Glossary

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

Allows ports to automatically negotiate a trunked link with LACP-configured ports on another device.

Management Information Base (MIB)

An acronym for Management Information Base. It is a set of database objects that contains information about a specific device.

MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm

An algorithm that is used to create digital signatures. It is intended for use with 32 bit machines and is safer than the MD4 algorithm, which has been broken. MD5 is a one-way hash function, meaning that it takes a message and converts it into a fixed string of digits, also called a message digest.

Multicast Switching

A process whereby the switch filters incoming multicast frames for services for which no attached host has registered, or forwards them to all ports contained within the designated multicast VLAN group.

Network Time Protocol (NTP)

NTP provides the mechanisms to synchronize time across the network. The time servers operate in a hierarchical-master-slave configuration in order to synchronize local clocks within the subnet and to national time standards via wire or radio.

Out-of-Band Management

Management of the network from a station not attached to the network.

Port Authentication

See IEEE 802.1X.

Port Mirroring

A method whereby data on a target port is mirrored to a monitor port for troubleshooting with a logic analyzer or RMON probe. This allows data on the target port to be studied unobstructively.

Port Trunk

Defines a network link aggregation and trunking method which specifies how to create a single high-speed logical link that combines several lower-speed physical links.

Private VLANs

Private VLANs provide port-based security and isolation between ports within the assigned VLAN. Data traffic on downlink ports can only be forwarded to, and from, uplink ports.

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