&numbers

symbols
&
sy
& (ampersand)
The andsign commonly used in HyperText
Markup Language (HTML) documents to
indicate special characters.
SeealsoHyperText Markup Language.
<>(angle brackets)
Characters in the Structured Query Language
(SQL) used to delimit character strings that
are names of syntactic elements. Angle brack-
ets are also used in command syntax to
denote variable information.
SeealsoStructure Query Language.
* (asterisk)
Used as a wildcard character in many oper-
ating systems (such as NetWare, DOS,
Windows NT, and OS/2) to represent one or
more characters in a lename or lename
extension. The asterisk may be used in
searching or in le operations. For example,
the NetWare command NDIR *.DOC lists
all les with the .DOC extension. The com-
mand NDIR A*.DOC, on the other hand,
would list all les with the .DOC extension
and starting with the letter A.
@ (at sign)
A symbol typically used in spreadsheet for-
mulas and e-mail addresses. When used in
an e-mail address, it follows the username,
as inuser@company.com.
\ (backslash)
A character used in some operating systems,
such as DOS and NetWare, to separate
directory and/or path names in a path state-
ment. In some programming languages, the
backslash is used to indicate the character
following it is an escapecode.
// (double slash)
A character used to separate the transport
protocol from an Internet address (for
example, http://www.idgbooks.com).
(mu)
Used to abbreviate the prex micro,
meaning2
-20
, or one-millionth. For example,
microsecond would be abbreviated assec.
.and ..(period and double period)
Characters used in some operating systems
to refer to the current and parent directories
in a hierarchical directory system.
? (question mark)
A character used in some operating systems
as a wildcard character that represents a
single character in a le or directory name.
For example, the DOS command D?G.TXT
could apply to DIG.TXT, DOG.TXT, or
DUG.TXT. The question mark may also be
used in NetWare to access help on a specic
topic or command. For example, the
NetWare command RENDIR /? displays
online help for the RENDIR command.
/ (slash)
A character used in some operating systems
(such as UNIX) to separate directory and/or
1Base5
4
path names in a path statement (for exam-
ple, UNIX/SUBDCTRY/SUBSUB). In other
operating systems, such as DOS or NetWare,
the slash is used to separate command line
switches (for example, NDIR /DO for the
directory only switch of the NetWare NDIR
command).
1Base5
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 specication for an
Ethernet network operating at 1Mbps. A
1Base5 network uses unshielded twisted-
pair (UTP) cabling, uses a physical bus, and
attaches nodes to a common cable.
3+
An obsolete operating system from 3Com.
3+Open
An obsolete network operating system
from3Com.
4B/5B encoding
A data-translation scheme that precedes sig-
nal encoding in Fiber Distributed Data
Interface (FDDI) networks. Under this con-
struct, each group of four bits is represented
as a ve-bit symbol, which is then associat-
ed with a bit pattern. The bit pattern is then
encoded using the Non-Return-to-Zero
Inverted (NRZI) method, making further
electrical encoding more efcient. 4B/5B
encoding is signicantly more efcient than
Manchester signal encoding, which is used
in Ethernet networks.
SeealsoManchester encoding; Non-
Return-to-Zero Inverted.
5B/6B encoding
A data-translation scheme that precedes
signal encoding in 100BaseVG networks.
Under this construct, each group of ve bits
is represented as a six-bit symbol, which is
then associated with a bit pattern. The bit
pattern is then encoded using the Non-
Return-to-Zero (NRZ) method, making
further electrical encoding more efcient.
Seealso100BaseVG/AnyLAN.
7-bit/8-bit data
A unit of data typically accepted by serial
interfaces. A serial interface can usually
becongured to accept either 7-bit or
8-bit data.
Seealsoparity.
8B/10B encoding
A data translation scheme based on 4B/5B
Encoding. 8B/10B Encoding is used to re-
code 8-bit patterns into 10-bit symbols.
This type of encoding is used in Systems
Network Architecture (SNA) networks.
Seealso4B/5B Encoding.
9-track tape
A tape storage format using nine parallel
tracks on half-inch magnetic tape. Eight of
the tracks are used for data; the ninth is
used for parity information. The 9-track
tapes are frequently used as mainframe
backup systems.
10Base2
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 specication for
Ethernet networks using thin coaxial cable.
This specication, also known as ThinNet, is
often used for small local-area networks
(LANs), and offers a throughput of up to 10
megabits per second (Mbps). 10Base2 can
support a cable segment as long as 300
meters (about 1,000 feet).
SeealsoEthernet; IEEE 802.x; ThinNet.
10Base5
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 specication for
Ethernet networks using thick coaxial cable.
This specication, also known as ThickNet,
can accommodate a larger local-area net-
work (LAN) diameter than 10Base2 and
offers a throughput of up to 10 megabits
per second (Mbps). 10Base5 can support a
cable segment as long as 1,000 meters
(about 3,300 feet).
SeealsoEthernet; IEEE 802.x;
ThickNet.
10BaseF
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE 802.3) specication for
Ethernet networks using ber-optic cable.
This specication offers a throughput of
upto 10 megabits per second (Mbps),
andis divided into the following three
subcategories:
10BaseFP (ber passive). Used for desk-
top connections.
10BaseFL (ber link). Used for interme-
diate hubs and workgroups.
10BaseFB (ber backbone). Used for
links between buildings.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x.
10BaseT
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 specication for
Ethernet networks using unshielded twisted-
pair (UTP) wiring. This method of wiring
provides the network with 10 megabits per
second (Mbps) of bandwidth, and typically
uses a star topology.
SeealsoEthernet; IEEE 802.x; star
topology.
10Basex
A generic designation used to refer to the
various types of baseband Ethernet networks.
Seealso10Base2; 10Base5; 10BaseF;
10BaseT; Ethernet.
10Broad36
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 specication for
broadband Ethernet networks using 75-ohm
coaxial cable, and a bus or tree topology.
10Broad36 networks offer throughput of up
to 10 megabits per second (Mbps), and can
support cable segments as long as 1,800
meters (about 5,900 feet).
Seealsobus network topology; Ethernet;
IEEE 802.x; tree topology.
10-tape rotation method
A method of tape rotation that uses ten tape
sets. Each tape set is used for equal time
slots over a period of 40 weeks.
16-bit and 32-bit
The number of bits used by an operating
system to perform a task. This operating
16-bit and 32-bit
5
&
56K line
6
system specication is based on the corre-
sponding hardware platform on which the
operating system runs.
56K line
A digital leased line connection that can
carry data at 56,000 bits per second (bps).
Seealso64K line.
64K line
Physically the same as a 56K line, except
that it offers a higher throughput (about
64,000 bits per second) and usually carries
a higher cost.
Seealso56K line.
66-type punch-down block
A device for terminating wires, typically
used for telephone systems. The 66-type
block has been superseded by the 110-type
punch-down block.
Seealso110-type punch-down block.
100Base VG/Any LAN
A proprietary extension of the 100Base VG
standard, developed by Hewlett-Packard.
100Base VG is represented by the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
802.12 specication. Although similar to
Ethernet, it cannot be truly called Ethernet
because it does not use the Carrier-Sense
Multiple-Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/
CD) protocol. This architecture supports 100
megabits per second (Mbps) transmission
over CAT-3 unshielded twisted-pair (UTP)
cabling. 100Base VG supports a demand
priority scheme to give priority to data
packets over the network. This deterministic
access method differs from CSMA/CDs
contentious method of handling collisions
and attempts to bring greater efciency to the
network. Because it is deterministic, 100Base
VG may be more suitable than 100BaseT
(Fast Ethernet) for time-sensitive applications,
such as videoconferencing.
In an Ethernet network, any node may
transmit at any time, and collisions eventu-
ally result. On the other hand, 100VG
guarantees all stations equal access to the
network. In a 100VG network, the hub polls
all active ports. When a station requests per-
mission to send data, the hub allows that
station to generate one frame, and then go
on to the next port, and repeat the process.
Seealso100BaseT; Carrier-Sense
Multiple-Access/Collision Detection;
Ethernet; IEEE 802.x.
100BaseFX
A specication of 100BaseT (Fast Ethernet)
that supports two-strand ber optic cable.
Seealso100BaseT; Carrier-Sense
Multiple-Access/Collision Detection;
Ethernet; IEEE 802.x.
100BaseT
A general classication of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
802.3 specication for Ethernet networks
that provides the network with 100 mega-
bits per second (Mbps) of bandwidth.
100BaseT retains the Carrier-Sense Multiple-
Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)
media-access method and can support cable
lengths between nodes as long as about 200
meters (about 660 feet). The 100BaseT
specication is also known as Fast Ethernet.
SeealsoFast Ethernet.
100BaseT4
A specication of 100BaseT (Fast Ethernet)
that supports CAT-3, CAT-4, or CAT-5
unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling.
100BaseT4 requires four pairs of wires.
100BaseTX
A specication of 100BaseT (Fast Ethernet)
that supports CAT-5 unshielded twisted-pair
(UTP) and shielded twisted-pair (STP)
cabling. 100BaseTX requires two pairs of
wires.
100BaseVG
See100BaseVG/AnyLAN.
100BaseX
A generic term used to refer to the various
types of Fast Ethernet networks.
Seealso100Base VG/Any LAN;
100BaseFX; 100BaseT; 100BaseT4;
100BaseTX; Ethernet; Fast Ethernet;
IEEE 802.x.
100Mbps Ethernet
A generic term referring to one of several
proposals for running Ethernet at 100Mbps,
such as Fast Ethernet and 100Base VG.
SeealsoFast Ethernet; 100Base
VG/AnyLAN.
110-type punch-down block
A device used for terminating wires. The
block replaces older 66-type blocks, and is
often used to connect input and output wires.
Seealso66-type punch-down block.
128-byte le entry
An entry consisting of 128 bytes. For
example, a NetWare server that supports
both DOS and Macintosh lenames would
generate two 128-byte le entries for
eachle.
193
rd
bit
A framing bit in a T1 channel. This bit is
attached to each group of 192 bits, which
represents a single byte from each of the T1
lines 24 channels.
Seealso T1.
802.1
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standard for general local-
area network (LAN) architecture, internet-
working, and network management at the
hardware level.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x.
802.2
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standard dening the
Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer for a
Carrier-Sense Multiple-Access/Collision
Detection (CSMA/CD) bus network. LLC
establishes an interface between media-
access methods and the network layer. LLC
functions include framing, addressing, and
error control.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x.
802.3
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standard dening the
Media Access Control (MAC) Layer for a
802.3
7
&
802.4
8
Carrier-Sense Multiple-Access/Collision
Detection (CSMA/CD) bus network.
Although 802.3 is technically not identical
to Ethernet, both Ethernet and 802.3
devices can run over the same cable.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x; Media-Access
Control.
802.4
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standard dening the
Media-Access Control (MAC) Layer for a
token-passing bus network.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x; Media-Access
Control.
802.5
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standard dening the
Media-Access Control (MAC) Layer for a
token-passing ring network.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x; Media-Access
Control; token passing.
802.6
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standard dening a metro-
politan-area network (MAN) on the basis of
a 30-mile long ber-optic ring.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x; metropolitan-area
network.
802.7
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) Technical Advisory Group
(TAG) report on broadband networks.
802.8
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) Technical Advisory Group
(TAG) report on ber-optic networks.
802.9
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standard for integrating
voice and data.
802.11
An Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) working group concerned
with establishing wireless network
standards.
802.x
The entire set of Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802 standards.
SeealsoIEEE 802.x.
1394 cable
A universal I/O connection for interconnect-
ing multiple digital devices. Often used for
connecting video and audio hardware, a
1394 cable is capable of connecting devices
at half-duplex rates of up to 400 megabits
per second (Mbps). The 1394 cable was
originally designed by Apple Computer as a
replacement for parallel Small Computer
System Interface (SCSI). The medium allows
for 16 cable hops of 4.5 meters each, for a
72 meter maximum. The 1394 cable is also
known as rewire.
SeealsoSmall Computer System
Interface.
3174
A cluster-control unit used with an IBM
3270 display terminal. This is a Systems
Network Architecture (SNA) Physical Unit
(PU) Type 2.
SeealsoSystems Network Architecture.
3270
A family of IBM workstations and printers
used with IBM mainframes. These devices
rely on either Synchronous Data-Link
Control (SDLC) or Binary Synchronous
Control (BSC) to communicate with the
mainframe host. In Systems Network
Architecture (SNA) terms, the 3270 devices
are dened as Logical Unit (LU) Types 2
(3270 workstations) and Type 3 (3270
printers).
SeealsoBinary Synchronous Control;
Synchronous Data-Link Control; Systems
Network Architecture.
3270 data stream
A stream in an IBM Systems Network Archi-
tecture (SNA) environment where characters
are converted and formatted through control
characters and attribute settings.
SeealsoSystems Network Architecture.
3274
An IBM cluster-control unit for the 3270
workstation family. The 3274 connects one
or more 3270 devices with a host computer
via a communications control node or
Integrated Communications Adapter. In
Systems Network Architecture (SNA) terms,
the IBM control unit is dened as a Physical
Unit (PU) Type 2. These controllers have
been replaced by 3174 controllers in more
recent congurations.
SeealsoSystems Network Architecture.
3278
An IBM 3270 workstation terminal (LU 2)
used to communicate with IBM mainframes.
3279
A color-capable IBM 3270 workstation
(LU 2) used to communicate with IBM
mainframes.
3705
An IBM communication control node used
with IBM 370 series mainframes. The 3705
also includes ports for asynchronous access
over dial-up lines and is used to interface
the mainframe to 3274 control units. In
Systems Network Architecture (SNA) terms,
this is a Physical Unit (PU) Type 4.
SeealsoSystems Network Architecture.
8086/8088
Intels 16-bit microprocessor used in early
IBM-compatible computers. The 8086 chip
was available with clock speeds of 4.77
megahertz (MHz), 8MHz, and 10MHz. The
8088 chip was available with clock speeds
of 4.77MHz and 8MHz. These chips con-
tained the equivalent of 29,000 transistors
executing 0.33 million instructions per
second.
80286
Intels 16-bit successor to the 8086 chip.
The 80286 chip was used in the IBM AT
80286
9
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80386DX
10
machine, and runs at speeds of 6 megahertz
(MHz) to 16MHz. Computers based on the
80286 chip were limited to memory seg-
ments of 64K, and could not address more
than 1MB of memory.
80386DX
Intels third-generation 32-bit microproces-
sor. The chip can run at clock speeds of up
to 33MHz. Computers based on the 80386
chip overcame many of the limitations of
the 80286, could address as much as 4GB
of physical memory and 64TB of virtual
memory.
80386SX
Intels low-end 80386 microprocessor. Its
external data bus was only 16 bits instead of
32 bits.
80387
Intels oating-point coprocessor designed to
be used with 80386 computers.
80387SX
Intels oating-point coprocessor designed to
be used with 80386SX computers.
80486DX
Intels successor to the 80386 microproces-
sor. With 1,185,000 transistors and clock
speeds of up to 50 megahertz (MHz), it
could process as many as 41 million
instructions per second.
80486DX2
Intels high-performance overdrive micro-
processor for use with systems using 20MHz
bus structures. This microprocessor features
speed-doublingtechnology, which means it is
designed to run twice as fast internally as it
does with components external to the chip.
The chip offers clock speeds of 50 mega-
hertz (MHz) and 66MHz, with 1.2 million
transistors capable or processing 40 million
instructions per second.
80486SL
A low-end version of Intels 80486 micro-
processor. The 80486SL included features
for power management, and was often used
in portable computers.
80486SX
Intels 80486 microprocessor with no math
coprocessor.
80487
Intels oating-point coprocessor meant to
be used with the 80486SX microprocessor.
The 80486 microprocessor includes an inte-
grated coprocessor, making the 80487
unnecessary.
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