Lindy iSWITCH Agent, Input Dry Closure, Output, Ethernet, IP Address, Router, RS-232

Glossary

The Glossary section defines the terms used in the Computer Interface Card (CIC) -MP environment.

Agent	Implemented SNMP applications in network elements (hosts). Agents perform the
	network management’s functions as requested by the network administrator from
	an NMS.
Dry Closure	Non-powered contact type inputs—switch, relay contact, open-collector.
Input
Dry Closure	Form C dry-contact outputs, which are common, normally open, or normally
Output	closed.
Ethernet	Local Area Network technology, originally developed by the Xerox Corporation,
	can link up to 1,024 nodes in a bus network. Ethernet provides raw data transfer in
	a rate of 10 megabits/sec. with actual throughputs in 2 to 3 megabits/sec. using a
	baseband (single-channel) communication technique. Ethernet uses carrier sense
	multiple access collision detection (CSMA/CD) that prevents network failures when
	two devices attempt to access the network at the same time. LAN hardware
	manufactures use Ethernet protocol; their products may not be compatible.
Gateway	A computer that attaches to a number of networks and routes packets between
	them. The packets can be different protocols at the higher levels.
IP	Internet Protocol—The TCP/IP standard protocol defines the IP datagram as the
	unit of information passed across a network.
IP Address	Internet Protocol Address—A 32-bit address assigned to hosts participating in a
	TCP/IP network. The IP address consists of network and host portions. It is
	assigned to an interconnection of a host to a physical network.
MAC	Medium Access Control—The network layer between the physical and the data
	link layers. Specifically, the physical (hardware) address exists in this layer.
MIB	Management Information Base—The database, i.e., set of variables maintained by
	a gateway running SNMP.
NC	Normally Closed —Refers to a contact switch that is normally closed.
NIC	Network Interface Controller—The hardware interface to the physical connection
	to the network.
NMS	Network Management Station
NO	Normally Open—Refers to a contact switch that is normally open.
OID	Object Identifier—The variables defined in a MIB.
Personality	The current device specific software uploaded to the Computer Interface Card
	(CIC).
Router	A computer that manages traffic between different network segments or different
	network topologies. It directs the destination IP address. The network media can be
	different, but the higher-level protocols must be the same.
RS-232	A specification for serial communication between data communication equipment
	and computers.
SNMP	Simple Network Management Protocol—A standard protocol used to monitor IP
	hosts, networks, and gateways. SNMP defines a set of simple operations that can
	be performed on the OIDs of the MIBs managed by the monitored Agents. It
	employs the UDP/IP transport layer to move its object between the Agents and the
	NMS.
Sub-Agent	A software module that manages specific MIB sub-groups for an Agent. They
	communicate with the Agent using a SMUX (multiplexer).
TCP/IP	Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol—A protocol suite used by more
	than 15 million users with a UNIX association and widely used to link computers of
	different kinds.
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