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
- Fault tolerance
- A system’s ability to continue operating without interruptions in the event of a hardware or software failure
- IP address
- A unique numerical label assigned to a networked device
- IPFIX (Internet Protocol Flow Information Export)
- A protocol that standardizes Internet Protocol flow information from networked devices
- 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
- Duplicated or alternative network devices and connections meant to serve as a failsafes against the primary service becoming unavailable
- 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