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BASICS TUTORIAL ON PCS AND USE OF THE INTERNET
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THE PC AND INTERNET WORLD
GLOSSARY (k-m)
Kermit: A popular file transfer protocol developed by Columbia University. Because Kermit runs in most operating environments, it provides an easy method of file transfer. Kermit is not the same as FTP. See also: File Transfer Protocol.
Keyboard:
Keywords:
Kilo:
LAN: See: Local Area Network.
Language:
Laser Printer:
Layer: Communication networks for computers may be organized as a set of more or less independent protocols, each in a different layer (also called level). The lowest layer governs direct host-to-host communication between the hardware at different hosts; the highest consists of user applications. Each layer builds on the layer beneath it. For each layer, programs at different hosts use protocols appropriate to the layer to communicate with each other. TCP/IP has five layers of protocols; OSI has seven. The advantages of different layers of protocols is that the methods of passing information from one layer to another are specified clearly as part of the protocol suite, and changes within a protocol layer are prevented from affecting the other layers. This greatly simplifies the task of designing and maintaining communication programs. See also: Open Systems Interconnection, TCP/IP.
Links:
Local Area Network (LAN): A data network intended to serve an area of only a few square kilometers or less. Because the network is known to cover only a small area, optimizations can be made in the network signal protocols that permit data rates up to 100Mb/s. See also: Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface, Token ring, Wide Area Network.
Lurking: No active participation on the part of a subscriber to an mailing list or USENET newsgroup. A person who is lurking is just listening to the discussion. Lurking is encouraged for beginners who need to get up to speed on the history of the group. See also: Electronic Mail, Mailing list, Usenet.
MAC: See: Media Access Control.
MAC address: The hardware address of a device connected to a shared media. See also: Media Access Control, Ethernet, Token ring.
Mail bridge: A mail gateway that forwards electronic mail between two or more networks while ensuring that the messages it forwards meet certain administrative criteria. A mail bridge is simply a specialized form of mail gateway that enforces an administrative policy with regard to what mail it forwards. See also: Electronic Mail.
Mail exploder: Part of an electronic mail delivery system which allows a message to be delivered to a list of addresses. Mail exploders are used to implement mailing lists. Users send messages to a single address and the mail exploder takes care of delivery to the individual mailboxes in the list. See also: Electronic Mail, E-mail address, Mailing list.
Mailing list: A list of email addresses, used by a mail exploder, to forward messages to groups of people. Generally, a mailing list is used to discuss certain set of topics, and different mailing lists discuss different topics. A mailing list may be moderated. This means that messages sent to the list are actually sent to a moderator who determines whether or not to send the messages on to everyone else. Requests to subscribe to or leave a mailing list should always be sent to the list's '-request' address, eg ietf-request@cnri.reston.va.us for the IETF mailing list). See also: Electronic mail, Mail exploder.
Mainframe:
MAN: See: Metropolitan Area Network.
Management Information Base (MIB): The set of parameters an SNMP management station can query or set in the SNMP agent of a network device, eg router. Standard minimal MIBs have been defined and vendors often have Private enterprise MIBs. In theory, any SNMP manager can talk to any SNMP agent with a properly defined MIB. See also: Client-server model, Simple Network Management Protocol.
Map:
Martian: A humorous term applied to packets that turn up unexpectedly on the wrong network because of bogus routing entries. Also used as a name for a packet which has an altogether bogus (non-registered or ill-formed) Internet address.
Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU): The largest frame length which may be sent on a physical medium. See also: Fragmentation.
Media:
Media Access Control (MAC): The lower portion of the datalink layer. The MAC differs for various physical media. See also: MAC Address, Ethernet, Logical Link Control, Token ring.
Mega:
Memory:
Menu:
Message switching: See: Packet switching.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): A data network intended to serve an area approximating that of a large city. Such networks are being implemented by innovative techniques, such as running fiber cables through subway tunnels. A popular example of a MAN is SMDS. See also: Local Area Network, Wide Area Network.
MIB: See: Management Information Base.
Micro:
Microprocessor:
Mid-level network: Mid-level networks (or regionals) make up the second level of the Internet hierarchy. They are the transit networks which connect the stub networks to the backbone networks. See also Backbone, Internet, Stub network, Transit network.
Milli:
MIME: See: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions.
Modem:
Monitor:
Motherboard:
Mouse:
MTU: See: Maximum Transmission Unit.
Multimedia:
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME): An extension to Internet email which provides the ability to transfer non-textual data, such as graphics, audio and fax. See also: Electronic mail.
Details updated: June 15 2010
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