A

A five-digit number that the BBSM software generates for access to the Internet.

An access policy defines how an end user gains access to the Internet through BBSM. The access policy is the BBSM logic that controls the duration of the Internet access for the end user.

BBSM ships with several access policy modules. An access policy controls the web user interface that an end user experiences before the session is active, and it also monitors the end user's session while it is active. An integrator can create a new access policy module by writing a DLL in C++.

An accounting policy authorizes and posts charges for access to the Internet. An accounting policy is the BBSM logic that controls how the end user is charged for Internet access.

BBSM ships with several accounting policy modules. An accounting policy module charges for various services that the access policy module provides. An access policy decides when, or even if, it should invoke an accounting policy module. An integrator can create a new accounting policy module by writing a DLL in C++.

Activating a session is the process by which BBSM grants Internet access to an authenticated end user.

See ASP.

A user who has authentication rights on the BBSM server as an Administrator. The administrator has full access to control and configure the system; that is, to add and edit sites and PMS systems and gain access to all other resources available on the BBSM system. Administrator access is on a global, not per-site, basis. See also Operator and Reports user.

application program interface. An API is the language and message format by which an application program talks to communications software. Standardized APIs allow application programs to be developed independently of the underlying method of communication. It is a set of standard software interrupts, calls, and data formats that computer application programs use to initiate contact with other devices; for example, network services, mainframe communications programs, or other program-to-program communications. Typically, APIs make it easier for software developers to create the links that an application needs to communicate with the operating system or with the network.

address resolution protocol. ARP is a protocol for mapping IP addresses to physical addresses in the local network.

answer status.

Active Server Page. An ASP file is a web page implemented using Microsoft IIS ASP technology. ASP files can contain logic that runs on the web server before the page is served to the client browser. Typically, the server side logic looks up information from a database and generates specific content for the client based on the information looked up.

1. Running as a Windows 2000 service, the component of BBSM configuration and logging data.

2. The BBSM SQL server database that contains BBSM configuration and logging data.

Adaptive Translation Deamon (UNIX).

The process by which BBSM identifies the user by verifying the user's credentials, using an external system, such as a RADIUS server or a credit card server.

The process by which BBSM allows the client access to the Internet by obtaining user credentials for authentication (such as username, password, and credit card number) and other policy preferences, such as bandwidth selection.

B

building area network.

In the hospitality industry, the term "barred" is used to describe a guest room that is cash only and not allowed to make charges.

(Cisco) Building Broadband Service Director. BBSD is a feature of BBSM that provides backup/restore capabilities for BBSM servers. It also provides centralized usage reporting.

(Cisco) Building Broadband Service Manager. BBSM is an authentication, authorization, and accounting router, built on Windows 2000 technology, that controls access to and charging for Internet access in building-centric applications, such as hotels, apartments, and multi-tenant offices.

In bridged networks, a repeater or transparent bridge connects two or more network elements and forwards packets between them. It allows clients to communicate directly with each other as if they are attached to the same network. In this configuration, the packet appears to come directly from the sending clients, even if a bridge or repeater is in the path.

C

A device that enables you to hook up your PC to a local cable TV line and receive high-speed data.

call accounting system.

An electronic credential used to establish identity when conducting web transactions for the purpose of securing communications between the web server and the web browser. The certificate contains sufficient information that the recipient can verify that the certificate is real. See certificate authority.

A company that issues and manages security credentials; that is, certificates. The CA verifies the information provided by the requestor of the certificate. If the CA successfully verifies the requestor's information, the CA then issues a certificate to the requestor. See certificate.

A file generated by following the certificate request generation procedure. An administrator generates a certificate request, sends the request to a certificate authority, and receives from the certificate authority a signed certificate for installation on the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS).

The hardware device, such as a laptop or PC, that the end user uses to access the Internet through BBSM. See end user.

The process used to search network elements in a BBSM network to locate the stack, switch, and port to which a client is physically connected.

Conversational Monitor System. CMS is software that provides interactive communications for IBM's VM operating system. It allows a user or programmer to launch an application from a terminal and interactively work with it.

Cable Modem Termination Systems. A CMTS is a component that exchanges digital signals with cable modems on a cable network. When a CMTS sends signals to a cable modem, it converts them into Internet Protocol (IP) and sends the signal to a router for transmission over the Internet.

Cisco Network Registrar. CNR is a Cisco DHCP server that runs on Windows or Solaris and can be extended with C++ DLLs.

common object model. COM is a platform-independent, distributed, object-oriented system for creating binary software components that can interact. It requires a formal separation of interface and implementation; that is, it requires that clients communicate with objects exclusively through interface references.

class of service.

customer premise equipment.

certificate signing request.

An individual or organization who purchased BBSM.

D

A central location for similar features or links related to a specific feature or feature set. The BBSM dashboard is the BBSM-hosted web page that contains links to all BBSM management and reporting web applications.

Deactivating a session is the process by which BBSM denies access to the Internet to a formerly authorized end user.

An API feature that is still supported but not recommended for use, because it may be removed in the future. Usually a newer feature has superseded a deprecated parameter.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. DHCP is a protocol that allows TCP/IP settings of a networked computer, called a DHCP client, to be configured automatically from a central DHCP server. In the BBSM network, the BBSM server is a DHCP server, and a guest computer may be a DHCP client.

The Relay Agent Information Option, as described in RFC 3046. Option 82 is a DHCP option that contains information to be sent from a DHCP relay agent to a DHCP server. This is normally used to convey information that is known by the relay agent, but is not accessible by the server.

dynamic link library. A DLL is a library of executable functions or data that can be used by a Windows application. The DLL feature allows executable code modules to be loaded on demand and linked at run time, which enables the library code to be updated automatically (transparent to applications) and then unloaded when they are no longer needed.

Domain Name System. DNS is name resolution software that lets users locate computers on a UNIX network or on the Internet (TCP/IP network) by domain name. The DNS server maintains a database of domain names (host names) and their corresponding IP addresses.

Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification. DOCSIS is a standard for cable products to facilitate the interoperability of the hardware from different vendors.

digital subscriber line

digital subscriber line access multiplexer. A DSLAM is a device that connects many digital subscriber lines (DSLs) to a network by multiplexing the DSL traffic onto one or more network trunk lines.

E

In regard to BBSM, an end user is a user who accesses the Internet through the BBSM server. The term is used interchangeably with user. See user.

BBSM acts as a router connecting two networks: the external network and the internal network. The external network is "closer" to the Internet. BBSM does not allow an end user to transmit packets to the external network until the end user has an active session. See internal network.

F

An itemized list of charges accrued by an end user.

A forced redirect occurs when an end user attempts to view one URL and BBSM forces the user to a different URL. BBSM performs a forced redirect when it detects an unauthenticated client, or a client that needs to reauthenticate.

fully qualified domain name. An FQDN is that portion of the URL that defines the server addressed by the URL. For example, the FQDN of http://www.microsoft.com/default.asp is www.microsoft.com.

full-speed Internet access.

G

The address of the gateway used to reach a specified destination; for example, on a network or the Internet. Gateways are devices that route packets between the different physical networks.

graphical user interface.

H

A Handheld PC is a class of PC devices that has a half VGA screen (640 by 240 pixels) or a full-size screen (640 by 480 or 800 by 600 pixels) with or without an integrated keyboard, or roughly, a device that fits into the palm of your hand.

Hotel Meeting Room Internet Access Management. HMRIAM is an application that is accessible through the BBSM dashboard.

The order of bytes in a binary representation of a number on a host computer. On Intel computers, the least significant byte is the first; for example, a 16-bit word representation of "256" is 0x0010.

Hyper-Text Transmission Protocol. HTTP is a TCP protocol used to request and deliver web pages.

I

Internet Control Message Protocol. ICMP is a TCP/IP protocol used to send error and control messages. For example, a router uses ICMP to notify the sender that its destination mode is not available. A ping utility sends ICMP echo requests to verify the existence of an IP address.

Internet Engineering Task Force. The IETF is the main standards organization for the Internet. It is a large, open, international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with identifying problems and opportunities in IP data networks and proposing technical solutions to the Internet community.

(Microsoft) Internet Information Server. IIS is Microsoft's web server that runs under Windows NT. You can install a certificate on the server to enable it to serve pages using Netscape's SSL security protocol.

Inetinfo is the process in the Microsoft IIS in which the BBSM Access Policy ActiveX server components run.

A software developer that uses the BBSM SDK to extend the functionality of the BBSM.

The internal adapter communicates with the local area network; that is, the internal network.

The network that the end user connects to. The internal network consists of a collection of network elements, end-user computers, and the BBSM internal interface. See external network.

Internet Protocol address. The 32-bit (IPv4) address of a network interface on a computer. A computer with multiple network interfaces typically has a different address for each interface.

The iPass Smart Client is a piece of software on an end-user PC that controls the user experience for gaining access to the Internet in a visitor-based network.

(Microsoft) Internet Security and Acceleration. ISA is the name of the Microsoft's server that replaces Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0. It provides caching, proxy server, and firewall features.

Internet server application program interface. ISAPI is a programming interface on IIS, Microsoft's web server. It allows third parties (and Microsoft) to add functionality to web servers running Microsoft IIS.

A DLL that uses the Internet Server API (ISAPI) to register for web server events and edit the data stream going to and coming from the Microsoft IIS web server.

J

An interpreted programming script language that is used in HTML programs and ASP files.

BBSM acts as a router connecting two networks: the external network and the internal network. The external network is "closer" to the Internet. BBSM does not allow an end user to transmit packets to the external network until the end user has an active session. See internal network.

K

kilobits per second (thousands of bits per second). kbps is a measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium.

The part of Microsoft IIS that allows the BBSM administrator to generate a certificate request and install a signed certificate.

A desktop utility that provides instant access to virtually all the popular file formats for viewing, printing, or converting files to Rich Text Format (RTF).

L

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol.

link alive.

local area network.

link description.

link record.

long-reach Ethernet

link start.

M

Media Access Control address. The MAC address is the client's unique hardware number. BBSM uses the MAC address to identify the location (or port) of a client. Once BBSM knows the port that a client is using, BBSM applies the per-port policy to the client's session.

The port has an entry in the port_map table. The values in the Room_number and Time_of_last_configure fields may be either default values or updated values.

Because enterroom.asp has been run successfully from the port, the port's port_map table entry has a correct room number value in the Room_number field and a time/date value in the Time_of_last_configure field.

Megabits per second (millions of bits per second). Mbps is a measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium.

multiple dwelling unit.

A special HTML tag that provides information about a web page. Unlike normal HTML tags, meta tags do not affect how the page is displayed. Instead, they provide information such as who created the page, how often it is updated, what the page is about, and which keywords represent the page's content. Many search engines use this information when building their indices.

Microsoft Foundation Classes. MFC is a library of C++ classes that Microsoft developed.

management information base

BBSM supports networks that contain a mixture of bridged and routed networks by combining bridged and fully routed network associations. Some switches reside on the BBSM server's internal network, and others are accessible through routers on the internal network.

Microsoft management console.

A software component that implements the functionality of the BBSM system. BBSM supports access policy modules, accounting policy modules, property management system (PMS) modules, and network element modules.

Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine. MSDE is a freely distributable, fully SQL server-compatible database engine without the graphical management tools that accompany an SQL server.

The MSSQLServer service is the service for the Microsoft SQL Server and MSDE.

multiple tenant unit

A physical network upon which two or more logical networks operate.

N

network address translation. NAT is an Internet standard that enables a LAN to use one set of IP adddresses for internal traffic and a second set of addresses for external traffic. This allows a company to shield internal addresses from the public Internet.

network element. An NE is a device connected to the internal network. An end user connects his or her computer to an NE, then BBSM queries the NE to determine the end user's location. You may also see "switch" or "switch stack" used in place of network element. Although, initially, BBSM only supported Ethernet switches, as the product evolved, BBSM added support for cable modem head ends, DSLAMs, and other types of network equipment. For this reason, you may see the word switch used to refer to a device that is not a switch.

Network Basic Input Output System. NetBIOS is a LAN protocol used by Windows computers.

A network connects all buildings, sites, and ports together with the BBSM server. The network is configured with routers, switches, and other network hardware. BBSM supports bridged networks, fully routed networks, and mixed networks that are combination of bridged and fully routed networks. See bridged networks, fully routed networks, and mixed networks.

The order of bytes in a binary representation of a number as transmitted on the Internet. The most significant byte is first; for example, a 16-bit word representation of "256" would be 0x0100.

See NE.

BBSM ships with support for several types of network equipment, such as a variety of Ethernet switches, DSL access multiplexers, and cable modem head ends. An integrator can add support for new equipment by writing a network element DLL in C++.

network interface card. The NIC is an adapter card inserted into a computer to provide network communication capabilities. It connects the server to the network. It is also referred to as an Ethernet adapter.

O

A BBSM user who can perform some administrative functions on the BBSM server but does not have access to the full administrative interface. An Operator is allowed to change entries in the port map and access code tables. Operator access is on a per-site basis. See also Administrator and Reports user.

The duration that the client cannot fully use the BBSM server. The outage can be caused either by an AtDial service restart or by a server reboot. See service restart and server reboot.

P

posting answer.

Some page sets define configuration information in a package file, such as DailyHotelPackage.asp. Not all page sets have an associated package file. The package file contains settings to control session behavior, pricing, and bandwidth settings. Other pages within a page set include the package file to gain access to the configuration values. Putting the configuration information in an "include" file eliminates duplication of the configuration information in multiple pages.

A set of active server page (ASP) files that the end user is allowed to view and that the administrator specifies on a per-port basis. BBSM restricts the end user from viewing pages that are part of any page set other than the port's allowed page set. BBSM uses Microsoft's ASP technology to implement the page set and ships with several page sets that implement various end user interfaces. Integrators can modify existing page sets (for example, the colors, graphics, and behavior) or create new page sets to create new services.

port address translation. PAT is a form of dynamic NAT that lets you number a LAN with inside local addresses and filter them through one globally routable IPS address.

personal digital assistant. A PDA is a hand-held computer that allows you to store, access, and organize information. Most PDAs work on either a Windows-based or a Palm operating system. PDAs can be screen based or keyboard based, or both.

A set of features that allows a client to access the Internet without reconfiguring network and browser settings.

property management system. A PMS is a software system used in the hospitality industry to implement customer accounting and billing.

patch information file. A PNF is a text file that contains sections and keys that include all the information that WEBpatch needs to install a patch.

A class of PC devices that has a quarter VGA screen (320 by 240 pixels), or roughly, a device that can fit in your pocket. Pocket PC also refers to one of the Microsoft platforms that are based on the Windows CE operating system and used to develop mobile devices.

Any rule that determines the use of resources within the network. A policy can be based on the user, the port, the device, the subnetwork, the network, or the application.

The jack into which an end user connects a PC to access the Internet. In the case of a wireless network element, such as an Aironet access point, the port is a virtual jack. BBSM allows the administrator to configure the page set and start page on a per-port basis.

A feature that allows an end user to maintain an active session when moving from port to port.

An identifier that uniquely identifies a network element port within a site. See port.

A page that processes the information that the end user submits. This page usually makes calls to a SendActivateSession method to activate an end user's session.

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol. Because the Internet is essentially an open network, PPTP is used to ensure that messages are transmitted from one VPN to another. With PPTP, users can dial in to their corporate network through the Internet.

See PMS.

A web page that implements logic to determine the physical location of the client requesting the page. Used by the policy server to determine the access and accounting policies that apply to a client session.

A Microsoft Visual C++ project build configuration that generates executables and DLLs that contain symbolic debug information but invoke the release version of the Microsoft memory management library. Release executables and DLLs can invoke pseudo-debug DLLs so developers of pseudo-debug DLLs can debug their DLLs in a release environment.

Q

quality of service. QoS usually refers to the prioritization of packets over a network.

R

Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service. RADIUS is a client/server protocol and software that enables network access servers to communicate with a central server to authenticate dial-in users, authorize their access to the requested system or service, and send accounting information about their use of the requested system or service.

The procedure by which a web server tells a web browser to obtain a certain requested page from a different location.

A hardware device, such as a laptop or PC, used by an end user to access a BBSM server from the external network.

A BBSM web application used to display BBSM configuration and logged data.

A BBSM user who has read-only access to the Reports web applications. This user has more access permissions than an end user but fewer access permissions than an Operator. A Reports user has access to the information for only one site. See also Operator and Administrator.

Request for Comments. An RFC is a series of notes on topics concerning the Internet. RFCs can be purely informational, or they can specify a proposed, draft, or approved Internet standard. Online versions of RFCs are available at the following URL: http://www.ietf.org/rfc.html

An end user who attempts to access the BBSM server fraudulently or maliciously.

In routed networks, some computers cannot communicate with each other directly. Instead, they must send packets through one or more relays, or routers. In a routed network, the only plug-and-play feature that works is redirection of the initial web page request.

Rich Text Format. A Microsoft standard for encoding formatted text and graphics.

receive.

S

software developer's kit. An SDK is a set of routines and utilities used to help programmers write an application. The BBSM SDK is used to customize and extend the functionality of the BBSM server.

In the BBSM system, the situation in which the BBSM server is powered off or shut down for any reason (such as from a power outage, a tripped cord, or installing a patch that requires the server to be rebooted) and the server restarts. When the BBSM server is shut down, clients lose access to the Internet and BBSM services, and active sessions are disrupted. End users are not able to connect to the BBSM server or terminate active sessions. Once the server restarts, clients still may not be able to resume active sessions, because session states are not preserved across server reboots. Even if the session is resumed across a server reboot, the end user may be charged an excessive amount (if the user is charged on a per-minute basis), or the user may not receive fair access to the Internet (if the user is being charged for a block of time), because the duration of the server downtime is not captured.

A series of statements that a web server executes when a client's browser requests a page.

In the BBSM system, the situation in which AtDial service has stopped for any reason (for example, through WEBconfig) and AtDial service is being restarted and re-initialized. When service stops, clients can still access the Internet. Although active sessions are not disrupted, end users cannot activate new sessions or terminate existing sessions until AtDial is restarted. Session termination can be active (such as the end user's clicking the Disconnect button) or passive (such as the end user's shutting the client down, unplugging the Ethernet connection, or the client's moving out of range). If a client terminates a session when AtDial service is unavailable, the end user may be charged an excessive amount if the user is being charged on a per-minute basis, because the duration of service disruption is not captured.

In the BBSM system, a set of interactions between an end user and BBSM. The session starts when BBSM serves the start page. At this point, the session is inactive, which means that the user does not have access to the Internet. The session becomes active when BBSM authorizes the user to access the Internet according to the access policy and accounting policy that are specified by the page set. The session ends when AtDial deactivates service for the end user. Note that transactions pertaining to the session can still exist after the session deactivates. These transactions are still associated with that session.

As used in BBSM documentation, a site is a collection of clients behind switches connected to the Internet through a single network element. It is a subset of the BBSM internal network. Each network element and all its ports are associated with exactly one site. There are always one or more mutually exclusive sites in the BBSM internal network. A site is often at a single geographic location, such as a single hotel or at a large building.

Software that runs on a separate machine from the BBSM server. The Site Controller acts as an interface between one or more multiple BBSM servers and a PMS system. This software is used when the PMS system is remote from the BBSM server.

Simple Network Management Protocol. SNMP is an application layer protocol that facilitates the exchange of management information between network devices. It is part of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol suite. SNMP allows network administrators to manage network performance, find and solve network problems, and plan for network growth.

Simple Object Access Protocol. SOAP is an XML-based protocol that enables web services based on a shared and open web infrastructure. It can be used in combination with various Internet protocols and formats, including HTTP, SMTP, and MIME and can support applications such as messaging systems and RPC. See XML.

secure sockets layer. SSL is a web encryption protocol for providing secure transactions between a web server and a web browser, such as the transmission of credit card numbers for e-commerce.

When an end user's session is inactive, BBSM directs all web access attempts to the start page. It is the first page displayed to the end user when the end user attempts to connect to the Internet. This page usually collects information from the end user using an HTML form. The start page prompts the user to authenticate to become authorized to access the Internet.

A subscription is a period during which BBSM allows the end users to create sessions. If a user attempts to create a session outside any subscription period, BBSM denies the session.

A switch is a network device that learns which clients are connected to which ports.

T

Syntax used to denote the beginning or end of a particular message string, parameter string, or data element.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. TCP/IP is a communications protocol that is the standard protocol of the Internet and the global standard for communications. TCP provides transport functions, which ensures that the total amount of bytes sent is received correctly at the other end. TCP/IP is a routable protocol, and the IP part of TCP/IP provides the routing capability.

transmission control protocol port. An Internet host can support multiple networking applications, each of which needs a unique identity. An IP address is analogous to a street address with a port number that is like a room number at a specific address.

A set of interactions that a remote user has with a Remote Page Set Test feature on a BBSM server. The testing session starts when the external user begins a remote page set test through the GUI and ends when the user ends a remote page set test through a GUI.

transmit.

U

uniform resource locator. The address that defines the route to a file on the web or any other Internet facility.

universal serial bus.

A person who uses a hardware device, such as a PC, at a site to access services on the Internet. The term is used interchangeably with end user. See end user.

V

virtual private network. VPN is a private network that uses the public Internet to connect some nodes. It maintains privacy by using a tunneling protocol and security procedures.

W

A subset of the Internet accessible to unauthenticated BBSM clients. It allows BBSM users to "try before they buy." It can include brand recognition or services to the user each time they connect to the Internet.

The web-based utility included with BBSM that allows remote updates to the BBSM server.

A programmable entity that provides a particular element of functionality, such as application logic, and is accessible to any number of potentially disparate systems through the use of Internet standards, such as XML and HTTP.

A modular, real-time, embedded version of the Windows operating system designed to support small, mobile, 32-bit intelligent devices such as PDAs or, to use the Microsoft term, Handheld PCs.

Wi-Fi service provider roaming.

Windows Metafile

X

extensible markup language. XML is a standard format for data on the web. It allows developers to describe and deliver structured data to and from any application.

An XML element that can, but might not, include nested XML elements. See XML element.

An XML element is made up of a start tag, an end tag, and data in between the tags. The start and end tags describe the data within the tags, which is the value of the element. For example, <IP>10.10.10.27<IP> is an XML element. See XML.