Glossary
switch
An intelligent, protocol independent device used to connect similar or dissimilar LANs.
symbol
The smallest signaling element used by the MAC sublayer. Each symbol corresponds to a specific sequence of code bits to be transmitted by the physical layer.
synchronous transmission
A transmission technique in which an uninterrupted block of data is transmitted, using no redundant information such as stop and start bits to identify the beginning and end of a unit of data.
TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol) Internetworking protocols sometimes referred to as the Internet suite of protocols.
topology
The arrangement of devices and cable paths that make up a network.
translating bridge
A bridge that can pass data between LANs that use different protocols.
translation
Modification of data packets from one type of network so they can be used on a different type of network (e.g., Ethernet to FDDI translation).
trap
Alarm; notification of an event that has occurred on a network. Some alarms require intervention or action by the network administrator; some are merely informational.
UDP (user datagram protocol)
A TCP/IP protocol for the connectionless transport layer.