User's Manual

Microsoft Wireless Home Networking USB Adapter or PC Card Adapter 40
DNS Server
Domain Name
DSL Modem
Edge computer (?)
Encryption
The process of disguising a message or data in such a
way as to hide its substance.
Ethernet
An IEEE 802.3 standard for contention networks. Ethernet
uses a bus or star topology and relies on the form of
access known as Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection (CSMA/DC) to regulate communication
line traffic. Network nodes are linked by coaxial cable,
fiber-optic cable, or by twisted-pair wiring. Data is
transmitted in variable-length frames containing delivery
and control information and up to 1,500 bytes of data. The
Ethernet standard provides for baseband transmission at
10 megabits (10 million bits) per second.
Firewall
A combination of hardware and software that provides a
security system, usually to prevent unauthorized access
from outside to an internal network or intranet. A firewall
prevents direct communication between network and
external computers by routing communication through a
proxy server outside of the network. The proxy server
determines whether it is safe to let a file pass through to
the network. A firewall is also called a security-edge
gateway.
Gateway
A device connected to multiple physical TCP/IP networks
capable of routing or delivering IP packets between them.
A gateway translates between different transport protocols
or data formats (for example, IPX and IP) and is generally
added to a network primarily for its translation ability. A
gateway is also called an IP router.