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Jargon Buster
The du Pré Jargon Buster found the following for - ANos A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Term
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Explanation
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| A End | A BT term. The address of the premises which is to receive and pay the telephone bill. See B End | |
| AC | An electrical term, referring to Alternating Current. The opposite of Direct Current | |
| AC15A | The type of signalling used on an analogue ‘Speech Line’ which joins two telephone systems. Can use DTMF, requires a 4-wire Speech Line and copes with any distance | |
| AC15C | The type of signalling used on an analogue Speech Line which joins a 2-wire device (such as a POT) to an extension port of a telephone system. Can use DTMF, requires a 4-wire Speech Line, and copes with any distance | |
| Accelerator card | Used to speed up certain process, such as graphics performance | |
| Access Control | Refers to mechanisms and policies that restrict access to computer resources. An access control list (ACL), for example, specifies what operations different users can perform on specific files and directories. | |
| Access Control Method | This is the main distinguishing feature between different LAN technologies. It regulates each workstation's physical access to the cable (transmission medium), directs traffic around the network and determines the order in which nodes gain access such that each user receives an efficient service. Access methods include Token Ring, Arcnet and FDDI, and Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) employed by Ethernet | |
| Access Line | A type of BT Private Circuit | |
| ACD | Automatic Call Distribution. A program in a telephone system which handles telephone calls in a sophisticated manner. Extensions are called 'turrents', and those who handle calls are called ‘agents'. ACD is typically used to distribute large volumes of incoming telephone calls uniformly from a queue to agent positions. The calls may be distributed to the agents on a priority basis using a variety of definable criteria | |
| ACR | see Anonymous Call Reject | |
| Actinic Catalog | A complete end to end e-business software solution. One of the market leaders for small businesses | |
| Active Content | Active Content refers to material which is downloaded that makes something happen as opposed to static content, such as text or simple images, which does nothing but get displayed. Active Content includes such things as JavaScript animations, Active X controls, Java spreadsheets...anything that actually does something. | |
| Active X | ActiveX is Microsoft's answer to the Java technology from Sun Microsystems. An ActiveX control is roughly equivalent to a Java applet. ActiveX is the name Microsoft has given to a set of "strategic" object-oriented program technologies and tools. The main thing that you create when writing a program to run in the ActiveX environment is a component, a self-sufficient program that can be run anywhere in your ActiveX network (currently a network consisting of Windows and Macintosh systems). This component is known as an ActiveX control. | |
| Adaptive equalisation | A method by which a modem compensates for different telephone line attenuation characteristics | |
| Address | One or a group of Characters that specifies the recipient or originator of transmitted data. Alternatively, an address may denote the position of a piece of data in a computer memory, or the packet itself whilst in transit through the network. IEEE 802.3 and 802.5 recommend a unique address for each and every device world wide | |
| Address Book | An automated e-mail address directory that allows you to address your messages easily. Generally comes in personal and public versions. | |
| Address Resolution Protocol | Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). A protocol for mapping an Internet Protocol address (IP address) to a physical machine address that is recognized in the local network | |
| Adjusted Ring Length | A Token Ring term. Since Token Ring is a dual ring, when a segment of trunk cable fails, the wrap feature connects the main path to the back up path. The worse case, which is the longer path, would be brought about by the failure of the shorter trunk cable segment. To compensate for the worse case, the Adjusted Ring Length (ARL) is calculated during network design to ensure the system will always work | |
| ADN | All Digit Number. Telephone numbers used to incorporate letters, usually taken from the name of the area in which the local telephone exchange was located. These were later replaced by ADNs when STD dialling was introduced | |
| ADPCM | Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation. An encoding technique for digitising analogue voice signals | |
| ADS | BT's Advanced Data Services. Offerings include BT's Cellstream, Framestream, SHDS and IPStream
A new class of service will be available for FrameStream, CellStream and SMDS services from early next 2001, known as “IP-enabling”, acknowledging that most traffic carried over FrameStream, CellStream and SMDS networks is IP based. The new option will give clients the choice of routing IP traffic to BT’s IP network, and thereby benefit from the “any to any” connectivity capability, whilst simultaneously routing “mainstream” traffic over their existing network service The new option will bring other customer benefits, i) Access to an IP-network from their existing BT network service - without significant additional cost or disruption ii) An integrated solution that allows for intercommunication between all connected sites, such as between SMDS and FrameStream sites, or FrameStream and Dial IP iii) The ability to test the performance of an “IP service” without changing their network or supplier iv) A migration path that allows their network to evolve at the pace they choose |
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| ADSL | A service offered by BT. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Asymmetric capability suitable for high speed web browsing, e-mail and other Internet applications. Can also be used to deliver video on demand. Data rates are <8 Mbit/s downstream, and <640Kbit/s upstream. These rates are theoretical and have not yet been implemented by anyone, including BT, in the UK. PSTN can be used on the same line if a splitter is used. Max distance at 8Mbit/s is 1km, 2Mbit/s is 5km. By Spring 2000, 400 BT exchanges will be equipped to handle ADSL - see Contention / Contested, xDSL, HDSL, DSL Lite & VDSL | |
| Advanced Feature Plan | A BT term. Associted with BT's Inbound Services | |
| Advanced Features | A BT term, associated with Inbound Services. Advanced Features are a range of network based features offering additional functionality to BT Inbound Services calls. The Service Provider will rent a number or range of numbers and a range of features, as required. These are built up into an Advanced Feature Plan, which routes calls depending on various criteria. A call supplement may apply to numbers using Advanced Features. Whilst features are available on an individual basis, the full scope of Advanced Features are only appreciated when inter-linked in many combinations to meet individual customer call routing requirements. These features are again enhanced by the power of IS control services available to the SP, for example, in the form of On-line Full control editing of call plans and/or Simple Control changes to features within plans via On-line or Web access. It is essential therefore for Advanced Features to be presented as a complete package of features and control at every opportunity. Inbound Services Advanced Features give businesses flexibility and versatility in the way that they manage their Inbound calls. This in turn means that businesses can answer more calls more effectively, keeping business costs to a minimum and capturing more of their business where calls would have gone unanswered. Advanced Features are: AreaLink BusyLink CommandLink CourtesyLink DateLink DayLink DistributionLink Divert Busy/No Reply DivertLink Enhanced AreaLink GroupLink MessageLink OptionLink QueueLink SelectLink TimeLink |
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| AF | Audio Frequency. Frequencies able to be heard by man, typically between 20Hz and 20kHz | |
| AFC | Automatic Frequency Control. A term often relating to radio transmission, where AFC keeps a receiver tuned to the exact frequency of the broadcasting station | |
| AGC | Automatic Gain Control. A term often relating to radio transmission which matches the sensitivity of the receiver to the strength of the incoming signal | |
| Agent | An ACD telephone system term. An Agent is someone whose task it is to make or take telephone calls as part of a Call Centre operation. The extension used is called a Turret | |
| Aggregator | see Channel Aggregator | |
| AGP | Advanced Graphics Port. A graphics standard which works in the same way as PCI, except it is specifically developed for graphics | |
| Algorithm | A sequence of ordered instructions for solving a problem which computer programs follow to perform tasks | |
| ALR | A BT term. Access Line Rate | |
| Altavista | An internet search engine provided free of charge by Digital Equipment Corporation | |
| altohiway | An Internet Service Provider. The renamed Hiway since June 2000 | |
| AM | see Amplitude Modulation | |
| Amp | The abbreviation of Ampere | |
| Ampere | A unit of current, defined as that which when flowing in two parallel conductors, each infinitely thin and long, one metre apart in a vacuum, will produce a force between the conductors of 2 x 10 to the power of -7 Newtons per metre length. Formerly defined by means of the rate of deposition of silver from a solution of silver nitrate and slightly less than the practical unit now in use | |
| Amplitude Modulation | A term often relating to radio transmission | |
| Analogue Signal | An infinitely variable signal, whether electrical or otherwise. Typically, sound or speech | |
| ANI | American term for CLIP | |
| Anisochronous | Term given to a data channel for asynchronous transmission | |
| Anonymous Call Reject | A service offered by BT. Available from 1st March 2000, Anonymous Call Reject (ACR) is available on single line PSTN and the analogue lines of BT Highway. It is not available on PSTN multi-line, ISDN lines or the digital service of BT Highway. ACR enables subscribers to block incoming calls from callers who have specifically withheld their number (CLI). It will not block calls where the CLI is ‘unavailable’ which is the message delivered when the call comes from a network that does not support CLI and Call Return type services. This could be from another network, such as some mobile networks, from a caller using a Chargecard, or from calls where the message ‘Payphone’, ‘International’, or ‘Operator’ is delivered. Many companies, including public services such as hospitals, Fire Brigades, Doctors, Police Forces and public utilities, will not be able to contact customers who are using ACR due to their switchboard network. Hence, all subscribers who request ACR should be aware of the limitations of the service. An alternative to ACR is BT's ‘Choose to Refuse’. |
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| ANSI | American National Standards Institute. A voluntary organisation that oversees the setting of standards in the USA, and represents the USA in some of the international standards setting arenas | |
| Anti-Replay Service | With Anti-Replay Service, each IP packet passing within the secure association is tagged with a sequence number. On the receiving end, each packet's sequence number is checked to see if it falls within a specified range. If an IP packet tag number falls outside of the range, the packet is blocked. | |
| AOC | A telephony term. Advice Of Charge. A BT service for advising subscribers of the cost of each telephone call. AOC-D (Advice Of Charge - During) advises the cost of a call as it is being made. AOC-S (Advice Of Charge - Specific) advises the rate of charge of the call just dialled but before connection. AOC-E (Advice Of Charge - End) advises the cost of the call just completed. Accurate to within 5p per call. All advice is on the line that made the call | |
| AOL | America Online. One of the Internet’s most popular online services | |
| API | Application Programming Interface. Software that links two programs, such as a telephone system program to a CTI program. Software designed to make a computer's facilities accessible to an application program; all operating systems and network operating systems have APIs. In a networking environment, it is essential that various machines' APIs are compatible, otherwise programs would be exclusive to the machines in which they reside. As networking has developed, some APIs have become defacto standards, including Net Bios and DOS3.1 |
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| APNSS | Analogue Private Network Signalling System. Inter-PABX signalling system. By definition, Transmits voice, only. Slower and more restricted than its digital counterpart, DPNSS | |
| APPC | A version of the Advanced Program to Program Communications (APPC) developed by IBM. Its original function was in mainframe environments, enabling different programs on different machines to communicate with one another, as equals. This is a departure from earlier program to program communications in the mainframe environment, where the mainframe acted as host or master and other computers were treated as terminals or slaves. APPC facilitates distributed computing applications, that is, applications which have several parts residing on different machines. APPC is an interface designed to ensure that different machines on a network talk to one other as necessary. | |
| Applet | A JAVA program which can be embedded in a web page | |
| AppleTalk | A stack of OSI-compliant protocols that is media independent and able to run on Ethernet, Token Ring and LocalTalk | |
| Application Gateway | An Application Gateway looks at data at the see Application Layer of the protocol stack and serve as proxies for outside users, intercepting packets and forwarding them to the application. Thus, outside users never have a direct connection to anything beyond the firewall. The fact that the firewall looks at this application information means that it can distinguish among such things as telnet, file transfer protocol (FTP), or Lotus Notes traffic. Because the Application Gateway understands these protocols, it provides security for each application it supports. | |
| Application Layer | This is the seventh layer of the seven layer OSI data communications model, drawn up by the ISO. Layer seven provides the interface between the end user's application and the communication system. Its function is to present the end user application with the various available services, including file transfer and electronic mail | |
| Application Level Firewall | see Application Gateway. | |
| Application software | Software that carries out some task which is of use to the user, as opposed to the NOS Network Operating System, or system software, which is transparent to the user. Applications programs include spreadsheets, data bases, graphics, word-processing and communications packages | |
| Approval Number | Until 1996, BABT would test and award an Approval Number to any piece of equipment that was to be connected to a PTO. Since then, the approval process has been widened to include other authorised bodies. see ‘Green Circle’. Equipment that has not been approved, is called Unapproved, and bears a Red Triangle |
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| Approved | see Approval Number | |
| APPS | A BT term. Apparatus | |
| AR | A BT term. Annual Rental | |
| Architecture | Normally used to describe how a piece of hardware or software is constructed and which Protocols and Interfaces are required for communications. Network architecture specifies the functions and data transmission formats needed to convey information across a network from end-user to end-user. The main PC architectures are ISA, EISA, MCA and PCI |
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| Archiving | An archive is a collection of computer files that have been packaged together for backup, to transport to some other location, for saving away from the computer so that more hard disk storage can be made available, or for some other purpose. An archive can include a simple list of files or files organized under a directory or catalog structure (depending on how a particular program supports archiving). | |
| AreaLink | A BT term. Associted with BT's Advanced Features. PSTN calls routed according to geographic origination. Mobile calls can be bulk routed or based on the nearest BT interconnect point mapping. Calls delivered to whichever destination is designated to cover the given area national entities appear 'local' enables a company's resources to be varied to meet changing calling patterns. | |
| ARL | Adjusted Ring Length. A Token Ring term. | |
| Armoured Cable | Cable with strong wire wrapping to protect it from being accidentally damaged. Hence, suitable for burying in open ground without further protection | |
| ARP | see Address Resolution Protocol. | |
| Arpanet | One of the networks which was the model for the Internet | |
| ARQ | Automatic Repeat Request. A method of error correction whereby a transmitting terminal is instructed to retransmit and data blocks found by the receiving terminal to contain errors | |
| ARS | Alternative Route Selection. Where a telephone system can automatically choose a less cost PTO for a particular call and dial accordingly. Used to be known as LCR | |
| ASCII | American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A means of encoding characters into bits. Uses a 7-bit code with an eighth bit as a parity check. The seven bits give 128 combinations, 32 of which are reserved for control functions. ASCII is the most commonly agreed data code for 8-bit groups, called bytes | |
| Assymetric Encryption | Asymmetric or public key cryptography is based on the concept of a key pair. Each half of the pair (one key) can encrypt information so that only the other half (the other key) can decrypt it. One part of the key pair, the private key, is known only by the designated owner; the other part, the public key, is published widely but is still associated with the owner. | |
| Asymmetric | Not symmetrical, not the same | |
| Asynchronous | Used where data is sent at rates <2,400bit/s, and where gaps may occur in the transmitted bytes of unknown lengths. Less efficient than synchronous transmission since start and stop bits have to be added to each byte making its length 10 bits | |
| ATM | Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A cell switching technology that carries multiple information types such as voice and video, as well as data, on the same network. A connection orientated technology which switches fixed size packets of information called cells, each of 53 bytes length, in order to deliver the correct quality of service for each application | |
| Attachment | A file that a user adds to an email message to transfer it to another user. | |
| Attenuation | Where signal strength is reduced, normally related to the distance it has to travel as well as the medium over which it is travelling | |
| Audit Trail | A network auditing trail is a continuous record of a network's activity. A useful network management tool since it shows how resources are being used, and hence where problems may lie | |
| AUI | Attachment Unit Interface. Normally, a 15 way D type connector. Specified in IEEE 802.3 as the interface between the Ethernet transceiver and the network device | |
| Authentication | The process of determining the identity of a user that is attempting to access a network. Authentication occurs through challenge/response, time-based code sequences or other techniques. See CHAP and PAP. | |
| Authentication Header | The Authentication Header is a mechanism for providing strong integrity and authentication for IP datagrams. It might also provide non-repudiation, depending on which cryptographic algorithm is used and how keying is performed. For example, use of an asymmetric digital signature algorithm, such as RSA, could provide non-repudiation. See RSA. | |
| Authorisation | The process of determining what types of activities or access are permitted on a network. Usually used in the context of see authentication. Once you have authenticated a user, they may be authorised to have access to a specific service. | |
| Autonomy | Refers to the period of time a battery will keep supplying power at a particular rate | |
| Auxiliary Working | If more than one exchange line (or channel) is allocated to a telephone number, the additional lines are said to be auxiliary working - see Main Directory Number | |
| AXE10 | A BT System Y telephone exchange |