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Terminologies Simplified

S/T interface: The electrical interface between a network terminator (NT1) device and one or more ISDN communication devices that do not contain their own NT1s.

Secure Electronic Transaction (SET): A standard that uses digital signatures to ensure secure credit card transactions over the Internet.

Serial communication: Communication through the serial port of your computer. For Windows 3.1, the maximum speed of the serial port is 19,200. For Windows 95, the COM port limit on the settings drop-down list is 921,600.

Serial host: A device such as a videoconferencing codec that is connected to a serial host port communicating over a point-to-point link. To a serial host, the MAX appears to be a cable or DCE (Data Communications Equipment).

Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME): A version of the MIME protocol that supports message encryption.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): A protocol used to encrypt data for transmission over the Internet. SSL uses the public-and-private key encryption system from RSA, which also includes the use of a digital certificate.

Segment: A discrete portion of a network, such as a LAN, without routers or bridges. Bridges and routers can be used to isolate network traffic to specific segments.

Serial host port module: A module on the MAX that connects to a serial host through its serial host port.

Session: The state a connection reaches when both parties can communicate with each other.

Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP): An Internet protocol used to run IP over serial lines, such as telephone circuits, to interconnect two systems.

Signaling types: The sending device and the receiving device must send signals in order to synchronize their clocks and determine where one block of data ends and the next begins. Services use signaling types to maintain synchronization and transfer data effectively. Signals are either analog or digital. In-band signaling is used by POTS, where all information about the beginning and end of a call is carried on a single line. ISDN BRI uses two B channels to carry data and a D channel to carry signaling data.

Server: A computer on a network that recognizes and responds to client requests for services. These services can range from basic file and print services to support for complex, distributed applications.

SIP: Short for Session Initiation Protocol, SIP is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard protocol for initiating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements such as video, voice, chat, gaming, and virtual reality. SIP works in the Application layer of the OSI communications model.

SMDS: SMDS (Switched Multimegabit Data Service) a public, packet-based network service aimed at enterprises that exchange large amounts of data with other enterprises over a WAN on a non-constant or bursty basis. SMDS extends the performance efficiencies of a LAN over a wide area on a switched, as-needed basis.

SMTP: SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a TCP/IP protocol used in receiving and sending e-mail. However, due to its limited ability to queue messages at the receiving end, it is used along with POP3 or IMAP (Internet Messaging Access Protocol).

Session layer: The fifth of seven layers in the OSI model. The session layer sets up, coordinates, and terminates conversations, exchanges, and dialogs between the applications at each end. In practice, this layer is often combined with the transport layer.

Session tracking: A way to gather detailed information about the traffic a website gets. A session is a connection between a client and a server. By tracking sessions, a Web administrator can determine the number of users visiting the site, the length of time they remain at the site, and the sorts of demands being placed on the system.

SNMP: SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a standard way for computers to share networking information. In SNMP, two types of communicating devices exist: agents and managers. An agent provides networking information to a manager application running on another computer. The agents and managers share a database of information, called the Management Information Base (MIB).