network number: See: network address
Network Operations Center (NOC): A location from which the operation of a network or internet is monitored. Additionally, this center usually serves as a clearinghouse for connectivity problems and efforts to resolve those problems. See also: Network Information Center [Source: NNSC]
Network Time Protocol (NTP): A protocol that assures accurate local timekeeping with reference to radio and atomic clocks located on the Internet. This protocol is capable of synchronizing distributed clocks within milliseconds over long time periods. It is defined in STD 12, RFC 1119. also: Internet. [Source: NNSC]
NFS: See: Network File System
NIC: See: Network Information Center
NIC.DDN.MIL: This is the domain name of the DDN NIC. See also: Defense Data Network , Domain Name System , Network Information Center
NIS: See: Network Information Services
NIST: See: National Institute of Standards and Technology
NNTP: See: Network News Transfer Protocol
NOC: See: Network Operations Center
Nodal Switching System (NSS): Main routing nodes in the NSFnet backbone. See also: backbone , National Science Foundation [Source: MALAMUD]
node: An addressable device attached to a computer network. See also: host , router
NREN: See: National Research and Education Network
NSF: See: National Science Foundation
NSS: See: Nodal Switching System
NTP: See: Network Time Protocol
OCLC: See: Online Computer Library Catalog
octet: An octet is 8 bits. This term is used in networking, rather than byte, because some systems have bytes that are not 8 bits long.
Online Computer Library Catalog: OCLC is a nonprofit membership organization offering computer- based services to libraries, educational organizations, and their users. The OCLC library information network connects more than 10,000 libraries worldwide. Libraries use the OCLC System for cataloging, interlibrary loan, collection development, bibliographic verification, and reference searching. [Source: OCLC]
Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol (OSPF): A link state, as opposed to distance vector, routing protocol. It is an Internet standard IGP defined in RFC 1247. See also: Interior Gateway Protocol , Routing Information Protocol
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI): A suite of protocols, designed by ISO committees, to be the international standard computer network architecture. See also: International Organization for Standardization
OSI: See: Open Systems Interconnection
OSI Reference Model: A seven-layer structure designed to describe computer network architectures and the way that data passes through them. This model was developed by the ISO in 1978 to clearly define the interfaces in multivendor networks, and to provide users of those networks with conceptual guidelines in the construction of such networks. See also: International Organization for Standardization [Source: NNSC]
OSPF: See: Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol
packet: The unit of data sent across a network. "Packet" a generic term used to describe unit of data at all levels of the protocol stack, but it is most correctly used to describe application data units. See also: datagram , frame
Packet InterNet Groper (PING): A program used to test reachability of destinations by sending them an ICMP echo request and waiting for a reply. The term is used as a verb: "Ping host X to see if it is up!" See also: Internet Control Message Protocol [Source: RFC1208]
Packet Switch Node (PSN): A dedicated computer whose purpose is to accept, route and forward packets in a packet switched network. See also: packet switching , router [Source: NNSC]
packet switching: A communications paradigm in which packets (messages) are individually routed between hosts, with no previously established communication path. See also: circuit switching , connectionless
PD: Public Domain
PDU: See: Protocol Data Unit
PEM: See: Privacy Enhanced Mail
PING: See: Packet INternet Groper
Point Of Presence (POP): A site where there exists a collection of telecommunications equipment, usually digital leased lines and multi-protocol routers.
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP): The Point-to-Point Protocol, defined in RFC 1171, provides a method for transmitting packets over serial point-to-point links. See also: Serial Line IP [Source: FYI4]
POP: See:
port: A port is a transport layer demultiplexing value. Each application has a unique port number associated with it. See also: Transmission Control Protocol , User Datagram Protocol
Post Office Protocol (POP): A protocol designed to allow single user hosts to read mail from a server. There are three versions: POP, POP2, and POP3. Latter versions are NOT compatible with earlier versions. See also: Electronic Mail
Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT): Outside the USA, PTT refers to a telephone service provider, which is usually a monopoly, in a particular country.
postmaster: The person responsible for taking care of electronic mail problems, answering queries about users, and other related work at a site. See also: Electronic Mail [Source: ZEN]
PPP: See: Point-to-Point Protocol
Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM): Internet email which provides confidentiality, authentication and message integrity using various encryption methods. See also: Electronic Mail , encryption
Prospero: A distributed filesystem which provides the user with the ability to create multiple views of a single collection of files distributed across the Internet. Prospero provides a file naming system, and file access is provided by existing access methods (e.g., anonymous FTP and NFS). The Prospero protocol is also used for communication between clients and servers in the archie system. See also: anonymous FTP , archie , archive site , Gopher , Network File System , Wide Area Information Servers
protocol: A formal description of message formats and the rules two computers must follow to exchange those messages. Protocols can describe low-level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g., the order in which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or high-level exchanges between allocation programs (e.g., the way in which two programs transfer a file across the Internet). [Source: MALAMUD]
protocol converter: A device/program which translates between different protocols which serve similar functions (e.g., TCP and TP4).
Protocol Data Unit (PDU): "PDU" is internationalstandardscomitteespeak for packet. See also: packet
protocol stack: A layered set of protocols which work together to provide a set of network functions. See also: layer , protocol
proxy ARP: The technique in which one machine, usually a router, answers ARP requests intended for another machine. By "faking" its identity, the router accepts responsibility for routing packets to the "real" destination. Proxy ARP allows a site to use a single IP address with two physical networks. Subnetting would normally be a better solution. See also: Address Resolution Protocol [Source: RFC1208]
PSN: See: Packet Switch Node
PTT: See:
queue: A backup of packets awaiting processing.
RARE: See: Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne
RARP: See: Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
RBOC: Regional Bell Operating Company
RCP: See:
Read the F*cking Manual (RTFM): This acronym is often used when someone asks a simple or common question.
reassembly: The IP process in which a previously fragmented packet is reassembled before being passed to the transport layer. See also: fragmentation
recursive: See: recursive
regional: See: mid-level network
remote login: Operating on a remote computer, using a protocol over a computer network, as though locally attached. See also: Telnet
Remote Procedure Call (RPC): An easy and popular paradigm for implementing the client-server model of distributed computing. In general, a request is sent to a remote system to execute a designated procedure, using arguments supplied, and the result returned to the caller. There are many variations and subtleties in various implementations, resulting in a variety of different (incompatible) RPC protocols. [Source: RFC1208]