Applets
Java's advantage is in that it is composed of many smaller, re-usable chunks of programming code, called "applets" (short for "applications"). This allows for quicker transfer over the internet, meaning many new programs will now be able to become directly interactive, incorporating animation, sound, and more. (See also Java, ShockWave, and VRML)

ASP
Active Server Pages (ASP) technology is a compile-free programming environment that allows combinations of html, scripting, and components to create powerful Internet applications that run on Microsoft Internet Information Server. If you are already creating Web sites that combine html, scripting, and some reusable components, you can use ASP to glue these items together. In addition, one of the standard Server Components supplied with ASP is Active Database Object (ADO). ADO provides connectivity to numerous databases via Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). This enables development of ASP templates that populate the final web pages with data from a database at runtime. Here's how Active Server works: The user visits a web site that points to a web page with the ASP extension. The user's web browser requests the ASP file from the Web server. The server-side script begins to run with ASP. ASP processes the requested file sequentially (top-down), executing any script commands contained in the file, and outputs a plain html Web page. This plain html web page is sent to the browser. Because your script runs on the server, IIS does all of the processing and standard html pages can be generated and sent to the browser. IIS provides native support for both VBScript and Jscript.

Asynchronous Communication
Communication that occurs at different times, between two or more individuals, in contrast to Synchronous communication. For e.g. e-mails, some conferencing systems, bulletin boards.

ATM
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) is a networking technology that provides a guaranteed quality of service. Standard Internet connections are based on Frame Relay technology. The throughput of Frame Relay links can be drastically reduced under certain circumstances, just as a garden hose becomes less effective when stepped on or kinked. However, ATM links are like metal pipes-they always provide the same amount of throughput, regardless of the pressure exerted on them.

Auto-responder
Auto-responders allow you to automatically return a pre-set message whenever a selected mailbox receives a message. It will also notify a selected mailbox of the receipt and response.

Backbone
A high-speed line or series of connections that form a major pathway within a network. The term is relative, since a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network.

Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the amount of data, measured in Megabytes per month, that clients may transfer due to any traffic originating from or going to their Web site. A large part of this traffic is web traffic (Web site visitors) but can also be FTP (file uploads), Anonymous FTP (file downloads), and even E-mail services. In other words, the more bandwidth allowed, the better!

BIOS -- Basic Input/Output System
The BIOS is what's coded into a PC's ROM to provide the basic instructions for controlling system hardware. The operating system and application programs both directly access BIOS routines to provide better compatibility for such functions as screen display. Some makers of add-in boards such as graphics accelerator cards provide their own BIOS modules that work in conjunction with (or replace) the BIOS on the system's motherboard.

Botnet
The word is generally used to refer to a collection of compromised computers (called Zombie computers) running software, usually installed via worms, Trojan horses, or backdoors, under a common command-and-control infrastructure. The majority of these computers are running Microsoft Windows operating systems, but other operating systems can be affected.

CFML
Cold Fusion Markup Language is Allaire's tag based language that is used for creating Web sites that run on Allaire's Cold Fusion application server. For more information on CFML, visit Allaire's Web site at: http://www.allaire.com/products/coldfusion/index.cfm

COM Objects
COM objects are programs that are written to the Microsoft component specification. These objects are used to encapsulate programming logic. Using COM objects, ASP sites can connect to other server-side systems. The ASP pages do not contain the code for these connections. Instead, the ASP pages make calls to COM objects. COM objects contain all of the programming to work with the back end system. For more information on COM, visit Microsoft's Web site.

Data Transfer
Data transfer (bandwidth) is the amount of information downloaded from a Web site. For example, let's assume all of the data (pictures, text, buttons) on your homepage totals 25KB (the size of Yahoo's homepage). If a thousand people viewed your homepage you'd have 25MB total data transfer for that month (25KB multiplied by 1000).

DHCP -- (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
DHCP is a protocol by which a machine can obtain an IP number (and other network configuration information) from a server on the local network.

Disk Space
Disk space is the storage capacity of your Web site for pictures, html, graphics, etc. and is usually expressed in MB.

DNS
The Domain Name System. A system for translating computer names into numeric Internet addresses.

Firewall
The most common means of protecting a network is using a firewall. The biggest problem with firewalls is that people think they're more than they actually are. A firewall's major strength is protecting against traffic-based attacks (DoS,or DDoS).

Forwarder
E-mail forwards redirect e-mail messages to another mailbox either within its domain or to an outside destination.

Helper Application
This is an application that adds extra functionality to Web documents. e.g. If you download a movie clip the Web browser is unable to play the file but it can boot up a helper application, in this case it may be 'RealPlayer' (An audio/video player application).

Hits
This refers to the number of people who have visited a given Web Site or page.( e.g.10300 hits)

Hostname
hostname is the unique name by which a system is known on a network. Hostname is crucial since it is used to identify the origin of email and other forms of electronic information interchange. For example, our domain name is: ServerTune.com, we can have a hostname like: cPanel.ServerTune.com, or SentOS.ServerTune.com, or Andy.ServerTune.com, or Minnesota.ServerTune.com.

html
Hypertext Markup Language. A system used for writing pages for the World Wide Web. html allows text to include codes that define fonts, layout, embedded graphics, and hypertext links.

Hypermedia
Computer applications that have the ability to link information to information created by another application, characteristic of Internet Applications.

Hypertext
A system of writing and displaying text that enables the text to be linked in multiple ways, available at several levels of detail. Hypertext documents can also contain links to related documents, such as those referred to in footnotes. Hypermedia can also contain pictures, sounds, and /or video.

InterNIC
The InterNIC organization was formed in 1993 to handle domain name registrations. While Network Solutions manages the group, the National Science Foundation, AT&T, and General Atomics also play a part in how the organization is run. InterNIC also maintains a database of domain names, so you can search to see if the one you want is available. Point your browser at InterNIC, click Registration Services, and then Whois. Here, you'll find guidelines for researching the availability of a domain name.

IP
Internet Protocol. The transport layer protocol used as a basis of the Internet. IP enables information to be routed from one network to another in packets and then reassembled when they reach their destination.

IP Address
A four-part number separated by periods (for example, 165.113.245.2) that uniquely identifies a machine on the Internet. Every machine on the Internet has a unique IP number; if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Most machines also have one or more domain names that are easier for people to remember.

IP Spoofing
An attack whereby a system attempts to illicitly impersonate another system by using its IP network address.

IPv4 -- (Internet Protocol, version 4)
The most widley used version of the Internet Protocol (the "IP" part of TCP/IP.) IPv4 allows for a theoretical maximum of approximately four billion IP Numbers (technically 232), but the actual number is far less due to inefficiencies in the way blocks of numbers are handled by networks. The gradual adoption of IPv6 will solve this problem.

IPv6 -- (Internet Protocol, version 6)
The successor to IPv4. Already deployed in some cases and gradually spreading, IPv6 provides a huge number of available IP Numbers - over a sextillion addresses (theoretically 2128). IPv6 allows every device on the planet to have its own IP Number.

IRC
Internet Relay Chat. A system that enables Internet users to talk with each other in real time over the Internet rather than in person.

ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network. A way to move more data over existing regular phone lines. ISDN is only slowly becoming available in the USA. ISDN can provide speeds of 64,000 bits per second over a regular phone line at almost the same cost as a normal phone call.

Java
This programming code works in conjunction with html to allow dynamic programs to run and interact with your computer, where straight html is primarily linear information downloaded to your computer for static display. Java is a product created by Sun Microsystems. Watch for many new web sites to start incorporating limitless graphics, sound, motion, programs, etc.. (See also applets, ShockWave, andVRML)

Java applet
is a program written in the JavaTM programming language that can be included in an html page, much in the same way an image is included. When you use a Java technology-enabled browser to view a page that contains an applet, the applet's code is transferred to your system and executed by the browser's Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Java Servlet
Servlets are the Java platform technology of choice for extending and enhancing Web servers. Servlets provide a component-based, platform-independent method for building Web-based applications, without the performance limitations of CGI programs. And unlike proprietary server extension mechanisms (such as the Netscape Server API or Apache modules), servlets are server- and platform-independent. This leaves you free to select a "best of breed" strategy for your servers, platforms, and tools.

JavaServer Pages (JSP)
At first glance, JavaServer PagesTM (JSP) and Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) technologies have many similarities. Both are designed to create interactive pages as part of a Web-based application. To a degree, both enable developers to separate programming logic from page design through the use of components that are called from the page itself. And both provide an alternative to creating CGI scripts that makes page development and deployment easier and faster. While JavaServer Pages technology and Microsoft Active Server Pages are similar in many ways, there are also a number of differences that exist. And these differences are just as significant as the similarities, and have far-reaching implications for the developers who use them as well as the organizations that adopt them as part of their overall Web-based architecture.

JDBC
Java Database Connectivity is the Sun database connectivity standard. JDBC is part of the Java 2 platform. JDBC drivers enable database connectivity on any Java platform including Windows, Mac, and UNIX. JDBC drivers can be downloaded from various vendors. The Sun Web site includes a list of all the latest drivers for JDBC.

Kernel
Kernel is responsible for memory management, process and task management, and disk management. It is the part of the operating system that loads first, and it remains in main memory. Because it stays in memory, it is important for the kernel to be as small as possible while still providing all the essential services required by other parts of the operating system and applications.

LAN
Local Area Network. A group of connected computers, usually located in close proximity (such as the same building or floor of the building) so data can be passed among them.

Latency
In networking, latency and bandwidth are the two factors that determine the speed of your connection. Latency is the time it takes for a data packet to move across a network connection. (Bandwidth is the capacity of data pipe that carries the data packet.)

MySQL
MySQL is a relational database management system. A relational database stores data in separate tables rather than putting all the data in one big storeroom. This adds speed and flexibility. The tables are linked by defined relations making it possible to combine data from several tables on request. The SQL part of MySQL stands for "Structured Query Language" - the most common standardized language used to access databases.

NNTP
Network News Transfer Protocol. A protocol defined for distribution, inquiry, retrieval, and posting of news articles.

ODBC Support
Object Database Connectivity (ODBC) support allows ODBC compliant applications to connect to an ODBC database and extract data without requiring that the user have programming skills. For example, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and MySQL are ODBC compliant applications. Using ODBC and MySQL a user can import data directly into an Excel spreadsheet once MySQL ODBC drivers have been installed on the user's computer.

OEM -- Original Equipment Manufacturer
Originally OEM was an adjective used to describe a company that produced hardware to be marketed under another company's brand. Mitsumi, for example, produced CD-ROM drives that dozens of companies would label as their own. It's often now used as a verb, as in this sentence: "This CD-ROM drive is OEM'd by Mitsumi."

OLEDB
OLEDB is another Microsoft standard for connecting to databases. OLEDB is object-oriented and works with relational and non-relational databases. There are fewer OLEDB drivers available for existing databases but those that are available provide better performance for ASP sites than ODBC.

Packet
A chunk of information sent over a network. Each packet contains the destination address, the sender's address, error-control information, and data.

Packet Sniffer
A packet sniffer is an application that captures TCP/IP data packets, which can maliciously be used to capture passwords and other data while it is in transit either within the computer or over the network.

Partition
A partition can be thought of as a division or "part" of a real Hard Disk (HD). When you partition a HD, you make it available to an Operating System (OS). Multiple partitions on a singe HD appear as separate drives to the OS. For example, when you install an OS such as Windows Vista or Linux CentOS, part of the process is to define a partition on the HD. This partition serves to define an area of the HD that Windows Vista or Linux CentOS can use to install all of its applications and files. For example, in Windows OS, the primary partition is usually assigned the drive letter of "C".

Ping
A network management tool that checks to see whether you can communicate with another computer on the Internet. It sends a short message to which the other computer automatically responds. If the other computer does not respond to the ping, you usually cannot establish communications.

POP
Point of Presence. A physical site in a geographic area where a network access provider, such as UUNET, has equipment to which users connect. The local phone company's central office in a particular area is also sometimes referred to as their POP for that area. (As an example, AT&T's POP for the Seattle area is in downtown Seattle.)

PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol. A scheme for connecting two computers over a phone line (or a network link that acts like a phone line). Similar to SLIP.

Propagation
The process of disseminating information throughout a system.

Protocol
A language Computers use when talking to each other.

Proxy Server
A Proxy Server sits in between a Client and the "real" Server that a Client is trying to use. Client's are sometimes configured to use a Proxy Server, usually an HTTP server. The clients makes all of it's requests from the Proxy Server, which then makes requests from the "real" server and passes the result back to the Client. Sometimes the Proxy server will store the results and give a stored result instead of making a new one (to reduce use of a Network). Proxy servers are commonly established on Local Area Networks.

Remote Access
When you access a computer that you are unable to see. This is done via a modem or computer network.

Reverse DNS
(rDNS) is a method of resolving an IP address into a domain name, just as the domain name system (DNS) resolves domain names into associated IP addresses. One of the applications of reverse DNS is as a spam filter. Here's how it works: Typically, a spammer uses an invalid IP address, one that doesn't match the domain name. A reverse DNS lookup program inputs IP addresses of incoming messages to a DNS database. If no valid name is found to match the IP address, the server blocks that message.

Rootkit
A rootkit is a toolkit for hiding the fact that a computer's security has been compromised, is a general description of a set of programs which work to subvert control of an operating system from its legitimate operators. Usually, a rootkit will obscure its installation and attempt to prevent its removal through a subversion of standard system security. Root kits may include replacements for system binaries so that it becomes impossible for the legitimate user to detect the presence of the intruder on the system by looking at process tables.

Router
A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles the connection between 2 or more Packet-Switched networks. Routers spend all their time looking at the source and destination addresses of the packets passing through them and deciding which route to send them on.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
Security is very important on the Web. Whether sharing financial, business, or personal information. Cyber people need to protect their documents, financial transactions, and private topics from intercepting and make certain that what they are communicating is secure. The Secure Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) provides one means for achieving these goals. The reason SSL is called secured socket is because SSL uses a "secure socket" or port for transferring encrypted information between the server and the browser. The secure socket is a protocol that controls the communication between the SSL server and the browser. SSL is a security protocol designed by Netscape Communications Corporation, the company of Netscape Navigator fame. SSL is designed to provide security during the transmission of sensitive data over TCP/IP (the communications protocol used on the Internet). SSL provides data encryption, server authentication, and message integrity for data transmission over the Internet. The newest version, SSL 3.0, supports both client and server authentication. If you find the above hard to understand, all you have to know is that SSL encrypts the data while it is being transmitted over the Internet. The encryption is done in the background, without any interaction from the user, so there is no password to enter or remember.

Server Side Java
Server-side Java (SSJ), sometimes called servlets or server-side applets, is a powerful hybrid of the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) and lower-level server API programming -- such as NSAPI from Netscape and ISAPI from Microsoft.

Shared Server
Redundant equipment with high-quality monitoring and management. Serves the primary needs for storefront and similar e-business sites on Unix or Windows.

SNMP -- (Simple Network Management Protocol)
A set of standards for communication with devices connected to a TCP/IP network. Examples of these devices include routers, hubs, and switches. SNMP is defined in RFC 1089

Socket
When your computer is on the Internet via a SLIP connection, a socket is a conversation your computer is having with a computer elsewhere on the net. You may have one socket for an FTP session, another socket for a Telnet session, and another socket taking care of getting your mail.

Spyware
A somewhat vague term generally referring to software that is secretly installed on a users computer and that monitors use of the computer in some way without the users' knowledge or consent. Most spyware tries to get the user to view advertising and/or particular web pages. Some spyware also sends information about the user to another machine over the Internet. Spyware is usually installed without a users' knowledge as part of the installation of other software, especially software such as music sharing software obtained via download.

TCP/IP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol A protocol used to transfer e-mail between Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The system that networks use to communicate with each other on the Internet.

Telnet/SSH
Telnet and/or SSH is a program to log into another computer over a network, to execute commands in a remote machine, and to move files from one machine to another. It provides strong authentication and secure communications over un-secure channels. SSH access allows clients to take advantage of easy maintenance of their sites in a UNIX shell. Clients are able to roam through their sites, change permissions, move files, delete and save files, and debug scripts. Compiling programs is also possible. Telnet access also allows for manipulation of MySQL databases. All accounts come with one shell account. Telnet allows you to update the content of your Web site quicker and easier than FTP in most cases.

Terminal
A device that allows you to send commands to a computer somewhere else. At a minimum, this usually means a keyboard and a display screen and some simple circuitry. Usually you will use terminal software in a personal computer--the software pretends to be ("emulates") a physical terminal and allows you to type commands to a computer somewhere else.

Trojan Horse
A computer program is either hidden inside another program or that masquerades as something it is not in order to trick potential users into running it. A trojan horse can be used to set up a back door in a computer system so that the intruder can return later and gain access. Viruses that fool a user into downloading and/or executing them by pretending to be useful applications are also sometimes called trojan horses.

UDP -- (User Datagram Protocol)
One of the protocols for data transfer that is part of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. UDP is a "stateless" protocol in that UDP makes no provision for acknowledgement of packets received.

USENET
An informal group of systems that exchange "news." USENET predates the Internet, but today, the Internet is used to transfer much of USENET's traffic.

VOIP -- (Voice Over IP)
A specification and various technologies used to allow making telephone calls over IP networks, especially the Internet. Just as modems allow computers to connect to the Internet over regular telephone lines, VOIP technology allows humans to talk over Internet connections. Costs for VOIP calls can be a lot lower than for traditional telephone calls. Because the IP networks are packet-switched this allows for vastly different ways of handling connections and more efficient use of network resources.

VPN -- (Virtual Private Network)
VPN -- (Virtual Private Network) Usually refers to a network in which some of the parts are connected using the public Internet, but the data sent across the Internet is encrypted, so the entire network is "virtually" private.

VRML
Virtual Reality Markup Language. A standard by which the internet uses for delivering 3-dimensional virtual reality over the the Web.

WAN
Wide Area Network. Any internet or network that covers an area larger than a single building or campus. (See also: Internet, LAN, network)

WebDAV
WebDAV -- (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) A set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allows multiple users to not only read but also to add, delete, and change documents residing on a web server. In order to use WebDAV you need WebDAV client software to connect to a HTTP server that has the WebDAV extensions installed. Virtually all common HTTP servers have WedDAV extensions available to them.

Windows Socket
(WinSock). Windows Sockets is a standard way for Windows-based programs to work with TCP/IP. You can use WinSock if you use SLIP to connect to the Internet.

Yum
Yum is an automatic updater and package installer/remover for rpm systems. It automatically computes dependencies and figures out what things should occur to install packages. It makes it easier to maintain groups of machines without having to manually update each one using rpm. Yum has a plugin interface for adding simple features. Yum can also be used from other python programs via its module interface.

Zombie
A zombie computer (often shortened as zombie) is a computer attached to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker, a computer virus, or a trojan horse. Generally, a compromised machine is only one of many in a botnet, and will be used to perform malicious tasks of one sort or another under remote direction. Most owners of zombie computers are unaware that their system is being used in this way. Because the owner tends to be unaware, these computers are metaphorically compared to zombies.