User Guide

156 Glossary
BIND Berkeley Internet Name Domain. The program included with Mac OS X Server
that implements DNS. The program is also called the name daemon, or named, when
the program is running.
binding (n.) A connection between a computer and a directory domain for the
purpose of getting identification, authorization, and other administrative data. (v.)
The process of making such a connection. See also trusted binding.
biometrics A technology that authenticates a person’s identity based on unique
physiological or behavioral characteristics. Provides an additional factor to
authentication. See two-factor authentication.
Bonjour A protocol developed by Apple for automatic discovery of computers,
devices, and services on IP networks. Formerly called “Rendezvous,” this proposed
Internet standard protocol is sometimes referred to as “ZeroConf” or “multicast DNS.”
BSD Berkeley System Distribution. A version of UNIX on which Mac OS X software is
based.
buffer caching Holding data in memory so that it can be accessed more quickly than if
it were repeatedly read from disk.
cache A portion of memory or an area on a hard disk that stores frequently accessed
data in order to speed up processing times. Read cache holds data in case it’s
requested by a client; write cache holds data written by a client until it can be stored
on disk. See also buffer caching, controller cache, disk cache.
certificate Sometimes called an “identity certificate” or “public key certificate.” A file in
a specific format (Mac OS X Server uses the x.509 format) that contains the public key
half of a public-private keypair, the user’s identity information such as name and
contact information, and the digital signature or either a Certificate Authority (CA) or the
key user.
Certificate Authority An authority that issues and manages digital certificates in order
to ensure secure transmission of data on a public network. See also public key
infrastructure and certificate.
cluster A collection of computers interconnected in order to improve reliability,
availability, and performance. Clustered computers often run special software to
coordinate the computers’ activities. See also computational cluster.
computational cluster A group of computers or servers that are grouped together to
share the processing of a task at a high level of performance. A computational cluster
can perform larger tasks than a single computer would be able to complete, and such a
grouping of computers (or “nodes”) can achieve high performance comparable to a
supercomputer.