the Internet (or any TCP/IP network). Each address
consists of four octets (32 bits), represented as decimal
numbers separated by periods (a format known as
"dotted-decimal"). Every address is made up of a net-
work number, an optional subnetwork number, and a
host number. The network and subnetwork numbers
together are used for routing, while the host number
addresses an individual host within the network or
subnetwork. The network and subnetwork informa-
tion is extracted from the IP address using the subnet
mask. There are five classes of IP addresses (AE),
which allocate different numbers of bits to the net-
work, subnetwork, and host portions of the address.
See also: CIDR, IP, and subnet mask.
endpoints or from multiple sources to many destina-
tions. Instead of transmitting only one packet to each
individual point of destination, one packet is sent to a
multicast group specified by only one IP endpoint
address for the group.
for transferring information from servers to worksta-
tions. Similar to IP and XNS.
and PPP.
After the link is up and the options have been agreed
upon by the two end-to-end links, normal IPX trans-
mission begins.
protocol that allows telephone networks to carry data,
voice, and other digital traffic. See also: BISDN, BRI,
and PRI.
voice services, data, and out-of-band management. In
addition, the D-channel function of BRI is used for
replacement of legacy X.25 networks. ISDN BRI is a
192Kbps circuit that is divided into three distinct
channels. The two primary data channels are the B
channels. Each B channel provides 64Kbps. The third
channel provides 16Kbps of bandwidth for commands
and signaling, and is referred to as the D channel.
internetwork. Frame tagging is a way to identify the
VLAN membership of a frame as it traverses a
switched internetwork.
stant bit rate for reliable transport. Compare with:
asynchronous transmission and synchronous trans-
mission.
need to be repeated in order to solve the problem at
hand.
group of engineers that develops worldwide standards
for telecommunications technologies.
within a limited geographical area (up to a few kilo-
meters). LANs are typically high-speed, low-error net-
works within a company. Cabling and signaling at the
Physical and Data-Link layers of the OSI are dictated
by LAN standards. Ethernet, FDDI, and Token Ring
are among the most popular LAN technologies. Com-
pare with: MAN.
do so, the ATM network is required to provide multi-
cast and broadcast support, address mapping (MAC-
to-ATM), SVC management, in addition to an opera-
ble packet format. Additionally, LANE defines Ether-
net and Token Ring ELANs. See also: ELAN.