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Appendix D: Glossary
Wireless-G Notebook Adapter
LAN - The computers and networking products that make up your local network.
LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) - A mutual authentication method that uses a username
and password system.
MAC (Media Access Control) Address - The unique address that a manufacturer assigns to each networking
device.
Network - A series of computers or devices connected for the purpose of data sharing, storage, and/or
transmission between users.
Node - A network junction or connection point, typically a computer or work station.
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) - Frequency transmission that separates the data stream
into a number of lower-speed data streams, which are then transmitted in parallel to prevent information from
being lost in transit.
Packet - A unit of data sent over a network.
Passphrase - Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP encryption process by automatically
generating the WEP encryption keys for Linksys products.
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) - A protocol that uses an authentication server to control
network access.
Roaming - The ability to take a wireless device from one access point's range to another without losing the
connection.
Router - A networking device that connects multiple networks together.
RTS (Request To Send) - A networking method of coordinating large packets through the RTS Threshold setting.
Server - Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to files, printing, communications,
and other services.
Software - Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs a particular task is called a
"program".
Spread Spectrum - Wideband radio frequency technique used for more reliable and secure data transmission.
SSID (Service Set IDentifier) - Your wireless network's name.