Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a network technology based on transferring data in cells or packets of a fixed size. The cell used with ATM is relatively small compared to units used with older technologies. The small, constant cell size allows ATM equipment to transmit video, audio and computer data over the same network, and assure that no single type of data hogs the lineData centre
A data centre is the department that houses the computer systems and related equipment, including the data library. Data entry and systems programming may also come under its jurisdiction. A control section is usually provided, which accepts work from and releases output to user departments.
Domain Name System (DNS) is name resolution software that lets users locate computers on a UNIX network or the internet (TCP/IP network) by domain name. The DNS server maintains a database of domain names (host names) and their corresponding IP addresses. DNS has replaced the manual task of updating HOSTS files in an in-house UNIX network, and of course, it would be impossible to do this manually on the global internet, given its size.
For Microsoft Windows networks using TCP/IP, the counterpart to DNS is WINS. In a Microsoft Windows-only network, only WINS needs to be used. In a mixed Windows/UNIX environment, the Microsoft DNS server integrates the two. When a UNIX station wants to resolve the name for a PC, it queries the Microsoft DNS server, which in turn queries the WINS server if it does not already have it.
An internet domain alias is an organisation's unique name combined with a top level domain name (TLD). For example, MTNbusiness.co.za is the domain name of the MTN Business South Africa.
A domain alias (.org.za; .co.za; .net.za; .com) can only be registered with a recognised Internet Domain Name Registry company.
When switching Internet Service Providers, it is recommended that the domain name server where the IP address of a domain name is stored be also switched over to the new ISP’s domain name server.
These technologies enable the public serving of MS FrontPage web pages on the Internet.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network (Internet, UNIX etc.). It includes functions to log onto the network, list directories and copy files. It can also convert between the ASCII and EBCDIC character codes.
FTP operations can be performed by typing commands at a command prompt or via an FTP utility running under a graphical interface such as Windows. FTP transfers can also be initiated from within a web browser by entering the URL preceded with ftp://.
Unlike email programs in which graphics and program files have to be ‘attached’, FTP is designed to handle binary files directly and does not add the overhead of encoding and decoding the data.
Guaranteed International Bandwidth (GIB) is a guarantee, enforced by hardware, that a customer will have available bandwidth on the international link at a 1:1 ratio. This available bandwidth is guaranteed on the return to South Africa network segment. The amount of bandwidth required is specified in 64 Kbps increments, and the product is available for lines of 256 Kbps or larger capacity.
Internet Protocol (IP) specifies the format of packets (datagrams) and the addressing scheme. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source. By itself, IP is something like the postal system: it allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient.
TCP/IP, on the other hand, establishes a connection between two hosts so that they can send messages back and forth for a period of time.
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is the address of a computer attached to a TCP/IP network. Every client and server station must have a unique IP address. Client workstations have either a permanent address or one that is dynamically assigned to them each dial-up session.
IP addresses are written as four sets of numbers separated by full stops; for example, 204.171.64.2. The TCP/IP packet uses 32 bits to contain the IP address, which is made up of a network and host address (netid and hostid).
In general, this is the period of time that one component in a system waits for another component. Latency, therefore, is wasted time. In networking, latency means the amount of time it takes a packet to travel from source to destination. Together, latency and bandwidth define the speed and capacity of a network.
A log analysis is a report on internet traffic that passes through a customer's internet connection.
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) initiative that integrates Layer-2 information about network links (bandwidth, latency, utilisation) into Layer-3 (IP) within a particular autonomous system, or ISP, in order to simplify and improve IP-packet exchange.
MPLS gives network operators a great deal of flexibility to divert and route traffic around link failures, congestion and bottlenecks.
Port Address Translation (PAT) is a type of network address translation. During PAT, each computer on a Local Area Network (LAN) is translated to the same Internet Protocol address but with a different port number assignment.
This refers to the practice of one national internet backbone provider accepting and passing traffic from another national provider.
The power supplied by Eskom gets 'cleaned' by Merlin Gear, which eliminates the spikes, surges and dips present in the power supply. Battery cells and diesel generators are used to ensure redundancy of power.
A proxy server sits between a client application, such as a web browser, and a real server. It intercepts all requests to the real server to see whether it can fulfil the requests itself. If not, it forwards the request to the real server.
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Quality of Service (QoS) is the ability to define a level of performance in a data communications system. For example, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks specify modes of service that ensure optimum performance for traffic.
Single Channel per Carrier (SCPC) is a VSAT satellite transmission system that uses a separate carrier for each of its channels. SCPC is used for broadcast data and full-duplex audio/video communications. In an SCPC system, transmissions are sent to the satellite continuously on a single satellite carrier. The satellite signal is received at a single location, in the case of a point-to-point system, or at many locations in a broadcast system, providing hubless connectivity among multiple sites.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMPT) is the standard email protocol on the internet. It is the TCP/IP protocol that defines the message format and the message transfer agent (MTA), which stores and forwards the mail. SMTP was originally designed for only ASCII text, but MIME and other encoding methods enable program and multimedia files to be attached to email messages.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the main protocols in TCP/IP networks. Whereas the IP deals only with packets, TCP enables two hosts to establish a connection and exchange streams of data. TCP guarantees delivery of data and also guarantees that packets will be delivered in the same order in which they were sent.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a network that is constructed by using public wires to connect nodes. For example, there are a number of systems that enable you to create networks using the internet as the medium for transporting data. These systems use encryption and other security mechanisms to ensure that only authorised users can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted.