Glossary

1000BASE-LX– A short laser wavelength on multimode fiber optic cable for a maximum length of 550 meters.

1000BASE-SX– A long wavelength for a "long haul" fiber optic cable for a maximum length of 10 kilometers.

100BASE-FX– 100Mbps Ethernet implementation over fiber.

100BASE-TX– 100Mbps Ethernet implementation over Category 5 and Type 1 Twisted Pair cabling.

10BASE-T– The IEEE 802.3 specification for Ethernet over Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cabling.

aging – The automatic removal of dynamic entries from the Switch Database which have timed-out and are no longer valid.

ATM – Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A connection oriented transmission protocol based on fixed length cells (packets). ATM is designed to carry a complete range of user traffic, including voice, data, and video signals.

auto-negotiation– A feature on a port, which allows it to advertise its capabilities for speed, duplex, and flow control. When connected to an end station that also supports auto-negotiation, the link can self-detect its optimum operating setup.

backbone port – A port that does not learn device addresses, and that receives all frames with an unknown address. Backbone ports are normally used to connect the Switch to the backbone of your network. Note that backbone ports were formerly known as designated downlink ports.

backbone – The part of a network used as the primary path for transporting traffic between network segments.

Bandwidth – Information capacity, measured in bits per second, that a channel can transmit. The bandwidth of Ethernet is 10Mbps. the bandwidth of Fast Ethernet is 100Mbps.

baud rate – The switching speed of a line. Also known as line speed.

BOOTP – The BOOTP protocol allows you to automatically map an IP address to a given MAC address each time a device is started. In addition, the protocol can assign the subnet mask and default gateway to a device.

bridge – A device that interconnects local or remote networks no matter what higher level protocols are involved. Bridges form a single logical network, centralizing network administration.

broadcast – A message sent to all destination devices on the network.

broadcast storm – Multiple simultaneous broadcasts that typically absorb available network bandwidth and can cause network failure.

console port – The port on the Switch accepting a terminal or modem connector. It changes the parallel arrangement of data within computers to the serial form used on data transmission links. This port is most often used for dedicated local management.