IP Router - Release 1.8 Glossary - 3
Glossary
Ping
Ping Packet InterNet Grouper. PING is a program used to test whether a
particular network destination on the Internet is online (i.e. working) by
repeatedly bouncing a "signal" off a specified address and seeing how
long that signal takes to complete the round trip. No return signal - site is
down or unreachable. Portion is returned - trouble with the connection.
Protocol Procedure or set of rules.
PVC Permanent Virtual Circuit. A PVC is a permanent channel connection
between two ATM devices. PVC’s allow network transmissions to be
started without having to first establish a connection with the end point
ATM device. When a PVC is constructed, the end points of the
connection will agree upon a path in which data will travel, and therefore
agree upon the route that data will travel to reach its destination.
RADIUS Remote Authentication Dial-In Service. RADIUS is a client/server-
based authentication software system. The software supports remote
access applications, allowing an organization to maintain user profiles in
a centralized database residing on an authentication server which can be
shared by multiple remote access servers.
RIP Routing Information Protocol. RIP is based on distance vector
algorithms that measure the shortest path between two points on a
network, based on the addresses of the originating and destination
devices. The shortest path is determined by the number of "hops"
between those points. Each router maintains a routing table, or routing
database, of known addresses and routes; each router periodically
broadcasts the contents of its table to neighboring routers in order that the
entire network can maintain a synchronized database.
SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol. SNMP is the most common
method by which network managements applications can query a
management agent using a supported MIB (Management Information
Base). SNMP operates at the OSI application layer.
Spanning
Tree
Spanning Tree Protocol is a link management protocol that provides path
redundancy while preventing undesirable loops in the network. For an
Ethernet network to function properly, only one active path can exist
between two stations.