Glossary

LED (Light Emitting Diode): The lights on a hardware device representing the activity through the ports.

MAC (Medium Access Control) Address: A unique number that distinguishes network cards.

Mbps (Mega Bits Per Second): A measurement of millions of bits per second.

MDI/X (Media Dependent Interface/Cross- over): Port on a network hub or switch that crosses the incoming transmit lines with the outgoing receive lines.

MHz (MegaHertz): One million cycles per second.

MIB II: A database containing performance information and statistics on each device in a network.

MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second): A measurement of processing speed.

NAT (Network Address Translation): An internet standard that enables a LAN to use one set of IP addresses for internal traffic and a second set for external traffic.

NIC (Network Interface Card): An expansion card connected to a computer so the computer can be connected to a network.

Packet: A block of data that is transferred as a single unit, also called a frame or a block.

Packet Filtering: Discarding unwanted network traffic based on its originating address or its type.

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect): A bus that is connected directly to the CPU.

PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) Card: Removable module that adds features to a portable computer.