User's Manual

Clients are assigned either a permanent address or have one dynamically assigned to
them via DHCP. IP addresses are written as four sets of numbers separated by periods
(for example, 211.23.181.189).
ISP
An ISP is an organization providing Internet access service via modems, ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network), and private lines.
LAN
LANs (Local Area Networks) are networks that serve users within specific
geographical areas, such as in a company building. LANs are comprised of servers,
workstations, a network operating system, and communications links such as the
router.
MAC Address
A MAC address is a unique serial number burned into hardware adapters, giving the
adapter a unique identification.
Metric
A number that indicates how long a packet takes to get to its destination.
MTU
MTU (Maximum Transmission/Transfer Unit) is the largest packet size that can be
sent over a network. Messages larger than the MTU are divided into smaller packets.
NAT
NAT (Network Address Translation - also known as IP masquerading) enables an
organization to present itself to the Internet with one address. NAT converts the
address of each LAN node into one IP address for the Internet (and vice versa). NAT
also provides a certain amount of security by acting as a firewall by keeping
individual IP addresses hidden from the WAN.
(Network) Administrator
The network administrator is the person who manages the LAN within an
organization. The administrator's job includes ensuring network security, keeping
software, hardware, and firmware up-to-date, and keeping track of network activity.
NTP
NTP (Network Time Protocol) is used to synchronize the realtime clock in a computer.
Internet primary and secondary servers synchronize to Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC).
Packet
A packet is a portion of data that is transmitted in network communications. Packets
are also sometimes called frames and datagrams. Packets contain not only data, but
also the destination IP address.
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