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network
A group of two or more computers connected so they can communicate with one another.
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node
Any entity on a network that can be managed, such as a system, repeater, router, gateway, switch or firewall. A computer or other addressable device attached to a network; a host.
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client
An individual computer connected to a network. Also, a system or application (such as a Web browser or user agent) that requests a service from another computer (the server) and is used to access files or documents.
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local area network (LAN)
A group of computers connected within a confined geographic area.
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server
A computer in a network that manages the network resources and provides, or serves, information to clients.
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wide area network (WAN)
A group of computers connected over an expansive geographic area so their users can share files and services.
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Internet
A world wide network of interconnected networks.
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Advanced ResearchProjects Agency (ARPA)
A U.S. Department of Defense agency that created the first global computer network.
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Advanced ResearchProjects AgencyNetwork (ARPANET)
A computer network, funded byARPA, that served as the basis for early networking researchand was the backbone during the development ofthe Internet.
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National ScienceFoundation (NSF)
An independent agency of the U.S.government that promotes the advancement of science and engineering.
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backbone
The highest level in the computer network hierarchy, to which smaller networks typically connect.
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gateway
A node on a network that serve sas a portal to other networks.
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World Wide Web (WWW)
A set of software programs that enables users to access resources on the Internet via hypertext documents.
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hypertext link
Highlighted or underlined text in aWeb page that, when clicked, links the user to another location or Webpage.
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Web page
An HTML document containing one or more elements (text, images, hyperlinks) that can be linked to or from other HTML pages.
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Web site
A World Wide Web server and its content; includes multiple Web pages.
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Web browser
A software application that enables users to access and view Web pages on the Internet.
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Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
A suite of protocols that turns data into blocks of information called packets, which are then sen tacross the Internet. The standard protocol used by the Internet.
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packet
Data processed by protocols so it can be sent across a network.
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router
A device that routes packets between networks based on network-layer addresses; determines the best path across a network. Also used to connect separate LANs to form a WAN.
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Internet Service Provider (ISP)
An organization that maintains a gateway to the Internet and rents access to customers on a per-use or subscription basis.
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modem
Abbreviation for modulator/demodulator. Ananalog device that enables computers to communicate over telephone lines by translating digital data into audio/analog signals (on the sending computer) and then back into digital form (on the receiving computer).
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Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
A communication standard for sending voice, video or data over digital telephone lines.
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bandwidth
The amount of information, sometimes called traffic, that can be carried on a network at one time. The total capacity of a line. Also, the rate of data transfer over a network connection; measured in bits per second.
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network interfacecard (NIC)
A circuit board within a computer's central processing unit that serves as the interface enabling the computer to connect to a network.
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wireless accesspoint (AP)
A device that enables wireless systems to communicate with each other, provided that they are on the same network.
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standard
A definition or format that has been approved by a recognized standards organization.
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Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
A high-speed direct Internet connection that uses all-digital networks.
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xDSL
Collectively, the variations of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), which include ADSL, RADSL and HDSL.
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Internet Protocol (IP)
The data transmission standard for the Internet. Every computer connected to the Internet has its own IP address, which enables a packet of data to be delivered to a specific computer.
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hexadecimal
A base-16 number system that allows large numbers to be displayed by fewer characters than if the number were displayed in the regular base-10 system. In hexadecimal, the number 10 is represented as the letter A, 15 is represented as F, and 16 is represented as 10.
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Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
A protocol that allows a computer to connect to the Internet over a phone line.
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Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE)
A protocol that implements PPP on top of the Ethernet architecture to connect an entire network to the Internet.
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Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
The protocol for transporting HTML documents across the Internet.
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File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
An Internet protocolused to transfer files between computers; allows file transfer without corruption or alteration.
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Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
The Internet standard protocol for transferring e-mail messages from one computer to another.
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Post Office Protocol (POP)
A protocol that resides on an incoming mail server. The current version is POP3.
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Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)
A protocol that resides on an incoming mail server. Similar to POP, but is more powerful. Allows sharing of mailboxes and multiple mail server access. The current version is IMAP4.
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Usenet (User Network)
A collection of thousands o fInternet computers, newsgroups and newsgroup members using Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) to exchange information.
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newsgroup
On Usenet, asubject or other topical interest group whose members exchange ideas and opinions. Participants post and receive messages via a news server.
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Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)
The Internet protocol used b ynews servers that enables the exchange of newsgroup (Usenet) articles.
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Domain Name System (DNS)
A system that maps uniquely hierarchical names to specific Internet addresses.
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host
A computer tha tother computers can use to gain information. In network architecture, a host is a client or workstation.
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fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
The complete domain name of an Internet computer, such as www.CIWcertified.com.
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root-level server
A server at the highest level of the Domain Name System.
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top-level domain
The group into which a domain is categorized, by common topic (company, educational institution) and/or geography (country, state).
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domain name server
A server that resolves domain names into IP addresses.
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virtual domain
A hosting service that allows a company to host its domain name on a third-party ISP server.
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shared domain
A hosting service that allows multiple entities to share portions of the same domain name.
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cloud computing
A computing paradigm in which users are able to access software and services over the Internet instead of from their desktops.
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crowdsourcing
A problem-solving model in which a task ordinarily performed by one person is outsourced to a large group or community in order to obtain and
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