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Appendix F: Glossary
Wireless-G Broadband Router
IPCONFIG - A Windows 2000 and XP utility that displays the IP address for a particular networking device.
IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) - A VPN protocol used to implement secure exchange of packets at the IP layer.
ISM band - Radio band used in wireless networking transmissions.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) - A company that provides access to the Internet.
LAN (Local Area Network) - The computers and networking products that make up the network in your home or
office.
MAC (Media Access Control) Address - The unique address that a manufacturer assigns to each networking
device.
Mbps (Megabits Per Second) - One million bits per second; a unit of measurement for data transmission.
Multicasting - Sending data to a group of destinations at once.
NAT (Network Address Translation) - NAT technology translates IP addresses of a local area network to a
different IP address for the Internet.
Network - A series of computers or devices connected for the purpose of data sharing, storage, and/or
transmission between users.
NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) - The protocol used to connect to Usenet groups on the Internet.
Node - A network junction or connection point, typically a computer or work station.
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) - A type of modulation technology that separates the data
stream into a number of lower-speed data streams, which are then transmitted in parallel. Used in 802.11a,
802.11g, and powerline networking.
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.
Ping (Packet INternet Groper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) - A standard protocol used to retrieve e-mail stored on a mail server.
Port - 1. The connection point on a computer or networking device used for plugging in a cable or an adapter. 2.
The virtual connection point through which a computer uses a specific application on a server.