| B
backbone
bandwidth
binary
bitmap
bps
bookmark
bridge
browser |
backbone
A backbone is the central portion of a network
where many of the connections come together. Backbones
are designed to transport huge volumes of data before
distributing it back down regional phone lines to
your computer. Think of it as an interstate highway.
A backbone is made up of hardware such as relays
and switches in addition to high-bandwidth communications
lines. Our district's backbone uses the ATM
protocol over fiber
optic cables and can transmit voice, video or
data at 155 Mbps.
bandwidth
In practice, it's how you describe how much
data you can stuff over a single connection in a
given time. (See bps for the
yardstick used.) A 14.4 connection has a lower bandwidth
than a 28.8 connection.
Binary
"Binary" means something with two
parts. Computers use a binary language composed
of ones and zeros to do things and talk to other
computers. All your files, for instance, are kept
in the computer as binary files and translated into
words and pictures by the software (which is also,
yes, ones and zeros). Most of the files you'll create
with word processors, spreadsheets and graphics
packages are kept in a binary form that certain
sotware can understand and other software can't,
so if you need to use such a file you'll have to
have the right software to interpret it. Some files
that use only simple letters and numbers and no
special formatting are created in a format called
ASCII, which uses
a small set of binary codes that all software interprets
the same.
bitmap
A picture or
an image file that is made up of pixels.Pictures
made with the Paint program are automatically
saved as bitmaps. (with .BMP extension)
bps
bps stands for Bits Per Second, the measure
of a modem's signaling speed. However, the only
term you'll hear describing new modems is Kbps,
for kilobits per second -- as in 28.8Kbps, meaning
28,800 bits per second. If you want to get techie,
the "K" actually means 1,024, not 1,000
(but with the current state of the phone system,
many of us never reach true K-range no matter
which figure our communications software may be
proclaiming).
bookmark
Just like the cardboard ones you stick into
a book, a bookmark is a placeholder to a particular
URL, or Web address, that you set once into your
Internet browser software for ready access later.
Bookmarks are typically used to record a site
you want to return to, or one you visit regularly.
bridge
A piece of hardware
that can link two different types of networks.
For example, we use a bridge to link an ethernet
lab up to the backbone of our network, which is
ATM.
Browser
"Browser" is the generic term for
any piece of software that lets you see Web pages.
You may use the Netscape Navigator browser (currently
the most popular browser in the world), or perhaps
you use the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.
|
