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High Speed Internet Access Packages

Glossary of Terms

Adaware
Programs that display advertisements in pop ups or pop up under windows.

ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A high-speed Internet access technology used for the Residential High Speed service, by Bell in parts of Ontario and Quebec. A technology in which high-capacity transmission requirements, such as compressed video signals are delivered through copper wire. In this case, "asymmetric" refers to the transmission capacity towards the customer being greater than that from the customer to the network.

Bandwidth
The amount of data that can be transmitted over a given time period.

Bit
A contraction of the "binary digit". A bit is the smallest possible unit of storage of computer information and can be one of two values. These values are typically represented by 0 and 1, low and high, or on and off.

bps
bits-per-second. A measure of data transmission, such as that handled by a modem.

Broadband
A communications medium which is capable of carrying multiple messages at the same time.  

Browser Hijackers
Programs that change settings in your browser.

Browser Plugins
Browser plug-in parasites can add buttons, links, and other add-ons to the users web browser.

Carding
Credit card fraud.

Dedicated Access
A direct connection between a terminal and a service, network or computer dedicated to the specific use of a particular customer.

Cracks
Software created to modify other software.

Dial access (roaming)
Ability to access the Internet through a dial up connection.

Dialers
Programs that change a users dialup connection settings.

Dial Up
The use of a rotary-dial or Touch-Tone™ telephone to initiate a station-to-station telephone call.

DSL
Digital Subscriber Line. A term coined to refer to the family of DSL access technologies, including ADSL, RADSL, VDSL, etc.

e-mail address
Electronic identification that enables users to send and receive electronic mail.

Ethernet Card
The ethernet card provides a standardized way of connecting computers together to create a network. Because DSL technology requirements far exceeds the lower speed limits of standard serial/parallel connections now uilt-in most PCs, a connection technology capable of interfacing at higher speeds was required; ethernet technology, capable of sustaining traffic volumes of up to 10MB, was chosen as the technology of choice.

Filter
A device that prevents noise interference and is installed between a telephone and its wall jack.

Firewall
A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially Intranets. All messages entering or leaving the Intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. A firewall is considered a first line of defense in protecting private information. For greater security, data can be encrypted.
There are several types of firewall techniques:

  • Packet filter: Looks at each packet entering or leaving the network and accepts or rejects it based on user-defined rules. Packet filtering is fairly effective and transparent to users, but it is difficult to configure. In addition, it is susceptible to IP spoofing.
  • Application gateway: Applies security mechanisms to specific applications,such as FTP and Telnet servers. This is very effective, but can impose performance degradation.
  • Circuit-level gateway: Applies security mechanisms when a TCP™; or UDP connection is established. Once the connection has been made, packets can flow between the hosts without further checking.
  • Proxy server: Intercepts all messages entering and leaving the network. The proxy server effectively hides the true network addresses.

Flooders
Programs that try to overload a connection.

Gateway
This is a device that converts different protocols; a network interconnectivity device that translates communications protocols.

In networking, it is a combination of hardware and software that links two different types of networks. Gateways between e-mail systems, for example, allow users on different e-mail systems to exchange messages.

Gateway Address
A gateway address is the IP address of a network point that acts as an entrance to another network. For example, in a corporate network, a proxy server acts as a gateway between the internal network and the Internet.

Hub
A common connection point for all devices connected to a star network. A passive hub simply serves as a conduit for the data, enabling it to go from one device to another. So called intelligent hubs include additional features that enable them to act as a bridge, transferring data between different types of networks. Some hubs are full-fledged computers that also act as network servers.

HFC
Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial. A high speed Internet access technology not yet employed by the Sentex service.

Internet
A wide-area network that connects tens of millions of computers worldwide. Originally implemented by the U.S. Defence Department, Internet is now administered by an independent organization. Members include: government agencies, educational institutions and large corporations.

Kbps
Kilobits-per-second (thousands of bits-per-second). A measure of data transmission, such as that handled by a modem.

Keyloggers
Programs that monitor keystrokes and can also send this data from the computer.

Line
A communications channel. Also called a circuit, trunk or facility. It often refers to customer access to the public switched telephone network (e.g., residence line, individual business line).

Mail Bombers
Programs that can flood a users email account with many email messages.

Malware
Programs that can install without users knowledge or consent and can execute unwanted actions on the computer.

Mbps
Megabits-per-second (millions of bits-per-second). A measure of data transmission, such as that handled by a modem.

Modem
Device that modulates and demodulates data usually transmitted over a regular telephone line

Network
A series of points interconnected by telecommunications channels.  

Port
The entrance or access point to a computer or multiplexer.

Proxy Server
A server that sits between a client application, such as a Web browser, and a real server. It intercepts all requests to the real server to see if it can fulfill the requests itself. If not, it forwards the request to the real server. Proxy servers can also be used to filter requests. For example, a company might use a proxy server to prevent its employees from accessing a specific set of Web sites.

Router
A device that connects two LANs. Routers are similar to bridges, but provide additional functionality, such as the ability to filter messages and forward them to different places based on various criteria. The Internet uses routers extensively to forward packets from one host to another.

Spam Tools
Programs created to assist with sending spam.

Splitterless
"Splitterless ADSL" refers to the fact that this particular version of the technology does not require an in-house installation by a qualified technician of a special filter known as a POTS Splitter. Instead, the splitterless ADSL service relies on the installation of small in-line filters at each telephone set.

Streaming
A method of delivering information (usually sound and/or video) over the Internet such that it can be played on a receiving computer at the same time it is being delivered.

Subnet
A portion of a network that shares a common address component. On TCP/IP networks, subnets are defined as all devices whose IP addresses have the same prefix. For example, all devices with IP addresses that start with 100.100.100 would be part of the same subnet. Dividing a network into subnets is useful for both security and performance reasons. IP networks are divided using a subnet mask.

Telnet
A terminal emulation program for TCP/IP networks such as the Internet. The Telnet program runs on your computer and connects your PC to a server on the network. You can then enter commands through the Telnet program and they will be executed as if you were entering them directly on the server console. This enables you to control the server and communicate with other servers on the network. To start a Telnet session, you must log into a server by entering a valid username and password. Telnet is the most common way to remotely control Web servers.

Trojans
Programs that install secretly and quietly - usually intended to cause harm.

VADSL
Very-High-Rate Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A high-speed Internet access technology.

Viruses
Programs that spread automatically by infesting other files on your PC, and then spreading themselves to the other computers.

Web Server
This is a computer that delivers (serves up) Web pages. Every Web server has an IP address and possibly a domain name. For example, if you enter the URL http://www1.sympatico.ca/Tools/ into your browser, a request is sent to the server with the domain name: sympatico.ca. The server then fetches the page named Tools and sends it to your browser.

Any computer can be turned into a Web server by installing server software and connecting it to the Internet. There are many Web server software applications, including public domain software from NCSA and commercial packages from Microsoft, Netscape, and others.

*Sentex Customer Support does not provide support for Web servers.

Worms
Virus-like programs that contain destructive code and can spread itself to the other computers.




 

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