Glossary
congestion
A condition where a portion of the network is overloaded with more data than can be transmitted in the desired time period.
CSMA/CD
A channel access (contention) method that requires each station to wait for an idle channel before transmitting. In addition, stations are able to detect overlapping transmissions (collisions) and retransmit in the event of a data collision.
data link layer
Layer 2 in the OSI model. Defines frame construction, addressing, error detection, and other services to higher layers.
datagram
Abbreviated and connectionless
data rate (or speed)
The maximum number of bits of information that can be transmitted per second.
downstream
Refers to the relative position of a station in a network to another station in the same network. A station is downstream from another station if it receives data after the other station receives data.
dynamic address
An address “learned” by the
EIA (Electronic Industries Association)
Organization that sets standards for electrical interfaces (connectors).