mDNS
As an alternative to a Domain Name Server, a device issues a Multicast
Domain Name Server (mDNS) notification to provide information regarding
its service. The notification includes the type of service (such as printing), the
name of the service (such as "your printer"), IP and port addresses, and
other necessary information. Each device on the network receives the
notification and stores the information in a personal DNS server.
Network name
A network name is an alphanumeric, case-sensitive character string that
provides basic access control to a wireless network. A network name is also
known as a Service Set Identifier (SSID).
Node
A network connection point, typically a computer.
Packet
A message sent from one device on a network to other devices on the
network.
Peer-to-peer
See Ad-hoc network.
Protocol
A language that devices on a network use to communicate with each other.
A popular network protocol is TCP/IP.
Proxy server
A proxy server acts as a security gate (such as a Web proxy) that restricts
traffic going through a network. The proxy intercepts requests to the network
to see if it can fulfill the requests itself. If not, it forwards the request to
another server. Proxy servers have two main purposes: improve
performance and filter requests.
Rendezvous
Apple’s configuration technology that automatically discovers and connects
devices over Ethernet and wireless networks. Rendezvous is integrated into
the Mac OS X version 10.2 operating system.
RJ-45
The type of plug at the end of an Ethernet cable.
Router
A complex networking device that directs packets from one network to
another network. A router can act as a gateway between a LAN and the
Internet.
Server
A computer on a network that manages network resources. A network might
have a number of different server types. For example, a print server
manages one or more printers, a file server stores and manages files, and a
network server manages network traffic.
44 Glossary ENWW
