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100BaseT

A 100 Mbps Local Area Network that maintains backward compatibility with 10BaseT networks running at 10Mbps. Competitor to 100VG-AnyLAN

10BaseT

A 10 Mpbs Ethernet local area network which runs over twisted pair wiring. This network interface was originally designed to run over ordinary twisted pair (phone wiring) but is predominantly used with Category 3 or 5 cabling.

802.6

One of the 800 series of standards ratified by the IEEE, this specification details Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) that rely on DQDB (Distributed Queue Dual Bus), a connectionless packet switched protocol.

A

A Record

An A record is part of the zone file. It is used to point Internet traffic to an IP address. For example, you can use an "A record" to designate abc.yourdomain.com to send traffic to your web site at IP address 209.15.32.135. You can also designate xyz.yourdomain.com to go to a separate IP address.

Access Line

The physical telecommunications circuit connecting an end user location with the serving central office in a local network environment. Also called the local loop or "last mile." See also Local Loop.

Access Rate

The transmission speed of the physical access circuit between the end user location and the local network. This is generally measured in bits per second. Also called "Access Speed".

Anonymous FTP

A file transfer protocol (FTP) service in which any user can copy files by logging on with the name "anonymous."

Apache

Apache is open-source HTTP Web Server software; it is currently the most popular web server on the Net. It usually runs on the UNIX operating system like Linux or BSD.

Applet

A small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML page. Applets differ from full-fledged Java applications in that they are not allowed to access certain resources on the local computer, such as files and serial devices (modems, printers, etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with most other computers across a network. The current rule is that an applet can only make an Internet connection to the computer from which the applet was sent.

ARPANet

ARPANet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) -- The precursor to the Internet. The landmark packet-switching network was established in 1969 by the US Department of Defense as an experiment in wide-area-networking that would survive a nuclear war.

ASCII

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) -- The world-wide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111, plus parity.

ASP

Active Server Pages (ASP) is a Microsoft NT scripting language which allows developers to design web pages that can make displaying, manipulating and editing databases quick and easy. ASP is ideally suited for MS Windows based web servers running on the intranet of an organization. In such organizations, the users of these Web servers can be easily accounted for and their usage closely monitored and regulated. It's not appropriate for a UNIX based shared hosting environment, as for security reasons the ASP processor must run as a CGI program, making it drastically inefficient and resource hungry. An Active Server Page has an .asp extension and it mixes HTML and scripting code that can be written in VBScript or JScript. ASP-compatible Web servers can execute these scripts. On the client side, an ASP is a standard HTML document that can be viewed on any platform using any Web browser. ASP is distributed with Microsoft's IIS web server. ASP.NET is the next version of ASP.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)

A protocol that packs digital information into 53-byte cells (5 byte header and 48 bytes of payload) that is switched throughout a network over virtual circuits. Standardized by the ITU-T in 1988 to create a Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN). Its ability to accommodate multiple types of media (voice, video, data) makes it a likely player for full service networks based on ADSL and VDSL.

Audio/Video Streaming

The process of providing audio and video clips and content via a web page. Both the user's browser and the server must have the components installed in order to work.

Auto-Responder

An automated email reply sent in response to each incoming message for a specific email address. This can be useful when going on a trip, or when you will be out of the office for an extended period of time.

B

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.

Bandwidth

This is a reflection of the size or the capacity of a given transmission channel. Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred over a network in a fixed amount of time and is usually measured in bits-per-second. A full page of English text is about 15,000 bits. A 28.8 modem can deliver 28,800 bps; and a T3 line about 44Mbps. Full-motion full-screen video would require roughly 10,000,000 bits-per-second, depending on compression. Bandwidth in web hosting is often referred to as monthly data transfer, which is the amount of data a single account can transfer in a single month.

Binary Mode

FTP mode used to transfer binary files (multimedia files, executables and other data files); usually you type 'bin' to get to binary mode.

Bit

Bit (Binary DigIT) -- A single digit number in base-2, in other words, either a 1 or a zero. The smallest unit of computerized data. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits-per-second.

Bps

Bps (Bits-Per-Second) -- A measurement of how fast data is moved from one place to another. A 56k modem can move 56,000 bits per second.

Broadband

Sharing the bandwidth of a medium such as copper or fiber optic cable, to carry more than one signal.

Browser

A browser is client GUI software that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources. Client examples include Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator/Communicator.

C

Catch-all Email

A type of email account designed to "catch" any email messages addressed to a domain (anything@yourdomain.com) but not addressed to an actual POP3 email account or email alias. A catch-all email account can be used to catch misspellings of your email address and redirect the email to your account.

CGI

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) -- A set of rules that describe how a Web Server communicates with another piece of software on the same machine, and how the other piece of software (the 'CGI program') talks to the web server. Any piece of software can be a CGI program if it handles input and output according to the CGI standard. Usually a CGI program is a small program that takes data from a web server and does something with it, like putting the content of a form into an email message, or turning the data into a database query.

CGI Script

CGI "scripts" are scripts which use CGI. Hit counters, guest books, order forms and many other useful features can all be programmed with CGI scripts.

CGI-BIN

The most common name of a directory on a web server in which CGI programs are stored. The 'BIN' part of 'CGI-BIN' is a shorthand version of 'binary', because once upon a time, most programs were referred to as 'binaries'. In real life, most programs found in CGI-BIN directories are text files -- scripts that are executed by binaries located elsewhere on the server. While most programs using CGI are stored in this directory, it is not a requirement for using CGI.

Client

A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a server software program on another computer, often across a great distance. Each client program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of server programs, and each server requires a specific kind of client. A web browser and an FTP program are specific kinds of clients. See Also: Browser, Server.

Cold Fusion

Cold Fusion is a scripting language for web designers to develop database interfacing application which simplifies database queries by allowing for a simpler programming language to handle functions between the user's browser, the server, and the database.

Colocation

Colocation means locating your own server hardware in a data center or "colo" for the use of their Internet connection. Usually this is done because the server owner wants their machine to be on a high-speed Internet connection and/or they do not want the security risks of maintaining that server in their own environment. Unlike a managed dedicated server, the client controls both the hardware and software.

Content Management System

A Content Management System (CMS) is a system used to organize and facilitate collaborative content creation. CMS's allow end-users (typically authors of some sort) to provide new content in the form of articles. The articles are typically entered as plain text, perhaps with markup to indicate where other resources (such as pictures) should be placed. The system then uses rules to style the article, which separates the display from the content, which has a number of advantages when trying to get many articles to conform to a consistent "look and feel". The system then adds the articles to a larger collection for publishing.

Cookie

Cookies are small pieces of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser which, when stored can help the site track requests made by the user. Depending on the type of Cookie used, and the Browser's settings, the Browser may or may not accept the Cookie, and may save the Cookie for either a short or long time. Cookies might contain information such as login or registration information, online 'shopping cart' information, user preferences, etc.

Crawler

Also known as spider, robot or scooter is used by search engines to generate indexes, by retrieving web pages and following the hyperlinks contained in them.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a language that is used to describe the stylistic presentation of a structured document written in HTML or XML. The CSS specification is maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

D

Database

A database is an information set organized for flexible searching and utilization. There are a wide array of databases, from simple examples such as simple tabular collections to much more complex models such as the relational model. Types of databases include MS Access, MySQL, MS SQL Server, and Oracle.

Database Support

The supporting of various database functions on a web server. Some commonly used database programs are MySQL, Access, Oracle, and SQL server. Databases can be difficult to configure properly.

Data Transfer

The amount of data a single hosting account can transfer in a single month.

Dedicated Line

A transmission circuit that is reserved by the provider for the full-time use of the subscriber. Also called a Private Line.

Dial-Up

The process of initiating a switched connection through a network; when used as an adjective, this is a type of communication that is established by a switched-circuit connection.

Digital Signal 0 (DS-0)

In the digital hierarchy, this signaling standard defines a transmission speed of 64 Kbps.

Digital Signal 1 (DS-1)

In the digital hierarchy, this signaling standard defines a transmission speed of 1.544Mbps; a DS-1 is composed of 24 DS-0 signals; this term is often used interchangeably with T-1.

Digital Signal 3 (DS-3)

In the digital hierarchy, this signaling standard defines a transmission speed of 44.736 Mbps; a DS-3 is composed of 28 DS-1 signals; this term is often used interchangeably with T-3.

Disk Space

The amount of storage space allowed for a client's website files.

DNS (Domain Name System)

The Domain Name System, most often known as simply DNS, is a core feature of the Internet. It is a distributed database that handles the mapping between host names (domain names), which are more convenient for humans, and the numerical Internet addresses. That is, it acts much like a phone book, so you can "call" www.datacentric.net instead of 65.109.135.3

Domain Name

A domain name is a name (.com, .net, .org, etc) used to reference your website's IP address. The domain name system was introduced as an easier way to navigate the web. Domain names are much easier for a user to remember (i.e. datacentric.net) rather than a long IP address such as 65.109.135.3

Domain Name Registration

The process of registering a recognizable address by which users can find your site. Although the domain registration provides you with an address, you still need a web hosting account in order to publish your website files.

Domain Alias

A type of Domain Forwarding. Domain Aliases allow you to access the same page for many sites. This is useful when registering .com, .net, and .org domains at the same time. You only have to provide one account with hosting, and the other two will reference the same page, regardless of whether the user typed .com, .net, or .org.

E

E3

The European equivalent of a T3 circuit. It is a term for a digital facility used for transmitting data over a telephone network at 34 Mbps.

El

The European equivalent of a T1 circuit. It is a term for a digital facility used for transmitting data over a telephone network at 2.048 Mbps.

E-Commerce

Electronic Commerce. E-Commerce transactions include the buying and selling of goods and services online.

E-mail

E-mail, or email, is short for "electronic mail" (as opposed to conventional mail, in this context also called "snail mail") and refers to composing, sending, and receiving messages over electronic communication systems. Most e-mail systems today use the Internet, and e-mail is one of the most popular uses of the Internet.

Ethernet

Ethernet is a packet-switched computer networking technology for local area networks (LANs) and is used to connect devices within a single building or campus at speeds up to 10 Mbps. It defines wiring and signaling for the physical layer, and packet formats and protocols for the media access control (MAC)/data link layer of the OSI model. Within the OSI model, Ethernet is defined at layer one (physical) and layer two (data link). Based on Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD), Ethernet works by simply checking the wire before sending data. Sometimes two stations send at precisely the same time in which case a collision is detected and retransmission is attempted. Ethernet is mostly standardized as IEEE's 802.3. It has become the most widespread LAN technology in use during the 1990s to current, and has largely replaced all other LAN standards such as Token Ring, FDDI, and ARCNET. See also 10BaseT.

F

Fast Ethernet

Fast Ethernet is a packet-switched computer networking technology for local area networks (LANs) and is used to connect devices within a single building or campus at speeds up to 100 Mbps. Within the OSI model, Fast Ethernet is defined at layer one (physical) and layer two (data link). Like Ethernet, it uses CSMA/CD.

Fiber Optic Cable

A transmission medium composed of glass or plastic fibers; pulses of light are emitted from a laser-type source. Fiber optic cabling is the present cabling of choice for all inter-exchange networks, and increasingly for the local exchange loops as well; it is high security, high bandwidth, and takes up little conduit space. It is considered the physical medium for all future land-based communications.

Firewall

A method of protecting a network from outside networks. A firewall blocks unwanted access to the protected network while giving the protected network access to networks outside of the firewall.

Flash

Macromedia Flash is a vector graphics based graphics animation program. The resulting files, sometimes called "flash files", may be included in a web page to view in a web browser, or they may be played on a standalone player. The software can deliver high-end graphics through the web by keeping the file sizes relatively small.

Frame Relay

A high-speed packet-switched data communications service, similar to X.25. Frame relay is a leading contender for LAN-to-LAN interconnect services, and is well suited to the bursty demands of LAN environments.

Front Page

FrontPage is an HTML composing tool developed by Microsoft. It is one of the most commonly used tools to create web pages.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol that is able to transfer files between machines with widely different operating systems. It is an 8-bit protocol, capable of handling any type of file without further processing such as MIME or UUEncode. However, FTP has extremely high latency; that is, the time between beginning the request and starting to receive the required data can be quite long, and a sometimes-lengthy login procedure is required. FTP commonly runs on port 21. Nowadays, web browsers can manage the FTP protocol.

G

GIF

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a graphic image format. It was developed for use by Compuserve (an early online network provider) but has become one of the Internet's most popular formats for bitmap graphics. GIF is most suitable for graphics containing illustrations or precise graphics. Whereas JPEG files are more suitable for photographs.

Gigabits per second (Gbps)

A measure of bandwidth capacity or transmission speed. It stands for a billion bits per second.

H

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a markup language designed for creating web pages, that is, information presented on the World Wide Web. Defined as a simple "application" of SGML, which is used by organizations with complex publishing requirements, HTML is now an Internet standard maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (http://www.w3.org/) (W3C).

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

HTTP is the primary method used to communicate information on the World Wide Web and is a request/response protocol used between clients and servers. An HTTP client, such as a web browser, initiates a request by connecting to (usually) TCP/IP port 80. The client then sends a request string, such as "GET / HTTP/1.1" (which would request the default page of that web server). The server would then respond with a file (or error message). The file sent by the server is preceded by an HTTP Header, which is a set of ASCII strings containing information about the server and the document being sent. HTTP is defined in RFC 2068.The specification is currently maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Hypertext

In computing, a hypertext system is one for displaying information that contains references (called hyperlinks) to other information on the system, and for easily publishing, updating and searching for the information. The most well-known hypertext system is the World Wide Web.

I

Image Map

In computing, a list of co-ordinates relating to a specific image, created in order to hyperlink areas of the image to various destinations. Thus a world map may have each country hyperlinked to further information about that country. The intention of an image map is to provide an easy way of linking various parts of an image without resorting to dividing the image into separate parts.

Internet

In the general sense, an internet (with a lowercase "i"), a shortened form of the original inter-network, is a computer network that connects several other networks. The art of connecting networks in this way is called internetworking. See also the related terms intranet, extranet and catenet. As a proper noun, the Internet is the publicly available world-wide, interconnected system of computers (plus the information and services they provide and their users) that uses the TCP/IP suite of protocols. Thus, the largest internet in the world is called simply "the" Internet.

Internet Access

The physical telephone circuit connection between the subscriber and the nearest Internet access node.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

A telecommunications company providing subscriber access to the Internet.

IP (Internet Protocol)

The Internet Protocol (IP) is a data-oriented protocol used by source and destination hosts for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork. Data in an IP internetwork is sent in blocks referred to as packets or datagrams (the terms are basically synonomous in IP). In particular, in IP no setup is needed before a host tries to send packets to a host it has previously not communicated with.

J

Java

The Java language is an object-oriented programming language created by James Gosling and other engineers at Sun Microsystems. It was developed in 1991, as part of the Green Project, and officially announced on May 23, 1995, at SunWorld; being released in November. Java was initially designed as a replacement to C++ (although the feature set is more similiar to Objective C) and known as Oak (in honour of a tree outside Gosling's office). More on the history of Java can be found in the article about the Java platform, which includes the language, the Java virtual machine, and the Java API. Java is owned by Sun Microsystems; the term Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems.

JavaScript

JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language originally developed by Netscape Communications under the name LiveScript but then renamed to "JavaScript" and given a syntax closer to that of Sun Microsystems' Java language. JavaScript was later standardized by ECMA under the name ECMAScript. The current standard (as of December 1999) is ECMA-262 Edition 3, and corresponds to JavaScript 1.5. Microsoft calls their version JScript. JavaScript is limited in performance because it is not compiled before execution. Basic online applications and functions can be added to Web pages with JavaScript. A Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, is required to interpret JavaScript code.

JPEG

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a standardization committee. JPEG files contain compressed images. They are used to store graphics like GIF files, but because of their compression features, they are often used for storing photos or large images where quality is not paramount.

K

Kilobits per second (Kbps)

A measure of bandwidth capacity or transmission speed. It stands for a thousand bits per second.

L

Local Area Network (LAN)

A data communications network covering a small area, usually within the confines of a building or floors within a building; a relatively high-speed computer communications network for in-building data transfer and applications. Common LAN protocols are Ethernet and Token Ring. See also MAN, WAN.

Local Loop

A generic term for the connection between the customer's premises (home, office etc) and the provider's serving central office. Historically, this has been a wireline connection; however, wireless options are increasingly available for local loop capacity. Also colloquially referred to as "the last mile" (even though the actual distance can vary).

Linux

Linux is a stable and powerful open source operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux strictly refers to the Linux kernel, but is commonly used to describe the entire free Unix-like operating system, also known as GNU/Linux, that is formed by combining the Linux kernel with the GNU libraries and tools.

M

Mbps

See Megabits per second.

Megabits per second (Mbps)

A measure of bandwidth capacity or transmission speed. It stands for a million bits per second.

Megabyte

Strictly speaking, a megabyte is 1,048,576 bytes. For example, a 20 megabyte hard drive, besides being an antique, would hold 20,971,520 bytes, rather than 20,000,000 bytes. However, the term can also mean 1,000,000 (one million) bytes when dealing with throughput or transfer rates, such as '5 megabytes per second,' which means 5 million bytes per second.

Meta Tag

An HTML tag that must appear in the header portion of the page. Meta tags supply information about the page but do not affect its display. "Generator" is a common meta-tag used to specify which editor created the page.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A data communication network typically covering the geographic area of a city; a communications network that is usually larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN. See LAN, WAN.

MIME Types

MIME (Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions) enables exchange of different file types and formats over the Internet.

MIVA

Miva, formerly known as HTMLScript, is produced by Miva Corporation. Miva allows you to quickly build dynamic websites that integrate scripting, database, and commerce features.

MP3

MP3 (or, more precisely, MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer 3) is an audio compression algorithm (a.k.a. codec) capable of greatly reducing the amount of data required to reproduce audio, while sounding like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to the listener.

MPEG

MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) is a small group charged with the development of video and audio encoding standards. Since its first meeting in 1988, MPEG has grown to include approximately 350 members from various industries and universities.

MySQL

MySQL is a type of database. It is commonly coupled with PHP to allow users to access data stored in the database from the web. MySQL is commonly found on UNIX servers.

N

Network

A network is a group of machines connected together by data cables, switches, routers, and hubs. Networks vary in scale. A LAN (Local Area Network) is a small scale network, such as that you may find in an office, where several computers can share files and a printer. A WAN (Wide Area Network) is a large scale network, such as that which links together the offices of global corporations. The Internet is the world's largest form of network. The Web is considered an artificial network which operates over the Internet.

NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol)

The Network News Transport Protocol, often abbreviated to NNTP, is the protocol that is used by the Usenet Internet service. It is a TCP-IP protocol based upon text strings sent over 7 bit ASCII TCP channels. It is used to transfer articles between servers as well as to read and post articles.

O

OC-1

See Optical Carrier (OC-x).

OC-3

See Optical Carrier (OC-x).

OC-l2

See Optical Carrier (OC-x).

Optical Carrier (OC-x)

This is the base unit found in the SONET hierarchy; the "x" represents increments of 51.84 Mbps (so, OC-1 is 51.84 Mbps; OC-3 is 155 Mbps, and OC-12 is 622 Mbps). See also Synchronous Optical Network.

P

Packet

A sub-unit of a data stream; a grouping of information that includes a header (containing information like address destination) and, in most cases, user data.

Packet Switching

A switching system that uses a physical communications connection only long enough to transit a data message; data messages are disassembled into packets and reassembled at the receiving end of the communication link; packets may travel over many diverse communications links to get to the common endpoint. This is most often contrasted with circuit switching in data communications, where all data messages transmitted during a session are transmitted over the same path for the duration of the session.

Perl

Perl (sometimes backronymed to Practical Extraction and Report Language or Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister) is a programming language created by Larry Wall in 1987 that borrows features from C, sed, awk, shell scripting (sh), and (to a lesser extent) from many other programming languages as well. The name is normally capitalized ("Perl") when referring to the language, but not capitalized ("perl") when referring to the interpreter (e.g. "Only perl properly parses Perl.") Perl is a popular scripting language which has strong text processing capabilities and is widely used on the Internet to create CGI programs.

PHP

PHP (originally "Personal Home Page Tools", but now a recursive acronym for "PHP Hypertext Preprocessor") is a widely used open-source programming language used primarily for server-side applications, to develop dynamic web content. It can be seen as an open source alternative to Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) system and to CGI/Perl system. Its ease of use and similarity with the most common structured programming languages, most notably C, Java and Perl, allows most experienced programmers to start developing complex applications with a minimal learning curve. It also enables experienced developers to get involved with dynamic web content applications without having to learn a whole new set of functions and practices. PHP is an excellent pre-processing engine that supports a very robust HTML-embedded scripting language.

Ping

Ping is the name of a computer network tool used on TCP/IP networks (such as the Internet). It provides a basic test of whether a particular host is operating properly and is reachable on the network from the testing host. It works by sending ICMP packets to the target host and listening for replies; its operation is vaguely analogous to sonar in submarines, hence the name.

POP / POP3

POP (Post Office Protocol) is a protocol that enables you to download messages from a mail server to your computer through an email client, such as Outlook or Eudora.

Protocol

When used in computing, a protocol is a convention or standard that controls or enables the connection, communication, and data transfer between two computing devices. Protocols may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of the two. At the lowest level, a protocol defines a hardware connection.

R

Raw Log Files

Raw log files refer to the log files generated by the web server that contain detailed information about your site's activity in raw web server format. The data can be used to get statistical analysis using various tools. Each line in the log file show the user's IP, date and time of the access, what kind of request was made, which document was requested, HTTP status code, bytes transferred, referrer, and user agent info, etc.

Router

A device that connects multiple computer networks by reading layer three addressing on incoming and outgoing packets. Packet information is read and the packets are then forwarded to the appropriate end station.

S

Search Engine

A search engine is a program designed to help the user access files stored on a computer, for example on the World Wide Web, by allowing the user to ask for documents meeting certain criteria (typically those containing a given word, a set of words, or a phrase) and retrieving files that match those criteria. Unlike an index document that organizes files in a predetermined way, a search engine looks for files only after the user has entered search criteria.
In the context of the Internet, search engines usually refer to the World Wide Web and not other protocols or areas. Because the data collection is automated, they are distinguished from Web directories, which are maintained by people.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a set of methodologies aimed at improving the visibility of a website in search engine listings. The term also refers to an industry of consultants that carry out optimization projects on behalf of client sites.

Server

A "Server" in computing is: " A computer software application that carries out some task on behalf of users. This is usually divided into file serving, allowing users to store and access files on a common computer; and application serving, where the software runs a computer program to carry out some task for the users. This is the original meaning of the term. " The term is now also used to mean the actual computer on which the software runs. Originally server software would be located on a mainframe computer or minicomputer. These have largely been replaced by computers built using a more robust version of the microprocessor technology that is used in personal computers, and the server term was adopted to describe such microprocessor based machines.

Server-Side Includes

Server-Side Includes (SSI) instructs the server to include some dynamic information in a Web page before it is sent to a client. A common use for SSI commands is to insert a universal menu into all of the pages of the web site so that the menu only has to be changed once and inserted with SSI instead of changing the menu on every page.

Shockwave

Shockwave, developed by Macromedia, allows you to view rich-media forms of entertainment on the Web, such as games, music, chat, interactive product demos, and e-merchandising applications.

SMTP

SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) -- The main protocol used to send electronic mail on the Internet. SMTP is used in conjunction with both POP3 and IMAP which are protocols that enable you to download messages from a mail server to your computer. SMTP consists of a set of rules for how a program sending mail and a program receiving mail should interact. Almost all Internet email is sent and received by clients and servers using SMTP.

Spamming

Spamming is the act of sending unsolicited, bulk (and usually commercial) electronic messages. Though this can be done through any number of media, the most common are e-mail and SMS.

SQL

SQL (Structured Query Language) -- A specialized programming language for sending queries to databases. Most industrial-strength and many smaller database applications can be addressed using SQL. Each specific application will have its own version of SQL implementing features unique to that application, but all SQL-capable databases support a common subset of SQL.

SSH (Secure Shell)

Secure shell or SSH is both a program and a network protocol for logging into and executing commands on a remote computer. It is intended to replace rlogin, telnet and rsh, and provides secure encrypted communications between two untrusted hosts over an insecure network. X11 connections and arbitrary TCP/IP ports can also be forwarded over the secure channel.

SSL

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) -- A protocol designed by Netscape Communications to enable encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet. SSL is most commonly used in online stores for credit card transactions. URL's that begin with 'https' indicate that an SSL connection will be used.

Sub-Domain

Also known as a third-level domain. Domain names are composed of at least two levels, a top-level domain and a second-level domain. The top-level domain is the suffix or extension attached to Internet domain names (for example, .com, .net and .org).

Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)

Standards for transmitting digital information over optical networks. Fiber optic transmission rates range from 51.84 Mbps to 13.22 Gbps. It defines a physical interface, optical line rates known as Optical Carrier (OC) signals, frame formats and a OAM&P (Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning) protocol. The base rate is known as OC-1 and runs at 51.84 Mbps. Higher rates are a multiple of this such that OC-12 is equal to 622 Mbps (12 times 51.84 Mbps).

T

T-Carrier

In telecommunications, T-carrier is the generic designator for any of several digitally multiplexed telecommunications carrier systems originally developed by Bell Labs and used in North America and Japan.

T1

The U.S. equivalent of E1. This is a Bell Labs system term for a digital carrier facility used for transmission of data through the telephone hierarchy at a transmission rate of 1.544 Mbps.

T3

The U.S. equivalent of an E3. This is a Bell Labs system term for a digital carrier facility used for transmission of data through the telephone hierarchy at a transmission rate of 45 Mbps.

Telehouse

A Telehouse is a type of data center where multiple telecommunications network or service providers, such as telcos or ISPs, site their connections to one anothers' networks (points of presence). Most peering points are sited in Telehouses. These sites are often used for Web hosting and have high levels of physical security and multiple redundant power and air-conditioning systems.

Telco

A generic term for the local telephone company operator in a given area. In the U.S., the major telcos are the seven regional Bell operating companies and the leading independent telcos, GTE, SNET, and Sprint; in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, the term "telco" generally refers to the incumbent monopoly, but increasingly refers to competing local providers as well.

TCP/IP

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) -- This is the suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now available for every major kind of computer operating system.

U

UNIX

A computer operating system (the basic software running on a computer, underneath things like word processors and spreadsheets). UNIX is designed to be used by many people at the same time (it is multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in. It is the most common operating system for servers on the Internet.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator, or URL (pronounces as "earl" (SAMPA: [@rl]) or spelled out), is a standardized address for some resource (such as a document or image) on the Internet. A URL looks like this: http://www.datacentric.net/glossary/

W

WAN

WAN (Wide Area Network) -- Any internet or network that covers an area larger than a single building or campus.

Web

Also known as 'the Web,' or, in a new amusing twist, 'the Interweb,' the Web is a colloquial name for the artificial network generated by the millions of Web sites existing on the Internet today. While the Internet is a large network of machines which carry various forms of data, the 'Web' is the term used for all of the Web sites on the Internet.

WebMail

A method of accessing email messages through a Web browser using HTTP.

Web Hosting

Definition of web hosting: Web host·ing or web host·ing (noun). Storing of Websites: the business of supplying server space for storage of Websites on the Internet, and sometimes the provision of ancillary services such as Website creation.

Web Site

A website or web site is a collection of web pages, that is, documents accessible via the World Wide Web on the Internet. The pages of a website will be accessed from a common root URL, the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server. The URLs of the pages organize them into a hierarchy, although the hyperlinks between them control how the reader perceives the overall structure.

Website Statistics

Detailed information regarding your Web site, including the number of hits, the source of those hits, the most popular pages and amount of data transferred, as well as other useful information.

Weblog

A weblog (often web log, also known as a blog) is a website that tracks headlines and articles from other websites.

Whois

Whois is a protocol for submitting a query to a database for determing the owner of a domain name, an IP Network, or an Autonomous system Number. Most registries maintain a database of domain names and their associated contact information.

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (the "Web" or "WWW" for short) is a hypertext system that operates over the Internet. To view the information, you use a software program called a web browser to retrieve pieces of information (called "documents" or "web pages") from web servers (or "web sites") and view them on your screen. You can then follow hyperlinks on the page to other documents or even send information back to the server to interact with it. The act of following hyperlinks is often called "surfing" the web.

WYSIWYG

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) -- The term used for Web design applications that display HTML documents on screen as they will appear in a Web browser. These applications make it possible for you to create Web pages without learning the HTML programming language.

X

XML

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a language used to structure content so that it can be exchanged with different applications.

Z

Zone File

A group of files that reside on the domain host or name server. The zone file designates a domain, its sub-domains and mail server.