
GLOSSARY
of Common Telecom Terms and Acronyms
A
AMI - Alternate
Mark Inversion. A line encoding scheme for transmitting data bits over T1
transmission systems.
ANI - Automatic
Number Identification. A feature in which a series of digits,
either analog or digital, are included in the call, thus identifying the
telephone number of the caller.
ANSI - American
National Standards Institute. This organization organizes committees, made up
of computer users, manufacturers etc., to develop and publish industry
standards.
ARP - Address
Resolution Protocol. An Internet protocol used for mapping
an IP address to a physical address on an Ethernet LAN.
ASCII - American
Standard Code for Information Interchange. An asynchronous
signaling code with character framing. An ASCII character consists of a
start bit, seven data bits, a parity bit (even if
unused) and a stop bit. In some cases, 1-1/2 or 2 stop bits are used. Thus
ASCII is at best 70% efficient with seven data bits out of every ten-bit
character. Note that 1-1/2 stop bits can not be used if the data will be
carried by modern-day modems. The parity bit is used as an eighth data bit with
able characters from 128 to 256. ASCII data can also be transported
synchronously (aka clocked async).
Asynchronous
transmission - Digital
signals are transmitted without precise clocking. The signals have different
frequencies and phase relationships. Individual characters contained in control
bits (start and stop bits) designate the beginning and end of each character.
ATM - Asynchronous
Transfer Mode. A component of ISDN. A switching
technology that organizes digital data in 53 byte packets and transmits them using digital signal technology.
Authentication - The
process of attempting to ensure that the person using the computer system and
performing tasks such as sending or receiving messages is one and the same as
the person in whose name the account is registered. Networks require passwords
as a means of authentication; however, passwords do not guarantee that the
person using the system is the person to whom the password was given.
AWG - American
Wiring Gauge. A U.S. measurement standard of the
diameter of non-ferrous wire, which includes copper and aluminum. The smaller the number, the thicker the wire. In general,
the thicker the wire, the greater the current-carrying capacity and the longer
the distance it can span.
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B
B8ZS - Binary
with 8 Zero Substitution. Line code type, used on T1 and E1 circuits,
in which a special code is substituted whenever eight consecutive zeros are
sent over the link. Code is then interpreted at the remote end of the
connection.
BER - Bit
Error Rate. Ratio of received bits that contain errors.
Bipolar
Violations - Violations
of the electrical characteristic denoting a circuit with both negative and
positive polarity.
BERT - Bit
Error Rate Tester. A device that calculates the bit error rate
on a communication channel.
bps - Bits
per second. The speed at which a point-to-point transmission
line can convey data.
BRI
- Basic Rate
Interface. Basic ISDN service level that consists of two 64 Kbps B
(bearer) channels that carry voice, data, and video along with one 16 Kbps D
(delta) channel for signaling between telephone company switches and for
carrying user-network messages. Also see ISDN.
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C
CHAP - Challenge
Handshake Authentication Protocol. A type of authentication
protocol in which the authentication agent sends the client program a key to be
used to encrypt the user name and password. CHAP doesn't only require
the client to authenticate itself at startup time, but sends challenges at
regular intervals to make sure the client hasn't been replaced by an intruder,
for instance by switching phone lines. Also see PAP.
CIR - Committed
Information Rate. The maximum data rate that a Frame Relay network provider
guarantees to transfer under normal network conditions, averaged over a minimum
increment of time. CIR is either equal to or less than the full port speed.
Measured in bits per second, CIR one of the key negotiated cost factors in
setting up a Frame Relay connection. Also see EIR.
CLEC - Competitive
Local Exchange Carrier. A company that creates and operates communication
networks and provides customers with an alternative to the local telephone
company.
CMOS - Complementary
Metal Oxide Semiconductor. Technology employing integrated field-effect
transistors in a complementary symmetry arrangement, which simulates
"Push/Pull" operation because of the placement of opposing-polarity
devices (p-channel and n-channel FETs).
CODEC - enCOder/DECoder. Chip used in the
voice card to compress or decompress speech or audio signals.
CPE - Customer
Premises Equipment. Equipment, such as terminals and modems, supplied by the
telephone company, that is installed at customer sites
and connected to the telephone company network.
CRC - Cyclic
Redundancy Check. A method of checking for errors in data that
has been transmitted on a communications link. The dividend polynomial
is initially preset to 0, and the 1s and 0s of the data stream become the
coefficients of the dividend polynomial. The division uses subtraction modulo 2
(no carries), and the remainder is transmitted as the error check field. The
receiving station compares the transmitted remainder with its own computed
remainder, and an equal condition indicates that no error has occurred. The
polynomial value depends on the protocol and code set being used.
CSU - Channel
Service Unit. A device used to connect a digital phone line coming in from the
phone company to network access equipment located on the customer premises. CSU
may also be built into the network interface of the network access equipment.
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D
D4 - Super
Frame.
A common framing type used on T1 circuits. It consists of twelve frames of 192
bits each, with the 193rd bit providing error checking and other functions. It
is superseded by ESF but still widely used.
DAC - Digital
to Analog Converter. A device for converting digital signals
into continuous analog signals. The converter usually buffers the input
so that the output remains the same until the input changes. A typical
converter provides two analog output channels ranging from 0 to +10 volts with
eight bits per channel resolution; also provides two logic level outputs for
external device control.
DB
Connector
- A family of
plugs and sockets widely used in communications and computer devices. DB
connectors come in 9, 15, 25, 37 and 50-pin sizes. The DB connector defines the
physical structure of the connector, not the purpose of each line.
dBm - A
unit of energy level measurement.
DCE - Data
Circuit-Terminating Equipment. Device and connections of a communications
network that comprise the network end of the user-to-network interface. It
provides physical connection to the network, forwards traffic and provides
clocking signals used to synchronize data transmission between DTE devices and
itself.
DCS - Digital
Cross-Connect System. A network element providing automatic
cross-connection of a digital signal or its constituent.
DDS - Dataphone
Digital Service (previously Digital Data Service). A digital
network service available from AT&T, the Bell Operating Companies and
independent telephone companies. Non-switched synchronous data rates of
2400, 4800, 9600 and 56,000 bps and switched synchronous 56,000 bps are available.
DHCP - Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol. Dynamically assigns IP addresses to client
stations located on a TCP/IP network at startup, and allows the addresses to be
re-used when no longer needed. This allows a larger group of stations to share a
limited pool of addresses.
DLCI - Data
Link Connection Identifier. The number of a private or switched virtual
circuit in a frame relay network. Located in the frame header, the DLCI field
identifies which logical circuit the data travels over, and each DLCI has a
committed information rate (CIR) associated with it. The DLCI number is local
to the frame access device and frame relay switch it connects to, and it is
generally changed by the switch within the network, because the receiving
switch uses a different DLCI for the same connection.
DNS - Domain
Name System. The manner in which the Internet locates and translates domain
names into IP addresses.
Drop
and Insert -
A process of adding data (insert) to a T1 data stream, or terminating data
(drop) from a T1 data stream to other devices connected to the drop and insert
equipment.
DS0 - Digital
Signal Level 0. The base for the digital signal X series; transmits digital
signals over a single channel at 64 Kbps.
DS1 - Digital
Signal Level 1. Framing specification used in transmitting digital signals at
1.544-Mbps on a T1 facility (United States)
or at 2.108-Mbps on an E1 facility (Europe).
DS3 - Digital
Signal Level 3. Framing specification used in transmitting digital signals at
44.736-Mbps on a T3 facility (United States)
or at 34.368-Mbps on an E3 facility (Europe).
DSL - Digital
Subscriber Line. Technology that brings high-bandwidth
information to homes and small business over copper telephone lines. It
can carry both data and voice signals.
DSU - Data
Service Unit. A device used in digital transmission that adapts a physical
interface on a DTE device to a transmission facility such as T1 or E1. It is
also responsible for functions such as timing.
DTE
- Data Terminal
Equipment. A device at the user end of a user-network
interface that serves as a data source, destination, or both. It
connects to a data network through a DCE device (such as a modem) and typically
uses clocking signals generated by the DCE. It includes devices such as
computers, protocol translators and multiplexers.
DTMF - Dual
Tone Multi Frequency. The signal a telephone company receives when a
telephone's touch keys are pressed. Also known as Touchtone.
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E
E1 - A
digital transmission link with a capacity of 2.048 Mbps, used predominantly in Europe. E1 is channelized
into 32 DS0s, each capable of carrying a single voice conversation or data
stream.
EBCDIC - Extended
Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code. A synchronous
signaling code, commonly used by IBM, with no character framing (start/stop)
bits and no parity bit. An EBCDIC character consists of eight data bits.
It is used as one of many contiguous characters within a large block. The block
contains start and stop bit sequences and an error control bit sequence. Also
see Synchronous.
Echo - Async
terminals use an "echo" to display entered characters on the screen.
The echo can be remote (provided by the host computer) or local (within the
terminal). A remote echo requires a full-duplex transmission facility while a
local echo does not. Consequently, many terminals use the "FDX"
terminology to configure for remote echo and the "HDX" terminology to
configure for local echo. Failure to configure the host to complement the
terminal will result in either no screen display (no echo) or double characters
(two echoes). Also see Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex.
EIR -
Excess Information Rate. The amount of data in excess of the CIR that can be
transferred, and is used for burst traffic support. Also see CIR.
EIA - Electronic
Industries Association. A membership organization that sets
standards for consumer products and electronic components.
E&M - Receive
and Transmit. A trunking arrangement used for
two-way switch-to-switch or switch-to-network connections. It is used with E1
and T1 interfaces.
ESF -
Extended Superframe. A framing format for
T1 applications that consists of twenty four frames of 192 bits each with the
193rd bit providing timing and other functions. It includes provisions for
continuous monitoring by both the user and the telephone company central
office. ESF provides a 4 Kbps link control channel (transparent to user data)
which allows the telephone company to monitor the local loop, transmit and
receive test messages and retrieve performance data, all without interrupting
normal operations.
Ethernet
- The most
widely-used standard for local area networks (LANs).
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F
FCC - Federal
Communications Commission. United States government agency that supervises, licenses and controls
electronic and electromagnetic transmission standards.
File
Server
- In a local
area network, a computer that has been set aside to store frequently accessed
files.
Frame - At
the data link layer in a point-to-point transmission line, the technique used
to demarcate the data so that it can be received in an orderly and meaningful
way.
Frame
Relay
- At the data
link layer in a wide area network (WAN), a protocol for transferring packets at
speeds up to 1.544 Mbps, depending on the physical medium being used. Frame
Relay is designed for noise-free digital lines, and therefore omits the error
correction facilities. The result is increased bandwidth.
FTP - File
Transfer Protocol. Application protocol used for transferring
files between network nodes.
Full-Duplex - Also
known as "FDX" and "Duplex." See Half-Duplex, Simplex, and
Echo.
1) The ability of a transmission facility to transport data in both directions
simultaneously. Modems (or DSUs) at both ends of
point-to-point full-duplex facilities and at the master location in multipoint
full-duplex facilities use "constant carrier." Modems at remote
locations in multipoint full-duplex facilities use "controlled
carrier" (carrier controlled by RTS with data transmission controlled by
CTS). Also see Point-to-Point and Multipoint.
2) The ability of a data processing device or protocol to simultaneously
transmit and receive data. Note that some devices and protocols (e.g., BiSync) require full-duplex facilities but actually operate
half-duplex.
FXO - Foreign
Exchange Office. An interface that connects to the Public Switched Telephone
Network's (PSTN) central office and is the interface offered on a standard
telephone. Example: RJ-11 connector that allows analog connection to the
central office.
FXS - Foreign
Exchange Subscriber. An interface that connects directly to
a standard telephone and supplies ring, voltage, and dial tone. Example:
RJ-11 connector allows connections to basic telephone equipment.
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H
Half-Duplex - Also
known as "HDX." See Full-Duplex, Simplex and Echo.
1) The ability of a transmission facility to transport data in both directions
but not simultaneously. Half-duplex facilities use modems (or DSUs) configured for "controlled carrier," also
known as "switched carrier," (carrier controlled by RTS with data
transmission controlled by CTS) at all locations.
2) The ability of a data processing device or protocol to transmit and receive
data but not simultaneously. Note that some devices and protocols (e.g., BiSync) require full-duplex facilities but actually operate
half-duplex.
HDLC - High-Level
Data Link Control. An ISO communications protocol used in X.25 packet switching
networks. It provides error correction at the data link layer.
HDSL - High-bit
rate Digital Subscriber Line. The earliest variation of DSL.
It is used for wideband digital transmission within a business and between the
telephone company and a customer. HDSL is symmetrical meaning an equal amount
of bandwidth is available in both directions.
Host - A
computer that can function as the endpoint of a data transfer. The computer can
be a single-user personal computer or workstation that is part of a local area
network (LAN), a minicomputer, or a mainframe computer. The term
"node" is synonymous with host.
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I
IC - Integrated
Circuit. An integrated circuit (IC), sometimes called a chip or microchip, is a
semiconductor wafer on which thousands or millions of tiny resistors,
capacitors, and transistors are fabricated. An IC can function as an amplifier,
oscillator, timer, counter, computer memory, or microprocessor. A particular IC
is categorized as either linear (analog) or digital, depending on its intended
application.
ICMP - Internet
Control Message Protocol. A protocol used between a host server and a
gateway to the Internet to send message control and error-reporting messages.
ILEC - Incumbant
Local Exchange Carrier.
Interface - One
"side" of a pair of connected devices, i.e., 1) The DCE side or the
DTE side. 2) The signaling specification used by a pair of connected devices.
IOC - Independent
Operating Company.
IP - Internet
Protocol. The method by which data is sent from one
computer to another on the Internet. It is a connection less protocol,
meaning there is no established connection between the two computers. Data is
sent as independent packets, also known as data units or data grams, which are
contained in the IP address, a 32-bit number that identifies each sender or
receiver of information. When the packets are received, they are put into the
correct order by the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
IP
Datagram- The basic unit of the information passed accross an IP Internet. It contains address information and
data.
IPX - Internetwork
Packet Exchange. A NetWare communications protocol used to route messages from
one node to another. IPX packets include net-work addresses and can be routed
from one network to another.
ISDN -
Integrated Service Digital Network. A system that provides
simultaneous voice and high speed data transmission through a single channel to
the user's premises. ISDN is an international standard for end-to-end
digital transmission of voice, data and signaling.
ITU-T - International
Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee. International
body that develops worldwide standards for telecommunications technologies.
IXC - Inter-exchange
Carrier. A common carrier providing long distance
connectivity between local telephone areas. Includes
AT&T, MCI and Sprint.
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K
Kbps -
Kilobits per second or one thousand bits per second.
L
LAN - Local
Area Network. A computer network that links personal
computers and workstations within a limited geographic area, such as a building
or several contiguous buildings. Linked by cables such as coaxial cables
or twisted pair, the computers connected to the LAN can access resources on
other computers and shared peripheral devices. If there is a central network
device, it is a file server that includes resources of use to all. To keep two
workstations from accessing the LAN at the same time, LANs employ a Medium
Access Control (MAC) protocol; ethernet is one such
protocol.
Leased
Line
- A permanently
connected telephone line that links a host to a service provider. Typically, leased
lines can handle between 56,000 and 64,000 bits per second of data. Larger host
systems require T1 lines (1.544 Mbps) or T3 lines (45 Mbps).
LED - Light
Emitting Diode. A display technology that uses a semiconductor diode that emits
light when charged.
Loopback - A
method of checking the accuracy of data transmission in which the transmitted
data stream is returned, or looped back, to its source for comparison with the
original data. Loopbacks can be performed on data in
an analog or digital state.
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M
MAC
Header
- In the Open
Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model, a sub layer that was added
between the physical layer and the data link layer; this sub layer describes
the protocols for broadcast networks (i.e., LANs).
Mbps - Megabits
per second or one million bits per second.
MIB - Management
Information Base. A directory listing information that used and
maintained by a network's management protocol, such as SNMP.
Modem - Modulator-Demodulator. A
device that adapts a terminal or computer to a voice-grade telephone line.
At the source, a modem converts digital signals to a form suitable for
transmission over analog communication facilities. At the destination, the
analog signals are returned to their digital form. Modems are available that
are synchronous or asynchronous for either 2-wire dial or 4-wire leased line
applications. Also see Asynchronous and Synchronous.
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N
NAT - Network
Address Translation. A method for translating internal IP
addresses or network addresses into a single globally unique IP address.
It permits a nearly unlimited number of users of one class C Network address
because global addresses are required only when a user is connected to the
Internet. It also serves as a fire wall by keeping individual IP addresses
hid-den from the outside world. NAT is configured by defining address pools and
specifying whether a port is "Inside" or "Outside". Also
see IP.
NEBS - Network
Equipment Building
Systems. Adhering to standards from Bellcore for equipment used in Telco central offices (COs).
It provides stringent specifications for durability, grounding, cables and
hardware interfaces.
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O
OSPF - Open
Shortest Path First. OSPF is a routing protocol that determines the best path
for routing IP traffic over a TCP/IP network. It uses less
router-to router update traffic than the RIP protocol that it has been
designed to replace.
Overhead - Framing,
error control, addressing, idle code, or any other characters or bit sequences
in a data transmission other than actual end-user data.
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P
Packet - Also
known as a data unit or a datagram. A unit of data that has been broken down
into a small enough size so that the Internet Protocol can handle it and the
Internet transport it.
PAP - Password
Authentication Protocol. PAP is the most basic form of authentication for logging
into a network. A user's name and password are transmitted over a network and
compared to a table of name-password pairs.Typically, the passwords stored in the table are encrypted. Also see
CHAP.
Parity - A
character-level error-control mechanism used with asynchronous signaling codes.
A parity bit is set to either a "one" (mark) or a "zero"
(space) to ensure that the total quantity of "ones" within a
character are either odd (odd parity) or even (even parity). Start and stop
bits are excluded from the parity calculation. Character-level error-control
has not been successful, and today, parity is rarely used. Asynchronous
hardware, however, requires that the parity bit be present (usually forced to
"one") even if unused.
PCM - Pulse
Coded Modulation. Transmission of analog information in
digital form through sampling and encoding the samples with a fixed number of
bits.
PCS - Personal
Communications Service. A network that provides personal,
terminal and service mobility. Includes broadband and
narrowband in the United
States.
PING - Packet
Internet Groper. A diagnostic utility program that indicates
whether a remote host is actually connected to the network.
PLAR - Private
Line Auto Ring. A leased voice circuit that connects two
single endpoints together. When the telephone handset is removed from
the hook, the remote telephone automatically rings.
Point-to-Point - A
communications link connecting two and only two stations. See Full-Duplex.
Point-to-Point
Network
- A network in
which a message originates from one node and travels to one or more destination
nodes, but not to every node on the network. Wide area networks
(WANs) are point-to-point networks, while most local area networks (LANs) are
broadcast networks that send all network data to every computer connected to
the LAN.
Polling - Interrogation
of devices for purposes such as to avoid contention, to determine operational
status, or to determine readiness to send or receive data.
Port- A destination point used by
transport level protocols to distinguish among multiple destinations within a
given host computer .
PP - Point-to-Point
Protocol. A protocol at the data link layer used for dialup
IP access. It establishes a temporary but direct connection in which packets of
data can travel directly from and to a node. PPP offers data compression, data
negotiation and error correction.>
Protocol - A
standard that governs the operation of a network communications function by
providing a clear-cut set of rules for its operation as well as the specific
programs that are designed to implement these rules. Specific protocols apply
to each layer in a network's architecture.
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R
Reverse
Channel
- The RS232
specification assumes that normal transmit and receive data (pins #2 and #3)
will be at identical rates. However, the specification also includes a full
complement of secondary data and control signals (but no clocks) for additional
data transport, typically at rates from 5 to 75 bps. The need for these
secondary channels no longer exists but, when it did, a half-duplex facility
was configured to operate as simplex facility with a secondary channel in the
opposite, or reverse, direction (hence, "reverse channel"). Also see
Half-Duplex and Simplex.
RFC - Request
for Comments. The document series maintained by the Inter-net
community that records the protocols within the Internet and gives other
information.
RIP - Routing
Information Protocol. A simple routing protocol that is part
of the TCP/IP protocol suite. It determines a route based on the
smallest hop count between source and destination. RIP is a distance vector
protocol that routinely broadcasts routing information to its neighboring
routers and is known to waste bandwidth.
Router - An
electronic device that connects a local area network (LAN) to a wide area
network (WAN) and handles the task of routing messages between the two networks.
RS232 - RS232
is an electrical signaling specification published by the Electronic Industries
Association (EIA). Although not identified in the specification, the 25-pin
(DB25) connector, with specific pin assignments, is commonly accepted as
"the RS232 connector or the serial connector."
RS530,
RS449, RS422/422A - RS530,
RS449, RS422 and RS422A are signaling specifications published by the
Electronic Industries Association (EIA). RS422 defines electrical signaling
characteristics. It references a companion standard RS449 that defines signal
functions placed on a 37-pin (DB37) mechanical connector with specific pin
assignments. Because of the cost of the DB37 connectors, manufacturers
generally ignored that portion of the specification and placed a subset of the
RS449 signals on a 25-pin (DB25) connector. The EIA subsequently legitimized
this practice by publishing RS422A/RS530. As a practical matter, RS530 is
simply "RS449 on DB25."
RSVP-TE - Reservation
Protocol for Traffic Engineering.
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S
SCADA -
(System
Control and Data Acquisition, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition,
Security, Control and Data Acquisition). A common process control application
that collects data from sensors on the shop floor or in remote locations and
sends them to a central computer for management and control.
SDSL - Single-line
Digital Subscriber Line. One of four DSL technologies.
SDSL delivers 1.544 Mbps both downstream and upstream over a single cop-per
twisted pair. The use of a single twisted pair limits the operating range of
SDSL to 10,000 feet (3048.8 meters).
Simplex - A
data processing device or protocol capable of transmitting or receiving but not
both. Simplex devices are rare in data processing applications. One example is
printing via the obsolete "202" modem. In dial mode, the 202 was
Half-Duplex and printer flow control could not get back to the computer fast
enough. The printer was configured as Simplex with a reverse channel for flow
control. Simplex examples in other industries include commercial radio and
television. See Full-Duplex, Half-Duplex, and Reverse Channel.
SLIP - Serial
Line Internet Protocol. A serial protocol used for providing communication
between a remote user and a TCP/IP Network. Commonly used to
provide dial-up or private line access to the Internet. Also see PPP.
SNMP - Simple
Network Management Protocol - Network management protocol used in TCP/IP
networks. SNMP monitors and controls network devices, and manages
configurations, statistics collection, performance and security.
SONET - Synchronous
Optical NETwork. A high speed (up to
2.5 Gbps), fiber-optic transmission system for
digital traffic. SONET uses time division multiplexing (TDM) to send
multiple data streams simultaneously. STS1 is the basic building block of SONET.rs).
STS1 - Synchronous
Transport Signal level 1. Basic building block signal of SONET, operating at
51.84 Mbps. Faster SONET rates are defined as STS-n, where n is a multiple of
51.84 Mbps.
Subnet Address- An extension of the
IP addressing scheme which enables an IP site to use a single IP address for multiple
physical networks. Subnetting is applicable when a
network grows beyond the number of hosts allowed for the IP address class of
the site.
Switchover - an
action that occurs when a redundant device replaces a primary device that
failed.>
Synchronous
transmission - Digital
signals are transmitted with precise clocking. Signals have the same frequency.
Individual characters contained in control bits (start and stop bits) designate
the beginning and end of each character.
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T
T1 - A
high-bandwidth telephone trunk line with a capacity of 1.544 Mbps, used in North America. T1 is channelized
into 24 DS0s, each capable of carrying a single voice conversation or data
stream.
TCP - Transmission
Control Protocol. The method used with the Internet Protocol (IP) to send data in
the form of packets between computers over the Internet. TCP is responsible for
dividing a message into packets that the IP can use, and for reassembling
packets into complete message.
TDM - Time
Division Multiplexing. A technology that transmits multiple
signals simultaneously over a single transmission path. Each lower-speed
signal is time sliced into one high speed transmission.
Telnet -
A user command and an underlying TCP/IP protocol for accessing remote computers.
TFTP - Trivial
File Transfer Protocol. Network application that is simpler than the File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) but less capable. Uses the User
Datagram Protocol (UDP).
TIMS - Transmission
Impairment Measurement Sets. Used to measure the power of a test signal amplitude of a sinewave
voltage across a standard resistive termination.
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U
UDP - User
Datagram Protocol. A connection less, communication transport
method that offers a limited amount of service when messages are exchanged over
the Internet Protocol. It is an alternative to TCP. Unlike TCP, UDP does
not acknowledge or guarantee delivery, nor does it provide sequencing of
packets.
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V
V.35 - V.35
is an electrical signaling specification published by CCITT. Although not
identified in the specification, the M-series, 34-pin (Winchester-type)
connector, with specific pin assignments, is commonly accepted as "the
V.35 connector." V.35 signaling is also legitimately supported on DB25
connectors but the pin assignments have not been standardized within the
industry.
V.54 - V.54
is an ITU standard for various loopback tests that
can be incorporated into modems for testing the telephone circuit and isolating
transmission problems. Operating modes include local and remote digital loopback and remote analog loopback.
Virtual
Tributary (VT) - A
signal designed for transport and switching of pay-loads smaller than the STS1
rate. All services below DS3 rate are trans-ported in the VT structure. T1
payloads are equivalent to a VT1.5, while E1 payloads are equivalent to a VT-2.
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W
WAN - Wide
Area Network. A communications network that is capable of spanning a
geographic area larger than a metropolitan area.
Workstation - A
computer that is connected to a network. A workstation has its own processor,
processes applications locally and may access data and resources located
elsewhere on the network.
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X
X.21 - X.21
is an electrical standard published by the CCITT that includes a 15-pin (DB15) mechanical connector identification with
specific pin assignments.
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