Network administration

Terms related to managing computer networks, including definitions about LANS or WANS and words and phrases about network design, troubleshooting, security and backups.

iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) - ISCSI is a transport layer protocol that describes how Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) packets should be transported over a TCP/IP network.
IT as a Service (ITaaS) - IT as a Service (ITaaS) is a technology-delivery method that treats IT (information technology) as a commodity, providing an enterprise with exactly the amount of hardware, software, and support that it needs for an agreed-on monthly fee.
IT operations management (ITOM) - IT operations management (ITOM) is a strategic approach to managing an organization's information technology needs.
iterative DNS query - An iterative DNS query is a request for a website name or URL.
job scheduler - A job scheduler is a computer program that enables an enterprise to schedule and, in some cases, monitor computer 'batch' jobs (units of work).
keylogger (keystroke logger or system monitor) - A keylogger, sometimes called a keystroke logger, is a type of surveillance technology used to monitor and record each keystroke on a specific device, such as a computer or smartphone.
latency - Latency is the delay from the input into a system to a desired outcome.
leaky bucket algorithm - The leaky bucket algorithm is a "traffic shaping" algorithm to reduce the load the transport layer places on the network layer and reduce congestion in the network.
LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) - LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) is a Cisco-proprietary version of EAP, the authentication protocol used in wireless networks and Point-to-Point connections.
log file - A log file, or simply a log, in a computing context is the automatically produced and timestamped documentation of events relevant to a particular system.
logical network - A logical network is a software-defined network topology or routing that is often different than the physical network.
LUN masking - LUN masking is an authorization mechanism used in storage area networks (SANs) to make LUNs available to some hosts but unavailable to other hosts.
managed hosting - Managed hosting is an IT provisioning model in which a service provider leases dedicated servers and associated hardware to a single customer and manages those systems on the customer's behalf.
maximum transmission unit (MTU) - The maximum transmission unit (MTU) is the largest size frame or packet -- in bytes or octets (eight-bit bytes) -- that can be transmitted across a data link.
mean time to innocence - Mean time to innocence is the average elapsed time between when a system problem is detected and any given team's ability to say the team or part of its system is not the root cause of the problem.
memory dump - A memory dump is the process of taking all information content in RAM and writing it to a storage drive as a memory dump file (*.
Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit - Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a free utility IT can use to determine whether its infrastructure is prepared for a migration to a new operating system, server version or cloud-based deployment.
Microsoft System Center 2012 - Microsoft System Center 2012 is a bundled suite of systems management products that offers tools to monitor and automate virtualized environments, including private clouds based on Microsoft Hyper-V.
mirror site - A mirror site is a website or set of files on a computer server that has been copied to another computer server so that the site or files are available from more than one place.
mobile workforce management (MWM) - Mobile workforce management (MWM) is a category of software and related services used to manage employees working outside the company premises; the term is often used in reference to field teams.
moves, adds and changes (MAC) - Moves, adds and changes (MAC) refers to a set of tasks that IT teams regularly perform to keep computing equipment up to date and aligned with user and business requirements.
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) - Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a switching mechanism used in wide area networks (WANs).
NBMA (non-broadcast multiple access) - Non-broadcast multiple access (NBMA) is one of four network types in the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) communications protocol.
NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) - NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) is a network service that enables applications on different computers to communicate with each other across a local area network (LAN).
Network Address Translation (NAT) - A Network Address Translation (NAT) is the process of mapping an internet protocol (IP) address to another by changing the header of IP packets while in transit via a router.
Network as a Service (NaaS) - Network as a service, or NaaS, is a business model for delivering enterprise WAN services virtually on a subscription basis.
network assurance - Network assurance is the method of validating whether services and policies configured on and across network appliances appropriately align with operational goals.
Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) - The Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) network management protocol that provides a secure mechanism for installing, manipulating and deleting the configuration data on a network device such as a firewall, router or switch.
Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) - Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) is an open protocol to control data backup and recovery communications between primary and secondary storage in a heterogeneous network environment.
network disaster recovery plan - A network disaster recovery plan is a set of procedures designed to prepare an organization to respond to an interruption of network services during a natural or humanmade catastrophe.
network drive - A network drive is a shared storage device on a local area network (LAN) within a business or home.
network engineer - A network engineer is a technology professional who has the necessary skills to plan, implement and oversee the computer networks that support in-house voice, data, video and wireless network services.
network fabric - 'Network fabric' is a general term used to describe underlying data network infrastructure as a whole.
network functions virtualization (NFV) - Network functions virtualization (NFV) is a network architecture model designed to virtualize network services that have traditionally run on proprietary, dedicated network appliances.
network intrusion protection system (NIPS) - A network intrusion protection system (NIPS) is an umbrella term for a combination of hardware and software systems that protect computer networks from unauthorized access and malicious activity.
Network layer - Located at Layer 3 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) communications model, the primary function of the network layer is to move data into and through other networks.
network load balancing (NLB) - Network load balancing (NLB) is a feature in multiple versions of the Microsoft Windows Server operating system (OS), Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other cloud service providers that distribute network traffic among multiple servers or virtual machines (VMs) within a cluster to avoid overloading any one host and improve performance.
network management system - A network management system, or NMS, is an application or set of applications that lets network engineers manage a network's independent components inside a bigger network management framework and performs several key functions.
network operating system (NOS) - A network operating system (NOS) is a computer operating system (OS) that's designed primarily to support workstations, PCs and, in some instances, older terminals that are connected on a local area network (LAN).
network operations center (NOC) - A network operations center (NOC) is a centralized place from which enterprise information technology (IT) administrators -- either internal or third party -- supervise, monitor and maintain a telecommunications network.
network orchestration - Network orchestration is the use of a software-defined network controller that facilitates the creation of network and network security services to achieve business goals.
network performance monitoring (NPM) - Network performance monitoring (NPM) is the process of measuring and monitoring the quality of service of a network.
network protocol - A network protocol is a set of established rules that specify how to format, send and receive data so that computer network endpoints, including computers, servers, routers and virtual machines, can communicate despite differences in their underlying infrastructures, designs or standards.
network security - Network security encompasses all the steps taken to protect the integrity of a computer network and the data within it.
Network Time Protocol (NTP) - Network Time Protocol (NTP) is an internet protocol used to synchronize with computer clock time sources in a network.
Next Hop Resolution Protocol (NHRP) - Next Hop Resolution Protocol (NHRP) is an automated configuration technology that routes data on a distributed network by discovering the best routing path between endpoints.
NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure) - NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure) encompasses all of the networking hardware and software needed to support and connect virtual network functions in carrier networks.
nslookup - Nslookup is the name of a program that lets users enter a host name and find out the corresponding IP address or domain name system (DNS) record.
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) - Open Shortest Path First, often shortened to OSPF, is an IP routing protocol used to find the best path to distribute packets as they pass through IP networks.
OpenFlow - OpenFlow, an open source standard supported by many vendors, is the first software defined networking (SDN) control protocol.
operational technology (OT) - Operational technology (OT) is a category of hardware and software that monitors and controls how physical devices perform.
operational-level agreement (OLA) - An operational-level agreement (OLA) is a contract that defines how various IT groups within a company plan to deliver a service or set of services.
OSI model (Open Systems Interconnection) - OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) is a reference model for how applications communicate over a network.
OTA update (over-the-air update) - An over-the-air (OTA) update is the wireless delivery of new software, firmware or other data to mobile devices.
packet coalescing - Packet coalescing involves using a computer's network interface card (NIC) to reduce the number of generated receive interrupts the adapter issues.
passive optical network (PON) - A passive optical network (PON) is a system commonly used by telecommunications network providers that brings fiber optic cabling and signals all or most of the way to the end user.
peer-to-peer (P2P) - Peer-to-peer (P2P) is a decentralized communications model in which each party has the same capabilities and either party can initiate a communication session.
performance testing - Performance testing is a testing measure that evaluates the speed, responsiveness and stability of a computer, network, software program or device under a workload.
ping sweep (ICMP sweep) - A ping sweep (also known as an ICMP sweep) is a basic network scanning technique used to determine which of a range of IP addresses map to live hosts (computers).
poison reverse - In a computer network that uses the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) or other distance vector routing protocol, poison reverse is a loop avoidance process.
polling (computing) - In computer science, polling or a polled operation denotes the process of repeatedly sampling the status of external devices by a client program.
power usage effectiveness (PUE) - Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a metric used to determine the energy efficiency of a data center.
private certificate authority (CA) - Private CA stands for private certificate authority and is an enterprise specific certificate authority that functions like a publicly trusted CA but is exclusively run by or for the enterprise.
private IP address - A private IP address is a range of non-internet facing IP addresses used in an internal network.
privileged identity management (PIM) - Privileged identity management (PIM) is the monitoring and protection of superuser accounts that hold expanded access to an organization's IT environments.
programmable logic controller (PLC) - A programmable logic controller (PLC) is a small, modular, solid-state computer with customized instructions for performing a particular task.
proxy hacking - Proxy hacking is a cyber attack technique designed to supplant an authentic webpage in a search engine's index and search results pages to drive traffic to an imitation site.
race condition - A race condition is an undesirable situation that occurs when a device or system attempts to perform two or more operations at the same time, but because of the nature of the device or system, the operations must be done in the proper sequence to be done correctly.
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) - RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is a client-server protocol and software that enables remote access servers to communicate with a central server to authenticate dial-in users and authorize their access to the requested system or service.
RAT (remote access Trojan) - A RAT (remote access Trojan) is malware an attacker uses to gain full administrative privileges and remote control of a target computer.
Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) - Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) is an application-level network communication system that transfers real-time data from multimedia to an endpoint device by communicating directly with the server streaming the data.
real-time application (RTA) - A real-time application is an application program that functions within a time frame that the user senses as immediate or current.
real-time monitoring - Real-time monitoring is the delivery of continuously updated data about systems, processes or events.
Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) - Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is a network standard designed for transmitting audio or video data that is optimized for consistent delivery of live data.
remote access - Remote access is the ability for an authorized person to access a computer or network from a geographical distance through a network connection.
remote infrastructure management - Remote infrastructure management, or RIM, is a comprehensive approach to handling and overseeing an organization's IT infrastructure, systems and services from a remote location.
Rich Internet Application (RIA) - A rich Internet application (RIA) is a Web application designed to deliver the same features and functions normally associated with deskop applications.
RMON (Remote Network Monitoring) - RMON (Remote Network Monitoring) provides standard information that a network administrator can use to monitor, analyze, and troubleshoot a group of distributed local area networks (LANs) and interconnecting T-1/E-1 and T-2/E-3 lines from a central site.
routing table - A routing table is a set of rules, often viewed in table format, that's used to determine where data packets traveling over an Internet Protocol (IP) network will be directed.
RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools) - RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools) refers to a set of tools from Microsoft that enable IT administrators to remotely manage roles and features in Windows Server from a computer that is running Windows 11, Windows 10 or Windows 7 Service Pack 1.
runbook - Runbooks are a set of standardized written procedures for completing repetitive IT processes within a company.
SD-WAN security - SD-WAN security refers to the practices, protocols and technologies protecting data and resources transmitted across software-defined wide area network infrastructure.
SDN controller (software-defined networking controller) - A software-defined networking controller is an application in SDN architecture that manages flow control for improved network management and application performance.
secure access service edge (SASE) - Secure access service edge (SASE), pronounced sassy, is a cloud architecture model that bundles together network and cloud-native security technologies and delivers them as a single cloud service.
security information management (SIM) - Security information management (SIM) is the practice of collecting, monitoring and analyzing security-related data from computer logs and various other data sources.
service desk - An IT service desk is a communications center that provides a single point of contact (SPOC) between a company, its customers, employees and business partners.
session border controller (SBC) - A session border controller (SBC) is a dedicated hardware device or software application that governs the manner in which phone calls are initiated, conducted and terminated on a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
Shared Key Authentication (SKA) - Shared Key Authentication (SKA) is a process by which a computer can gain access to a wireless network that uses the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol.
Shodan - Shodan (Sentient Hyper-Optimised Data Access Network) is a search engine designed to map and gather information about internet-connected devices and systems.
short message service center (SMSC) - The short message service center (SMSC) is the portion of a mobile phone network that handles text message operations.
single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO) - Single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO) is a multitransmitter and receiver technology that lets a wireless access point send multiple, simultaneous data streams to one compatible endpoint at a time.
sliding window (windowing) - The sliding window (windowing) technique is used by Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to manage the flow of packets between two computers or network hosts.
SMB 3.0 (Server Message Block 3.0) - SMB 3 (Server Message Block 3.
software package - A software package is a group of programs bundled together into a product suite.
software-defined storage (SDS) - Software-defined storage (SDS) is a software program that manages data storage resources and functionality and has no dependencies on the underlying physical storage hardware.
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) - Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a Layer 2 network protocol used to prevent looping within a network topology.
split horizon - Split horizon is a method used by distance vector protocols to prevent network routing loops.
stack overflow - A stack overflow is a type of buffer overflow error that occurs when a computer program tries to use more memory space in the call stack than has been allocated to that stack.
star network - A star network is a local area network (LAN) topology in which all nodes -- personal computers (PCs), workstations or other devices -- are directly connected to a common central computer that is often referred to as a hub.
STONITH (Shoot The Other Node In The Head) - STONITH (Shoot The Other Node In The Head) is a Linux service for maintaining the integrity of nodes in a high-availability (HA) cluster.