Ethernet has a zillion buzzwords and plenty of strange abbreviations, acronyms and “short hand” –
for example, “10BASE-T” means 10 megabits per second, baseband, Twisted Pair. This guide is a
collection of the most common terms that you encounter when you’re working with Ethernet and TCP/IP.
| 1000BASE-CX |
Gigabit Ethernet on twinax copper cabling |
| 1000BASE-LX |
Gigabit Ethernet for vertical or campus backbones; single or multimode
fiber |
| 1000BASE-SX |
Gigabit Ethernet for low cost, short backbone, or horizontal
connections |
| 100BASE-T |
Standard "Fast Ethernet" based on twisted pair copper wire |
| 10BASE2 |
Old "Cheapernet" with thin coaxial cable and trunk/drop topology |
| 10BASE5 |
Old "Thicknet" with thick coaxial cable and trunk/drop topology |
| 10BASE-FL |
10Mbps fiber optic Ethernet |
| 10BASE-T |
Standard "Plain Vanilla" Ethernet based on Unshielded Twisted
Pair wire |
| 7 Layer Networking |
Concept of viewing data in layers: physical, data link, network,
transport, session, presentation and application |
Application Layer
Protocol |
The layer of information that gives meaning to transmitted data |
| ARP Protocol |
Address Resolution Protocol - translates TCP/IP addresses to
physical MAC addresses |
| Auto-Negotiation |
Hardware feature for automatic adjustment to proper bit rate |
| Bridging Router |
Router that automatically forwards a message it doesn't
understand |
| Classless Subnet Masks |
Block of IP addresses with specified notation to indicate how many
bits are within a subnet (e.g. 203.14.4.13/27) |
| Crossover Cable |
Cable with transmit/receive pairs reversed so one hub or switch
can link directly to another |
| CSMA/CD |
Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Detection - arbitration
mechanism for competing Ethernet messages |
| DHCP |
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - permits auto-assignment of
temporary IP addresses for new devices logging in |
| DNS |
Domain Name Server - associates names with IP addresses |
| Duplex |
Communication travelling between two nodes in both directions |
| EtherNet/IP |
Application layer protocol based on (Control and Information
Protocol) from DeviceNet/ControlNet |
| Flow Control |
Mechanism used by switches & routers to regulate receipt of
heavy traffic loads |
| Foundation Fieldbus HSE |
High Speed Ethernet (100Mbps) implementation of the Foundation
Fieldbus protocol for process control |
| FTP |
File Transfer Protocol - the most popular mechanism for bulk
movement of files on TCP/IP |
| Full Duplex |
Messages can be sent and received between two nodes
simultatneously |
| Gateway |
Device which links Ethernet to dissimilar networks and transfers
data at the application layer level |
| Half Duplex |
Two nodes can send and receive messages with each other, but
only one at a time |
| Hub |
Repeater which indiscriminately broadcasts messages to all
connected nodes |
| Industrial Ethernet |
IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and TCP/IP with provisions for harsh physical
and electrical conditions |
| IP Address |
Address of a TCP/IP enabled device on an Intranet or Internet - in
the form xxx.xxxx.xxx.xxx |
| IP Protocol |
Internet Protocol portion of TCP/IP |
| IP v.4 |
The current version of the IP protocol, uses 32 bit addresses |
| IP v.6 |
New version of the IP protocol with provisions for 128 bit
addresses and advanced broadcast features |
| LAN |
Local Area Network |
| MAC |
Media Access Control - the physical components which
dissasemble Ethernet message fames |
| MAC Address |
The physical address of an Ethernet node |
| Magnetics |
Transformer which provides voltage isolation and protection for
Ethernet hardware |
| Managed Hub |
Hub which can be externally programmed to accept / reject
specific types of messages |
| Mesh |
Network topology in which messages can use a variety of routes to
reach a destination |
| Modbus/TCP |
Application layer protocol for automation based on Modbus
ASCII/RTU |
| Netstat |
Utility that reports active TCP connections, state of servers &
sockets, and IP routing tables in use |
| PHY |
Physical component which decodes data and produces signal
levels that drive magnetics and cable |
| PING |
Packet Inter Net Groper - very useful utility which probes for the
existence of a TCP/IP host |
| Port |
A number in TCP/IP to which services are assigned; e.g. FTP is
port 21; SMTP is port 25; HTTP is port 80. |
| PROFINet |
Application layer protocol from Profibus Trade Organization |
| Private IP Addresses |
Range of IP addresses not recognized by Internet routers,
designated for private LANs |
| Protocol |
Agreed-upon format for transmitting or storing data |
| Repeater |
Buffer which cleans up, strengthens and re-transmits a signal |
| Router |
Repeater which selectively re-distributes messages based on IP
address |
| Serial Server |
Device which converts serial data to Ethernet |
| Simplex |
Communication between two devices that can only travel in one
direction |
| SNMP |
Simple Network Management Protocol; allows monitoring and
management of a network |
| Socket |
Specific instance of an IP address and Port number that
represents a single connection between two applications |
| Star Topology |
Topology which allows only one device at each end of a wire and
requires repeaters for more than two devices |
| Switch |
Repeater which selectively re-distributes messages based on
hardware MAC address |
| TCP Protocol |
Transmission Control Protocol - mechanism in TCP/IP that
ensures that data arrives intact and in correct order |
| TCP/IP |
Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol - an entire suite
of protocols and delivery mechanisms for Internet data |
| Telnet |
Standard interface through which a client may access a host as
though it were local |
| Topology |
Physical format of a network |
| Traceroute |
Utility which tells which routers / servers exist between a source
and destination |
| Trunk/Drop Topology |
Topology which allows many devices on one cable |
| Twisted Pair |
Standard wire format for Ethernet cables |
| UDP |
User Datagram Protocol - lower overhead alternative to TCP
protocol which does not guarantee message delivery |
