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Network Definitions
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Network Definitions
Often there are words located in our site that you may or may not know the full meaning of. We will try to define those words here.
10/100/1000MB
The Speed at which NIC cards communicate to the network is often referred to
as 10, 100, or in some cases 1000 MBits per second. The MB stands for Mega
Bits NOT Mega Bytes which is commenly used to show disk capacity
or memory size. A Bit is 1/8 of a Byte. That is to say that it
takes 8 Bits to make 1 Byte. One byte roughly equals 1 character in a file.
which means that a typical 10 Mbs NIC card can transfer data at 1.2MB
(MegaBytes) per second, 12MB for a 100Mbs NIC and 120MB for a 1000Mbs or
1Gbs (GigaBit) NIC.
BootP, DHCP
BootP - Bootstrap Protocol and DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol are protocols used for a computer to receive its TCP/IP network
configuration information from a central server location. This in turn allows
Network Administrators to make possible necessary changes in network
configuration information without having to vist each and every machine located
on this campus. BootP ties a particular Ethernet
Address to a particular network configuration. When a request comes to the
server, the server matches the Ethernet Address in the request coming from the
client with its list of Ethernet Addresses and network configurations in its
database. DHCP is the latest protocol created to replace BootP. DHCP was created
to be much more extensible in the information that it can return. In addition,
DHCP can also give out network configuration information, based upon where the
request came from, and not the unique ethernet address which is used in BootP.
This allows Network Adinistrators the ability to have network configuration
information based upon a paritcular geographicaly location and not a particular
machine. This inturn allows a user to move their computer from one location to
another, without the intervention of a Network Administrator.
For more information on Bootp see RFC 1532.
For
more information on DHCP see RFC 1541.
Ethernet Address
Often referred to as the MAC Address or the Adapter Address, this is the
most basic network address of an ethernet card. This address is a unique 12
digit. hexidecimal number assigned specifically
to your ethernet card. No other ethernet card in the world can have this same
number. It is used to assigned all other network addresses to your specific
network card. You can find your specific ethernet address via one of the several
methods below:
- Win95-Win98-WinME : Start Button -> Run-> winipcfg.exe
Be sure the box above the line labeled Adapter
Address says Ethernet or is your model number for your ethernet card, and is not
your Modem or PPP adapter.
- WinNT-Win2000-WinXP : At a Dos/Cmd Prompt: ipconfig /all
- Macintosh : Control Panel -> Appletalk -> Get Information
- Sun Workstation : dmesg | grep "Ethernet"
Hexidecimal Number
A counting system that using the following numbers AND letters to represent
a number. 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F
Host Name
A Host name is the Alpha Mnemonic name which represents the network address
to a given machine or device located on a network. I.E. WWW.UNCC.EDU represents
152.15.40.20; which is the network address to our web server. It is by far
easier to remember WWW.UNCC.EDU than 152.15.40.20.
Host Serial Number
The Computer Serial Number is the serial number stamped on the chassis of
the computer by the manufacturer, Typically found on the rear or bottom on the
computer. It is NOT the number stamped on the monitor, keyboard, printer or
other accessory.
NIC
NIC - Network Interface Card is the physical network card that is
installed in your computer that allows your computer to communicate on a
computer network. It has a permanently assigned Ethernet Address which is used to configure its
network address to communicate on the network here on campus. Examples of
various types of NIC's are SMC8432, 3COM3C905B both of which are 10/100MB 10BaseT NIC's
Outlet ID
An Outlet ID is basically 'your apartment number' hyphen(-) 'your bedroom
number'. This number can also be found on a panel in your room where you plug in
your telephone. Enter this number exactly as written on the panel.
Tracking Number
A Tracking Number is an Electronic Time Stamp that is generated whenever you
submit your online registration form.
UNCC Inventory Number/UNCC Asset Tag
UNCC Asset Tag is the small white sticker stamped to your computer by Fixed
Assets. It contains a number such as 3 123456 9 and a barcode. When registering
your machine it is the number that we are interested in.
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Network Services
