Basic networking definitions

Common Networking Definitions

1. Network Infrastructure

Set of physical and logical components that allow for among the features, security, management and connectivity.

2. Physical infrastructure 

Physical infrastructure is also known as network's topology, the physical layout of hardware components and the type of hardware as well as the technology used with hardware for data transmission.

3. Logical infrastructure 

Logical Infrastructure is the software that allows for communication over physical infrastructure, it includes services that run on the network like DNS.

4. Network connection  

Network Connection is a logical interface between software and hardware layers.

5. Network protocol  

Network Protocol is the language used for communication between networked computers.

6. Workgroup 

Workgroup is a simple grouping of resources which by default uses NetBIOS naming system. NetBIOS is used together with Common Internet File System (CIFS), an extension of Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, to provide file sharing. There is no centralized security in a workgroup environment. The default workgroup name is WORKGROUP. In the absence of a WINS server the NetBIOS names are resolved using broadcasts to local network segment.

7. Domain 

A Domain  is a collection of computers that share a common directory, security policies and relationships with other domains. The name 'domain' is used both by grouping of computers in AD [ Active Directory] and as names in DNS, they are different things.

8. AD 

Active directory is a distributed database that provides directory service.

9. Subnet mask 

A subnet mask is used in a network to determine whatever the packet is destined for the current network or not. It does that by masking the network part of the IP address. The PC proceeds by finding his own network address using his IP and subnet mask in a bitwise AND operation. Then the PC does a bitwise AND operation on the destination IP and his subnet mask to determine foreign network address. If the addresses match then the packet is to travel on the local network, if the don't then the packet is destined to a foreign address.

10. Default gateway 

Default Gateway is the IP address of a routing device [ i.e. a Router]  that accepts packets destined to other networks. Other networks are subnets that are not within the broadcast range of the PC that contacts default gateway (itself it is within broadcast range).

11. Encapsulation: 

The process of enclosing data in a packet is known as encapsulation.

-DR