qualified Domain



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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


      Name.
      [Source: ZEN]

   host number
      See: host address

   HPCC
      See: High Performance Computing and Communications

   hub
      A device connected to several other devices.  In ARCnet, a hub is
      used to connect several computers together.  In a message handling
      service, a hub is used for the transfer of messages across the
      network.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   I-D
      See: Internet-Draft

   IAB
      See: Internet Architecture Board

   IANA
      See: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

   ICMP
      See: Internet Control Message Protocol

   IEEE
      Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

   IEEE 802
      See: 802.x

   IEN
      See: Internet Experiment Note

   IESG
      See: Internet Engineering Steering Group

   IETF
      See: Internet Engineering Task Force

   IINREN
      See: Interagency Interim National Research and Education Network

   IGP
      See: Interior Gateway Protocol



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   IMHO
      In My Humble Opinion

   IMR
      See: Internet Monthly Report

   Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
      An emerging technology which is beginning to be offered by the
      telephone carriers of the world.  ISDN combines voice and digital
      network services in a single medium, making it possible to offer
      customers digital data services as well as voice connections
      through a single "wire".  The standards that define ISDN are
      specified by CCITT.  See also: CCITT.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Interagency Interim National Research and Education Network (IINREN)
      An evolving operating network system.  Near term (1992-1996)
      research and development activities will provide for the smooth
      evolution of this networking infrastructure into the future
      gigabit NREN.
      [Source: HPCC]

   Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP)
      A protocol which distributes routing information to the routers
      within an autonomous system.  The term "gateway" is historical, as
      "router" is currently the preferred term.  See also: Autonomous
      System, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest Path First...,
      Routing Information Protocol.

   Intermediate System (IS)
      An OSI system which performs network layer forwarding.  It is
      analogous to an IP router.  See also: Open Systems
      Interconnection, router.

   Intermediate System-Intermediate System (IS-IS)
      The OSI IGP.  See also: Open Systems Interconnection, Interior
      Gateway Protocol.

   International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
      A voluntary, nontreaty organization founded in 1946 which is
      responsible for creating international standards in many areas,
      including computers and communications.  Its members are the
      national standards organizations of the 89 member countries,
      including ANSI for the U.S.  See also: American National Standards
      Institute, Open Systems Interconnection.
      [Source: TAN]





User Glossary Working Group                                    [Page 24]
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   internet
      While an internet is a network, the term "internet" is usually
      used to refer to a collection of networks interconnected with
      routers.  See also: network.

   Internet
      (note the capital "I") The Internet is the largest internet in the
      world.  Is a three level hierarchy composed of backbone networks
      (e.g., NSFNET, MILNET), mid-level networks, and stub networks.
      The Internet is a multiprotocol internet.  See also: backbone,
      mid-level network, stub network, transit network, Internet
      Protocol, Corporation for Research and Educational Networks,
      National Science Foundation.

   internet address
      A IP address that uniquely identifies a node on an internet.  An
      Internet address (capital "I"), uniquely identifies a node on the
      Internet.  See also: internet, Internet, IP address.

   Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
      The technical body that oversees the development of the Internet
      suite of protocols.  It has two task forces: the IETF and the
      IRTF.  "IAB" previously stood for Internet Activities Board.  See
      also: Internet Engineering Task Force, Internet Research Task
      Force.

   Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
      The central registry for various Internet protocol parameters,
      such as port, protocol and enterprise numbers, and options, codes
      and types.  The currently assigned values are listed in the
      "Assigned Numbers" document [STD2].  To request a number
      assignment, contact the IANA at "iana@isi.edu".  See also:
      assigned numbers, STD.

   Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
      ICMP is an extension to the Internet Protocol.  It allows for the
      generation of error messages, test packets and informational
      messages related to IP.  It is defined in STD 5, RFC 792.
      [Source: FYI4]

   Internet-Draft (I-D)
      Internet-Drafts are working documents of the IETF, its Areas, and
      its Working Groups.   As the name implies, Internet-Drafts are
      draft documents.  They are valid for a maximum of six months and
      may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
      time.  Very often, I-Ds are precursors to RFCs.  See also:
      Internet Engineering Task Force, Request For Comments.




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   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)
      The IESG is composed of the IETF Area Directors and the IETF
      Chair.  It provides the first technical review of Internet
      standards and is responsible for day-to-day "management" of the
      IETF.  See also: Internet Engineering Task Force.

   Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
      The IETF is a large, open community of network designers,
      operators, vendors, and researchers whose purpose is to coordinate
      the operation, management and evolution of the Internet, and to
      resolve short-range and mid-range protocol and architectural
      issues.  It is a major source of proposals for protocol standards
      which are submitted to the IAB for final approval.  The IETF meets
      three times a year and extensive minutes are included in the IETF
      Proceedings.  See also: Internet, Internet Architecture Board.
      [Source: FYI4]

   Internet Experiment Note (IEN)
      A series of reports pertinent to the Internet.  IENs were
      published in parallel to RFCs and are no longer active.  See also:
      Internet-Draft, Request For Comments.

   Internet Monthly Report (IMR)
      Published monthly, the purpose of the Internet Monthly Reports is
      to communicate to the Internet Research Group the accomplishments,
      milestones reached, or problems discovered by the participating
      organizations.

   internet number
      See: internet address

   Internet Protocol (IP)
      The Internet Protocol, defined in STD 5, RFC 791, is the network
      layer for the TCP/IP Protocol Suite.  It is a connectionless,
      best-effort packet switching protocol.  See also: packet
      switching, Request For Comments, TCP/IP Protocol Suite.

   Internet Registry (IR)
      The IANA has the discretionary authority to delegate portions of
      its responsibility and, with respect to network address and
      Autonomous System identifiers, has lodged this responsibility with
      an IR.  The IR function is performed by the DDN NIC.  See also:
      Autonomous System, network address, Defense Data Network...,
      Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

   Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
      A world-wide "party line" protocol that allows one to converse
      with others in real time.  IRC is structured as a network of



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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


      servers, each of which accepts connections from client programs,
      one per user.  See also: talk.
      [Source: HACKER]

   Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG)
      The "governing body" of the IRTF.  See also: Internet Research
      Task Force.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
      The IRTF is chartered by the IAB to consider long-term Internet
      issues from a theoretical point of view.  It has Research Groups,
      similar to IETF Working Groups, which are each tasked to discuss
      different research topics.  Multi-cast audio/video conferencing
      and privacy enhanced mail are samples of IRTF output.  See also:
      Internet Architecture Board, Internet Engineering Task Force,
      Privacy Enhanced Mail.

   Internet Society (ISOC)
      The Internet Society is a non-profit, professional membership
      organization which facilitates and supports the technical
      evolution of the Internet, stimulates interest in and educates the
      scientific and academic communities, industry and the public about
      the technology, uses and applications of the Internet, and
      promotes the development of new applications for the system.  The
      Society provides a forum for discussion and collaboration in the
      operation and use of the global Internet infrastructure.  The
      Internet Society publishes a quarterly newsletter, the Internet
      Society News, and holds an annual conference, INET.  The
      development of Internet technical standards takes place under the
      auspices of the Internet Society with substantial support from the
      Corporation for National Research Initiatives under a cooperative
      agreement with the US Federal Government.
      [Source: V. Cerf]

   Internetwork Packet eXchange (IPX)
      Novell's protocol used by Netware.  A router with IPX routing can
      interconnect LANs so that Novell Netware clients and servers can
      communicate.  See also: Local Area Network.

   interoperability
      The ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from
      multiple vendors to communicate meaningfully.

   IP
      See: Internet Protocol





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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


   IP address
      The 32-bit address defined by the Internet Protocol in STD 5, RFC
      791.  It is usually represented in dotted decimal notation.  See
      also: dot address, internet address, Internet Protocol, network
      address, subnet address, host address.

   IP datagram
      See: datagram

   IPX
      See: Internetwork Packet eXchange

   IR
      See: Internet Registry

   IRC
      See: Internet Relay Chat

   IRSG
      See: Internet Research Steering Group

   IRTF
      See: Internet Research Task Force

   IS
      See: Intermediate System

   IS-IS
      See: Intermediate System-Intermediate System

   ISDN
      See: Integrated Services Digital Network

   ISO
      See: International Organization for Standardization

   ISO Development Environment (ISODE)
      Software that allows OSI services to use a TCP/IP network.
      Pronounced eye-so-dee-eee.  See also: Open Systems
      Interconnection, TCP/IP Protocol Suite.

   ISOC
      See: Internet Society

   ISODE
      See: ISO Development Environment





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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


   JKREY
      Joyce K. Reynolds

   KA9Q
      A popular implementation of TCP/IP and associated protocols for
      amateur packet radio systems.  See also: TCP/IP Protocol Suite.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Kerberos
      Kerberos is the security system of MIT's Project Athena.  It is
      based on symmetric key cryptography.  See also: encryption.

   Kermit
      A popular file transfer protocol developed by Columbia University.
      Because Kermit runs in most operating environments, it provides an
      easy method of file transfer.  Kermit is NOT the same as FTP.  See
      also: File Transfer Protocol
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Knowbot
      An experimental directory service.  See also: white pages, WHOIS,
      X.500.

   LAN
      See: Local Area Network

   layer
      Communication networks for computers may be organized as a set of
      more or less independent protocols, each in a different layer
      (also called level).  The lowest layer governs direct host-to-host
      communication between the hardware at different hosts; the highest
      consists of user applications.  Each layer builds on the layer
      beneath it.  For each layer, programs at different hosts use
      protocols appropriate to the layer to communicate with each other.
      TCP/IP has five layers of protocols; OSI has seven.  The
      advantages of different layers of protocols is that the methods of
      passing information from one layer to another are specified
      clearly as part of the protocol suite, and changes within a
      protocol layer are prevented from affecting the other layers.
      This greatly simplifies the task of designing and maintaining
      communication programs.  See also: Open Systems Interconnection,
      TCP/IP Protocol Suite.

   listserv
      An automated mailing list distribution system originally designed
      for the Bitnet/EARN network.  See also: Bitnet, European Academic
      Research Network, mailing list.




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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


   little-endian
      A format for storage or transmission of binary data in which the
      least significant byte (bit) comes first.  See also: big-endian.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   LLC
      See: Logical Link Control

   Local Area Network (LAN)
      A data network intended to serve an area of only a few square
      kilometers or less.  Because the network is known to cover only a
      small area, optimizations can be made in the network signal
      protocols that permit data rates up to 100Mb/s.  See also:
      Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface, token ring, Wide Area
      Network.
      [Source: NNSC]

   Logical Link Control (LLC)
      The upper portion of the datalink layer, as defined in IEEE 802.2.
      The LLC sublayer presents a uniform interface to the user of the
      datalink service, usually the network layer.  Beneath the LLC
      sublayer is the MAC sublayer.  See also: 802.x, layer, Media
      Access Control.

   Lurking
      No active participation on the part of a subscriber to an mailing
      list or USENET newsgroup.  A person who is lurking is just
      listening to the discussion.  Lurking is encouraged for beginners
      who need to get up to speed on the history of the group.  See
      also: Electronic Mail, mailing list, Usenet.
      [Source: LAQUEY]

   MAC
      See: Media Access Control

   MAC address
      The hardware address of a device connected to a shared media.  See
      also: Media Access Control, Ethernet, token ring.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   mail bridge
      A mail gateway that forwards electronic mail between two or more
      networks while ensuring that the messages it forwards meet certain
      administrative criteria.  A mail bridge is simply a specialized
      form of mail gateway that enforces an administrative policy with
      regard to what mail it forwards.  See also: Electronic Mail, mail
      gateway.
      [Source: NNSC]



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   Mail Exchange Record (MX Record)
      A DNS resource record type indicating which host can handle mail
      for a particular domain.  See also: Domain Name System, Electronic
      Mail.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   mail exploder
      Part of an electronic mail delivery system which allows a message
      to be delivered to a list of addresses.  Mail exploders are used
      to implement mailing lists.  Users send messages to a single
      address and the mail exploder takes care of delivery to the
      individual mailboxes in the list.  See also: Electronic Mail,
      email address, mailing list.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   mail gateway
      A machine that connects two or more electronic mail systems
      (including dissimilar mail systems) and transfers messages between
      them.  Sometimes the mapping and translation can be quite complex,
      and it generally requires a store-and-forward scheme whereby the
      message is received from one system completely before it is
      transmitted to the next system, after suitable translations.  See
      also: Electronic Mail.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   mail path
      A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one
      user to another.  This system of email addressing has been used
      primarily in UUCP networks which are trying to eliminate its use
      altogether.  See also: bang path, email address, UNIX-to-UNIX
      CoPy.

   mail server
      A software program that distributes files or information in
      response to requests sent via email.  Internet examples include
      Almanac and netlib.  Mail servers have also been used in Bitnet to
      provide FTP-like services.  See also: Bitnet, Electronic Mail,
      FTP.
      [Source: NWNET]

   mailing list
      A list of email addresses, used by a mail exploder, to forward
      messages to groups of people.  Generally, a mailing list is used
      to discuss certain set of topics, and different mailing lists
      discuss different topics.  A mailing list may be moderated.  This
      means that messages sent to the list are actually sent to a
      moderator who determines whether or not to send the messages on to
      everyone else.  Requests to subscribe to, or leave, a mailing list



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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


      should ALWAYS be sent to the list's "-request" address (e.g.,
      ietf-request@cnri.reston.va.us for the IETF mailing list).  See
      also: Electronic Mail, mail exploder.

   MAN
      See: Metropolitan Area Network

   Management Information Base (MIB)
      The set of parameters an SNMP management station can query or set
      in the SNMP agent of a network device (e.g., router).  Standard,
      minimal MIBs have been defined, and vendors often have Private
      enterprise MIBs.  In theory, any SNMP manager can talk to any SNMP
      agent with a properly defined MIB.  See also: client-server model,
      Simple Network Management Protocol.
      [Source: BIG-LAN]

   Martian
      A humorous term applied to packets that turn up unexpectedly on
      the wrong network because of bogus routing entries.  Also used as
      a name for a packet which has an altogether bogus (non-registered
      or ill-formed) internet address.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU)
      The largest frame length which may be sent on a physical medium.
      See also: fragmentation, frame.

   Media Access Control (MAC)
      The lower portion of the datalink layer.  The MAC differs for
      various physical media.  See also: MAC Address, Ethernet, Logical
      Link Control, token ring.

   message switching
      See: packet switching

   Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
      A data network intended to serve an area approximating that of a
      large city.  Such networks are being implemented by innovative
      techniques, such as running fiber cables through subway tunnels.
      A popular example of a MAN is SMDS.  See also: Local Area Network,
      Switched Multimegabit Data Service, Wide Area Network.
      [Source: NNSC]

   MIB
      See: Management Information Base

   mid-level network
      Mid-level networks (a.k.a. regionals) make up the second level of



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      the Internet hierarchy.  They are the transit networks which
      connect the stub networks to the backbone networks.  See also:
      backbone, Internet, stub network, transit network.

   MIME
      See: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions

   moderator
      A person, or small group of people, who manage moderated mailing
      lists and newsgroups.  Moderators are responsible for determining
      which email submissions are passed on to list.  See also:
      Electronic Mail, mailing list, Usenet.

   MTU
      See: Maximum Transmission Unit

   MUD
      See: Multi-User Dungeon

   multicast
      A packet with a special destination address which multiple nodes
      on the network may be willing to receive.  See also: broadcast.

   multihomed host
      A host which has more than one connection to a network.  The host
      may send and receive data over any of the links but will not route
      traffic for other nodes.  See also: host, router.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
      An extension to Internet email which provides the ability to
      transfer non-textual data, such as graphics, audio and fax.  It is
      defined in RFC 1341.  See also: Electronic Mail

   Multi-User Dungeon (MUD)
      Adventure, role playing games, or simulations played on the
      Internet.  Devotees call them "text-based virtual reality
      adventures".  The games can feature fantasy combat, booby traps
      and magic.  Players interact in real time and can change the
      "world" in the game as they play it.  Most MUDs are based on the
      Telnet protocol.  See also: Telnet.
      [Source: LAQUEY]

   MX Record
      See: Mail Exchange Record

   NAK
      See: Negative Acknowledgment



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   name resolution
      The process of mapping a name into its corresponding address.  See
      also: Domain Name System.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   namespace
      A commonly distributed set of names in which all names are unique.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
      United States governmental body that provides assistance in
      developing standards.  Formerly the National Bureau of Standards.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   National Research and Education Network (NREN)
      The NREN is the realization of an interconnected gigabit computer
      network devoted to Hign Performance Computing and Communications.
      See also: HPPC, IINREN.
      [Source: HPCC]

   National Science Foundation (NSF)
      A U.S. government agency whose purpose is to promote the
      advancement of science.  NSF funds science researchers, scientific
      projects, and infrastructure to improve the quality of scientific
      research.  The NSFNET, funded by NSF, is an essential part of
      academic and research communications.  It is a highspeed "network
      of networks" which is hierarchical in nature.  At the highest
      level, it is a backbone network currently comprising 16 nodes
      connected to a 45Mb/s facility which spans the continental United
      States.  Attached to that are mid-level networks and attached to
      the mid-levels are campus and local networks.  NSFNET also has
      connections out of the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the
      Pacific Rim.  The NSFNET is part of the Internet.

   Negative Acknowledgment (NAK)
      Response to receipt of a corrupted packet of information.  See
      also: Acknowledgement.

   netiquette
      A pun on "etiquette" referring to proper behavior on a network.

   Netnews
      See: Usenet

   network
      A computer network is a data communications system which
      interconnects computer systems at various different sites.  A
      network may be composed of any combination of LANs, MANs or WANs.



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      See also: Local Area Network, Metropolitan Area Network, Wide Area
      Network, internet.

   network address
      The network portion of an IP address.  For a class A network, the
      network address is the first byte of the IP address.  For a class
      B network, the network address is the first two bytes of the IP
      address.  For a class C network, the network address is the first
      three bytes of the IP address.  In each case, the remainder is the
      host address.  In the Internet, assigned network addresses are
      globally unique.  See also: Internet, IP address, subnet address,
      host address, Internet Registry.

   Network File System (NFS)
      A protocol developed by Sun Microsystems, and defined in RFC 1094,
      which allows a computer system to access files over a network as
      if they were on its local disks.  This protocol has been
      incorporated in products by more than two hundred companies, and
      is now a de facto Internet standard.
      [Source: NNSC]

   Network Information Center (NIC)
      A NIC provides information, assistance and services to network
      users.  See also: Network Operations Center.

   Network Information Services (NIS)
      A set of services, generally provided by a NIC, to assist users in
      using the network.  See also: Network Information Center.

   Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)
      A protocol, defined in RFC 977, for the distribution, inquiry,
      retrieval, and posting of news articles.  See also: Usenet.

   network number
      See: network address

   Network Operations Center (NOC)
      A location from which the operation of a network or internet is
      monitored.  Additionally, this center usually serves as a
      clearinghouse for connectivity problems and efforts to resolve
      those problems.  See also: Network Information Center.
      [Source: NNSC]

   Network Time Protocol (NTP)
      A protocol that assures accurate local timekeeping with reference
      to radio and atomic clocks located on the Internet.  This protocol
      is capable of synchronizing distributed clocks within milliseconds
      over long time periods.  It is defined in STD 12, RFC 1119.  See



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      also: Internet.
      [Source: NNSC]

   NFS
      See: Network File System

   NIC
      See: Network Information Center

   NIC.DDN.MIL
      This is the domain name of the DDN NIC.  See also: Defense Data
      Network..., Domain Name System, Network Information Center.

   NIS
      See: Network Information Services

   NIST
      See: National Institute of Standards and Technology

   NNTP
      See: Network News Transfer Protocol

   NOC
      See: Network Operations Center

   Nodal Switching System (NSS)
      Main routing nodes in the NSFnet backbone.  See also: backbone,
      National Science Foundation.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   node
      An addressable device attached to a computer network.  See also:
      host, router.

   NREN
      See: National Research and Education Network

   NSF
      See: National Science Foundation

   NSS
      See: Nodal Switching System

   NTP
      See: Network Time Protocol

   OCLC
      See: Online Computer Library Catalog



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   octet
      An octet is 8 bits.  This term is used in networking, rather than
      byte, because some systems have bytes that are not 8 bits long.

   Online Computer Library Catalog
      OCLC is a nonprofit membership organization offering computer-
      based services to libraries, educational organizations, and their
      users.  The OCLC library information network connects more than
      10,000 libraries worldwide.  Libraries use the OCLC System for
      cataloging, interlibrary loan, collection development,
      bibliographic verification, and reference searching.
      [Source: OCLC]

   Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol (OSPF)
      A link state, as opposed to distance vector, routing protocol.  It
      is an Internet standard IGP defined in RFC 1247.  See also:
      Interior Gateway Protocol, Routing Information Protocol.

   Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
      A suite of protocols, designed by ISO committees, to be the
      international standard computer network architecture.  See also:
      International Organization for Standardization.

   OSI
      See: Open Systems Interconnection

   OSI Reference Model
      A seven-layer structure designed to describe computer network
      architectures and the way that data passes through them.  This
      model was developed by the ISO in 1978 to clearly define the
      interfaces in multivendor networks, and to provide users of those
      networks with conceptual guidelines in the construction of such
      networks.  See also: International Organization for
      Standardization.
      [Source: NNSC]

   OSPF
      See: Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol

   packet
      The unit of data sent across a network.  "Packet" a generic term
      used to describe unit of data at all levels of the protocol stack,
      but it is most correctly used to describe application data units.
      See also: datagram, frame.

   Packet InterNet Groper (PING)
      A program used to test reachability of destinations by sending
      them an ICMP echo request and waiting for a reply.  The term is



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      used as a verb: "Ping host X to see if it is up!"  See also:
      Internet Control Message Protocol.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Packet Switch Node (PSN)
      A dedicated computer whose purpose is to accept, route and forward
      packets in a packet switched network.  See also: packet switching,
      router.
      [Source: NNSC]

   packet switching
      A communications paradigm in which packets (messages) are
      individually routed between hosts, with no previously established
      communication path.  See also: circuit switching, connection-
      oriented, connectionless.

   PD
      Public Domain

   PDU
      See: Protocol Data Unit

   PEM
      See: Privacy Enhanced Mail

   PING
      See: Packet INternet Groper

   Point Of Presence (POP)
      A site where there exists a collection of telecommunications
      equipment, usually digital leased lines and multi-protocol
      routers.

   Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
      The Point-to-Point Protocol, defined in RFC 1171, provides a
      method for transmitting packets over serial point-to-point links.
      See also: Serial Line IP.
      [Source: FYI4]

   POP
      See: Post Office Protocol and Point Of Presence

   port
      A port is a transport layer demultiplexing value.  Each
      application has a unique port number associated with it.  See
      also: Transmission Control Protocol, User Datagram Protocol.





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   Post Office Protocol (POP)
      A protocol designed to allow single user hosts to read mail from a
      server.  There are three versions: POP, POP2, and POP3.  Latter
      versions are NOT compatible with earlier versions.  See also:
      Electronic Mail.

   Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT)
      Outside the USA, PTT refers to a telephone service provider, which
      is usually a monopoly, in a particular country.

   postmaster
      The person responsible for taking care of electronic mail
      problems, answering queries about users, and other related work at
      a site.  See also: Electronic Mail.
      [Source: ZEN]

   PPP
      See: Point-to-Point Protocol

   Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM)
      Internet email which provides confidentiality, authentication and
      message integrity using various encryption methods.  See also:
      Electronic Mail, encryption.

   Prospero
      A distributed filesystem which provides the user with the ability
      to create multiple views of a single collection of files
      distributed across the Internet.  Prospero provides a file naming
      system, and file access is provided by existing access methods
      (e.g., anonymous FTP and NFS).  The Prospero protocol is also used
      for communication between clients and servers in the archie
      system.  See also: anonymous FTP, archie, archive site, Gopher,
      Network File System, Wide Area Information Servers.

   protocol
      A formal description of message formats and the rules two
      computers must follow to exchange those messages.  Protocols can
      describe low-level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g.,
      the order in which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or
      high-level exchanges between allocation programs (e.g., the way in
      which two programs transfer a file across the Internet).
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   protocol converter
      A device/program which translates between different protocols
      which serve similar functions (e.g., TCP and TP4).





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   Protocol Data Unit (PDU)
      "PDU" is internationalstandardscomitteespeak for packet.  See
      also: packet.

   protocol stack
      A layered set of protocols which work together to provide a set of
      network functions.  See also: layer, protocol.

   proxy ARP
      The technique in which one machine, usually a router, answers ARP
      requests intended for another machine.  By "faking" its identity,
      the router accepts responsibility for routing packets to the
      "real" destination.  Proxy ARP allows a site to use a single IP
      address with two physical networks.  Subnetting would normally be
      a better solution.  See also: Address Resolution Protocol
      [Source: RFC1208]

   PSN
      See: Packet Switch Node.

   PTT
      See: Postal, Telegraph and Telephone

   queue
      A backup of packets awaiting processing.

   RARE
      See: Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne

   RARP
      See: Reverse Address Resolution Protocol

   RBOC
      Regional Bell Operating Company

   RCP
      See: Remote copy program

   Read the F*cking Manual (RTFM)
      This acronym is often used when someone asks a simple or common
      question.

   reassembly
      The IP process in which a previously fragmented packet is
      reassembled before being passed to the transport layer.  See also:
      fragmentation.





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   recursive
      See: recursive

   regional
      See: mid-level network

   remote login
      Operating on a remote computer, using a protocol over a computer
      network, as though locally attached.  See also: Telnet.

   Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
      An easy and popular paradigm for implementing the client-server
      model of distributed computing.  In general, a request is sent to
      a remote system to execute a designated procedure, using arguments
      supplied, and the result returned to the caller.  There are many
      variations and subtleties in various implementations, resulting in
      a variety of different (incompatible) RPC protocols.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   repeater
      A device which propagates electrical signals from one cable to
      another.  See also: bridge, gateway, router.

   Request For Comments (RFC)
      The document series, begun in 1969, which describes the Internet
      suite of protocols and related experiments.  Not all (in fact very
      few) RFCs describe Internet standards, but all Internet standards
      are written up as RFCs.  The RFC series of documents is unusual in
      that the proposed protocols are forwarded by the Internet research
      and development community, acting on their own behalf, as opposed
      to the formally reviewed and standardized protocols that are
      promoted by organizations such as CCITT and ANSI.  See also: For
      Your Information, STD.

   Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne (RARE)
      European association of research networks.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Reseaux IP Europeenne (RIPE)
      A collaboration between European networks which use the TCP/IP
      protocol suite.

   Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)
      A protocol, defined in RFC 903, which provides the reverse
      function of ARP.  RARP maps a hardware (MAC) address to an
      internet address.  It is used primarily by diskless nodes when
      they first initialize to find their internet address.  See also:
      Address Resolution Protocol, BOOTP, internet address, MAC address.



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   RFC
      See: Request For Comments

   RFC 822
      The Internet standard format for electronic mail message headers.
      Mail experts often refer to "822 messages".  The name comes from
      "RFC 822", which contains the specification (STD 11, RFC 822).
      822 format was previously known as 733 format.  See also:
      Electronic Mail.
      [Source: COMER]

   RIP
      See: Routing Information Protocol

   RIPE
      See: Reseaux IP Europeenne

   Round-Trip Time (RTT)
      A measure of the current delay on a network.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   route
      The path that network traffic takes from its source to its
      destination.  Also, a possible path from a given host to another
      host or destination.

   routed
      Route Daemon.  A program which runs under 4.2BSD/4.3BSD UNIX
      systems (and derived operating systems) to propagate routes among
      machines on a local area network, using the RIP protocol.
      Pronounced "route-dee".  See also: Routing Information Protocol,
      gated.

   router
      A device which forwards traffic between networks.  The forwarding
      decision is based on network layer information and routing tables,
      often constructed by routing protocols.  See also: bridge,
      gateway, Exterior Gateway Protocol, Interior Gateway Protocol.

   routing
      The process of selecting the correct interface and next hop for a
      packet being forwarded.  See also: hop, router, Exterior Gateway
      Protocol, Interior Gateway Protocol.

   routing domain
      A set of routers exchanging routing information within an
      administrative domain.  See also: Administrative Domain, router.




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   Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
      A distance vector, as opposed to link state, routing protocol.  It
      is an Internet standard IGP defined in STD 34, RFC 1058 (updated
      by RFC 1388).  See also: Interior Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest
      Path First....

   RPC
      See: Remote Procedure Call

   RTFM
      See: Read the F*cking Manual

   RTT
      See: Round-Trip Time

   Serial Line IP (SLIP)
      A protocol used to run IP over serial lines, such as telephone
      circuits or RS-232 cables, interconnecting two systems.  SLIP is
      defined in RFC 1055.  See also: Point-to-Point Protocol.

   server
      A provider of resources (e.g., file servers and name servers).
      See also: client, Domain Name System, Network File System.

   SIG
      Special Interest Group

   signature
      The three or four line message at the bottom of a piece of email
      or a Usenet article which identifies the sender.  Large signatures
      (over five lines) are generally frowned upon.  See also:
      Electronic Mail, Usenet.

   Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
      A protocol, defined in STD 10, RFC 821, used to transfer
      electronic mail between computers.  It is a server to server
      protocol, so other protocols are used to access the messages.  See
      also: Electronic Mail, Post Office Protocol, RFC 822.

   Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
      The Internet standard protocol, defined in STD 15, RFC 1157,
      developed to manage nodes on an IP network.  It is currently
      possible to manage wiring hubs, toasters, jukeboxes, etc.  See
      also: Management Information Base.

   SLIP
      See: Serial Line IP




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   SMDS
      See: Switched Multimegabit Data Service

   SMI
      See: Structure of Management Information

   SMTP
      See: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

   SNA
      See: Systems Network Architecture

   snail mail
      A pejorative term referring to the U.S. postal service.

   SNMP
      See: Simple Network Management Protocol

   STD
      A subseries of RFCs that specify Internet standards.  The official
      list of Internet standards is in STD 1.  See also: For Your
      Information, Request For Comments.

   stream-oriented
      A type of transport service that allows its client to send data in
      a continuous stream.  The transport service will guarantee that
      all data will be delivered to the other end in the same order as
      sent and without duplicates.  See also: Transmission Control
      Protocol.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   Structure of Management Information (SMI)
      The rules used to define the objects that can be accessed via a
      network management protocol.  This protocol is defined in STD 16,
      RFC 1155.  See also: Management Information Base.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   stub network
      A stub network only carries packets to and from local hosts.  Even
      if it has paths to more than one other network, it does not carry
      traffic for other networks.  See also: backbone, transit network.

   subnet
      A portion of a network, which may be a physically independent
      network segment, which shares a network address with other
      portions of the network and is distinguished by a subnet number.
      A subnet is to a network what a network is to an internet.  See
      also: internet, network.



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      [Source: FYI4]

   subnet address
      The subnet portion of an IP address.  In a subnetted network, the
      host portion of an IP address is split into a subnet portion and a
      host portion using an address (subnet) mask.  See also: address
      mask, IP address, network address, host address.

   subnet mask
      See: address mask

   subnet number
      See: subnet address

   Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS)
      An emerging high-speed datagram-based public data network service
      developed by Bellcore and expected to be widely used by telephone
      companies as the basis for their data networks.  See also:
      Metropolitan Area Network.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   Systems Network Architecture (SNA)
      A proprietary networking architecture used by IBM and IBM-
      compatible mainframe computers.
      [Source: NNSC]

   T1
      An AT&T term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a
      DS-1 formatted digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second.

   T3
      A term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a DS-3
      formatted digital signal at 44.746 megabits per second.
      [Source: FYI4]

   TAC
      See: Terminal Access Controller (TAC)

   talk
      A protocol which allows two people on remote computers to
      communicate in a real-time fashion.  See also: Internet Relay
      Chat.

   TCP
      See: Transmission Control Protocol

   TCP/IP Protocol Suite
      Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol.  This is a



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      common shorthand which refers to the suite of transport and
      application protocols which runs over IP.  See also: IP, ICMP,
      TCP, UDP, FTP, Telnet, SMTP, SNMP.

   TELENET
      A public packet switched network using the CCITT X.25 protocols.
      It should not be confused with Telnet.

   Telnet
      Telnet is the Internet standard protocol for remote terminal
      connection service.  It is defined in STD 8, RFC 854 and extended
      with options by many other RFCs.

   Terminal Access Controller (TAC)
      A device which connects terminals to the Internet, usually using
      dialup modem connections and the TACACS protocol.

   terminal emulator
      A program that allows a computer to emulate a terminal.  The
      workstation thus appears as a terminal to the remote host.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   terminal server
      A device which connects many terminals to a LAN through one
      network connection.  A terminal server can also connect many
      network users to its asynchronous ports for dial-out capabilities
      and printer access.  See also: Local Area Network.

   Three Letter Acronym (TLA)
      A tribute to the use of acronyms in the computer field.  See also:
      Extended Four Letter Acronym.

   Time to Live (TTL)
      A field in the IP header which indicates how long this packet
      should be allowed to survive before being discarded.  It is
      primarily used as a hop count.  See also: Internet Protocol.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   TLA
      See: Three Letter Acronym

   TN3270
      A variant of the Telnet program that allows one to attach to IBM
      mainframes and use the mainframe as if you had a 3270 or similar
      terminal.
      [Source: BIG-LAN]





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   token ring
      A token ring is a type of LAN with nodes wired into a ring.  Each
      node constantly passes a control message (token) on to the next;
      whichever node has the token can send a message.  Often, "Token
      Ring" is used to refer to the IEEE 802.5 token ring standard,
      which is the most common type of token ring.  See also: 802.x,
      Local Area Network.

   topology
      A network topology shows the computers and the links between them.
      A network layer must stay abreast of the current network topology
      to be able to route packets to their final destination.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   transceiver
      Transmitter-receiver.  The physical device that connects a host
      interface to a local area network, such as Ethernet.  Ethernet
      transceivers contain electronics that apply signals to the cable
      and sense collisions.
      [Source: RFC1208]

   transit network
      A transit network passes traffic between networks in addition to
      carrying traffic for its own hosts.  It must have paths to at
      least two other networks.  See also: backbone, stub network.

   Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
      An Internet Standard transport layer protocol defined in STD 7,
      RFC 793.  It is connection-oriented and stream-oriented, as
      opposed to UDP.  See also: connection-oriented, stream-oriented,
      User Datagram Protocol.

   Trojan Horse
      A computer program which carries within itself a means to allow
      the creator of the program access to the system using it.  See
      also: virus, worm.  See RFC 1135.

   TTFN
      Ta-Ta For Now

   TTL
      See: Time to Live

   tunnelling
      Tunnelling refers to encapsulation of protocol A within protocol
      B, such that A treats B as though it were a datalink layer.
      Tunnelling is used to get data between administrative domains
      which use a protocol that is not supported by the internet



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      connecting those domains.  See also: Administrative Domain.

   twisted pair
      A type of cable in which pairs of conductors are twisted together
      to produce certain electrical properties.

   UDP
      See: User Datagram Protocol

   Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)
      This is Greenwich Mean Time.
      [Source: MALAMUD]

   UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy (UUCP)
      This was initially a program run under the UNIX operating system
      that allowed one UNIX system to send files to another UNIX system
      via dial-up phone lines.  Today, the term is more commonly used to
      describe the large international network which uses the UUCP
      protocol to pass news and electronic mail.  See also: Electronic
      Mail, Usenet.

   urban legend
      A story, which may have started with a grain of truth, that has
      been embroidered and retold until it has passed into the realm of
      myth.  It is an interesting phenonmenon that these stories get
      spread so far, so fast and so often.  Urban legends never die,
      they just end up on the Internet!  Some legends that periodically
      make their rounds include "The Infamous Modem Tax," "Craig
      Shergold/Brain Tumor/Get Well Cards," and "The $250 Cookie
      Recipe".
      [Source: LAQUEY]

   Usenet
      A collection of thousands of topically named newsgroups, the
      computers which run the protocols, and the people who read and
      submit Usenet news.  Not all Internet hosts subscribe to Usenet
      and not all Usenet hosts are on the Internet.  See also: Network
      News Transfer Protocol, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy.
      [Source: NWNET]

   User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
      An Internet Standard transport layer protocol defined in STD 6,
      RFC 768.  It is a connectionless protocol which adds a level of
      reliability and multiplexing to IP.  See also: connectionless,
      Transmission Control Protocol.

   UTC
      See: Universal Time Coordinated



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   UUCP
      See: UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy

   virtual circuit
      A network service which provides connection-oriented service
      regardless of the underlying network structure.  See also:
      connection-oriented.

   virus
      A program which replicates itself on computer systems by
      incorporating itself into other programs which are shared among
      computer systems.  See also: Trojan Horse, worm.

   W3
      See: World Wide Web

   WAIS
      See: Wide Area Information Servers

   WAN
      See: Wide area network

   WG
      Working Group

   white pages
      The Internet supports several databases that contain basic
      information about users, such as email addresses, telephone
      numbers, and postal addresses.  These databases can be searched to
      get information about particular individuals.  Because they serve
      a function akin to the telephone book, these databases are often
      referred to as "white pages.  See also: Knowbot, WHOIS, X.500.

   WHOIS
      An Internet program which allows users to query a database of
      people and other Internet entities, such as domains, networks, and
      hosts, kept at the DDN NIC.  The information for people shows a
      person's company name, address, phone number and email address.
      See also: Defense Data Network Network ..., white pages, Knowbot,
      X.500.
      [Source: FYI4]

   Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
      A distributed information service which offers simple natural
      language input, indexed searching for fast retrieval, and a
      "relevance feedback" mechanism which allows the results of initial
      searches to influence future searches.  Public domain
      implementations are available.  See also: archie, Gopher,



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      Prospero.

   Wide Area Network (WAN)
      A network, usually constructed with serial lines, which covers a
      large geographic area.  See also: Local Area Network, Metropolitan
      Area Network.

   World Wide Web (WWW or W3)
      A hypertext-based, distributed information system created by
      researchers at CERN in Switzerland.  Users may create, edit or
      browse hypertext documents.  The clients and servers are freely
      available.

   worm
      A computer program which replicates itself and is self-
      propagating.  Worms, as opposed to viruses, are meant to spawn in
      network environments.  Network worms were first defined by Shoch &
      Hupp of Xerox in ACM Communications (March 1982).  The Internet
      worm of November 1988 is perhaps the most famous; it successfully
      propagated itself on over 6,000 systems across the Internet.  See
      also: Trojan Horse, virus.

   WRT
      With Respect To

   WWW
      See: World Wide Web

   WYSIWYG
      What You See is What You Get

   X
      X is the name for TCP/IP based network-oriented window systems.
      Network window systems allow a program to use a display on a
      different computer.   The most widely-implemented window system is
      X11 - a component of MIT's Project Athena.

   X.25
      A data communications interface specification developed to
      describe how data passes into and out of public data
      communications networks.  The CCITT and ISO approved protocol
      suite defines protocol layers 1 through 3.

   X.400
      The CCITT and ISO standard for electronic mail.  It is widely used
      in Europe and Canada.





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   X.500
      The CCITT and ISO standard for electronic directory services.  See
      also: white pages, Knowbot, WHOIS.

   XDR
      See: eXternal Data Representation

   Xerox Network System (XNS)
      A network developed by Xerox corporation.  Implementations exist
      for both 4.3BSD derived systems, as well as the Xerox Star
      computers.

   XNS
      See: Xerox Network System

   Yellow Pages (YP)
      A service used by UNIX administrators to manage databases
      distributed across a network.

   YP
      See: Yellow Pages

   zone
      A logical group of network devices (AppleTalk).



























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References

   BIG-LAN "BIG-LAN Frequently Asked Questions Memo", BIG-LAN DIGEST
           V4:I8, February 14, 1992.

   COMER   Comer, D., "Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles,
           Protocols and Architecture", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
           NJ, 1991.

   FYI4    Malkin, G., and A. Marine, "FYI on Questions and Answers:
           Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User" Questions", FYI
           4, RFC 1325, Xylogics, SRI, May 1992.

   HACKER  "THIS IS THE JARGON FILE", Version 2.9.8, January 1992.

   HPCC    "Grand Challenges 1993: High Performance Computing and
           Communications", Committee on Physical, Mathmatical and
           Engineering Sciences of the Federal Coordinating Council for
           Science, Engineering and Technology.

   MALAMUD Malamud, C., "Analyzing Sun Networks", Van Nostrand Reinhold,
           New York, NY, 1992.

   NNSC    "NNSC's Hypercard Tour of the Internet".

   LAQUEY  LaQuey, T. (with J. Ryer), "The Internet Companion: A
           Beginner's Guide to Global Networking", Addison-Wesley,
           Reading, MA, 1992.

   NWNET   Kochmer, J., and NorthWestNet, "The Internet Passport:
           NorthWestNets Guide to Our World Online", NorthWestNet,
           Bellevue, WA, 1992.

   RFC1208 Jacobsen, O., and D. Lynch, "A Glossary of Networking Terms",
           RFC 1208, Interop, Inc., March 1991.

   STD1    Postel, J., "IAB Official Protocol Standards", STD 1, RFC
           1360, Internet Architecture Board, September 1992.

   STD2    Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2, RFC
           1340, USC/Information Sciences Institute, July 1992.

   TAN     Tanenbaum, A., "Computer Networks; 2nd ed.", Prentice Hall,
           Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989.

   ZEN     Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", February 1992.





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RFC 1392                   Internet Glossary                January 1993


Security Considerations

   While security is not explicitly discussed in this document, some of
   the glossary's entries are security related.  See the entries for
   Access Control List (ACL), authentication, Computer Emergency
   Response Team (CERT), cracker, Data Encryption Key (DEK), Data
   Encryption Standard (DES), encryption, Kerberos, Privacy Enhanced
   Mail (PEM), Trojan Horse, virus, and worm.


Authors' Addresses

   Gary Scott Malkin
   Xylogics, Inc.
   53 Third Avenue
   Burlington, MA 01803

   Phone:  (617) 272-8140
   EMail:  gmalkin@Xylogics.COM


   Tracy LaQuey Parker
   University of Texas at Austin
   Computation Center
   Austin, TX 78712

   Phone: (512) 471-2444
   EMail: tracy@utexas.edu























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