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flow control A congestion control mechanism. Congestion is caused by devices sending traffic to already overloaded port on a Switch. Flow control prevents packet loss and inhibits devices from generating more traffic until the period of congestion ends.
full duplex A system that allows packets to be transmitted and received at the same time and, in effect, doubles the potential throughput of a link.
half duplex A system that allows packets to transmitted and received, but not at the same time. Contrast with full duplex.
hub A device that regenerates LAN traffic so that the transmission distance of that signal can be extended. Hubs are similar to repeaters, in that they connect LANs of the same type; however they connect more LANs than a repeater and are generally more sophisticated.
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This American organization was founded in 1963 and sets standards for computers and communications.
IEEE 802.1D A standard that defines the behavior of bridges in an Ethernet network.
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force. An organization responsible for providing engineering solutions for TCP/IP networks. In the network management area, this group is responsible for the development of the SNMP protocol.
IP Internet Protocol. IP is a layer 3 network protocol that is the standard for sending data through a network. IP is part of the TCP/IP set of protocols that describe the routing of packets to addressed devices.
IPX Internetwork Packet Exchange. IPX is a layer 3 and 4 network protocol designed for networks that use Novell Netware.
IP address Internet Protocol address. A unique identifier for a device attached to a network using TCP/IP. The address is written as four octets separated with periods
LAN Local Area Network. A network of endstations (such as PCs, printers, servers) and network devices (hubs and switches) that cover a relatively small geographic area (usually not larger than a floor or building). LANs are characterized by high transmission speeds over short distances (up to 1000m).
