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Glossary downstream Also called download, this is the speed at which information travels from the destination server to you. Downstream speeds are often faster than upstream, because users download more often than upload; bandwidths for downloading are therefore extended. driver A set of software routines used to control input and output between the operating system and a device, such as a modem, network card, or other computer equipment. DSL Digital Subscriber Line A digital technology that transmits data in both directions at once over copper lines existing phone lines, just like the ones the ISDN service uses. DSL also transmits voice and video. Speeds for DSL are around 160 Kbps. DSL lines are secure and offer low interference. DVD-RAM DVD-RAM offers faster access and readwrite times than CD-RW. You can write to a DVD-RAM disc over and over; DVD-RAM discs hold 2.58GB of data. DVD-ROM Digital Video Disc–Read Only Memory DVD-ROM drives are just like CD-ROM drives except that they have a higher capacity. A CD-ROM holds 640MB of data; a DVD-ROM holds 4.7GB of data. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol See DHCP. ECP cable See Extended Capabilities Port cable. EISA Extended Industry Standard Architecture A 32-bit extension to the ISA standard bus. electronic mail e-mail Messages, memos, letters, and so on that are created in a computer and sent electronically via the Internet or another network. Delivery can be nearly instantaneous. Ethernet A protocol and cabling scheme that transfers data at the rate of 10 Mbps. Ethernet can use the bus or the spanning tree topology connected with various cabling types. Extended Capabilities Port ECP cable This cable, which is used with an ECP-enabled paral- lel port, enables data to transfer more quickly than standard cables. The ECP port must be enabled in the BIOS. FAQ frequently asked questions Documents that list common questions and answers about certain topics. Many Internet sites include FAQs. fax server A high-powered server on a clientserver network that manages incoming and outgoing faxes. The fax service routes any received faxes to an individual, department, or workgroup on the network. fiber-optic cabling A fiber-optic cable transmits data in pulses of light along specially manu- factured optical fibers. Fiber-optic cable is lighter and smaller than traditional copper cables, and it’s immune to electrical interference. Fiber-optic cable also offers better signal transmis- sion. Unfortunately, fiber-optics is also extremely expensive. The cable is difficult to install and hard to repair; thus, maintenance is more difficult as well. filename extension A three-letter abbreviation that follows a period in a filename — such as letter.doc or picture.pcx. Extensions identify the type of file — PCX is a picture file, and DOC is a document file from Word, for example. file server A computer with a fast processor and a lot of storage space in the gigabyte range that is used to store files in a clientserver network. File Transfer Protocol FTP A TCPIP protocol, FTP enables the exchange of bulk information over an intranet or the Internet. Glossary firewall Firewalls can be either hardware or software. Hardware firewalls monitor bandwidth usage and network or connection activity. They also protect the LAN from security breaches, perhaps authenticate users, and monitor incoming and outgoing e-mail messages. Software, or application, firewalls control access to the LAN from Internet users, control LAN users’ access to the Internet, and issue alerts for security breaches. A good firewall also logs all events and notifies the administrator of any problems. FireWire A newer bus developed to make more effective use of audio and video applica- tions. FireWire is extremely fast; the data transfer rates are more than three times that of PCI. FireWire is ideal if you want to use your PC mainly for games; its power would be wasted on general or common use, such as word processing. You can connect up to 63 devices in a chain to a FireWire bus. flatbed scanner With a flatbed scanner, you place the item being scanned on a glass plate, and the scanning head moves beneath the item. See also sheetfed scanner. flavor Linux is considered a flavor of Unix. Unix isn’t one single operating system; it’s actu- ally dozens of OSs by different organizations and groups of people. Often, a distribution of Linux is also called a flavor. FM synthesis FM synthesis sound cards generate the sounds of instruments — such as horns, piano, drums, and so on. The method used to generate the instrument sounds sometimes produces sounds that are close to that of the instrument — and sometimes produces sounds that are nothing like the real instrument. fractional T1 A part of a T1 line, fractional T1’s speed is less than T1 but better than ISDN and frame relay. Also, as your network grows, you can add fractional T1 lines to increase speeds. frame relay Frame relay supports speeds of 56 Kbps, transmits voice and data, and has no distance limits. Frame relay’s equipment, however, is expensive, and the voice transmission quality isn’t the best. FTP See File Transfer Protocol. full access Sharing option that enables anyone to open, change, add, or remove files and folders. full backup This type of backup makes a complete copy of all selected files, folders, and drives. You can use a full backup of your hard disk to restore all your files in case of a disaster. game port The game control adapter. You usually connect a joystick, game pads, steering wheels, and the like to a game port. gateway Hardware or software that acts as a translator between two different protocols; any device that provides access to another system. gateway remote access A method of connecting to one computer to get to another. You might connect to the server at work, for example, in order to get to your workstation there. GB See gigabyte. Gbit See gigabit. Gbps Gigabits per second. Measures how much data transfers per second. Glossary GIF Graphics Interchange Format A graphics format commonly used for image files and especially suitable for images containing large areas of the same color. GIF is the format’s extension. Not a good format for photographs. gigabit Gbit A gigabit represents 1 billion bits. gigabyte GB A gigabyte contains 1,073,741,824 bytes. Giga- is the prefix for one billion in the metric system. You generally see gigabytes when talking about hard-disk capacity. GNU The Free Software Foundation’s project to provide a freely distributable operating system, namely Linux. GNU stands for “GNU’s Not Unix.” Gopher A part of the TCPIP protocol that provides a menu-based interface to files on an intranet or the Internet; Gopher is an older service but is still used in many places. Graphics Interchange Format See GIF. groupware Collaborative networking software. Groupware products, or suites, usually include several programs, such as those for e-mail, scheduling, electronic meetings or chats, and so on. The products are built to encourage collaboration over the network. HAN home area network A new acronym for a network set up in the home. handheld device Extremely small computer devices that you can hold in the palm of your hand. Handhelds enable you to schedule your time, update your address book, take memos, and more. You also can synchronize the information on your handheld computer with the programs on your desktop computer to make sure that you don’t miss an appointment or lose an address. Also called a personal digital assistant PDA. See palmtop computer. heating, ventilation, air conditioning See HVAC. hex hexidecimal Hex stands for hexidecimal, which is the base 16 numbering system. Hex numbering uses the digits 0 to 9, followed by the letters A to F, and is a convenient method of representing binary numbers. home area network See HAN. HomePNA Home Phoneline Networking Alliance An incorporated, nonprofit association of industry-leading companies working together to ensure the adoption of a single, unified phone line networking industry standard for vendors and manufacturers. host Any computer on a network that offers services to other computers. host computer Same as host; a networked computer that enables other computer connected to it to use programs, access data, and so on. HP JetAdmin HP JetAdmin is a tool for managing network printing. Larger corporations use JetAdmin to administer multiple printers and print queues. HTML Hypertext Markup Language A set of codes that creates the page formatting you see in a Web page; HTML is the standard for creating Web pages. HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol The protocol that transfers documents from a Web server to your own computer. http, in lowercase form, is often the first thing you type in before an Internet address. HTTP indicates to the Web browser the protocol needed to locate the Web address.