HP RIP Software - HP RIP Software User Guide

TCP/IP Glossary B-5
TCP/IP Glossary DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, a standard that enables
each client on the network to request and receive an IP address from a
DHCP server. These addresses expire after a certain time so that a
pool of addresses can be shared among a group of workstations. DHCP
also allows static (permanent) IP addresses to coexist with the dynami-
cally assigned addresses.
DNS - Domain Name System, a method for matching a host name to an
IP address, for example: the host name www.company.com translates
to an IP address such as 172.31.255.255. A DNS server can serve a
local area network or the Internet.
Ethernet - a standard for local area network hardware and cabling, on
which networking protocols can operate.
host name - the unique name by which a computer is known to the net-
work, for example: “MY-RIP.”
Internet - a worldwide network that connects computer networks to
each other.
IP address - Internet Protocol address, the address used by the TCP/IP
protocol to identify a host computer. It is usually written as a group of
decimal numbers separated by periods (example: 172.31.255.255). The
IP address can be configured statically on the client or configured
dynamically through DHCP.
network - computers that share data with each other by means of soft-
ware, cabling, and hardware.
protocol - a set of formal rules that describe how to transmit data,
especially across a network.
server - software or a computer that provides a service — such as file,
printer or DNS services — to other software or computers (“clients”).
subnet - a local division of an organization's IP address that is not visi-
ble to the Internet, allows local network administrators to allocate IP
addresses without affecting the Internet. The subnet is identified to
TCP/IP by a number called the “subnet mask.”
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, a standard
network protocol used in local area networks and the Internet.