User's Manual

Glossary
32 Installation and User Guide: Wireless LAN Client Adapter
MAC address authentication
Method of authenticating clients by using the MAC address of the client station as
opposed to the user.
Network Address Translation (NAT)
The translation of one IP address used within a network to another address used
elsewhere. One frequent use of NAT is the translation of IPs used inside a
company, versus the IP addresses visible to the outside world. This feature helps
increase network security to a small degree, because when the address is translated,
this provides an opportunity to authenticate the request and/or to match it to
known, authorized types of requests. NAT is also used sometimes to map multiple
nodes to a single outwardly visible IP address.
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Generic term for network interface hardware that includes wired and wireless LAN
adapter cards, PC Cardbus PCMCIA cards, and USB-to-LAN adapters.
Network Management System (NMS)
Software application that controls a network of multiple access points and clients.
Node
Generic term for a network entity. Includes a access point, network adapter
(wireless or wired), or network appliance (such as a print server or other non-
computer device)
Network Time Protocol (NTP)
NTP servers are used to synchronize clocks on computers and other devices. APs
have the capability to connect automatically to NTP servers to set their own clocks
on a regular basis.
Ping Packet INternet Groper (ping)
A utility which determines whether a specific IP address is accessible, and the
amount of network time (measured in milliseconds) for response. Ping is used
primarily to troubleshoot Internet connections.
Policy-based Networking
The management of a network with rules (or policies), governing the priority and
availability of bandwidth and resources, based both on the type of data being
transmitted, as well as the privileges assigned to a given user or group of users.
This allows network administrators to control how the network is used, to help
maximize efficiency.
Power Over Ethernet (PoE)
Power supplied to a device by way of the Ethernet network data cable instead of a
electrical power cord.
Preamble Type
The preamble defines the length of the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) block for
communication between the Access Point and a roaming network adapter. All
nodes on a given network should use the same preamble type.
Quality of Service (QoS)
QoS is a term encompassing the management of network performance, based on
the notion that transmission speed, signal integrity, and error rates can be managed,