3Com 3CSOHO100 Fast Ethernet, full-duplex, half-duplex, network driver optimization, Ndis

68GLOSSARY

Fast Ethernet

100 Mbps technology based on the 10BASE-T Ethernet network protocol.

full-duplex

Communication setup in which a device or line transmits data simultaneously in both directions (the PC is sending and receiving data at the same time).

half-duplex

Communication setup in which a device or line transmits data in only one direction at a time.

hub

Device that serves as the central location for attaching wires from workstations. A hub can be passive, when there is no amplication of the signals; or active, when it is used like a repeater to provide an extension of the cable that connects to a workstation.

network

Group of computers and other associated devices, such as printers, fax machines, and modems, that are connected to one another so they can share resources and information.

network driver optimization

Driver option that specifies how to optimize performance of the network driver for your environment.

network operating system (NOS)

System software that runs on the network’s file server, with a smaller component that runs on each device attached to the network. Examples of client/server NOSs include Novell NetWare and Microsoft NT. Examples of peer-to-peer NOSs include Windows 95 and Windows 98.

NDIS

Network Driver Interface Specification. Defines the network driver architecture and interfaces that let a PC support NICs. This architecture provides a standardized way to write drivers for network NICs.