B-10
Glossary
switch
An intelligent, protocol independent device used to connect
similar or dissimilar LANs.
symbol
The smallest signaling element used by the MAC sublayer. Each
symbol corresponds to a specific sequence of code bits to be
transmitted by the physical layer.
synchronous transmission
A transmission technique in which an uninterrupted block of data
is transmitted, using no redundant information such as stop and
start bits to identify the beginning and end of a unit of data.
TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol)
Internetworking protocols sometimes referred to as the Internet
suite of protocols.
topology
The arrangement of devices and cable paths that make up a
network.
translating bridge
A bridge that can pass data between LANs that use different
protocols.
translation
Modification of data packets from one type of network so they can
be used on a different type of network (e.g., Ethernet to FDDI
translation).
trap
Alarm; notification of an event that has occurred on a network.
Some alarms require intervention or action by the network
administrator; some are merely informational.
UDP (user datagram protocol)
A TCP/IP protocol for the connectionless transport layer.