61Glossary of Terms
ActiveX - A software component, also refered to as a control, that integrates into and extends the Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer(TM) web browser. ActiveX controls are typicaly downloaded and installed dynamicaly by the browser from a web page.
AMC - AXIS Media Control. The control required for viewing video images in Internet Explorer. Installs automatically on first use.
API - Application Programming Interface. The Axis API can be used for integrating Axis products into other applications.
ARP - Address Resolution Protocol. A protocol used to associate an IP address to a hardware MAC address. A request is broadcast on the local network to find out what the MAC address is for the IP address.
ARTPEC - Axis Real Time Picture Encoder - used for video image compression.
CCD - Charge Coupled Device. CCD is one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. When a picture is taken, the CCD is struck by light coming through the camera’s lens. Each of the thousands or millions of tiny pixels that make up the CCD convert this light into electrons.
CGI - Common Gateway Interface. A set of rules (or a program) that allows a Web Server to communicate with other programs.
Client/Server - Describes the network relationship between two computer programs in which one, the client, makes a service request from another - the server.
DNS - The Domain Name System (DNS) locates and translates Internet domain names into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses.
Ethernet - A widely used networking standard.
ETRAX - A family of microprocessors developed by Axis.
Firewall - A virtual barrier between a LAN (Local Area Network) and other networks, e.g. the Internet.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol. Used for the simple transfer of files to and from an
HTML - Hypertext
HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The set of rules for exchanging files (text, images, sound, video, and other files) on the World Wide Web.
HTTPS - Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer. A web protocol that provides encryption for page requests from users and for the pages returned by the web server.
Intranet - A private network limited to an organization or corporation. Usually closed to external traffic.
IP -
IP address - A unique number used by a network device, to allow it to be identified and found on the network. The
ISMA - Internet Streaming Media Alliance.
JPEG - A standard image format, used widely for photographs. Also known as JPG.
LAN - A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated devices that typically share common resources within a limited geographical area.
Linux - A popular, free, open source, UNIX like operating system, developed in cooperation by various individuals and organizations.
Lux - A standard unit for the measurement of light, where 1 Lux equals the light emitted from a single candle at a distance of one meter.
Mbit/s - Megabits per second. A unit for measuring speeds in networks. A LAN might run at 10 or 100 Mbit/s.
Multicast - A
NTSC - National Television Standards Committee. NTSC is the standard format used for televisions in most of North and Central America, and Japan.
NWAY - A network protocol that automatically negotiates the highest possible common transmission speed between two devices.
PAL - Phase Altering Line. PAL is the standard format used for televisions in most of the world (other than the US, Canada, and Japan).
PEM - Privacy Enhanced Mail. An early standard for securing electronic mail. The