General networking terms¶
- API (Application Programming Interface)
A software component that allows applications to share data and functionality
- CA (Certification Authority)
A trusted entity that issues, signs, and stores digital certificates
- CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing)
An internet protocol addressing method that improves the efficiency of allocating IP addresses
- CLI (Command line Interface)
A text-based interface for applications and operating systems that allows a user to enter commands
- DNS (Domain Name System)
The system by which computers and other devices on the internet or internet protocol networks are uniquely identified using names matched to their IP addresses
- ESX (Elastic Sky X)
A pre-configured, ready-to-deploy virtual machine (VM) designed to run on VMware ESX or ESXi
- Fault tolerance
A system’s ability to continue operating without interruptions in the event of hardware or software failure
- Hyper-V
A pre-configured, ready-to-deploy virtual machine designed to run on Microsoft Hyper-V, typically packaged in VHD/VHDX format
- IP address
A unique numerical label assigned to a networked device
- IPFIX (Internet Protocol Flow Information Export)
A protocol intended to collect and analyze the flow data from supported network devices
- KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
A pre-configured virtual machine designed to run on KVM hypervisors, packaged in formats like QCOW2 or OVA for easy deployment in Linux-based virtualization environments
- LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
An open, cross-platform protocol used to authenticate and store information about users, groups, and applications
- MAC (Media Access Control) address
A unique hardware identifier typically assigned by manufacturers to network adapters and devices
- OVF (Open Virtualization Format)
An open source standard for packaging and distributing virtual machines and software applications
- Packet
A block of data transmitted across a network
- Redundancy
The state of having duplicate or alternative services as backups to allow for continuous availability
- Router
A device that forwards or routes data packets to devices on a network
- Server
A system or device that provides resources, data, services, or applications to other devices over a network
- SSH (Secure Shell Protocol)
A network communication protocol that allows network services to be used securely over an unsecured network
- SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
A protocol for establishing secure connections between networked devices
- Switch
A device that connects devices in a network and allows them to communicate with each other
- Syslog
A standard for message logging that allows a wide variety of networked devices to share the same repositories and management systems
- UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
A communication protocol used by applications to send messages to other hosts on an internet protocol network via low-latency, loss-tolerating connections
- Virtual appliance
A pre-configured virtual machine image with pre-installed software meant to serve a specific function