| BACKBONE |
A set
of nodes and links connected together comprising a network, or the upper
layer protocols used in a network. Sometimes the term is used to refer to
a network's physical media. |
| BANDWIDTH |
The range
of frequencies transmitted on a channel, or the difference between the highest
and lowest frequencies transmitted across a channel. |
| BANG |
A slang
term for an exclamation point. |
| BANG ADDRESS |
A type
of e-mail address that separates host names in the address with exclamation
points. Used for mail sent to the UUCP network, where specifying the exact
path of the mail (including all hosts that pass on the message) is necessary.
The address is in the form of machine!machine!userID, where the number of
machines listed depends on the the account userID |
| BASEBAND |
A type
of channel where data transmission is carried across only one communications
channel, supporting only one signal transmission at a time. Ethernet is
a baseband system. |
| BASEBAND
SIGNALING |
A type
of transmission that has a continuous encoded signal. Only one node at a
time can send data over this type of transmission technology. Used in Local
Area Networks. |
| BASIC
ENCODING RULES |
(BER)
The rules for encoding datatypes using ASN.1. |
| BAUD |
The number
of times a signal changes state in one second. |
| BERKELEY
SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION |
(BSD)
A version of the UNIX operating system that first included TCP/IP support.
The UNIX operating systems that included TCP/IP are referred to as 4.2BSD
or 4.3BSD. |
| BINARY |
Data that
may contain non-printable characters, including graphics files, programs,
and sound files. |
| BINHEX |
A program
that is used to encode binary files as ASCII so that they can be sent through
e-mail. |
| BIT |
The basic
unit of digital communications. There are 8 bits in a byte. |
| BIT ERROR
RATE |
(BER)
The number of errors expected in a transmission. |
| BIT RATE |
The rate
that bits are transmitted, usually expressed in seconds. |
| BITNET |
(Because
It's Time Network) A non-TCP/IP network for small universities without Internet
access. An electronic mail network connecting over 200 universities. It
merged with the CSNET network to produce CREN. |
| BITWISE
FUNCTIONS |
Functions
that treat their arguments as an array of binary bits. |
| BITWISE
OPERATORS |
Operators
that treat their operands as an array of binary bits. |
| BLOCK |
A group
of statements enclosed in braces. |
| BLOCK
MODE |
A string
of data recorded or transmitted as a unit. Block mode transmission is usually
used for high speed transmissions and in large, high speed networks. |
| BOOKMARKS |
Term used
by some World Wide Web browsers for marking URLs you access frequently. |
| BOOLEAN
LOGIC |
Logic
dealing with True/False values (for example, the operators AND, OR, and
NOT are Boolean operators). |
| BORDER
GATEWAY PROTOCOL |
(BGP)
A protocol that provides information about the devices that can be reached
through a router (into an autonomous network). BGP is newer than EGP. |
| BOUNCE |
An e-mail
message you receive that tells you that an e-mail message you sent wasn't
delivered. Usually contains an error code and the contents of the message
that wasn't delivered. |
| BPS (BITS
PER SECOND) |
A unit
of measurement that expresses the speed at which data is transferred between
computers. |
| BRIDGE |
A network
device capable of connecting networks that use similar protocols. |
| BROADBAND |
(Wideband)
A range of frequencies divided into several narrower bands. Each band can
be used for different purposes. |
| BROADBAND
SIGNALING |
The type
of signaling used in Local Area Networks that enables multiplexing of more
than one transmission at a time. |
| BROADCAST |
The simultaneous
transmission of the same data to all nodes connected to the network. |
| BROUTER |
A network
device that is a combination of the functions of a bridge and a router.
It can function as a bridge while filtering protocols and packets destined
for nodes on different networks. |
| BROWSER |
A utility
that lets you look through collections of things. For example, a file browser
lets you look through a file system. Applications that let you access the
World Wide Web are called browsers. |
| BSD |
See Berkeley
Software Distribution. |
| BUFFER |
A memory
area used for handling input and output. |
| BURST
MODE |
A transmission
mode where data is transmitted in bursts rather than in continuous streams. |
| BUS |
In network
topology, a linear configuration. Also used to refer to part of the electronic
layout of network devices. |
| BYTE |
A digital
storage unit large enough to contain one ASCII character. Compare to bit. |