Glossary

A computer that requires or requests a service from another machine (a server).

A connection to a network (usually the Internet) provided by dialing a phone number with a modem and making an analog connection to another modem. This connection allows data to be transmitted between the two.

eID is short for "electronic ID", and is the name for K-State's comprehensive computer ID.

An optional item that can be appended to an email that contain a user's contact information.

The process in which email accounts automatically forward messages to each other. This creates an unending string of emails between the two accounts.

A software package that allows a user to manage, send and receive email. Pegasus is an example of an email client.

A predefined set of text that is appended to the bottom of each email message that is sent. Typically this includes things such as full name, location, and contact information.

A type of networking architecture. It provides standards for the hardware that is necessary to connect multiple computing devices together. It uses either coaxial or twisted pair wiring to connect devices. It is typically used for LAN communications. It can operate at speeds of 10/100/1000 Mbps.

A piece of cabling that is capable of carrying Ethernet signals and is used to connect a network device (computers, printers, etc.) to the network.The cable connecting the device to the wall jack is called a patch cable.

A device that connects multiple Ethernet devices or segments of Ethernet networks together. It performs filtering and forwarding services.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows users to transfer files to or from a server to a client machine.

A unit used to measure data capacity. A gigabyte is approximately 1,000 megabytes.

Measures the number of clock cycles (changes in electric current) in millions per second. One GHz is equal to 1,000,000,000-clock cycles/second. This is one indicator of how fast a computer can process data. 1000 Mhz = 1 Ghz.

Internet Messaging Access Protocol (IMAP) is an email protocol. It provides access to your network mailbox while connected to the server. You can view messages, create folders or delete messages as if your email was on your local computer.

A unique address assigned to every computer connected to the Internet. You can think of it as a computer's street address.

Local Area Network (LAN) is a group of computers physically connected, sharing resources in the same general vicinity. Manhattan Campus would be a large LAN, and the University Network would be considered a WAN (Wide Area Network) because of the different technologies used to connect computing resources and the geographic distance it covers.

A mailing list of email addresses that receives email messages and forwards that email to all the members of the list.

A data storage area that resides on another computer but has been assigned a drive letter on your computer. This allows you to access remote storage as though it were a local drive. On our network, drives Y:, S: and W: are mapped network drives.

Megabyte is a unit used to measure data storage capacity. All data is stored in computers as bits (ones and zeros). There are 8 bits in a byte and approximately 1,000 bytes in a kilobyte (KB). There are about 1,000 KB in a megabyte. So, 1 MB is about 8,000,000 bits or 1,000,000 bytes.

Measures the number of clock cycles (changes in electric current) in millions per second. One MHz is equal to 1,000,000-clock cycles/second. This is one indicator of how fast a computer can process data.

A pair of hard disk drives configured so the contents of one drive are duplicated or “mirrored.” This provides redundancy in the case of a hard drive failure.

Computing resources (computers, printers, servers, internet connections) that are connected and shared.

A device in a computer that provides the physical connection to a network. Also known as a Network Interface Card.

The name of a family of Intel processors. These processors range from 75 MHz To 3.06 GHz (with the top speed continuing to rise). These processors have become the standard for desktop PCs.

A small electronic device that helps manage personal data, such as, calendar, address book, notepads, etc. Palm Pilot and Handspring Visor are popular brands on campus.

Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) is an email protocol. It provides one of the most popular ways to receive email; the server stores email until a client connects and requests their messages. The email is then stored on the local computer.

Random Access Memory (RAM) is the physical memory your computer uses to temporarily store data. In the multi-processing computer environment its importance has increased in determining overall speed of a computer. RAM is commonly measured in MB.

A type of text formatting commonly supported by word processing programs on multiple platforms. This format is useful if sending documents to people who do not have the same type of word processor.

A computer that delivers services to clients. There can be many different types of servers depending on what services (email, web, ftp, file services) they offer. A server is often a specialized computer designed for performance, dependability, and fault-tolerance.

Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) is a protocol used to address and direct email over the Internet.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the protocol used for Internet and many networks communication.

Computer code that causes malicious or unwanted changes to a computer. Currently, Windows Defender protects our computers against viruses.

A function of an email system which allow users to check their email using an Internet browser.