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Glossary Peripheral Component Interface bus See PCI. permissions Similar to rights, permissions are characteristics given to users of a network to allow or prevent access to files and other resources on the network. See Rights. personal computer See PC. Personal Computer Memory Card International Association See PCMCIA. personal digital assistant PDA See handheld device. physical layer One of the ISOOSI layers. The physical layer defines the cabling. PING The PING command sends TCPIP packets to the designated computer. If PING is suc- cessful, TCPIP sends the packets back. Use PING to verify that the TCPIP configuration is correct, that local computers are communicating with each other, and that remote computers are communicating with local computers. Plug and Play A Windows specification that makes it easy to install adapter cards and other hardware. All you need to do is insert the hardware and turn Windows on. Windows automati- cally configures the IRQ, DMA, and other settings for the hardware. PnP or P ‘n’ P See Plug and Play. point of presence See POP. Point-to-Point Protocol See PPP. Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol See PPTP. POP point of presence The e-mail host name. The host is the server that holds the e-mail messages for you until you log on and get your messages. port The device that enables data to transfer to and from a computer or other piece of equip- ment. A parallel port, for example, enables the computer to send printing data across a cable to the printer. A serial port enables information to travel to a modem or other device. post A term for sending a message to a newsgroup or other service. power line network In a power line network, you use electrical outlets in your home to attach computers for sharing files, printers, Internet accounts, and peripherals. It’s important to note that the transmission speeds for power line networks are slow. Data transmission speeds are around 350 Kbps. PPP Point-to-Point Protocol This protocol is often used with remote access, because it enables computers to load other protocols — such as TCPIP, NetBEUI, and so on — in addi- tion to the PPP. PPTP Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol A protocol that enables you to have secure access to a virtual private network. presentation layer One of the ISOOSI layers. The presentation layer identifies the way the data is formatted. PRI Primary Rate Interface PRI lines are a type of ISDN line that are more expensive than BRI because of a higher bandwidth connection. PRI supplies speeds up to 1.5 Mbps. Glossary print queue An area in which all print jobs for a specific printer wait to be printed. The print queue holds the jobs so that you can get on with your work in Windows. As the printer becomes available to print a job, the queue sends them along, one by one. print server The server that manages the printing for all users on a network. It receives all requests for print jobs sent by the networked PCs, places the jobs in a queue to wait their turn, and then routes the job to available printers attached to the server. program virus Viruses that attach themselves to executable files and load themselves into memory when you run the file. The file might be an EXE or COM file, but it also might be a SYS, DLL, BIN, or other file on your system. If you double-click an infected EXE file, such as an ani- mation file you receive from a friend, the virus activates and spreads through your computer. proprietary Describes a protocol or communications system that was developed by a com- pany rather than one that follows established standards. protocol Part of software is a language that the computers can use to communicate, called a protocol. Windows contains three such protocols from which you can choose. proxy server These servers control what the user can and cannot access on the Internet. Proxy servers also might reduce user wait times by relieving bandwidth congestion, offer net- work security features, log events, and so on. Some proxy server software is installed on a dedicated computer that acts as a gateway and barrier between the LAN and the Internet. QoS Short for quality of service. QoS is Microsoft’s addition to Windows 2000 and XP, although it is used by other manufacturers, to enable a smoother flow of traffic on the network. An administrator can set higher and lower priorities on a network using the QoS settings. quick logon This type of logon ignores any network drive connections you might have set so that you can get on the network and start working immediately. radio frequency RF A method of wireless networking, radio frequency describes the num- ber of times per second a radio wave vibrates 900 MHz, in this case. Radio signals penetrate light obstacles, such as thin walls. radio frequency shielding Also called RF shielding, this is usually a thin piece of metal placed between a circuit board and other electronic equipment to help prevent interference with the circuit board. RAM random access memory Temporary memory in a computer. The memory stores the data related to a task that the processor is currently dealing with. RAMDAC RAM digital-to-analog converter In a video card, RAMDAC is the electronic com- ponent that changes the digital video signal of the card to a signal the monitor can read. RAM- DAC speed affects the speed of images appearing on the screen. The standard RAMDAC is 135 MHz, although some cards are faster. The faster the RAMDAC, the better. Random Access Memory See RAM. RARP Reverse Address Resolution Protocol One of the TCPIP protocols; it translates physical network addresses into IP addresses. read-only access Sharing option that enables others to open and view folders, or open, view, and copy files; however, read-only access doesn’t enable others to modify a file or delete anything.