Glossary

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) – An increasingly popular high-speed method of moving data over regular phone lines, typically configured to allow downloads at speeds of up to 1.544 megabits per second and uploads at speeds of 128 kilobits per second. Another configuration is the second generation Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (see SDSL), which gives high speed connection at equal upload and download speeds. ADSL is a popular alternative to Leased Lines and ISDN, being faster than ISDN and less costly than traditional leased lines.

Analogue lines – Communication lines based on electrical current rather than digital signals.

Anti-virus scanning – Computers can be protected from viruses if the operator uses good virus prevention software and keeps the virus definitions up to date. These programs detect and remove computer viruses. The simplest kinds scan files and boot blocks for a list of known viruses. Antivirus software should always include a regular update service to keep up with the latest viruses as they are released.

Application Services – A service that provides remote access to an application program across a network. A common example is a web site that other web sites use for accepting payment by credit card as part of their online ordering system or, in the case of Nildram, a network provider of licensed applications such as e-mail solutions, virtual web services and SQL (see ASP).

ASP (Application Service Provider) – A business that offers application services to its customers, for example, servers dedicated to specific applications such as Microsoft programs or e-mail software. Subscribers utilise the applications from their own computers, networked to the provider.

Attachments – Data, such as documents (.doc) or images (.tiff, or .jpeg), which can be linked to email, then sent electronically over a network to another computer and retrieved by the recipient.

Bandwidth – The capacity of a networked connection, determining how much data can be sent through the connection, usually measured in bits-per-second. Bandwidth is particularly important for Internet connections, since greater bandwidth also means faster downloads.

Broadband – A PC-based Internet connection characterized by persistent (‘always-on’), high-speed connectivity via phone lines. Connection speeds of 256 kilobits per second, and higher, are available. Increasingly popular, Broadband is a cost effective alternative to standard dial-up accounts and especially suitable for customers with complex and varied datacoms needs.

Broadband ADSL - (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line,) An ‘always-on’ ADSL phone line where the upload speed is different from the download speed. Usually the download speed is much greater.

Browsing/searching – Browsing involves following links on a page to shop around and explore what's there, a bit like window-shopping. Searching is when you find a search box on a particular web page, enter terms, and find all occurrences of the terms throughout the site. When you browse, you have to guess which words on the page pertain to your interests. Searching is usually more efficient, but sometimes you find things by browsing that you might not otherwise find.

Browser – Software used to navigate the Internet. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are today’s most popular browsers for accessing the World Wide Web.

Chain-letter worms – Computer viruses characterised by their ability to link to the recipients email address book and forward themselves to the list, thus forcing the recipient to unwittingly pass on the virus to others in a series of chain-letter style attacks. The virus therefore has potential to spread exponentially across the globe.

Client/Server – A client/server system is one where the user’s computer (the client) works with another computer (the Server) in order to achieve the desired results. The World Wide Web is a Client/Server system whereby the browser on the client computer requests Web pages from the Web Server machine.

Coldfusion – A database tool for the World Wide Web (WWW). Coldfusion allows databases to have a WWW interface, so a database can be queried and updated using a web browser.

Co-located/co-location - Most often used to refer to having a server that belongs to one person or group physically located on an Internet-connected network that belongs to another person/group or company. Usually this is done because the server owner wants their machine to be on a network provider’s high-speed Internet connection and/or they do not want the security risks of having the server on their own network. Typically co-location services offer fully managed options.

Connection speeds – The speed at which electronic data travels between computers and networks, measured in kilobits and Megabits per second (kb/s and Mb/s). The cost of access increases with the connection speed selected, up to a maximum (with second generation SDSL and leased lines) of 2Mb/s.

Core network – A set of gateways (routers) to a network system, which forms a central part of Internet routing. The Nildram core network is a mature high-speed international network with independent connections to Telehouse London, Telehouse New York and Newark, resilient 1Gb/s connectivity to LINX and 100Mb/s connectivity to the LoNAP peering points. Usage is constantly monitored and the network is maintained at a maximum of 50% capacity to ensure it develops in tandem with customer growth and technological development.

Cracker - An individual who attempts to access computer systems without authorization. These individuals often have malicious intentions or commercial sabotage in mind.

Data – A stream of binary bits representing particular information produced by a computer, workstation or other electronic sources.

Database – One or more large and structured sets of persistent data. A simple database might be a single file containing many records.

Data Centre – An area or location designated for the storage of data, often including servers and computers, their databases, software applications and programs. Nildram’s Data Centre, for example, houses its own and its clients’ servers as well as a host of software application servers and services which clients may access via the network. Data from resulting communications is then stored and backed up in the Data Centre.

Desktop – The main directory of a PC’s user interface, typically displayed as a front-page screen. Desktops usually contain icons that represent links to the hard drive, a network (if there is one), and a trash or recycling can for files to be deleted. It can also display icons of frequently used applications, as requested by the user.

Dial access - A temporary, as opposed to always-on, connection between PC machines, established over a standard phone line.

Domain Name - The ‘unique’ name address of a web site on the Internet. Domain names typically end with a suffix denoting the type of site, for example, Nildram.co.uk (that’s us!) or royal.gov.uk (the British Royal family). Some important domains are: .com (commercial), .EDU (educational), .NET (network operations) and .GOV (US government). Most countries also have a domain: .US (United States), .UK (United Kingdom), .AU (Australia). Your domain names are likely to include the name you title your web site, such as a business or brand name. You will encounter them most frequently in Web addresses (ours is http://www.Nildram.co.uk) or email addresses (user@Nildram.co.uk).

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - A method of moving data over regular phone lines. A DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection and the wires coming into the subscriber's premises are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service. A DSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations, similar to a leased line. A common configuration of DSL allows downloads at speeds of up to 1.544 megabits (not megabytes) per second, and uploads at speeds of 128 kilobits per second. This arrangement is called ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Another common configuration is symmetrical: 384 Kilobits per second in both directions (see SDSL).

E-mail (Electronic Mail) – E-mail is a method of sending messages across a computer network, whether simply across the office or around the world. The text of the message is typed in on one computer and then sent to someone else on the network. Attachments can be linked to the message and may include images and sound as well as data. The recipient of the message reads it on his computer and can then delete the message, file it, print it, send a reply or forward it to others. You can also use mailing lists to send a single message to many others at the same time.

E-mail servers – Providers of e-mail services, such as mail forwarding, made available to clients over an ISP’s network, usually via a POP account.

Encryption – The manipulation of data in order to prevent anyone but the intended recipient from reading it. There are many types of data encryption, and they are the basis of network security.

Data Exchange – The transmission and receipt of information (data, audio and visual) via a computer-linked network, or from disk to disk.

Firewall - A combination of hardware and software that separates a network into two or more parts for security purposes, thus making it more complex for hackers and snoopers to interrogate.

Fully-managed – A service whereby your Internet Service Provider takes on the full role of managing the function, operation, service, and security of an Internet-based connection or application, often including the supply of servers, their physical housing and maintenance.

Full resilience – A service to ensure redundant connections are covered by failsafe alternatives, whereby another connection (ie ISDN) automatically overrides a preferred network connection (ie ADSL) in the event of failure.

Geographic numbers – Telephone numbers provided by a national telephone exchange, defined and charged by location (ie 0208 or 0207 for London) rather than type of service (such as non-geographic 0870).

Hacker - A person who enjoys an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks and can therefore interrogate them easily. The term is often misused in a critical context, where ‘cracker’ would be the correct term. See also: cracker.

Hardware backbone - A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term is relative as a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network.

Host - The company or organisation that maintains the computer on which a Web site is stored. If you use a host service, also called Internet Service Provider (ISP), it is common that your Web site address will have the name of your provider within the address itself.

Hosted Server - Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers/clients on the network. It is quite common to have one host machine provide several services, such as SMTP (email) and HTTP (web).

Hot standby – A managed service to provide failsafe firewall security so that, should a firewall fail, another will automatically take over without loss of session information.

Internet exchanges – The exchange of data, images and sound via the Internet.

Internet mail gateway – Routers on the network which determine which way mail is sent.

Internet patrolling – Firewall software to give round-the-clock peace of mind that systems are protected from hacking or snooping via the Internet. The Nildram system features a Cisco PIX-based central firewall with high capacity, fail-safe hot standby and offers optimum security by constantly checking the state of every connection to ensure they are secure.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) – A business, such as Nildram, that provides other companies or individuals with access to the Internet and related services, for example, Internet connection, web space and web site hosting. ISPs, therefore, provide their customers with access to, or a presence on, the Internet. Most ISPs also offer extra services, including help with design, creation and administration of web sites, and administration of intranets.

IP addresses – Internet Protocol addresses. These are 32-bit host addresses and form a number that is used to uniquely identify every computer on the Internet. Whenever you type in a web address, the equivalent IP address is looked up in a directory and it is the IP address that is used to locate the relevant computer.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - A way to move a lot of data over existing regular phone lines very quickly. ISDN combines voice and digital network services in a single medium making it possible to offer customers digital data services as well a voice connections through a single wire.

Leased lines - Phone lines that are rented for exclusive 24-hour, 7-days-a-week use from your private location to another location. The highest speed data connections require a leased line. The advantages include consistent high quality and higher speed of data communication compared to dial access.

Linux application servers – Linux is a widely used ‘Open Source’ Unix-like operating system. Linux was first released by its inventor Linus Torvalds in 1991. There are versions of Linux for almost every available type of computer hardware from desktop machines to IBM mainframes. The inner workings of Linux are open and available for anyone to examine and change as long as they make their changes available to the public.

Linux Server – A computer server or service offering Linux-based programmes and applications.

Lotus Notes – One of a suite of IBM Lotus Domino software products, Lotus Notes continues to set high standards of messaging and collaboration. Lotus Notes combines high-class messaging, calendaring and scheduling capabilities with a robust platform for collaborative applications.

Macro viruses - Macro viruses are computer viruses that use an application's own programming language to distribute themselves. Macro viruses do not infect programs; they infect documents and templates. Opening a document or template that contains a macro virus will infect your system and the virus will spread to other documents and templates you may have on your system. Some macro viruses are not harmful, but can be annoying. However, some macro viruses can be destructive.

Mail forwarding – A system whereby e-mail is forwarded via the Internet to its destination via an e-mail forwarding server, often owned and operated by an ISP. Mail forwarding is typically conducted through SMTP services provided by an ISP hosted server, although very large companies might opt for their own mail server facilities.

Mailbox – An Internet-based repository for e-mail receipt, as defined by a personalised e-mail address or domain name.

Managed server – A server or computer dedicated to the provision of application services to the end user – such as mail forwarding - physically or virtually operated by the ISP. The ISP manages the server and is therefore responsible for its uptime, maintenance and support.

Metered charges – The costs incurred by users of Internet lines, charged by the phone line provider at rates determined by units of connection time.

Microsoft Certified Partner – A provider of Microsoft software application services who is officially recognised, certified and partnered by Microsoft to do so.

Microsoft Exchange – A suite of software from Microsoft specifically designed for business use and based around the Microsoft Exchange Server, providing industry-leading electronic communication and collaboration tools. The latest release is Microsoft Exchange 2003.
Microsoft FrontPage - FrontPage software from Microsoft provides features, flexibility, and functionality to help users build Web sites. It includes professional design, authoring, data, and publishing tools needed to create dynamic and sophisticated Web sites, as well as coding and scripting tools. The latest version is FrontPage 2003.
Microsoft Windows 2000 (NT) server – The successor to Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server is designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes: from small, centralised organisations to the largest distributed enterprise. Windows 2000 Server integrates directory, Web, application, network, file, and print services with powerful end-to-end management and reliability to provide an ideal foundation for integrating a business with the Internet.

Network - Any time you connect two or more computers together so that they can share resources, you have a computer network. Connect two or more networks together and you have an internet.

News server - A server that offers and provides paid-for access to news services. A business could, for example, pay its ISP to provide access from the server to one or more news services. These could be made available to users across the business’s intranet and/or be offered as a service to visitors at the company’s website.

Non-geographic numbers – Telephone numbers (usually premium rate), which do not rely on geographic location but are based on specific services, such as direct call centre lines. They include 0800 free phone numbers.

Operating system - Software that controls a computer. Operating systems include DOS, Windows 2000, UNIX, Solaris and Macintosh.

PC modem – A device attached to or built internally to a PC that provides the mechanism to connect a computer to other computers via a phone line.

POP3 (POP) –Post Office Protocol refers to a way that e-mail client software gets mail from a mail server. When you obtain an account from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) you almost always get a POP account with it, and it is this POP account that tells your e-mail software to retrieve your mail. Another protocol called IMAP is gradually replacing POP for e-mail.

Proxy Server- A Proxy Server sits in between a client and the ‘real’ Server. Clients are sometimes configured to use a Proxy Server, usually an HTTP (Web) server. The client makes all of its requests from the Proxy Server, which then makes requests from the "real" server and passes the result back to the client. Sometimes the Proxy server will store the results and give a stored result instead of making a new one (to reduce use of a network). Proxy servers are commonly established on Local Area Networks.

Remote access – Internet access to a network from a remote location, such as for a home worker, traveller or someone working away from their head office.

Reseller/Virtual Internet Service Provider (VISP) Resellers are businesses that buy Internet service provider services at bulk prices in order to resell them to their own customers for a further margin. VISPs, on the other hand, buy similarly discounted bulk services in order to provide their clients with the same ISP services, personally branded, but without the headache of investment, management and maintenance – they provide a ‘virtual’ ISP service. To all intents and purposes both the reseller and VISP supply services as if it were their own. The end user does not know the original source of supply and deals directly with the third party provider.

Router - A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles the connection between two or more Packet-Switched networks. Routers spend all their time looking at the source and destination addresses of the packets passing through them and deciding which route to send them on.

SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line) Second generation, high speed Internet access, particularly suitable for businesses offering their own Internet services or requiring wide area network connections to link multiple locations on a secure private network. The upload speeds and download speeds are the same. Contention for the service is low.

Server – A computer that provides the functionality for clients or users to run operating systems and software applications on other computers, for example a PC or a network of PCs. A server may, for instance, offer e-mail functionality to a number of other connected machines. A server can be located on site or be connected remotely to a business or home.

Secure connections – Internet connections made secure by provision of firewall security to prevent hackers, snoopers or spam-mail senders, or via encryption of messages, typically used for a virtual private network (VPN).

SMTP mail forwarding (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - The main protocol used to send electronic mail from server to server on the Internet.

SMTP/POP3 – Standard mail forwarding (SMTP) or mailbox (POP3) protocol services, supplied to end-users by an ISP.

Spam (or Spamming) An inappropriate attempt to use a mailing list, or networked communications facility, as if it was a broadcast medium (which it is not), by sending the same message to a large number of people who didn’t ask for it.

SQL (Structured Query Language) - A specialized language for sending queries to databases. Most industrial-strength and many smaller database applications can be addressed using SQL.

SQL servers – Servers that are dedicated to SQL programs and applications and are, therefore, specifically for database management.

TIFF - TIFF is an acronym for Tag(ged) Image File Format. It is one of the most popular and flexible of the current public domain image format files.

Users – Individuals or multi-user businesses that are engaged in a commercial arrangement to access and operate software applications from their PCs and are, therefore, licensed to use them.

USB – Universal Serial Bus.

Viewer – A browser or plug-in tool kit, which allows users to ‘view’ certain images, such as TIFF or jpeg images.

Virus – An unauthorised piece of computer code attached to a computer program or portions of a computer system that secretly copies itself from one computer to another by shared discs and over telephone and cable lines. It can destroy information stored on the computer and, in extreme cases, destroy operability. (See also anti-virus scanning)

VPN (Virtual Private Network) - Usually refers to a network in which some of the parts are connected using the public Internet, but the data sent across the Internet is encrypted, so the entire network is ‘virtually’ private.

Web – Short for ‘World Wide Web’

World Wide Web/WWW (or simply Web for short) - A term frequently used (incorrectly) when referring to the Internet. WWW is actually the universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers), more commonly called ‘web servers’, which are the servers that serve web pages to web browsers.

Web servers – Servers that provide the functionality to access, view, use and contribute to the world wide web - in the form of web page creation, for example - typically supporting http-scripted technology.

Web space – ‘Areas’ of space designated on the world wide web for web users to post their sites and content, paid for incrementally to the Internet Service Provider who hosts the site.

Windows 2000 Virtual Web Hosting Service – A service that offers users Windows 2000 software via a hosted server platform, owned and operated by an ISP such as Nildram. Additionally, a Nildram-supplied Virtual Internet Service Provider (VISP) can provide the same service, virtually, to its own clients.

Wires only – for example ADSL Wires Only, an option supplied by Nildram – A service that allows clients to select their own hardware and configuration for Internet connections, while using the ISP’s core network and customer support. The ISP supplies the phone line, login and password. The client is responsible for providing the router/modem, their configuration and associated microfilters.

Glossary

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