Networking Jargon Buster & Useful Network Terminology by myBoomBox Confused by all the technical networking jargon? Do you want to understand what Jumbo Frames or TELNET is all about? Let our glossary of useful networking terminology help make things a bit clearer. If there is anything you think is missing or something you would like explained in more detail please Contact the myBoomBox Team and we will be more than happy to help.

BitTorrent - is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file distribution protocol. Many people use BitTorrent for sharing MP3 music, video files and computer software. A BitTorrent client is any software program that implements the BitTorrent protocol. Any BitTorrent client is capable of preparing, requesting, and transmitting any type of computer file over a computer network (normally the Internet), using the protocol. A peer is any computer running an instance of a client. For a list of available BitTorrent clients see this Comparison of BitTorrent Software Features.

Default Gateway - is a node (normaly a router) on a computer network that serves as an access point to another network. In a home the default gateway is usually the IP address of the broadband ADSL or cable router, which gives access to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider.

Ethernet - a standard way of connecting computers together over short distances. Normally the connection is via copper ethernet cable (with RJ-45 connectors), but can also be over fibre optic or coaxial cable. Often the communication between devices on the network is through a network hub, switch or router.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - is used to transfer data from one computer to another over the Internet, or through a network.

There will always be two computers involved in an FTP file transfer: a server and a client. The FTP server, running FTP server software, listens on the network for connection requests from other network devices. The client computer, running FTP client software, initiates a connection across the network to the FTP Server. Once connected, the client can do a number of file manipulation operations such as uploading files to the FTP server, download files from the FTP server, rename or delete files on the FTP server, etc.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) - is a way to transfer or convey information on the World Wide Web. Its original purpose was to provide a way to publish and retrieve web pages written in HTML. When you connect to a website with web browsing software, (such as Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox) the method of communication used is HTTP.

IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) - is a unique address that electronic devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network. Each device on the network has its own unique IP address, normally in the form xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (e.g. 192.168.1.1).

An IP address can also be thought of as the equivalent of a street address or a telephone number. In the same way that each street address and phone number uniquely identifies a building or telephone line, an IP address uniquely identifies a specific computer or other electronic device on a network.

Jumbo Frames - is a configuration setting used in Gigabit (1000Mbit/sec) Ethernet networks to enlarge the standard frame size in an attempt to increase network performance and decrease load on the processors of the network devices. For this to work all devices on the network (including hubs/switches) must support Jumbo Frames and often configuration settings must be altered – this is normally only attempted when trying to squeeze every last drop from the available network bandwidth.

LAN (Local Area Network) - is a computer network covering a small geographic area, for example a home, office, or group of buildings. LANs are most likely to be based on Ethernet technology, running at 10, 100 or 1,000 Mbit/sec, or on Wi-Fi wireless technology.

Each device or computer on the LAN has its own computing power, but it can also access other devices on the LAN. Typically a LAN network is used for transferring computer files, but increasingly is being utilized to stream audio and video information to devices such as network media players.

TELNET (TELetype NETwork) - is a network protocol used on the Internet or on Local Area Network (LAN) connections to remotely control another device. It was originally developed in 1969 and was one of the first Internet standards. TELNET server software is installed on most UNIX/Linux computers and also on many network devices, such as routers, Network Attached Storage devices, etc.

With TELNET client software installed on your computer you can connect to a remote machine across the network, logon with a username/password and run commands from a command line interface as though you were running them locally on the remote device.

SSH (Secure SHell) - is a more secure alternative to TELNET and is typically used for executing commands on a remote computer (or other electronic device) across a computer network. In addition the SSH standard supports transferring files across a network in a similar way to FTP – this is called SFTP or SCP.

SSH is a set of standards and an associated network protocol that allows establishing a secure channel between a local and a remote computer. It uses public-key cryptography to authenticate the remote computer and (optionally) to allow the remote computer to authenticate the user.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) - is a method of securing wireless networks (also known as Wi-Fi networks). Wireless networks broadcast information using radio signals and without security it is possible to eavesdrop on communications between two network devices.

The development of WEP meant that similar security to a normal wired Ethernet network could be provided over a wireless connection - hence the name.

Other methods of securing wireless networks include Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and a standard called IEEE 802.11i (also called WPA2).

Wi-Fi (also known as WLAN) - is another term for Wireless Network. It was originally a brand licensed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe the underlying technology of wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on a standard called IEEE 802.11. It was initially developed to be used for mobile computing devices, such as laptops, in LANs, but is now increasingly used around the home and office for devices such as games consoles, network music players, NAS devices, etc.

WLAN (also known as Wireless Network or Wi-Fi) - a wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network, which is the linking of two or more electronic devices without using wires. WLAN utilizes spread-spectrum technology based on radio waves to enable communication between devices in a limited area.

The amount of data that can be sent across a wireless network reliably is normally much less than a wired network, although new methods of transmitting data are being developed to improve performance and reliability.