Glossary
PVC | Abbreviation for permanent virtual circuit, a virtual circuit that is |
| permanently available. The only difference between a PVC and a |
| switched virtual circuit (SVC) is that an SVC must be reestablished |
| each time data is to be sent. Once the data has been sent, the SVC |
| disappears. PVCs are more efficient for connections between hosts |
| that communicate frequently. |
router | The central switching device of the Internet, corporate Intranets, and |
| WANs. A router is a highly intelligent device that connects like and |
| unlike local area networks. It connects to Metropolitan Area |
| Networks such as X.25, Frame Relay, and ATM. Routers are |
| protocol sensitive, typically supporting multiple protocols. |
| A set of standards developed by the EIA (Electrical Industries |
| Association) that defines the mechanical and electrical |
| characteristics for connecting DTE and DCE communications |
| devices. It defines what the interface does, circuit functions and their |
| corresponding connector pin assignments. The most commonly used |
| |
| Kbps for up to 50 feet. |
SAN | See Storage Area Networking. |
SFP | See Small |
Simple Network | A common method by which network management applications can |
Management Protocol | query a management agent using a support MIB. SNMP operates at |
| the OSI Application layer. |
Small | Optical modular transceivers that are |
Pluggable | high speed and physical compactness, and are designed for use with |
| small form factor connectors. |
SNMP | See Simple Network Management Protocol. |
SONET | Synchronous Optical Network, a standard for connecting |
| transmission systems. SONET was proposed by Bellcore in the |
| middle 1980s and is now an ANSI standard. SONET defines |
| interface standards at the physical layer of the OSI |
| model. The standard defines a hierarchy of interface rates that allow |
| data streams at different rates to be multiplexed. SONET establishes |
| Optical Carrier (OC) levels from 51.8 Mbps (about the same as a |
| line) to 2.48 Gbps. Prior rate standards used by different countries |
| specified rates that were not compatible for multiplexing. With the |
| implementation of SONET, communication carriers throughout the |
| world can interconnect their existing digital carrier and fiber optic |
| systems. The international equivalent of SONET, standardized by |
| the ITU, is called SDH. |
Static Route | A route that is manually entered into a routing table. Static routes |
| take precedence over routes chosen by dynamic routing protocols. |
| See Static Routing. |
