G
LOSSARY
Glossary-2
Bridging
A device that connects two LANs, or two segments of the same LAN.
Unlike routers, bridges are protocol-independent. They simply forward
packets without analyzing and re-routing messages. Consequently, they
may be faster than routers, but are less versatile.
Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)
A type of authentication in which the authentication agent (that is, the
router) sends the client a key to use to encrypt the user name and
password. This enables the user name and password to be transmitted in
an encrypted form to protect them against eavesdroppers.
CSMA/CD
CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detect) is a
communication method over shared medium that is employed by Ethernet
and Fast Ethernet.
DSL Access Multiplexer (DSLAM)
A device at a phone company’s central office that links many customer’s
DSL connections to a single high-speed ATM line.
Domain Name Server (DNS)
An Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Every
time you use a domain name, a DNS service must translate the name into
the corresponding IP address.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
DHCP is a protocol used to dynamically assign IP addresses to devices on
a network as requested. With dynamic addressing, a device is assigned the
next available IP address from the address pool every time it connects to
the network. DHCP client support is built into all Windows operating
systems, from Windows 95 on.