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The following hit is VERY LONG. Thanks to everyone (John, Frankie, Carolyn, Dan, Pat, Rachel and Alice) who answered my request. I received several requests for the information. The following was sent by both John Danek and Frankie Mauney Dilling. Marilyn Richardson Teacher-Librarian Brent Kennedy Elementary Box 40 Crescent Valley School District #7 - Nelson British Columbia, V0G 1H0 Canada mrichard@cln.etc.bc.ca 604-359-7292 FAX 604-359-7522 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 13 May 1994 09:29:30 -0400 (EDT) From: John Danek <JD287%ALBNYVMS.bitnet@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU> To: mrichard@cln.etc.bc.ca Subject: this may help Date sent: 13-MAY-1994 09:29:24 > > > > > > >Network Working Group O. Jacobsen >Request for Comments: 1208 D. Lynch > Interop, Inc. > March 1991 > > > A Glossary of Networking Terms > >Status of this Memo > > This RFC is a glossary adapted from "The INTEROP Pocket Glossary of > Networking Terms" distributed at Interop '90. This memo provides > information for the Internet community. It does not specify an > Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. > >Introduction > > This glossary is adapted from "The INTEROP Pocket Glossary of > Networking Terms" produced to help you understand the many terms--and > in particular the myriad of acronyms--that can be encountered at the > INTEROP Tutorials, Conference, and Exhibition. > > To keep this document reasonably small we have deliberately omitted > common computer and communications terms such as disk, modem, byte, > and VLSI. In addition, the definitions have been kept brief. We > recommend that you consult the glossaries found in the major computer > networking textbooks for more comprehensive definitions. > > We also realize that producing this glossary is akin to shooting at a > moving target. The computer and communications industries are moving > very rapidly, and terms and acronyms are born every day. You are > invited to submit words which you think should be included in future > editions. > >Glossary > > abstract syntax: A description of a data structure that is > independent of machine-oriented structures and encodings. > > ACSE: Association Control Service Element. The method used in OSI > for establishing a call between two applications. Checks the > identities and contexts of the application entities, and could apply > an authentication security check. > > address mask: A bit mask used to select bits from an Internet address > for subnet addressing. The mask is 32 bits long and selects the > network portion of the Internet address and one or more bits of the > local portion. Sometimes called subnet mask. > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 1] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > address resolution: A means for mapping Network Layer addresses onto > media-specific addresses. See ARP. > > ADMD: Administration Management Domain. An X.400 Message Handling > System public service carrier. Examples: MCImail and ATTmail in the > U.S., British Telecom Gold400mail in the U.K. The ADMDs in all > countries worldwide together provide the X.400 backbone. See PRMD. > > agent: In the client-server model, the part of the system that > performs information preparation and exchange on behalf of a client > or server application. See NMS, DUA, MTA. > > ANSI: American National Standards Institute. The U.S. > standardization body. ANSI is a member of the International > Organization for Standardization (ISO) > > AOW: Asia and Oceania Workshop. One of the three regional OSI > Implementors Workshops, equivalent to OIW and EWOS. > > API: Application Program Interface. A set of calling conventions > defining how a service is invoked through a software package. > > Application Layer: The top-most layer in the OSI Reference Model > providing such communication services as electronic mail and file > transfer. > > ARP: Address Resolution Protocol. The Internet protocol used to > dynamically map Internet addresses to physical (hardware) addresses > on local area networks. Limited to networks that support hardware > broadcast. > > ARPA: Advanced Research Projects Agency. Now called DARPA, the U.S. > government agency that funded the ARPANET. > > ARPANET: A packet switched network developed in the early 1970s. The > "grandfather" of today's Internet. ARPANET was decommissioned in > June 1990. > > ASN.1: Abstract Syntax Notation One. The OSI language for describing > abstract syntax. See BER. > > attribute: The form of information items provided by the X.500 > Directory Service. The directory information base consists of > entries, each containing one or more attributes. Each attribute > consists of a type identifier together with one or more values. Each > directory Read operation can retrieve some or all attributes from a > designated entry. > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 2] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > Autonomous System: Internet (TCP/IP) terminology for a collection of > gateways (routers) that fall under one administrative entity and > cooperate using a common Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP). See > subnetwork. > > backbone: The primary connectivity mechanism of a hierarchical > distributed system. All systems which have connectivity to an > intermediate system on the backbone are assured of connectivity to > each other. This does not prevent systems from setting up private > arrangements with each other to bypass the backbone for reasons of > cost, performance, or security. > > Bart Simpson (R): Internet and OSI cult hero. > > baseband: Characteristic of any network technology that uses a single > carrier frequency and requires all stations attached to the network > to participate in every transmission. See broadband. > > BER: Basic Encoding Rules. Standard rules for encoding data units > described in ASN.1. Sometimes incorrectly lumped under the term > ASN.1, which properly refers only to the abstract syntax description > language, not the encoding technique. > > big-endian: A format for storage or transmission of binary data in > which the most significant bit (or byte) comes first. The reverse > convention is called little-endian. > > BITNET: Because It's Time NETwork. An academic computer network > based originally on IBM mainframe systems interconnected via leased > 9600 bps lines. BITNET has recently merged with CSNET, The > Computer+Science Network (another academic computer network) to form > CREN: The Corporation for Research and Educational Networking. See > CSNET. > > BOC: Bell Operating Company. More commonly referred to as RBOC for > Regional Bell Operating Company. The local telephone company in each > of the seven U.S. regions. > > bridge: A device that connects two or more physical networks and > forwards packets between them. Bridges can usually be made to filter > packets, that is, to forward only certain traffic. Related devices > are: repeaters which simply forward electrical signals from one cable > to another, and full-fledged routers which make routing decisions > based on several criteria. In OSI terminology, a bridge is a Data > Link Layer intermediate system. See repeater and router. > > broadband: Characteristic of any network that multiplexes multiple, > independent network carriers onto a single cable. This is usually > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 3] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > done using frequency division multiplexing. Broadband technology > allows several networks to coexist on one single cable; traffic from > one network does not interfere with traffic from another since the > "conversations" happen on different frequencies in the "ether," > rather like the commercial radio system. > > broadcast: A packet delivery system where a copy of a given packet is > given to all hosts attached to the network. Example: Ethernet. > > BSD: Berkeley Software Distribution. Term used when describing > different versions of the Berkeley UNIX software, as in "4.3BSD > UNIX." > > catenet: A network in which hosts are connected to networks with > varying characteristics, and the networks are interconnected by > gateways (routers). The Internet is an example of a catenet. See > IONL. > > CCITT: International Consultative Committee for Telegraphy and > Telephony. A unit of the International Telecommunications Union > (ITU) of the United Nations. An organization with representatives > from the PTTs of the world. CCITT produces technical standards, > known as "Recommendations," for all internationally controlled > aspects of analog and digital communications. See X Recommendations. > > CCR: Commitment, Concurrency, and Recovery. An OSI application > service element used to create atomic operations across distributed > systems. Used primarily to implement two-phase commit for > transactions and nonstop operations. > > client-server model: A common way to describenetwork services and the > model user processes (programs) of those services. Examples include > the name-server/name-resolver paradigm of the DNS and file- > server/file-client relationships such as NFS and diskless hosts. > > CLNP: Connectionless Network Protocol. The OSI protocol for > providing the OSI Connectionless Network Service (datagram service). > CLNP is the OSI equivalent to Internet IP, and is sometimes called > ISO IP. > > CLTP: Connectionless Transport Protocol. Provides for end-to-end > Transport data addressing (via Transport selector) and error control > (via checksum), but cannot guarantee delivery or provide flow > control. The OSI equivalent of UDP. > > CMIP: Common Management Information Protocol. The OSI network > management protocol. > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 4] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > CMOT: CMIP Over TCP. An effort to use the OSI network management > protocol to manage TCP/IP networks. > > connectionless: The model of interconnection in which communication > takes place without first establishing a connection. Sometimes > (imprecisely) called datagram. Examples: LANs, Internet IP and OSI > CLNP, UDP, ordinary postcards. > > connection-oriented: The model of interconnection in which > communication proceeds through three well-defined phases: connection > establishment, data transfer, connection release. Examples: X.25, > Internet TCP and OSI TP4, ordinary telephone calls. > > core gateway: Historically, one of a set of gateways (routers) > operated by the Internet Network Operations Center at BBN. The core > gateway system forms a central part of Internet routing in that all > groups must advertise paths to their networks from a core gateway, > using the Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP). See EGP, backbone. > > COS: Corporation for Open Systems. A vendor and user group for > conformance testing, certification, and promotion of OSI products. > > COSINE: Cooperation for Open Systems Interconnection Networking in > Europe. A program sponsored by the European Commission, aimed at > using OSI to tie together European research networks. > > CREN: See BITNET and CSNET. > > CSMA/CD: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection. The > access method used by local area networking technologies such as > Ethernet. > > CSNET: Computer+Science Network. A large computer network, mostly in > the U.S. but with international connections. CSNET sites include > universities, research labs, and some commercial companies. Now > merged with BITNET to form CREN. See BITNET. > > DARPA: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The U.S. > government agency that funded the ARPANET. > > Data Link Layer: The OSI layer that is responsible for data transfer > across a single physical connection, or series of bridged > connections, between two Network entities. > > DCA: Defense Communications Agency. The government agency > responsible for the Defense Data Network (DDN). > > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 5] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > DCE: Distributed Computing Environment. An architecture of standard > programming interfaces, conventions, and server functionalities > (e.g., naming, distributed file system, remote procedure call) for > distributing applications transparently across networks of > heterogeneous computers. Promoted and controlled by the Open > Software Foundation (OSF), a consortium led by HP, DEC, and IBM. See > ONC. > > DDN: Defense Data Network. Comprises the MILNET and several other > DoD networks. > > DECnet: Digital Equipment Corporation's proprietary network > architecture. > > DNS: Domain Name System. The distributed name/address mechanism used > in the Internet. > > domain: In the Internet, a part of a naming hierarchy. > Syntactically, an Internet domain name consists of a sequence of > names (labels) separated by periods (dots), e.g., "tundra.mpk.ca.us." > In OSI, "domain" is generally used as an administrative partition of > a complex distributed system, as in MHS Private Management Domain > (PRMD), and Directory Management Domain (DMD). > > dotted decimal notation: The syntactic representation for a 32-bit > integer that consists of four 8-bit numbers written in base 10 with > periods (dots) separating them. Used to represent IP addresses in > the Internet as in: 192.67.67.20. > > DSA: Directory System Agent. The software that provides the X.500 > Directory Service for a portion of the directory information base. > Generally, each DSA is responsible for the directory information for > a single organization or organizational unit. > > DUA: Directory User Agent. The software that accesses the X.500 > Directory Service on behalf of the directory user. The directory > user may be a person or another software element. > > EARN: European Academic Research Network. A network using BITNET > technology connecting universities and research labs in Europe. > > EGP: Exterior Gateway Protocol. A reachability routing protocol used > by gateways in a two-level internet. EGP is used in the Internet > core system. See core gateway. > > encapsulation: The technique used by layered protocols in which a > layer adds header information to the protocol data unit (PDU) from > the layer above. As an example, in Internet terminology, a packet > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 6] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > would contain a header from the physical layer, followed by a header > from the network layer (IP), followed by a header from the transport > layer (TCP), followed by the application protocol data. > > end system: An OSI system which contains application processes > capable of communicating through all seven layers of OSI protocols. > Equivalent to Internet host. > > entity: OSI terminology for a layer protocol machine. An entity > within a layer performs the functions of the layer within a single > computer system, accessing the layer entity below and providing > services to the layer entity above at local service access points. > > ES-IS: End system to Intermediate system protocol. The OSI protocol > by which end systems announce themselves to intermediate systems. > > EUnet: European UNIX Network. > > EUUG: European UNIX Users Group. > > EWOS: European Workshop for Open Systems. The OSI Implementors > Workshop for Europe. See OIW. > > FARNET: Federation of American Research NETworks. > > FDDI: Fiber Distributed Data Interface. An emerging high-speed > networking standard. The underlying medium is fiber optics, and the > topology is a dual-attached, counter-rotating Token Ring. FDDI > networks can often be spotted by the orange fiber "cable." > > FIPS: Federal Information Processing Standard. > > flame: To express strong opinion and/or criticism of something, > usually as a frank inflammatory statement in an electronic message. > > FNC: Federal Networking Council. The body responsible for > coordinating networking needs among U.S. Federal agencies. > > fragmentation: The process in which an IP datagram is broken into > smaller pieces to fit the requirements of a given physical network. > The reverse process is termed reassembly. See MTU. > > FRICC: Federal Research Internet Coordinating Committee. Now > replaced by the FNC. > > FTAM: File Transfer, Access, and Management. The OSI remote file > service and protocol. > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 7] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > FTP: File Transfer Protocol. The Internet protocol (and program) > used to transfer files between hosts. See FTAM. > > gateway: The original Internet term for what is now called router or > more precisely, IP router. In modern usage, the terms "gateway" and > "application gateway" refer to systems which do translation from some > native format to another. Examples include X.400 to/from RFC 822 > electronic mail gateways. See router. > > GOSIP: Government OSI Profile. A U.S. Government procurement > specification for OSI protocols. > > IAB: Internet Activities Board. The technical body that oversees the > development of the Internet suite of protocols (commonly referred to > as "TCP/IP"). It has two task forces (the IRTF and the IETF) each > charged with investigating a particular area. > > ICMP: Internet Control Message Protocol. The protocol used to handle > errors and control messages at the IP layer. ICMP is actually part > of the IP protocol. > > IESG: Internet Engineering Steering Group. The executive committee > of the IETF. > > IETF: Internet Engineering Task Force. One of the task forces of the > IAB. The IETF is responsible for solving short-term engineering > needs of the Internet. It has over 40 Working Groups. > > IGP: Interior Gateway Protocol. The protocol used to exchange > routing information between collaborating routers in the Internet. > RIP and OSPF are examples of IGPs. > > IGRP: Internet Gateway Routing Protocol. A proprietary IGP used by > cisco System's routers. > > INTAP: Interoperability Technology Association for Information > Processing. The technical organization which has the official > charter to develop Japanese OSI profiles and conformance tests. > > intermediate system: An OSI system which is not an end system, but > which serves instead to relay communications between end systems. > See repeater, bridge, and router. > > internet: A collection of networks interconnected by a set of routers > which allow them to function as a single, large virtual network. > > Internet: (note the capital "I") The largest internet in the world > consisting of large national backbone nets (such as MILNET, NSFNET, > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 8] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > and CREN) and a myriad of regional and local campus networks all over > the world. The Internet uses the Internet protocol suite. To be on > the Internet you must have IP connectivity, i.e., be able to Telnet > to--or ping--other systems. Networks with only e-mail connectivity > are not actually classified as being on the Internet. > > Internet address: A 32-bit address assigned to hosts using TCP/IP. > See dotted decimal notation. > > IONL: Internal Organization of the Network Layer. The OSI standard > for the detailed architecture of the Network Layer. Basically, it > partitions the Network layer into subnetworks interconnected by > convergence protocols (equivalent to internetworking protocols), > creating what Internet calls a catenet or internet. > > IP: Internet Protocol. The network layer protocol for the Internet > protocol suite. > > IP datagram: The fundamental unit of information passed across the > Internet. Contains source and destination addresses along with data > and a number of fields which define such things as the length of the > datagram, the header checksum, and flags to say whether the datagram > can be (or has been) fragmented. > > IRTF: Internet Research Task Force. One of the task forces of the > IAB. The group responsible for research and development of the > Internet protocol suite. > > ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network. An emerging technology > which is beginning to be offered by the telephone carriers of the > world. ISDN combines voice and digital network services in a single > medium making it possible to offer customers digital data services as > well as voice connections through a single "wire." The standards > that define ISDN are specified by CCITT. > > IS-IS: Intermediate system to Intermediate system protocol. The OSI > protocol by which intermediate systems exchange routing information. > > ISO: International Organization for Standardization. You knew that, > right? Best known for the 7-layer OSI Reference Model. See OSI. > > ISODE: ISO Development Environment. A popular implementation of the > upper layers of OSI. Pronounced eye-so-dee-eee. > > JANET: Joint Academic Network. A university network in the U.K. > > JUNET: Japan UNIX Network. > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 9] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > KA9Q: A popular implementation of TCP/IP and associated protocols for > amateur packet radio systems. > > Kermit: A popular file transfer and terminal emulation program. > > little-endian: A format for storage or transmission of binary data in > which the least significant byte (bit) comes first. See big-endian. > > mail exploder: Part of an electronic mail delivery system which > allows a message to be delivered to a list of addressees. Mail > exploders are used to implement mailing lists. Users send messages > to a single address (e.g., hacks@somehost.edu) and the mail exploder > takes care of delivery to the individual mailboxes in the list. > > mail gateway: A machine that connects two or more electronic mail > systems (especially dissimilar mail systems on two different > networks) and transfers messages between them. Sometimes the mapping > and translation can be quite complex, and generally it requires a > store-and-forward scheme whereby the message is received from one > system completely before it is transmitted to the next system after > suitable translations. > > Martian: Humorous term applied to packets that turn up unexpectedly > on the wrong network because of bogus routing entries. Also used as > a name for a packet which has an altogether bogus (non-registered or > ill-formed) Internet address. > > MHS: Message Handling System. The system of message user agents, > message transfer agents, message stores, and access units which > together provide OSI electronic mail. MHS is specified in the CCITT > X.400 series of Recommendations. > > MIB: Management Information Base. A collection of objects that can > be accessed via a network management protocol. See SMI. > > MILNET: MILitary NETwork. Originally part of the ARPANET, MILNET was > partitioned in 1984 to make it possible for military installations to > have reliable network service, while the ARPANET continued to be used > for research. See DDN. > > MTA: Message Transfer Agent. An OSI application process used to > store and forward messages in the X.400 Message Handling System. > Equivalent to Internet mail agent. > > MTU: Maximum Transmission Unit. The largest possible unit of data > that can be sent on a given physical medium. Example: The MTU of > Ethernet is 1500 bytes. See fragmentation. > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 10] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > multicast: A special form of broadcast where copies of the packet are > delivered to only a subset of all possible destinations. See > broadcast. > > multi-homed host: A computer connected to more than one physical data > link. The data links may or may not be attached to the same network. > > name resolution: The process of mapping a name into the corresponding > address. See DNS. > > NetBIOS: Network Basic Input Output System. The standard interface > to networks on IBM PC and compatible systems. > > Network Address: See Internet address or OSI Network Address. > > Network Layer: The OSI layer that is responsible for routing, > switching, and subnetwork access across the entire OSI environment. > > NFS(R): Network File System. A distributed file system developed by > Sun Microsystems which allows a set of computers to cooperatively > access each other's files in a transparent manner. > > NIC: Network Information Center. Originally there was only one, > located at SRI International and tasked to serve the ARPANET (and > later DDN) community. Today, there are many NICs, operated by local, > regional, and national networks all over the world. Such centers > provide user assistance, document service, training, and much more. > > NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology. (Formerly > NBS). See OIW. > > NMS: Network Management Station. The system responsible for managing > a (portion of a) network. The NMS talks to network management > agents, which reside in the managed nodes, via a network management > protocol. See agent. > > NOC: Network Operations Center. Any center tasked with the > operational aspects of a production network. These tasks include > monitoring and control, trouble-shooting, user assistance, and so on. > > NSAP: Network Service Access Point. The point at which the OSI > Network Service is made available to a Transport entity. The NSAPs > are identified by OSI Network Addresses. > > NSF: National Science Foundation. Sponsors of the NSFNET. > NSFNET: National Science Foundation NETwork. A collection of local, > regional, and mid-level networks in the U.S. tied together by a > high-speed backbone. NSFNET provides scientists access to a number > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 11] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > of supercomputers across the country. > > OIW: Workshop for Implementors of OSI. Frequently called NIST OIW or > the NIST Workshop, this is the North American regional forum at which > OSI implementation agreements are decided. It is equivalent to EWOS > in Europe and AOW in the Pacific. > > ONC(tm): Open Network Computing. A distributed applications > architecture promoted and controlled by a consortium led by Sun > Microsystems. > > OSI: Open Systems Interconnection. An international standardization > program to facilitate communications among computers from different > manufacturers. See ISO. > > OSI Network Address: The address, consisting of up to 20 octets, used > to locate an OSI Transport entity. The address is formatted into an > Initial Domain Part which is standardized for each of several > addressing domains, and a Domain Specific Part which is the > responsibility of the addressing authority for that domain. > > OSI Presentation Address: The address used to locate an OSI > Application entity. It consists of an OSI Network Address and up to > three selectors, one each for use by the Transport, Session, and > Presentation entities. > > OSPF: Open Shortest Path First. A "Proposed Standard" IGP for the > Internet. See IGP. > > PCI: Protocol Control Information. The protocol information added by > an OSI entity to the service data unit passed down from the layer > above, all together forming a Protocol Data Unit (PDU). > > PDU: Protocol Data Unit. This is OSI terminology for "packet." A > PDU is a data object exchanged by protocol machines (entities) within > a given layer. PDUs consist of both Protocol Control Information > (PCI) and user data. > > Physical Layer: The OSI layer that provides the means to activate and > use physical connections for bit transmission. In plain terms, the > Physical Layer provides the procedures for transferring a single bit > across a Physical Media. > > Physical Media: Any means in the physical world for transferring > signals between OSI systems. Considered to be outside the OSI Model, > and therefore sometimes referred to as "Layer 0." The physical > connector to the media can be considered as defining the bottom > interface of the Physical Layer, i.e., the bottom of the OSI > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 12] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > Reference Model. > > ping: Packet internet groper. A program used to test reachability of > destinations by sending them an ICMP echo request and waiting for a > reply. The term is used as a verb: "Ping host X to see if it is up!" > > port: The abstraction used by Internet transport protocols to > distinguish among multiple simultaneous connections to a single > destination host. See selector. > > POSI: Promoting Conference for OSI. The OSI "800-pound gorilla" in > Japan. Consists of executives from the six major Japanese computer > manufacturers and Nippon Telephone and Telegraph. They set policies > and commit resources to promote OSI. > > PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol. The successor to SLIP, PPP provides > router-to-router and host-to-network connections over both > synchronous and asynchronous circuits. See SLIP. > > Presentation Address: See OSI Presentation Address. > > Presentation Layer: The OSI layer that determines how Application > information is represented (i.e., encoded) while in transit between > two end systems. > > PRMD: Private Management Domain. An X.400 Message Handling System > private organization mail system. Example: NASAmail. See ADMD. > > protocol: A formal description of messages to be exchanged and rules > to be followed for two or more systems to exchange information. > > proxy: The mechanism whereby one system "fronts for" another system > in responding to protocol requests. Proxy systems are used in > network management to avoid having to implement full protocol stacks > in simple devices, such as modems. > > proxy ARP: The technique in which one machine, usually a router, > answers ARP requests intended for another machine. By "faking" its > identity, the router accepts responsibility for routing packets to > the "real" destination. Proxy ARP allows a site to use a single IP > address with two physical networks. Subnetting would normally be a > better solution. > > PSN: Packet Switch Node. The modern term used for nodes in the > ARPANET and MILNET. These used to be called IMPs (Interface Message > Processors). PSNs are currently implemented with BBN C30 or C300 > minicomputers. > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 13] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > RARE: Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne. European > association of research networks. > > RARP: Reverse Address Resolution Protocol. The Internet protocol a > diskless host uses to find its Internet address at startup. RARP > maps a physical (hardware) address to an Internet address. See ARP. > > RBOC: Regional Bell Operating Company. See BOC. > > repeater: A device which propagates electrical signals from one cable > to another without making routing decisions or providing packet > filtering. In OSI terminology, a repeater is a Physical Layer > intermediate system. See bridge and router. > > RFC: Request For Comments. The document series, begun in 1969, which > describes the Internet suite of protocols and related experiments. > Not all (in fact very few) RFCs describe Internet standards, but all > Internet standards are written up as RFCs. > > RFS: Remote File System. A distributed file system, similar to NFS, > developed by AT&T and distributed with their UNIX System V operating > system. See NFS. > > RIP: Routing Information Protocol. An Interior Gateway Protocol > (IGP) supplied with Berkeley UNIX. > > RIPE: Reseaux IP Europeenne. European continental TCP/IP network > operated by EUnet. See EUnet. > > rlogin: A service offered by Berkeley UNIX which allows users of one > machine to log into other UNIX systems (for which they are > authorized) and interact as if their terminals were connected > directly. Similar to Telnet. > > ROSE: Remote Operations Service Element. A lightweight RPC protocol, > used in OSI Message Handling, Directory, and Network Management > application protocols. > > router: A system responsible for making decisions about which of > several paths network (or Internet) traffic will follow. To do this > it uses a routing protocol to gain information about the network, and > algorithms to choose the best route based on several criteria known > as "routing metrics." In OSI terminology, a router is a Network > Layer intermediate system. See gateway, bridge and repeater. > > RPC: Remote Procedure Call. An easy and popular paradigm for > implementing the client-server model of distributed computing. A > request is sent to a remote system to execute a designated procedure, > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 14] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > using arguments supplied, and the result returned to the caller. > There are many variations and subtleties, resulting in a variety of > different RPC protocols. > > RTSE: Reliable Transfer Service Element. A lightweight OSI > application service used above X.25 networks to handshake application > PDUs across the Session Service and TP0. Not needed with TP4, and > not recommended for use in the U.S. except when talking to X.400 > ADMDs. > > SAP: Service Access Point. The point at which the services of an OSI > layer are made available to the next higher layer. The SAP is named > according to the layer providing the services: e.g., Transport > services are provided at a Transport SAP (TSAP) at the top of the > Transport Layer. > > selector: The identifier used by an OSI entity to distinguish among > multiple SAPs at which it provides services to the layer above. See > port. > > Session Layer: The OSI layer that provides means for dialogue control > between end systems. > > SGMP: Simple Gateway Management Protocol. The predecessor to SNMP. > See SNMP. > > SLIP: Serial Line IP. An Internet protocol used to run IP over > serial lines such as telephone circuits or RS-232 cables > interconnecting two systems. SLIP is now being replaced by PPP. See > PPP. > > SMDS: Switched Multimegabit Data Service. An emerging high-speed > networking technology to be offered by the telephone companies in the > U.S. > > SMI: Structure of Management Information. The rules used to define > the objects that can be accessed via a network management protocol. > See MIB. > > SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. The Internet electronic mail > protocol. Defined in RFC 821, with associated message format > descriptions in RFC 822. > > SNA: Systems Network Architecture. IBM's proprietary network > architecture. > > SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol. The network management > protocol of choice for TCP/IP-based internets. > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 15] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > SPAG: Standards Promotion and Application Group. A group of European > OSI manufacturers which chooses option subsets and publishes these in > a "Guide to the Use of Standards" (GUS). > > SQL: Structured Query Language. The international standard language > for defining and accessing relational databases. > > subnet mask: See address mask. > > subnetwork: A collection of OSI end systems and intermediate systems > under the control of a single administrative domain and utilizing a > single network access protocol. Examples: private X.25 networks, > collection of bridged LANs. > > TCP: Transmission Control Protocol. The major transport protocol in > the Internet suite of protocols providing reliable, connection- > oriented, full-duplex streams. Uses IP for delivery. See TP4. > > Telnet: The virtual terminal protocol in the Internet suite of > protocols. Allows users of one host to log into a remote host and > interact as normal terminal users of that host. > > three-way-handshake: The process whereby two protocol entities > synchronize during connection establishment. > > TP0: OSI Transport Protocol Class 0 (Simple Class). This is the > simplest OSI Transport Protocol, useful only on top of an X.25 > network (or other network that does not lose or damage data). > > TP4: OSI Transport Protocol Class 4 (Error Detection and Recovery > Class). This is the most powerful OSI Transport Protocol, useful on > top of any type of network. TP4 is the OSI equivalent to TCP. > > transceiver: Transmitter-receiver. The physical device that connects > a host interface to a local area network, such as Ethernet. Ethernet > transceivers contain electronics that apply signals to the cable and > sense collisions. > > Transport Layer: The OSI layer that is responsible for reliable end- > to-end data transfer between end systems. > > UA: User Agent. An OSI application process that represents a human > user or organization in the X.400 Message Handling System. Creates, > submits, and takes delivery of messages on the user's behalf. > > UDP: User Datagram Protocol. A transport protocol in the Internet > suite of protocols. UDP, like TCP, uses IP for delivery; however, > unlike TCP, UDP provides for exchange of datagrams without > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 16] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > > acknowledgements or guaranteed delivery. See CLTP. > > UUCP: UNIX to UNIX Copy Program. A protocol used for communication > between consenting UNIX systems. > > XDR: eXternal Data Representation. A standard for machine- > independent data structures developed by Sun Microsystems. Similar > to ASN.1. > > X/Open: A group of computer manufacturers that promotes the > development of portable applications based on UNIX. They publish a > document called the X/Open Portability Guide. > > X Recommendations: The CCITT documents that describe data > communication network standards. Well-known ones include: X.25 > Packet Switching standard, X.400 Message Handling System, and X.500 > Directory Services. > > The X Window System (TM): A popular window system developed by MIT > and implemented on a number of workstations. > >For More Information > > As indicated in the introduction, this is only a partial list of > words from the world of interoperability. Yes, you're right, we > didn't list "interoperability" because the jury is still out on > exactly what it means, and we invite you to suggest a definition. > > To learn more about these topics, consult the books, standards > documents, bibliographies, periodicals, mailing lists, etc. listed in > "Information Sources" in the December 1989 issue of ConneXions--The > Interoperability Report. > >Security Considerations > > Security issues are not discussed in this memo. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 17] > >RFC 1208 INTEROP Pocket Glossary March 1991 > > >Authors' Addresses > > Ole J. Jacobsen > Interop, Inc. > 480 San Antonio Road > Suite 100 > Mountain View, CA 94040 > > Phone: (415) 941-3399 > > EMail: OLE@CSLI.STANFORD.EDU > > > Daniel C. Lynch > Interop, Inc. > 480 San Antonio Road > Interop, Inc. > 480 San Antonio Road > Suite 100 > Mountain View, CA 94040 > > Phone: (415) 941-3399 > > EMail: Lynch@ISI.EDU > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Jacobsen & Lynch [Page 18] > John Danek INTERNET: jd287@uacsc1.albany.edu Niskayuna High School BITNET: jd287@albnyvms.bitnet Media Center 1626 Balltown Rd. PH: 518-382-2532 Niskayuna, NY 12309-2397 FAX: 518-382-1166