Glossary
Cable
Cable is the physical transmission medium of a group of metallic
conductors or optical fibers that are bound together and wrapped
in a protective cover, and insulation between individual conductors/fibers
and for the entire group.
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LAN: Local Area Network
Local Area Network (LAN) is a data communications network
connecting terminals, computers and printers within a building
or other geographically limited areas. These devices could
be connected through wired cables or wireless links. Ethernet,
Token Ring and Wireless LAN are examples of standard LAN technologies.
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Network Access Server
A network access server (NAS), also known as a "media
gateway" or a "remote access server" (RAS),
is an access control point for remote users connecting to
a company's internal network or to an ISP via analog modems
or ISDN. A network access server has interfaces to both the
local telecommunication service provider such as the phone
company and to the Internet backbone. A network access server
(NAS) may include its own authentication services or rely
on a separate authentication server to verify users. A NAS
may be a dedicated server or a software service within a regular
server.
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PoE: Power over Ethernet
Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology describes any system
to transmit electrical power, along with data, to remote devices
over standard twisted-pair cables in an Ethernet network.
This technology is useful for powering IP telephones, wireless
LAN access points, webcams, Ethernet hubs, computers, and
other appliances where it would be inconvenient or infeasible
to supply power separately. The technology is somewhat comparable
to POTS telephones, which also receive power and data (although
analog) through the same cable. It works with an unmodified
Ethernet cabling infrastructure.
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Router
Routers are physical devices or a software system within a
switch operating at layer 3 of the OSI model. A router forwards
and routes data packets along networks. A router connects
at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN
and its ISP network. A router is located at any gateway where
one network meets another, including each point-of-presence
on the Internet.
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SOHO: Small Office, Home Office
Small Office, Home Office (SOHO) refers to a specific group
of people who work from home or very small companies. A large
number of businesses fall under this category, having anywhere
from 1 - 10 employees.
SOHO Network
A SOHO network is a Small Office/Home Office local area network.
SOHO networks generally are confined to a single room. Such
networks generally use a small Ethernet switch or hub and
cat 5 cabling, or a Wi-Fi wireless network.Generally SOHO
networks are used to share files and other information as
well as to share an Internet access connection. A SOHO network
may also have a server which needs to be accessed.
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VLAN: Virtual LAN
Virtual LAN (VLAN) refers to a logical network in which a
group of devices on one or more LANs that are configured so
that they can communicate as if they were attached to the
same wire, when in fact they are located on a number of different
LAN segments. Because VLANs are based on logical, instead
of physical, connections, they are very flexible for user/host
management, bandwidth allocation and resource optimization.
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VoIP: Voice over IP
Voice over IP (VOIP) refers to a group of technologies that
use the Internet Protocol (IP) to transmit voice as packets
over an IP network. Using VOIP protocols, voice communications
can be achieved on any IP network regardless it is Internet,
Intranets or Local Area Networks (LAN). In a VOIP enabled
network, the voice signal is digitized, compressed and converted
to IP packets and then transmitted over the IP network. VOIP
signaling protocols are used to set up and tear down calls,
carry information required to locate users and negotiate capabilities.
The key benefits of Internet telephony (voice over IP) are
the very low cost, the integration of data, voice and video
on one network, the new services created on the converged
network and simplified management of end user and terminals.
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