American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a non-governmental organization delegated with the responsibility of developing and publishing standards for transmission codes, protocols, and high level languages for the United States.
A measure of the width or capacity of a communications channel. Greater bandwidth allows communication of more information in a given period of time.
The basic unit in data communication and transmissions.
The number of bits of data transmitted over a phone line per second.
With high-speed technology, several channels of data can travel across a single wire at 256K or above. DSL or Cable Internet Service Providers use broadband technology.
A compilation of bits, typically 8.
Cable Internet Service Providers use the same cable that transmits television signals to connect to the Internet. This is a type of broadband service.
A modem that connects your device to the Internet by way of your cable television service.
A signal of a specific frequency that is modulated to transmit information.
The average number of bits per unit of time passing in a data transaction.
A demilitarized zone is a buffer that can be set up to separate the Internet from your LAN (Local Area Network).
This is an Internet connection that is served through a regular analog phone line where a number is dialed to make a connection to the ISP.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol automatically assigns an IP address to the computer (or PlayStation 2 system) that logs onto the network. If you connect to your ISP with Dynamic IP Addressing, they are using DHCP.
See Demilitarized Zone.
This is a Domain Name Service. Computers on the Internet may have a domain name such as PlayStation.com, but all have an IP address as well. A domain name service translates domain names into IP addresses.
Digital Subscriber Line is a type of service that uses ordinary phone lines but uses technology to increase the speed of data through the lines. Though it uses phone lines you do not dial in to this type of broadband connection.
A common type of high speed wire data transmission.
Allows for optional components to be installed in the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system providing additional features and capabilities as they become available. The Network Adaptor connects to the Expansion Bus in the Expansion Bay located at the rear of your PlayStation 2 system.
An Internet product that employs a combination of hardware and software to prevent unauthorized users or traffic from gaining access to a private local area network.
Connecting the different electronic devices in a household by way of a local area network.
This is the name your ISP may want you to use to contact it when logging on. A hostname has a specific IP Address matched to it.
A device that allows you to link multiple devices communicating together.
A circuit-switched communication network, closely associated with the public switched telephone network that allows dial-up digital communication at up to 128 KB per second.
The standard signaling method user for all communications over the Internet.
This stands for Internet Service Provider and is the company that provides your Internet connection through a dial-up or broadband account. A broadband ISP supplies high-speed Internet service through either a DSL or Cable connection. It does not require dialing through a phone line to make a connection. If you have a dial-up ISP, your modem dials a phone number to connect to the ISP.
This is the identifying number for a computer (sometimes server) on the Internet or on a network. It is expressed with four numbers each separated by a period. When connecting to a server at your ISP, the location of the server is expressed with an IP address just like a house would have an address.
A network connecting a number of computers to each other or to a central server so that the computers can share programs and files.
Media Access Control Address, a hardware address that has been embedded into the network interface card by the manufacturer to uniquely identify each node or point of connection of a network.
One million bits.
Modulator-Demodulator, a device that converts digital data into analog signals and vice-versa over a telephone or cable line.
A designation of bandwidth that runs at less than 56 KB per second.
Enables a local area network to use one set of IP addresses for internal traffic and a second set of IP addresses for external traffic.
This is a secret set of numbers, letters or both used to limit access to computers, files or websites to authorized people.
Packet Internet Grouper. This is software that finds out if you can connect to a specific IP address. It signals the IP address and waits for it to respond.
The physical point of connection between a data network and a telephone network.
Point-to-Point Protocol is a method of connecting a computer to the Internet over a phone line usually through a dial-up connection.
A method for running Point-to-Point Protocol through an Ethernet connection. If you have a DSL ISP, you may be using PPPoE.
Four or six-wire connector used for phone connections. Use RJ11 to connect a phone line to the LINE connector on the Network Adaptor.
Eight-wire connector used for Ethernet connections. Attach this type to the NETWORK connector on the Network Adaptor.
The central switching device in a packet-switched computer network that directs and controls the flow of data through the network.
A subnet consists of a group of computers that all share a common IP address prefix.
A device that selects paths or circuits.
A dedicated digital communication link provided by a telephone company that offers 1.544 MB per second of bandwidth.
A dedicated digital communication link provided by a telephone company that offers 44.75 MB per second of bandwidth.
Transmission Control Protocol. A method of packet-switched data transmission used on the Internet. The protocol specifies the manner in which a signal is divided into parts, as well as the manner in which the address information is added to each packet. This ensures that the packet reaches its destination and can be reassembled back into the original message.
Serial data interface typically used for connecting peripherals such as keyboards or mice.
A User ID is required by some ISPs to log onto the Internet. Sometimes your E-mail address will be your User ID.
A network that interconnects multiple local area networks.
Transmission of data over radio waves instead of wiring or cables.