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Jargon Buster
The du Pré Jargon Buster found the following for - CNos 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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| c | see NVP | |
| C reference point | An ISDN term. The interface between a leased line (voice or data) and the CPE | |
| CA | see Certificate of Authority | |
| Cable Length | The actual physical length of a cable | |
| Cable Loss | The see attenuation of signals, caused by cable characteristics, normally quoted in see decibels (dB) for specific frequencies | |
| Cache Memory | Extra fast RAM that speeds up operation by storing frequently used bits of information for easy access | |
| CAD | Computer Aided Design. Enables the creation of 3-D designs in colour | |
| Call Alert | see BT Call Alert | |
| Call Back Resale | Where a subscriber dials a specific number in another country which ‘prompts’ an immediate automatic return call with the ability then to dial on that other country’s network, anywhere in the world, at the Call Back operator’s rates, only | |
| Call Barring | i) A BT Select Service - see BT Call Barring ii) The ability to bar differing types of outgoing and incoming calls, depending upon the CPE and the PTO's local telephone exchange, respectively |
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| Call Centre | A department or part of an organisation where staff work intensely with the telephone, in a specific manner, usually making use of ACD | |
| Call Collision | Where an outbound call collides with an incoming call. For example, call collision can occur when a Voicemail system is not integrated with a telephone system, and therefore connected by POT telephone extensions. An incoming call can be presented to the Voicemail just as the Voicemail is about to outdial an extension to notify the user of a message. The incoming call collides with the outgoing message notification. |
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| Call Deflection | see BT Call Deflection | |
| Call Management Information | see BT Call Management Information | |
| Call Minder | see BT Call Minder | |
| Call Redirect | see BT Call Redirect | |
| Call Return | see BT Call Return | |
| Call Waiting | see BT Call Waiting | |
| Calling Party Clear | CPC. CPC is a signal the local PTO exchange sends down a PSTN line when a caller hangs up, indicating the end of the call. Normally, upon recognition of CPC, the telephone system would release the exchange line, making it available for further use | |
| CAPI | The Common ISDN Application Programming Interface. An association which develops communication technologies to provide a uniform independent interface to ISDN hardware components. Based in Berlin, Germany, the CAPI Association is a registered non-profit organisation. | |
| Carrier | A continuous frequency capable of being modulated or impressed with a second data carrying signal | |
| Carrier Class | Carrier Class refers to the build quality of an exchange. It will offer carrier grade quality of service and reliability, and extensive redundancy. | |
| Carrier Pre-Selection | Where dialled calls are automatically routed away from BT to another carrier - for an explanation, see carrier pre-selection | |
| Cat | An abbreviation for Category. For example, Cat 5 means Category 5 | |
| Category 5 (Cat 5) | A cabling standard reflecting transmission speeds of up to 100Mbit/s | |
| Category 5e (Cat 5e) | As Cat 5, but able to accept Gigabit Ethernet. Ratification document is EIA-568-A-5 | |
| Category 6 (Cat 6) | A proposed cabling standard, reflecting transmission speeds of up to 350Mbit/s | |
| Catenary wire | Cable that has a steel straining wire within it, for overhead use. Sometimes referred to as Drop Wire. | |
| CC | A BT term. Connection Charge | |
| CCD | A BT term. Customer Confirmed Date. The date BT has stated by which service will be provided | |
| CCITT | Committee Consultif International Telegraphe et Telephone. The standards body in existence since 1956, renamed by the UN as the ITU-TSS. Based in Geneva | |
| CCS | Common Channel Signalling system. Enables communication between processors | |
| CCU | Another term for the CPU of a telephone system | |
| CDMA | A cellular radio term. Code Division Multiple Access. The most common and most recent digital cellular technology in North America. What differentiate CDMA from other phone technologies is that in order to carry many conversations over one frequency, it sends all communications in groups of bits mixed altogether, but tags each group, belonging to a specific communication, with a different code. Therefore, at the other end, each communication can be reassembled in the correct order, based on the unique codes attached to certain groups of bits | |
| CD-ROM | Compact Disk-Read Only Memory. High capacity storage using CDs that look like audio CDs. Can store data, pictures, video and sound | |
| CE | A European standard which infers conformity to electrical safety and EMC standards. To be valid, a CE mark must have a three digit approval number after it, followed by a ‘crossed hockey-sticks’ symbol. All telecoms equipment, and IT equipment for connection to the telecoms network, must carry this symbol as well as the Green Circle BABT approval symbol | |
| CEC | Commission of the European Communities, formed by the EEC | |
| Cell Relay | Protocol based on small fixed packet sizes. Capable of supporting voice, video and data at very hig speeds | |
| Cell-switched networks | Networks that use fixed packet lengths, called cells, rather than the variable packet lengths typically supported by see packet switched networks. With fixed packet lengths, switching, routing, and error checking are greatly simplified. The effect is high bandwidth, reduced message queuing, and faster routing | |
| CELP | Codebook Excited Linear Projection. Encoding technique for digitising analogue voice signals. A prediction is made as to the composition of the voice signal using lookup tables of voice characteristics, and a data code is then forwarded. A very efficient way of encoding. Bandwidth can be as low as 4kHz per channel, although quality can be compromised at this level | |
| CEN | see CENELEC | |
| CENELEC | European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation. CENELEC, together with CEN, are the two official European bodies responsible for standard setting. Both are responsible to the see ISO. The main thrust of their work is functional standards for see OSI related technologies | |
| Central Office | The term used in the USA for the PTO’s local telephone exchange | |
| Centrex | A facility where a client is able to rent from a PTO part of its exchange, thereby using exchange lines as extensions. Central Exchange | |
| Centronics Interface | A standard parallel interface used to connect a PC to a printer | |
| CEPT | The European Conference of the Postal Telecommunications Administration. An organisation of the European PTOs | |
| Certificate Authority | A Certificate Authority is an authority in a network that issues and manages security credentials and public keys for message encryption and decryption. As part of a public key infrastructure (PKI), a CA checks with a registration authority (RA) to verify information provided by the requestor of a digital certificate. If the RA verifies the requestor's information, the CA can then issue a certificate | |
| CES1000 | A BT SHDS term. Channel Extension Service – Fibre Channel Extension. BT provides any necessary equipment | |
| CGI | Common Gateway Interface. A standard for interfacing external applications with information servers, such as HTTP or Web servers. A plain HTML document that the Web daemon retrieves is static, which means it exists in a constant state: a text file that doesn't change. A CGI program, on the other hand, is executed in real-time, so that it can output dynamic information | |
| CGI Exploit | When a denial of service attack is aimed at the CGI, it is referred to as a CGI Exploit. The CGI (common gateway interface) is a standard way for a Web server to pass a Web user's request to an application program and to receive data back to forward to the user. It is part of the Web's HTTP protocol | |
| Challenge Response | A common authentication technique whereby an individual is prompted (the challenge) to provide some private information (the response). Most security systems that rely on smart cards are based on Challenge Response. A user is given a code (the challenge) which he or she enters into the smart card. The smart card then displays a new code (the response) that the user can present to log in. | |
| Channel | The ISDN term for an exchange line. The line down which information is passed on the telecommunications network | |
| Channel Aggregator | Re-synchronises information that has been sent over two or more ISDN lines so that it arrives at its destination in a coherent state | |
| CHAP | Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. An Authentication technique where after a link is established, a server sends a challenge to the requestor. The requestor responds with a value obtained by using a one-way hash function. The server checks the response by comparing it its own calculation of the expected hash value. If the values match, the authentication is acknowledged otherwise the connection is usually terminated. | |
| Character | see Byte | |
| Charge Unit | The BT equivalent of a Meter Pulse. A Charge Unit had a fixed fee (typically 3p + VAT, each). Hence, a subscriber's bill could be calculated by multiplying this fee against the number of Charge Units used. See Meter Pulsing | |
| Checksum | A Checksum is a count of the number of bits in a transmission unit that is included with the unit so the receiver can check to see whether the same number of bits arrived. If the counts match, it's assumed that the complete transmission was received. | |
| Chip | see Processor | |
| Choose To Refuse | A service provided by BT on their PSTN lines, including the analogue lines of BT Highway. It is not available on ISDN lines or the digital service of BT Highway Choose To Refuse (CTR) enables subscribers selectively to bar unwanted callers without barring all ‘number withheld’ calls (see Anonymous Call Reject (ACR)), by allowing the subscriber to keep a list of 10 callers from which their phoneline will not accept calls. Typically useful as a short term strategy for preventing nuisance callers such as persistent telemarketing organisations and estranged family or associates The benefit of CTR over ACR is that subscribers have control of the service so they know who they are barring |
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| CILE | Call Information Logging Equipment port on a telephone system. Often referred to as a V24 port or RS 232 port | |
| CIR | A Frame Relay term. Committed Information Rate (bits/s). The bandwidth value that a Frame Relay network provider commits to making available to a customer. Thus a customer buys CIR | |
| Circuit Level Gateway | Circuit Level Gateways run proxy applications at the session layer instead of the application layer. They can't distinguish different applications that run on the same protocol stack. However, these gateways don't need a new module for every new application, either. Circuit Level Gateway is a firewall feature which can, when needed, serve as an alternative to packet filtering or application gateway functionality. | |
| CISC | Complex Instruction Set Computer. A type of architecture used in Intel’s Pentium processor chips. Not as fast as the RISC design used in the Pentium II | |
| Class of Service | See CoS. | |
| CLI | A BT Digital Select Service. Calling Line Identification. The telephone number of the caller which will be transmitted to the called party as soon as the called party’s telephone rings | |
| Client | A client is the requesting program or user in a client/server relationship. For example, the user of a Web browser is effectively making client requests for pages from servers all over the Web. The browser itself is a client in its relationship with the computer that is getting and returning the requested HTML file. | |
| Client Server | Network arrangement with one or more powerful computers at the centre and less powerful workstations at the periphery | |
| CLIP | A BT Digital Select Service. Calling Line Identification Presentation. Where the telephone number of the calling party, the CLI is presented to the called party, typically in the LCD of the telephone | |
| Clock Speed | The rate at which the processor chip handles information. The higher the clock speed, the faster the processor will work | |
| CLZ | A BT term. Central London Zone | |
| CMI | A service provided by BT - see BT Call Management Information | |
| CMI | Call Management Information. Information which has been collated on incoming and outgoing telephone calls | |
| CNE | Certified Novell Engineer | |
| CNI | Ceased Number Intercept. A service provided by BT. Now called Call Redirect | |
| CO | see Central Office | |
| Coax | Co-axial cable. Two core cable. One is the centre core. The other is multi-strand woven to form a shield around the cable | |
| CODEC | A codifier/decodifier. Currently used with the ISDN network to allow high quality speech to be transmitted down the 64Kbit/s B channels | |
| Collision | A collision occurs when, for example, two workstations try to use the same cable at the same time, and their electrical signals run into each other. This renders both sets of data useless, so both have to be re-sent. A delay mechanism used by both senders considerably reduces the chances of another | |
| COM | A BT SMDS term. Continuation of Message of an SMDS sequencing header | |
| CommandLink | A BT term. Associted with BT's Advanced Features. An unexpected emergency arises - fire, flood - but you do not lose service. You're moving premises - yet you continue to provide uninterrupted service. You are unexpectedly hit by an avalanche of calls - but you answer all the calls. | |
| Connex | A BT term. Connection | |
| Content Blocking | The ability to block network traffic based on actual packet content. | |
| Content Scanning | The ability to review the actual information that an end user sees when using a specific Internet application. For example, the content of e-mail. | |
| Content Screening | see Content Scanning. | |
| Content Virus | See Data Driven Attack. Commonly protected against with a virus scanner | |
| Contention / Contested | The way each device on the network ‘contends’ for bandwidth and transmission time. In a contention based system, any computer may attempt to communicate at any time since there is no centralised control forcing the computers to take turns when sharing the medium. If two computers send at the same time, the result is a garbled message called a collision. For example: i) Ethernet networks use contention ii) Ethernet networks use contention iii) A contested service is where two or more users share the same connection. For example, the Business service of ADSL is contested at a ratio of up to 20:1 on the local connection between the user and the IP backbone. The Home version is contested at up to 50:1, which means that up to 50 users might share the same 2Mb local connection to the backbone In practice this is rarely as bad as it sounds. Firstly, because ADSL has not yet reached saturation point. Secondly, because Ethernet traffic is 'bursty' by nature and does not generally need a sustained transfer rate. In most settings, ADSL is actually contested at three points between the end user and the internet, a) The local contention of 20:1 or 50:1 between the user and the IP backbone b) The interconnection between the IP backbone and the ISP. Here, the contention ratio is set by the ISP themselves c) The contention ratio between the ISP and the internet. This, again, is set by the ISP and depends on the number of concurrent users of that ISP and their interconnection into the internet backbone itself |
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| Contiguous | A telephony term meaning consecutive, relating to telephone numbers | |
| CoS | Class of Service: i) In data terms, a 3-bit field within a layer two Ethernet frame header, which specifies a priority value between 0 (signifying best effort) and 5 (signifying priority real-time data) that can be used by Quality of Service disciplines to differentiate traffic. ii) When applicable to telephone systems, COS typically refers to programmed restrictions of operation, such as Day or Night service. |
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| Course Wave Division Multiplexing | A technology which provides immense throughput, using 2 or 8 different light colours, each of which is used to carry a data stream. The maximum is 8 x 2.5Gbit/s | |
| CourtesyLink | A BT term. Associted with BT's Advanced Features. Caller is not faced with an unanswered call. Caller receives a helpful announcement if the call is not completed. Caller can be encouraged to try again rather than trying a competitor | |
| CPC | Calling Party Clear | |
| CPE | Customer Premises Equipment. Any cabling or equipment which is connected to a PTO, typically to the PTO’s NTTP or NT1 | |
| CPI | A Panasonic term. Calling Party Information. The details of an incoming call | |
| cps | i) Cycles per second. The more modern term is Hertz ii) see Carrier Pre-Selection |
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| CPU | i) Central Processor Unit, often called a CCU, Central Control Unit. The main part of telephone system to which all extensions and incoming telephones lines are connected ii) Central Processing Unit. Usually refers to the box that holds all the main component of a computer |
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| CR | A service provided by BT - see BT Call Redirect | |
| CRA | Call Routing Apparatus, such as a keyphone telephone system | |
| CRC | A Frame Relay term. Cyclic Redundancy Check. A computational means to ensure the accuracy of frames transmitted between devices in a network. The mathematical function is computed, before the frame is transmitted, at the originating device. Its numeric value is computed based on the content of the frame. This value is compared with a recomputed value of the function at the destination device | |
| CRD | A BT term. Customer Requirement Date. The date on which a BT customer requires BT to provide particular work or services | |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management. Often refers to specialist sales and marketing software such as Goldmine | |
| CRM SDS | CRM Software Development Specialist | |
| CROS | A BT Acquisition term. Commission Ordering and Reporting System | |
| Crosstalk | The interference of one signal by another such that both can be detected to a greater lesser degree | |
| CSGS | A BT term. Customer Service Guarantee Scheme. Forms part of BT's Conditions for Telephone Service | |
| CSMA/CD | Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detection. A contention based network access method. One of the major classes of media access technology, used in LANs, particularly Ethernet. Specified in IEEE 802.3 | |
| CSP | Complete Savings Plan – a BT call discount product | |
| CSTA | Computer Supported Telephony Applications. Same as CTI | |
| CT1 | Analogue cordless telephony using both 47MHz and 1.7MHz | |
| CT2 | Digital cordless telephony but with only interim ETSI approval. Using 900MHz | |
| CTI | Computer Telephony Integration. Technology which enables the program of a telephone system to integrate with a computer or LAN by using an Application Programming Interface | |
| CTR | see Choose To Refuse | |
| CTR | i) Common Technical Regulation. These will replace NETs. As such, they will become the mandatory standards for the attachment of terminals for member states ii) see Choose to Refuse |
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| Cuckoo Tone | A BT Term. The sound all BT payphones, but only some private payphones, emit on answering an incoming call. Typically used to alert a PTO operator to the common scam of being asked to put a reverse charge call through to a payphone. Without this tone, the operator would not know it was a payphone, and the reverse charge call would be connected and charged to the subscriber of the line, not the person using the payphone. Note that whereas UK operators know of this tone, some international operators may not | |
| CUG | Closed User Group. Allows a group of users to appear to be attached to their own network. Allows the restriction of calls made by the user group to within the group itself | |
| Curtilage | Boundary. Used when referring to a client’s property boundary | |
| CWD | Clear Working Days |