Networking Intro Vocab

Channel

a medium of communication which transmits an information signal

Endpoint

a sender or receiver on a channel

Multiplex

multiple signals are sent over a single channel

Link

a physical connection of endpoints, either point-to-point or multiple access

Network

a collection of hosts/endpoints able to communicate over a channel

Internetwork

a collection of networks connected

Router

determines next network point to forward a package (using tables to connect networks)

Bridge

connects networks and determines if packages can stay within a network

Host

a computer that does something that another computer would want to know about

Interface

a point which connects a computer and a network

Protocol

a set of rules for communication between parties

Layer

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Transport Protocol

protocol layer which establishes connection and ensures data has arrived, a service model

address

a unique label assigned to a device on a network

connection

a continuous exchange of packages across a chanel

datagram

associated with UDP, transfer unit in which delivery/arrival time/arrival order are not guaranteed

IP

routing protocol, does not transport packages

UDP

connectionless protocol for fast transmission, datagram model

TCP

connection-oriented protocol, reliable and in-order byte stream

port

a specified place of entry on an endpoint

client

the requesting party in a packet exchange

server

the providing party in a packet exchange

socket

one endpoint (IP address and port number) in a communication link

node

a connection point or communication endpoint on a network

switch

a simple bridge which avoids distributing all signals and packets to all nodes

hub

wires distribute signals/packet to all nodes

guided medium

waves propagate on something physical such as a cable

point-to-point

a link which has only two nodes

multiple-access

a link which has multiple sending and receiving nodes

packet

generic term for data unit used above the physical layer

message

the full unit of data intended to be sent/received by an end system

segment

unit of data sent from TCP to network layer

frame

unit of data at the physical layer

forwarding

sending a packet to the next intended node

forwarding table

map from destination address and incoming port to outgoing port

buffer

stored packets which have not been sent yet

queue

a list of pending packets to send out

store and forward

receive packet, determine address, and delete when sent

packet switching

move packets in separate increments based on destination address

circuit switching

move packets using a dedicated point-to-point connection

stack

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service model

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RFC

Request for Comments

throughput

performance in units per time

bandwidth

performance in bits per second

latency

performance in time needed

transmission delay

how long the packet is

propagation delay

how long it takes the first bit to reach the other end of the wire

queuing delay

time spent waiting for open link to become available

processing delay

router time spent processing

end-to-end latency

sum of latency for all hops