A Glossary of Terms

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Adware

Adware is a type of program that keeps track of where you go on line and uses that information to cause pop-up ads to appear on your computer. Similar to Spyware. There are programs that specificaly block Adware and Spyware. For example: Spybot and Adaware.

Application

Most of the computer programs you use are Applications. An Application is a program that performs a specific job, for example Microsoft Word is an Application used for word processing.

Apple

Apple computers makers of the Macintosh

AppleTalk

A protocol used by Macintosh computers to share files or printers over a network.

ARP

Address Resolution Protocol

Aurora

The main Case web server is called Aurora. This is the actual machine that www.case.edu is on. For most people, you don't really need to know it exists.

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Binary

Binary is a computer language. Like the English language it is made up of an alphabet, but the binary alphabet is only Ones and Zeros. This would be unwieldy for a human being to converse in, but computers find it much more efficient than having 26 letters!

Bit or Byte

A single unit of data. Just as physical objects are made out of molecules, electronic data is made up of bits and bytes. Usually when we talk about the speed of a computer or the network we talk about how many megabytes it can process in a second. A megabyte is 1000 individual bytes.

Bridge

Much like the sort that takes you over a river, a Network Bridge moves data from one part of a network to another. Your computer can also create 'bridges' between different network connections on it. In general this is a bad thing. If your personal computer asks you if you want a bridge, say no!

Browser

Go to your favorite store and browse around... it's not that different from what your Computer Browser does. It looks for things you want. For example a Web Browser looks for web pages.

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Canary

A manufacturer of Converter Boxes.

Computer Name

The name you set on your Computer. No two computers on campus can have the same name, and by Case Network Policy your Computer Name must match your Registered Hostname. (See: Hostname)

Converter box

A converter changes or 'converts' one type of data signal to another. Most commonly a fiber optic signal to a copper or UTP signal.

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Data

Stuff. The bits and pieces, ones and zeros. Data can be a document, a picture, sound file, you name it, it's all data.

Database

You keep your cups in a cupboard, keep your data in a database! A database is simply a place to store and organize data. Simple databases include address books, 'to do' lists and calendars.

Desktop

1. that thing you put your coffee cup on 2. a computer that is not a laptop or handheld 3. your main screen on your computer.

DMS

Digital Media Services was the department in charge of the software library and university webserver (Aurora) with the re-organization in the summer of 2002 those duties were taken up by other and new departments.

Directory Services

See LDAP

Dongle

A thin plug going from a laptop network card to a UTP cable. The Dongle is the most frequently broken piece of a laptop's network connection kit.

Download

When you take something off of another computer on our network or internet and put it onto your computer, you are downloading. (Uploading is the opposite) Whether it's a program from the Software Center or a picture on a website.

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Eudora

An email program made by Qualcom. Eudora is available in a free version from www.eudora.com.

Extensions

The Extension is what tells your computer the type of file a particular thing is. For example you have a file called fuzzybunny.doc The .doc is the extension and tells the computer the file is a Word Document. .doc stands for document, .exe stands for 'executable' meaning it will do something if you open it, .vbs stands for 'visual basic' which means it is a program. Always be careful of opening something that ends in .vbs or .exe!

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Faceplate

The Faceplate is your physical connection to the Technology Environment, much like an electrical outlet is your physical connection to the electricity in your home. In other words: it's where you plug in. Most of the Case Campus faceplates are fiber optic.

Fiber Optic cables

Fiber Optic cables are made with glass fibers. Expensive but very reliable providing very little variation in the signal they carry over long distances, the full potential speed Fiber Optic Cables can carry has not been reached even with Gigabit technology.

Filter

Filters sort data, for example email filters can sort incoming email messages. This is very useful for people who receive a lot of email on a regular basis or just want to keep different types of message separate, for example messages from a particular mailing list or person.

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Gigabit

When we refer to Gigabit in the Case Technology Environment, we're talking about the speed of travelling data. Most networks in the world today are 10 megabits per second Ethernet, gigabit is 1000 megabits per second. A file it would take ten minutes to download on the 10 mbs Ethernet only takes .1 minutes on gigabit! Note this is only if you are downloading from another computer which has gigabit. If the computer you are connecting to is 10 megabit Ethernet, you are slowed down to their speed.

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Hostname

The name of a computer on a network or the internet. Every Website address is also a hostname, for example the hostname www.case.edu refers to a computer named www on the case.edu domain. (The edu stands for Educational) You can set the Hostname when you first register your network card, otherwise there is a webpage where you can change the hostname for computers registered to you.

Hub

Like an airport hub is a connection point for different airplanes, a network hub is a meeting place for multiple network connections. There are large hubs that you, the user, never sees. They hum away in equipment rooms keeping traffic flowing smoothly. And there are smaller hubs that are in classrooms, dormitories and offices around campus. These smaller hubs take the signal from a faceplate and split it into four or more separate connections. Note that when a computer is off of a hub it is sharing it's network connection with all the other computers off of that hub so if you are off of a four port hub, your connection will be one fourth the speed as if it were off the faceplate alone.

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The Internet

The Internet is the collection of all the individual computer networks across the globe. Every email message, web page, chat session and file transfer that connects to something outside of Case is on the Internet. For our purposes when we refer to the Internet, we're referring to anything outside of the Case, for example www.yahoo.com is on the Internet, www.case.edu is in the Case Technology Environment.

IMAP

Another kind of email protocol. POP is what we used to use, IMAP is the new method. What's the difference? Well, IMAP is new and has some new features. You are always looking at the same mailbox no matter which computer you are on. This means that you really have to watch the mailbox size quota though! Most users won't notice much of a difference.

IRC

Internet Relay Chat used to be a favorite way of chatting on-line, though now it's seen as old fashioned compared to more modern web-based Chat Rooms. You can use IRC through a web browser as well.

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Java

Not to be confused with JavaScript, Java is a programming language. Or coffee. JavaScript is a way of inserting little programs, or 'scripts' into a web page. Commonly used JavaScripts include one which displays how many visitors a website has had or today's date.

Jumper

If someone asks you for a jumper for your computer, they mean a cable.

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LAN

Local Area Network. Usually when we talk about 'the Network' we mean the Local Area Network. This is the network that a particular computer is directly connected to. There are also Wide Area Networks that are organized differently and the Internet.

LDAP

LDAP stands for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, what it really means is a way to access the campus directory convieniently. For example you can set your email program to look up any Case user's email address. LDAP also works behind the scenes helping websites and programs that need to access directory information or be password protected.

Lock Down

The most secured state a computer can reach is 'locked down'. A Locked computer cannot be accessed by anyone until it is unlocked, usually by the system administrator.

Log file

Your computer stores data all the time. Almost every time you do anything on your computer or even when your computer does something it is stored in a log file. Much like a ship captain's log of ages past the log file is just a list of things that happened. Computer technicians like to look at log files to figure out when a problem occurred and what caused it.

Logon name

Also called your username or network id the logon name is the name you use to log on to a computer or server.

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MAC Address

Media Access Control Address. The unique Hexadecimal name of your computer's network card. Also called Physical Address, Ethernet Address, Adaptor Address or Hardware Address.

Macintosh

The computers made by Apple Computers and their operating system, Macintosh is Microsoft Windows number one competitor.

Middleware

Middleware is any program that allows one program to talk to another. An example of middleware would be the program that allows the email server to speak to the password server, allowing us all to use the same password for many different things.

MUD, MUSH, MUCK or MU*

MUDs are from the dawn of the internet. It stands for Multi-User Dungeon. It was a way to play Dungeons and Dragons (and other such role-playing games) on line. The first MUD's and their compatriots were text based (and most still are! After all, what better graphics engine than the human imagination?) though there are plenty of new ones that incorporate graphics. EverQuest and NeverWinter Nights are in their own way MU*s. Not all MU*s are role-playing games, there is also a CWRU MU* maintained by Instructional Technology and Academic Computing for students, faculty and staff who wish to use the chat-room-like environment to share information.

Multi Mode (MM)

As opposed to Single Mode (SM), Multi Mode network connections send and receive at the same time, a Single Mode connection only sends or receives. All the Network connections to users on campus are Multi Mode.

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Network

When you link two computers together, you have a network. While two is the smallest network you can have, there's no telling the largest. The one we have is made up of thousands upon thousands of computers all linked together with special equipment such as servers, routers, hubs and switches.

Network interface card (NIC)

This is the thing that lets you link your computer into a Network. Just like a sound card lets you listen to music on your computer, a Network Card lets you use the resources on a network.

Newsgroup

A Newsgroup is a way of sharing news and information across the internet that predates the World Wide Web. They are made up of bulletin boards where individuals make postings to share with the community. More efficient than mass emailing, a message on a newsgroup stays on the news server for all to see without clogging any one's mailbox. Newsgroups are frequently used to post important information. Case has several newsgroups that are restricted to the Case community including cwru.net.general which is a newsgroup for making postings about the Case Technology Environment.

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Operating System

The Program which runs your computer. A list of common Operating systems is: Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Macintosh OS 9, Macintosh OS X, Red Hat Linux, Yellow Dog Linux, Irix, Solaris, and Digital Unix

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Peripheral

A peripheral is any device that is connected to your computer other than the main computer itself, such as your mouse, keyboard, printer and speakers.

Pen Tablet

The graphic artists favorite replacement for the mouse, a pen tablet is a special pen used to draw, write and click on things on your computer much like you would with a mouse but much friendlier to the human hand.

Personal Computer

Basically when someone refers to a Personal Computer, they usually mean your standard, every day computer as opposed to a server. This can even refer to a MacIntosh computer.

POP

Post Office Protocol. POP is a type of email server, the Case email servers were all POP servers, though they have been switched to IMAP servers. There are pluses and minuses to both systems, and the new IMAP servers do still handle POP traffic. For most people, this doesn't mean a big change. The major difference is that POP downloads email messages to your particular computer, leaving the server empty, while IMAP mail is always on the server so that you are looking at the same mailbox no matter which computer you are checking your email on.

Portal

A Portal or Portlet is a way of pulling several different programs into one customized webpage. my.cwru is your customizable webpage of Case resources. See only the things you want to see when you go to your my.cwru webpage. This makes finding what you want much faster. For example the default my.cwru webpage will display campus news, announcements and your calendar.

PPP

Point to Point Protocol. PPP is the connection method used by the University for dialing in to the technology environment with a modem.

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Registry

Usually when we refer to the 'registry' we're talking about one of the most basic parts of your computer. The Registry is where your computer stores important information including where to find its brain! If you don't know what you are doing you can cause a lot of problems by editing the Registry.

Router

A Router keeps data moving much like a traffic policeman in the middle of a busy intersection.

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Safe Mode

If your Microsoft Windows computer detects a problem, it will boot into Safe Mode. Some programs and troubleshooting also require you to boot into Safe Mode (Usually by hitting the 'F8' key on your keyboard while it boots up). In Safe Mode all the frills, bells and whistles are turned off. The video card in your computer which lets you set the size of icons and such is turned off as well so everything on your screen will be large and limited to 16 colors.

Server

A Server is any computer which serves data. A computer that has a shared database or a website on it would be a type of Server.

Single Mode (SM)

Single Mode fiber is a bit like a straw, you can only drink out of one end at a time. Single Mode is usually used to send signals over long distances. Multi Mode is the type that goes to rooms on campus.

Soft Phone

A Soft Phone is a program on your computer that allows you to use your computer as a phone. You need to have a headset and microphone to use a computer Soft Phone. See also VoIP.

Spam

Spam is any unwanted and usually useless text. All those junk emails about weight loss and improving your finances are definitely Spam. Computer users also use the term 'Spammy' to refer to anything that is unnecessarily long and rambling.

Splitter

A Splitter 'splits' a signal. For example a splitter is used when two people want to use the same network faceplate. Similar to a Hub.

Spyware

Spyware is any program downloaded to your computer that tracks what you do on line. Most spyware downloads without your knowledge while you install something else. There are special programs like 'Spybot' and 'Adaware' that block spyware and adware. Adware is like Spyware, but specifically causes pop-up ads.

SSID

Server Set Identifier. The SSID is basically the name of a Wireless network. The SSID for Case's wireless network is: CaseWireless. Capitalization counts!

STAR

Student Technology Assistance Resource Program. Basically the STAR Program was an interest free loan through the university to help undergraduate students purchase the computer they need for their academic career at Case. The program was for the 2002-2003 acedemic year.

System Administrator (SysAdmin)

The person who is in charge of a particular computer or server.

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TCP/IP

Transfer Control Protocol, Internet Protocol. Most programs and applications use TCPIP when they need to connect to a network.

Technology Environment

Everything, the network and networked applications, the portal and wireless communications are all a part of our 'Technology Environment'.

Terminal or Terminal Window

If you remember DoS, you are probably familiar with a terminal window.

Thinwire

An outdated type of network cabling, thinwire was named for it's unique feature of being much thinner than the thick cables that came before it. Thinwire works a lot like your old Christmas lights do, if one computer on a thinwire segment goes down, everyone after it also goes down. Currently on Case's campus there is only one building with supported thinwire connections: Baker building. All Thinwire will be removed when the Gigabit Network Upgrade is completed.

Touch pad

A lot of laptop computers use a touch pad instead of a mouse. It is a square on your laptop keyboard that is sensitive to touch, tapping your finger on the touch pad is equivalent to clicking your mouse.

Track ball

A special type of computer mouse where the movement ball is on the top or side so that you can move it with your fingers rather than moving the mouse around on the surface of the desk. Some people find a track ball much more comfortable than using a mouse.

Trojan Horse

Also just "Trojan". A program that may pretend to have, or is described as having, a set of useful or desirable features, but can actually cause some damage. Trojans are not technically viruses, since they do not replicate.

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UPS

Uninterruptible (or Universal) Power Supply - an UPS is a piece of hardware that is attached to a computer or server to provide power in case of a power outage. There are small commercially available UPS's that will keep your computer on just long enough to save what you are doing and shut down and also larger expensive UPS's like the ones connected to the main servers, routers and switches of our network.

User

That's you! Some people object to the term 'user' but it was set at the dawn of computing history so User it remains. Anyone who uses a computer, application or program is a User.

Username

This is the name that identifies you. Every username must be unique. For Case we developed a system of unique usernames based on an individual's initials. For example if your name is Alice B. Case, your Username might be abc7. The Case Username is short and unique, and is always lowercase!

UTP Cable

Unshielded Twisted Pair or Category 5 cable is a standard networking cable in the industry today. It lacks some of the speed and clarity of Fiber Optic cable, but is much less expensive.

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Virtual Reality

The first cave man who smeared an image of a buffalo on a cave wall was trying to imitate reality, over the years we've gotten better and better at this. When we talk about virtual reality today we're talking about computer environments such as a room in a game you can move around in and view from several angles by moving your mouse. Any Computer environment you can interact with is Virtual Reality. (See also MUD's MUSHes and MU's)

Virus

A software program that attaches itself to another program in computer memory or on a disk, and spreads from one program to another. Viruses can cause damage to data, make the computer crash, display messages, or lie dormant.

VoIP

Voice over IP is basically using a telephone (or computer Soft Phone) over the network instead of phone lines. There are many advantages to IP phones including message recording, Directory Services and the ability to keep one phone number no matter where you move on campus.

VPN

Virtual Private Networking allows someone who is not directly on a Network to interact with restricted resources as if they were. This is especially useful to researchers working at other institutions who need to access restricted materials at Case. VPN is also used with Wireless Networking for authentication.

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WAN

Wide Area Network. Usually a very large Local Area Network is a Wide Area Network. Though the Case Technology Environment is very large, we are not a WAN.

Web

The World Wide Web. When your average person on the street refers to the Internet, they're usually thinking of the World Wide Web. The Web is basically a series of documents shared with the world written in a coding language called Hyper Text Markup Language or HTML. When you see a web page, like this one, you downloaded a document from another computer which has been set up as a Web Server.

Web Browser

A program used to look at the World Wide Web. The most common Web Browsers are Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera and Mozilla.

Windows

The Operating System made by Microsoft for Personal Computers.

Wireless

All those cables hanging off of your computer can be annoying and they get in the way of making your laptop computer truly mobile, enter wireless! Wireless networking uses a special type of radio waves to connect you to the Technology Environment, not as fast as the wired network connections available on campus, wireless still has the mobility advantage.

Workgroup

Also called 'Windows Workgroup'. This is the group of computers you see first if you open up 'My Network Places' or 'Network Neighborhood' on your Windows computer.

Worm

Not technically a virus, it is an annoying program that acts very much like one. Usually worms spread via e-mail or IRC/ chat sessions.

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Yahoo!

A commercial web-based email provider. Yahoo! is one of the email websites which will let you check third party email if you have an account with them.

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