Wireless Network PC Card
Passphrase - Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP
encryption process by automatically generating the WEP encryption keys for
Linksys products.
PC Card - A credit-card sized removable module that contains memory, I/O,
or a hard disk.
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) - An
industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a credit card-size
memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer, usually a note-
book or laptop computer.
Plug-and-Play - The ability of a computer system to configure expansion
boards and other devices automatically without requiring the user to turn off
the system during installation.
Roaming - In an infrastructure mode wireless network, this refers to the abili-
ty to move out of one access point's range and into another and transparently
reassociate and reauthenticate to the new access point. This reassociation and
reauthentication should occur without user intervention and ideally without
interruption to network connectivity. A typical scenario would be a location
with multiple access points, where users can physically relocate from one area
to another and easily maintain connectivity.
RTS (Request To Send) - An RS-232 signal sent from the transmitting station
to the receiving station requesting permission to transmit.
Software - Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs
a particular task is called a "program." The two major categories of software are
"system software" and "application software." System software is made up of
control programs such as the operating system and database management sys-
tem (DBMS). Application software is any program that processes data for the
user.
A common misconception is that software is data. It is not. Software tells the
hardware how to process the data.
SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) - Market segment of professionals who
work at home or in small offices.
38
Instant Wireless
®
Series
37
IRQ (Interrupt ReQuest) - A hardware interrupt on a PC. There are 16 IRQ
lines used to signal the CPU that a peripheral event has started or terminated.
ISM band - The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S. have set aside
bandwidth for unlicensed use in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical)
band. Spectrum in the vicinity of 2.4 GHz, in particular, is being made avail-
able worldwide. This presents a truly revolutionary opportunity to place con-
venient high-speed wireless capabilities in the hands of users around the globe.
LAN (LocalArea Network) - A group of computers and associated devices that
share a common communications line and typically share the resources of a
single processor or server within a small geographic area (for example, within
an office building).
MAC (Media Access Control) Address - A unique number assigned by the
manufacturer to any Ethernet networking device, such as a network adapter,
that allows the network to identify it at the hardware level.
Mbps (Megabits per second) - One million bits per second; unit of measure-
ment for data transmission.
Network - A system that transmits any combination of voice, video and/or data
between users.
NIC (Network Interface Card) - A board installed in a computer system, usu-
ally a PC, to provide network communication capabilities to and from that com-
puter system. Also called an adapter.
Node - A network junction or connection point, typically a computer or work
station.
Notebook (PC) - A notebook computer is a battery-powered personal comput-
er generally smaller than a briefcase that can easily be transported and conve-
niently used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in libraries, temporary
offices, and at meetings. A notebook computer, sometimes called a laptop com-
puter, typically weighs less than five pounds and is three inches or less in thick-
ness.
Packet - A unit of data routed between an origin and a destination in a network.
