may 2006 technology technology glossary...

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543135 Equity Research

May 2006

Technology

Technology Glossary

2006

06A-05© 2006

John Parks

Director of Research

U.S. Equities

212-667-7367

Quentin Broad


Canada Equities

415-594-7294

CIBC World Markets’ Technology Glossary: 2006

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CIBC World Markets

Technology Research—Analyst Teams

Communication Components Jeffrey Osborne 212-667-7292

[email protected] Hinckley 212-667-8104

[email protected]

Communications Software Shaul Eyal 212-667-8411

[email protected] Kidron 212-667-6292

[email protected] Reiner 212-667-6994

[email protected] Hemrajani 212-667-6106

[email protected]

Electronics Manufacturing Services Todd Coupland, CFA 416-956-6025 [email protected] Peasgood 415-956-3277

[email protected]

Enterprise Software Brad Reback, CFA 404-238-9572

[email protected] Lechem 416-956-6429

[email protected] D. McCabe 212-667-8162

[email protected] DeVreker 415-399-5720

renaud.devreker @us.cibc.comBrian Denyeau 212-667-8627

[email protected] Price 416-594-7047

[email protected]

Entertainment Software

Brendan D. McCabe [email protected]

Brad Reback, CFA [email protected]

Hardware Todd Coupland 416-956-6025

[email protected] Peasgood 415-956-3277

[email protected]

Israeli Technology

Shaul Eyal [email protected]

Ittai Kidron [email protected]

Yair Reiner [email protected]

Networking & Data Infrastructure/ Cable Equipment/Broadband Access Ittai Kidron 212-667-6292

[email protected] Iwanyc 415-399-5748

[email protected]

Flat Panel Display Manufacturing

Capital Equipment Gary Hsueh 415-399-5730

[email protected]

Srini Sundararajan, Ph.D. [email protected]

Semiconductors & Components Rick Schafer 720-554-1119 [email protected]

Daniel M. Gelbtuch 212-667-7756 [email protected] Mishan 212-667-7756

[email protected] Dubinsky 212-667-7348

[email protected] Morris 720-554-1124

[email protected] Cunningham 212-667-7082

[email protected]

Wireless Technology Ittai Kidron 212-667-6292

[email protected] Iwanyc 415-399-5748 [email protected] Shaul Eyal 212-667-8411

[email protected]

Report Date: May 1, 2006

A PDF copy of this report is available at the following link: http://research.cibcwm.com/general_public/download/


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Numerical Abbreviations

1.9 GHz. The radio spectrum between 1850 MHz and 1990 MHz.

1G. First-generation wireless: analog cell phones.

2G. Second-generation wireless: digital cell phones.

2.5G. 2G plus faster data services, also known as GPRS.

3270. IBM class of terminals (or printers) used in SNA networks.

3G. The third-generation (3G) wireless is defined by the ITU under the IMT-2000 global framework and is

implemented regionally in Europe (UMTS), North America (CDMA2000) and Japan (NTT DoCoMo). 3G is

designed for high-speed multimedia data and voice. It is designed to provide high-quality audio and video

and advanced global roaming, which means being able to go anywhere and automatically be handed off to

whatever wireless system is available (in-house phone system, cellular, satellite, etc.).

3GPP (third-generation partnership project). This was set up to expedite the development of open

globally accepted technical specifications for 3G.

3GSP. 3G service provider. Refers to mobile operators that have a 3G license to provide 3G services to

customers.

5250. IBM class of terminals for mid-range (system 3x and AS/400) environments.

802.11a. A wireless local area networking specification from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers (IEEE) that offers up to 54 Mpbs performance in the 5-6 GHz spectrum. The 802.11a specification

uses a modulation plan known as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

802.11b. A wireless local area networking specification from the IEEE that offers up to 11 Mpbs

performance in the 2.4 GHz spectrum. This specification is also known as wireless fidelity or Wi-Fi.

802.11g. A wireless local area networking specification from the IEEE that offers up to 54 Mbps

performance in the 2.4 GHz spectrum. This specification is compatible with, but offers superior performance

to, with 802.11b, which also operates in the 2.4 GHz spectrum.

802.16. An air interface specification for fixed point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access systems

operating in the 10-66 GHz spectrum. (The 802.16a standard operates in the 2-11 GHz licensed spectrum

and 802.16b in the license-exempt spectrum.) It is also known as a Wireless Metropolitan Area Network

(WirelessMAN).


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A A/D converter. Analog-to-digital converter. A circuit board or integrated circuit that converts analog input

signals to digital equivalent-weight output signals.

ABC automatic defect classification. Defects found by wafer inspection systems are classified by the

system into several categories based on their physical and optical properties.

Abstraction. In the context of a storage environment, abstraction relates to the level of data aggregation

based on a user-defined set of essential characteristics.

Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP). A high-speed port that is designed to provide faster access to 3-D

graphics.

Accelerator. A term used among Internet incubator companies to describe a variation of the incubator

business model that is used to facilitate speed to market. Unlike traditional incubators in which members

(typically start-up companies) pay for a range at services in exchange for equity in their company, in an

accelerator model, members are able to select what business services they need, when they need them, and

pay for them accordingly.

Access charges. The charges paid by a long-distance carrier to a local carrier for origination and

termination of long-distance calls.

Access equipment. A device specifically designed to connect remote LANs or workstations to the corporate

LAN.

Access line. A telephone line reaching from a telephone company’s central office to a home or business.

Most commonly this link is a pair of twisted copper wires; the line has a capacity of 64 kilobits per second.

Access minutes of use (MOU). The local origination and termination minutes associated with long-

distance traffic. The long-distance carrier pays the telephone company about $0.025 per minute for this

service. Each long-distance MOU averages almost two access minutes.

Access rate. The transmission speed, in bits per second, of the physical access circuit between the end

user and the network.

Accounting management. A functional area within operations support systems that involves the

measurement and collection of network service usage information and the costing, billing and collection of

associated fees.

ACD (automatic call distributor). A large telephone switch designed to allow inbound centers to handle

heavy volumes of inbound calls. ACD features are commonly provided as an add-on feature to a PBX, or

through a specialized ACD-only switch. In contrast to a PBX, an ACD has more incoming lines than internal

extensions (see PBX).

ACH (automated clearing house). A telecommunications network established and managed by the

Federal Government through which banks can exchange funds from account to account.

Activation. Activation of a customer requires that field service/management system be notified so that

technicians can be dispatched to make the proper physical modifications. Once the field service is


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completed, the activation system activates the necessary network elements. Other systems and databases

must be updated, such as billing systems and customer notification.

Active hub. A multiport device that amplifies local area network (LAN) transmission signals.

Ad pages sold. The number of pageviews that an Internet company sells to advertisers. The percentage of

total available pageviews actually sold is referred to as the sell-through rate (see sell-through).

Adapter card. A circuit board or other hardware that provides the physical interface to the communications

network (see NIC).

Adapter. 1) A device used to connect a terminal to some circuit or channel so it will be compatible with the

system to which it is attached. 2) Another name for NIC (network interface card), a card that fits into a

computer and joins the computer to a local area network.

Add/drop multiplexer (ADM). A multiplexer capable of extracting or inserting lower rate signals from a

higher rate multiplexed signal without completely demultiplexing the signal.

ADSL (asymmetrical digital subscriber line). An access technology that delivers dedicated high

bandwidth over ordinary copper access lines. Asymmetrical refers to the trait of differing amounts of

bandwidth available in the upstream and downstream paths. In most cases, high bandwidth (1.5-8 mbps) is

available downstream and only limited bandwidth is available upstream. We believe demand for this service

will increase as the technology improves, costs decline and OSS issues are resolved.

Advanced intelligent network (see AIN).

Advanced mobile phone system (see AMPS).

AFE (analog front end). Performs signal shaping functions for T/E-carrier circuits.

Agent. In the client-server model, the part of the system that performs information preparation and

exchange on behalf of a client or server application. In simple network management protocol (SNMP), the

word “agent” refers to the managed system.

AGP (see Accelerated graphics port).

AGV (automatic guided vehicle). Used in transporting lots of silicon wafer or liquid crystal displays

between process steps in the semiconductor-related manufacturing process.

AI. An object-oriented encapsulated PostScript (EPS) image format.

AIN (advanced intelligent network). A generic term that refers to a new level of sophistication within

the communications network infrastructure. AIN enables telecommunications carriers to provide higher levels

of functionality beyond simple call switching. Through AIN technology, numerous new services have been

deployed within public telecommunications networks, including voice mail, caller I.D. and call forwarding.

Air interface. In mobile phones, the “air interface” denotes the specification of the radio transmission

between base station and mobile phone. It defines the frequency use (frequencies), the bandwidth of the

individual radio channels (channels), the encoding methods used (W-CDMA, TD-CDMA, cdma2000) and other

quantities used by the radio technology.

Airtime charges. Charges for use of the wireless communications system based on minutes of use that are

in addition to any charges for access to the public switched telephone network or for long distance (see

PSTN).


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AL-CVD (Aluminum chemical vapor deposition). The exposing an underlying substrate (such as a silicon

wafer or liquid crystal display glass) to chemically reactant gases in a heated plasma state to induce

deposition of a thin film of aluminum.

AlGaAs. Aluminum gallium arsenide.

Almador. An Intel chipset that will support SDRAM for Intel’s 0.13µm microprocessors. The Almador

chipset and Tualatin processor will target mid- to low-end desktop price points.

Alpha blending. Enables two images to be blended together, which allows atmospheric effects such as

fogging (see fogging) and depth cueing (see depth cueing). (Also see alpha value.)

Alpha value. An alpha value defines the transparency of each pixel.

Alphanumeric data. Information composed of letters and numbers. Examples include customer name,

address and phone number; product name, code and description. Most information currently stored in

relational databases is alphanumeric.

Alternate bypass facilities. Alternative access mechanisms for connecting a telephone customer to a

network rather than using the regulated local exchange carriers (LECs), including fiberoptics.

Alternate routing. A mechanism that supports the use of a new path after an attempt to set up a

connection along a previously selected path fails.

Aluminum capacitor. An electrolyte capacitor intended for use in applications in which large capacitance

values are required in small cases, and where excesses of capacitance over the nominal value can be

tolerated.

AMD Athlon. The newest generation (K7) AMD processor, which is fabricated at 0.18µ (moving to 0.13µ in

1H01), with both aluminum and copper metal interconnect, and is a direct rival to Intel’s latest Pentium® 4

processors.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI). An organization tasked with the development of

technology standards in the United States. ANSI works with industry groups and is the U.S. representative

to the ISO (International Standards Organization). ANSI does not itself develop standards but facilitates

their development by establishing consensus among qualified groups.

AMPS (Advanced mobile phone system). An analog wireless standard widely used throughout North and

South America, the Asia-Pacific region and Eastern Europe. It operates in the 800MHz-frequency band.

Analog IC: A class of integrated circuits that amplifies or processes continuous electronic signals of varying

amplitude, duration, frequency or phase.

Analog transmission. A method of sending signals (voice, video, data) in which the transmission signal is

analogous to the original signal. Analog technology uses continuously changing electrical waves (instead of

coded electrical pulses) to generate voice or low-speed data signals.

Analog. The traditional form of transmission of telecommunications services over copper wires and cellular

services. Information is transmitted as a continuous variable wave signal (frequency and amplitude

representing different information) as opposed to discrete (digital bits) signals.

Analytics applications. Applications that use advanced algorithms to screen data in transactional systems

and draw correlations in order to decipher business problems and to offer solutions.

ANI (automatic number identification). The “800” number equivalent of caller ID.


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ANSI (see American National Standards Institute).

Antenna. A device that picks up and delivers satellite signals to a receiver—most commonly a dish antenna.

Anti-aliasing. A technique used to make edges of computer graphics appear smooth, which is

accomplished by blurring pixel edges to eliminate “jaggies.”

APCVD (atmospheric pressure CVD). A system whose deposition environment operates at or near

atmospheric pressure. Typically, wafers are placed horizontally on belt-driven flat susceptors that move

through the deposition zone. Belt speed and gas flow determine the film thickness.

API (application programming interface). A low-level software interface that allows diverse applications

to pass information. An API is usually written to allow different applications that were not specifically

designed to communicate with each other to do so.

Applet. A piece of Java language that starts a program. The applet is downloaded to the client’s browser

and is resident on the local computer only while the user is actually running the application. Then the applet

disappears from the local PC.

Application development life cycle. The steps undertaken by programmers to develop an application.

We define the primary phases as: 1) design & analysis, 2) coding, 3) testing, 4) deployment and

5) maintenance.

Application development tool. A program containing “building blocks” that developers use to create

applications.

Application gateway firewall. A firewall (a computer system’s security barrier) that looks for valid

application-level data before allowing a connection. An application gateway examines the application-level

data in all the packets passing through it.

Application layer. The layer that provides the user interface, usually through application programs, to the

services of the network. Examples include layer are file transfer access and management, general document

services and electronic mail.

Application logic. The computational aspects of an application, including a list of instructions that tell a

software application how to operate.

Application programming interface (see API).

Application proxy firewall. A firewall that makes use of agents, called application proxies, to control

communications between networks. Application proxies act as brokers between two networks, with the

result that client-server connections are broken. Proxies are typically defined for specific Internet services,

such as FTP and HTTP.

Application server. A server that provides not only for the sharing and processing of application logic, but

also the connections to the back-end resources. These resources include databases, ERP applications and

even traditional mainframe applications. An application server also provides user interface development

mechanisms and usually provides mechanisms to deploy the application to the platform of the Web.

Application service provider (ASP). An ASP deploys, hosts and manages access to a packaged

application to multiple parties from a centrally managed facility. The applications are delivered over networks

on a subscription basis. This delivery model speeds implementation, minimizes the expenses and risks

incurred across the application life cycle and overcomes the chronic shortage of qualified technical personnel

available in-house.


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Application-specific integrated circuit (see ASIC).

Application-specific standard product (see ASSP).

ARM architecture. A family of RISC-based microprocessors and microcontrollers from advanced RISC

machines. ARM chips are high-speed CPUs that are known for their small die size and low power

requirements. They are widely used in PDAs and other handheld devices, including games and cellular

phones, as well as a large variety of consumer products.

ARPU. Average revenue per unit refers to the service revenue generated by the mobile phone subscriber

per month. Also commonly referred to monthly bill per user.

Array packaging. Advanced package types that allow a greater number of leads than traditional packages.

Leads can cover the entire surface of the chip as opposed to traditional chips, where leads can only line the

edges. Connection from package to system is typically in bump form, rather than traditional wire lead.

AS/400. IBM’s middle-range server. Formally renamed the “eServer iSeries/400,” but still commonly

known as the AS/400, this is a middle-size server designed for small businesses and departments in large

enterprises. It has been redesigned so that it will work well in distributed networks with Web applications.

ASIC (Application-specific integrated circuit). A chip that is custom-designed for a specific application

rather than a general purpose chip such as a microprocessor. The use of ASICs improves performance over

general purpose CPUs; ASICs are “hardwired” to do a specific job and thus do not have the task of procuring

and then interpreting stored instructions. The drawbacks of ASICs are the nonrecurring engineering

expenses associated with their design and the long design cycle times.

ASP. 1) Application service provider. 2) Average selling price.

Aspect ratio. The ratio of depth to width of a via or contact structure.

Assembly. The step in semiconductor manufacturing in which the device is encased in a plastic, ceramic or

other package. In some cases, the chip is assembled directly on a printed circuit board.

ASSP (application-specific standard product). A standard memory chip product that has been designed

to implement a specific-application function, unlike a general purpose product such as a RAM.

Assurance. In telecommunications software, the process whereby current and new services are

implemented efficiently and with minimal problems. The main elements of service assurance are fault

management and performance management.

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (see ADSL).

Asymmetric multiprocessing. A means of dividing labor among multiple processors. The operating

system is run on a “master” server. The master server delegates different functions to “slave” servers (e.g.,

a specific server is dedicated strictly to print functions) (see symmetric multiprocessing, massively

parallel processing, parallel processing).

Asynchronous transfer mode (see ATM).

Asynchronous transmission. Data transmission one character at a time, with intervals of varying lengths

between transmittals. Start and stop bits at the beginning and end of each character control the

transmission.

ATE. Automated test equipment.


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ATM (asynchronous transfer mode). A high-bandwidth, low-delay packet switching and multiplexing

technique used to transfer voice, images and character-based data. ATM allows both voice and data to be

transported over a shared circuit. In this method of data transfer, the information is organized into short,

fixed-length packets called cells, and the recurrence of cells containing information from an individual user is

not necessarily periodic.

ATM layer. 1) Layer 2 of the ATM architecture, which is responsible for the creation and management of

ATM cells, including routing and error checking. Sometimes informally called the “cell layer.” 2) The layer in

the ATM protocol stack for routing and processing activities. For example, building the ATM header, payload

identification, header validation, and cell reception, among others.

ATM-over-SONET. The provisioning of ATM services over a SONET physical connection.

Attack. An attempt to recover a cryptographic key by trying all reasonable possibilities.

Attenuation. Reduction of signal magnitude or signal loss, usually expressed in decibels.

Auction. A method used by national governments trying to sell 3G licenses to the highest bidders.

Audit trail. A date- and time-stamped record of the usage of a computer system, which records what a

computer was used for, allowing a security manager to monitor the actions of every user: it can help build a

case alleging fraud or security violations.

Authentication. 1) The process of determining the identity of a user who is attempting to access a system.

2) The process of assuring that data have come from their claimed source, or of corroborating the claimed

identity of a communicating party.

Authorization. The process of determining a user’s privileges and resource access rights on a computer

system.

Automated clearing house (see ACH).

Automatic call distributor (see ACD).

Automatic guided vehicle (see AGV).

Automatic number identification (see ANI).

Availability. The portion of time that a computer system can be used for productive work, expressed as a

percentage.


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B B&CC. Billing and customer care.

B2B (business-to-business) commerce. Transactions between organizations.

B2C (business-to-consumer). Transactions between organizations and individual consumers.

B2I. Business-to-individual.

Back end. In semiconductor manufacturing, the package assembly and test stages of production, which

includes burn-in and environmental test functions. Compare with front end.

Backbone switch. Usually a dense, heavy-duty switch used to connect routers, users and different

segments of a LAN.

Backbone. 1) The part of a network used as the primary path for transporting traffic between network

segments. 2) A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network.

Back-end systems. Legacy enterprise systems that handle order processing, inventory and receivables for

buyers and suppliers in B2B e-commerce. Often used to describe back-office, non-customer facing

applications, e.g., enterprise resource planning (ERP).

Back-office. The part of an organization that processes ordering, accounting, shipping, inventory

management and other logistical information. “Back-office” electronic commerce solutions have traditionally

been designed to cut costs by eliminating paper-based clerical processes and increasing efficiency, rather

than increasing revenues. With advanced EC technology, back-office solutions are also beginning to

stimulate revenue growth.

Backplane. The connector in switches, hubs and routers used to connect different cards within the device

with each other. This interconnecting device may or may not have intelligence, but typically has sockets into

which boards are plugged.

Backup. A copy of computer data that is used to recreate data that have been lost, mislaid, corrupted or

erased.

Bad sectors. During formatting of MS-DOS disks, all sectors are checked for reusability. Unusable sectors

are labeled as bad and are not used by DOS. The remaining areas can then still be used. Viruses sometimes

label good sectors as bad to store their code outside the reach of users and the operating system.

Ball grid array (see BGA).

Bandwidth. 1) A measure of the information capacity of a transmission channel. Because capacity, or even

maximum speed, generally depends on the frequency range available, the “bandwidth” (i.e., the width of a

frequency band) usually has the same meaning as the maximum transmission speed available to a

subscriber. 2) The difference between the highest and lowest frequencies of a band that can be passed by a

transmission medium without undue distortion, such as the AM band, 535 to 1705 kilohertz.

Bandwidth-on-demand protocol. A protocol that allows a user to access variable data rates dependent

on its requirements and available bandwidth at the time of access.


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Bare chip. A packaging technique that doesn’t add packaging material to the chip, saving space and

bringing chips closer together. The majority of bare chips are attached to the PCB through flip chip

technology.

Barrier. A physical layer designed to prevent intermixing of the layers above and below the barrier layer.

Base station. Fixed site with network equipment that is used for RF communications with mobile stations,

and is part of a cell, or a sector within a cell, and is backhauled to a mobile telephone switching office

(MTSO) or other part of a cellular system.

Baseband. A communications technique in which digital signals are placed onto the transmission line

without change in modulation. Since it is usually limited to a few miles, it does not require the complex

modems used in broadband transmission. Common baseband LAN techniques are token passing ring (Token

Ring) and CSMA/CD (Ethernet).

Basic trading area (BTA). A service area built from county boundaries and used by the FCC to promote

the rapid deployment and ubiquitous coverage of personal communication services (PCS). There are 493

BTAs in the United States. They are the component parts of major trading areas (MTAs).

Batch processing. Transaction processing in which a group or “batch” of transactions is accumulated and

processed at one time. Such transactions are less time sensitive and can typically be done without human

interaction during “off hours,” leaving the system available for more critical online processing during peak

hours (see online transaction processing).

Baud. A unit or measure of transmission speed based on the number of signal elements or symbols

transmitted per second. Most digital signals today are characterized in bits per second.

Bay. A compartment in a computer casing that houses peripheral devices, usually for data storage and

retrieval.

B-block. One of the two PCS 30 MHz licenses covering MTA (see PCS and MTA).

BBS (bulletin board system). A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to

carry on discussions, upload and download files and make announcements without the people being

connected to the computer at the same time. There are many thousands of BBSs around the world, most of

them very small, running on a single IBM clone PC with one or two phone lines. Some are very large, and the

line between a BBS and a system like CompuServe is crossed at some point, but it is not clearly drawn.

Beauty contest. A method used by national governments trying to settle which operators should have a 3G

license.

Bellcore (Bell Communications Research Inc.). An entity formed at the divestiture of AT&T consisting of

the departments that provided certain internal research software and services to AT&T. Historically

considered an in-house vendor, the company is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Science Applications

International Corporation (SAIC).

Beta testing. Software testing done with customers before product is generally available and revenue is

recognized (see GA).

BGA (ball grid array). It uses an array of solder balls to connect a silicon chip to a printed circuit board.

This chip packaging technique provides high levels of interconnection density that deliver attractive

cost/performance characteristics.


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BiCMOS (bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor). An IC technology combining the

linearity and speed advantages of bipolar and the low-power advantages of CMOS on a single IC. BiCMOS

can operate at either ECL (emitter-coupled-logic) or TTL (transistor-transistor-logic) levels, and is ideal for

mixed-signal devices.

Billing. The largest segment of the OSS market. A billing system collects data, rates service, processes,

formats and generates a bill delivered to the customer. Billing models have evolved from basic per usage

rates to complex rating engines, managing cross-product discounts to IP billing services based on bandwidth

used and guaranteed quality of service (QoS).

Biometrics. The science of using biological properties to identify individuals by physical characteristics

using, for example fingerprints, retina scans or voice recognition.

BIOS (basic input/output system). The part of the personal computer operating system that offers the

lowest-level interface to peripheral devices—i.e., tells the computer which devices and configurations are

connected.

Bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (see BiCMOS).

Bipolar. 1) A manufacturing process that uses two opposite electrical poles to build semiconductors;

2) a certain type of transistor technology, among all of which bipolar and CMOS are the two major types.

Most personal computers use CMOS, and even large mainframes that have traditionally used bipolar have

given way to CMOS designs. CMOS uses far less energy than bipolar, which utilizes both positive and

negative electricity. However, bipolar transistors are still widely used for high radio frequency (RF)

applications reaching well into the gigahertz range that CMOS technology cannot undertake.

Bird. An alternate name for a satellite.

Bit. The contraction of the term “binary digit.” The smallest unit of information a computer can process,

representing one of two states (usually indicated by “1” and “0”). Voice, data and video can all be

represented by bit units for transportation and processing. This is generally represented as kilobits, megabits

or gigabits, which equate to a thousand bits, a million bits and a billion bits, respectively.

Bit-map. The method of storing information that maps an image’s pixels, bit by bit. There are many bit-

mapped file formats, including bmp, pcx, pict, tiff, jpeg and gif. Most image file formats are bit-mapped.

Bit-mapped graphics. Computer graphics that are stored and held as collections of bits in memory

locations corresponding to pixels on the screen.

Bits per second (bps). The number of bits passing a point every second. The transmission rate for digital

information.

Bluetooth. A wireless personal area network (PAN) technology from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group,

established in 1998 by Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. Bluetooth is an open standard for short-

range transmission of digital voice and data between mobile devices (laptops, PDAs and phones) and desktop

devices that supports point-to-point and multipoint applications. Bluetooth provides up to 720 Kbps data

transfer within a range of 10 meters and up to 100 meters with a power boost. Unlike IrDA, which requires

that devices be aimed at each other (line of sight), Bluetooth uses omnidirectional radio waves that can

transmit through walls and other non-metal barriers.

BME. Base-metal electrode.

BMP. The native bit-map graphic file of Windows and MS-DOS operating system.


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BOC (Bell operating company). BOCs or RBOCs were originally the seven local telephone companies

established upon the breakup of the AT&T monopoly. Also known as the “Baby Bells” (Ameritech [now part of

AT&T], BellAtlantic [now part of Verizon], BellSouth [now part of AT&T], NYNEX [now part of Verizon], Pacific

Telesis [now part of AT&T], SBC Communications [now part of AT&T] and US WEST [now part of Qwest]).

Body shopping. The practice of contracting personnel with software skills from working a vendor. The

contracted personnel have no specific project responsibility and work on assignments given by the client

from time to time. These personnel, who remain on the rolls of the vendor, normally come from a low-cost

country, thus providing a low-cost technical base to the client.

BOM (bill of materials). List of specifications that uniquely define manufacturing sequence, materials and

procedures used in the manufacture of a specific product.

Bonding. 1) The process of connecting wires from the package that leads to the chip (or die) bonding pads.

Part of the assembly process; 2) the process of securing a semiconductor die to a lead frame or package.

Boot sector virus. A computer virus that subverts the initial stages of the bootstrapping process by virus

attacking either the master bootstrap sector or the DOS bootstrap sector of a disk.

Bootstrap sector. A part of the operating system that is first read into memory from disk when a PC is

switched on (booted). The program stored in the bootstrap sector is then executed, which in turn loads the

rest of the operating system into memory from the system files on disk.

BORSCHT. Acronym for the POTS (plain old telephone service) line card functions of battery, over voltage,

ringing, supervision, coding, hybrid and test. These functions are provided by subscriber line ICs (SLICs)

and PCM codecs.

Box-build. A process involving the assembly of all PCB assemblies and subsystems into a finished product

(e.g., a PC, workstation, server or printer). More often than not, the box-build function includes functional

testing and distribution services.

Bps (see bits per second).

BREW. A “thin” applications environment developed by Qualcomm that provides wireless applications

developers with an open, standard platform for wireless devices on which to develop applications.

Bricks-and-mortar. A traditional business operation that deals with its customers face-to-face in an office

or store that the business owns or rents (e.g., a retail store or a bank branch). Web-based businesses

usually have lower costs and greater flexibility than bricks-and-mortar operations.

Bridge. A device used to interconnect computers or other bridges together to form a network, much like a

router without the intelligence (translational capabilities, QOS, security, etc.).

Bridge/router. A device that can provide the functions of a bridge, router or both concurrently. A

bridge/router can route one or more protocols, such as TCP/IP and or XNS, and bridge all other traffic.

Broadband PCS. PCS services offered at 1.9 GHz; voice capable compared with narrowband PCS services,

which are paging oriented (see PCS).

Broadband Web. A vision of the future World Wide Web with high-speed broadband connections to the

home and desktop. The Broadband Web is expected to pose a significant threat to CD-ROM use and to favor

high-quality, small, independent multimedia developers that can afford to offer their products on the Web

but cannot afford to mass-market a CD-ROM.


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Broadband. A generic term that describes a physical communication path or channel significantly wider

than voice-grade channels, supporting the high-speed digital transmission of data, video or voice between

two terminals. The term has evolved to specify 1.5 Mbps and higher data rates.

Broadcast. 1) A message sent to all network destinations. 2) To send or transmit by radio or television.

Brochureware. Web sites or pages that are produced by taking an organization’s printed brochure and

translating it directly to the Web without regard for the possibilities of the new medium. In extreme cases, all

the copy and visual images in the brochure are used as is, with an almost always static result.

Brookdale. The Pentium 4 chipset that supports SDRAM and DDR memory instead of RDRAM memory.

Browser. The client program for the World Wide Web.

BTA (see basic trading area).

BTS (base transceiver station). The technical term for a mobile phone base station. A BTS contains the

transmit and receive technology and also the aerials to supply a radio cell. Several BTSs are administered by

a BSC (base station controller), which is under an MSC (mobile switching center). Existing BSCs and BTSs

can be extended for new radio technology to allow the network operator to reuse existing aerial sites for

UMTS radio networks.

Buffer. A storage area used for handling data in transit. Buffers often are used to compensate for

differences in processing speed between network drives.

Bulletin board system (see BBS).

Bus topology. Linear LAN architecture in which transmissions from network stations propagate the length

of the medium and are received by all other stations attached to the medium.

Bus. Four or more parallel conductors in an information processing system along which information is

transmitted from one part to another. The microprocessor, peripherals, memory and other components are

interconnected by a common bus. All the devices connected to a bus receive all transmissions, but normally

only recognize signals intended for the particular device.

Business intelligence (BI). A broad array of applications and technologies for gathering, warehousing and

analyzing data from transactional systems.

Business process automation (BPA). A mechanism for the automation of business processes without

end-user interaction at execution time.

Business process integration (BPI). An aggregation of business process modeling, business process

automation and workflow. This approach implements and manages transactions and real-time business

processes that span multiple applications, providing a layer for creating common processes that span many

processes in integrated systems.

Business process management (BPM). Shepherding work items through a multi-step process. The items

are identified and tracked as they move through each step, with either specified people or applications

processing the information. The process flow is determined by process logic, and the applications (or

processes) themselves play virtually no role in determining where the messages are sent.

Business process outsourcing (BPO). The outsourcing of critical, but noncore, business functions to

external vendors for long periods on a set of predefined performance metrics.


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Business-to-business integration or e-Business (B2Bi). The controlled sharing of data and business

processes among any connected applications and data sources, intra- or inter-company.

Byte. From the expression “by eights.” A group of eight contiguous bits (binary digits) handled as a unit in

computer processing; also called an octet. A byte can store one alphanumeric character. A kilobyte (KB) is

1024 bytes or 8192 bits. A megabyte (MB) is 1024 kilobytes or 1,048,576 bytes or 8,388,608 bits. Random-

access memory is typically measured in megabytes (millions of bytes). Hard disk space is usually measured

in gigabytes (billions of bytes) (see bit).


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C C. A high-level programming language developed at Bell Labs in the mid-1970s. UNIX was the first major

program written in C. It is considered a very efficient code because of its closeness to machine language and

is generally viewed as more flexible than older programming languages such as COBOL.

C++. An object-oriented programming language developed at AT&T Bell Laboratories during the early

1980s. C++ was created by adding objects to C, an existing language (see object-oriented

programming).

Cable modem. A modem designed for use on TV coaxial cable circuit with current access speeds near

10 Mbps.

Cable television (CATV). The transmission of television signals, including signals that originate at over-

the-air television stations, to consumers on a wired network, usually for a fee.

Cache. Temporary storage for frequently or recently accessed data. Internal cache is built into the CPU

while external cache is on the motherboard.

Caching. Speeds information processing by storing information from a transaction to use for later

transactions.

CAD (computer-aided design). The use of computer aids (hardware and software) in the electrical and

physical design and verification of new products. Historically, CAD has been used more often to describe the

physical design rather than the electrical design.

CAE (computer-aided engineering). Traditionally, CAE has been used to describe the electrical design

rather than the physical design, although these distinctions have blurred.

CAGR: Cumulative annual growth rate.

CAI (common air interface). A standard radio and protocol definition that helps ensure interoperability of

mobile and portable radios across multiple vendors’ base station and/or handsets.

Call Blending B.F. The practice of switching service representatives to outbound calling during lulls in

inbound calling to smooth out the peaks and valleys in inbound centers’ call volumes.

Call centers. A customer interface center or help desk where a customer/employee may call for answers to

queries to execute specific transactions. Usually located in countries where workers may be employed at

lower salaries. Highly advanced communication links connect the call center. These centers can be captivity

operated by companies or outsourced to various service providers that could be servicing a number of

clients.

Call detail record (see CDR).

Call processing. Connecting telephone calls to callers. This typically refers to more advanced forms of

switching and call handling using CTI.


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CAM (computer-aided manufacturing). The use of computer aids (hardware and software) in planning

the construction, tracking the construction, and analyzing and implementing the construction of

manufactured products.

Camera interchangeable file format (see CIFF).

Campus area. The interconnection of LANs, via backbone bridging, to create a larger network. Campus

areas are smaller than both the WAN and MAN.

Cap (carrierless amplitude and phase). A modulation scheme for xDSL that shipped prior to the official

DMT modulation standard.

CAP (competitive access provider). A competitor to the incumbent local access provider (local telephone

company), such as the RBOCs (see also CLEC).

Capacitor. A passive component consisting of two conductors separated by empty space or a dielectric

layer. The empty space or dielectric layer acts as an insulator allowing electric charge to build up and be

stored on the opposing conductors. One use of a capacitor is as a store of charge for later release.

Capacity. The information-carrying ability of a telecommunications facility. What the “facility” is determines

the measurement. A line’s capacity might be measured in bits per second. A switch’s capacity might be

measured by the maximum number of calls it can switch in one hour, or the maximum number of calls it can

keep in conversation simultaneously.

Capstone. A U.S. Government project designed to develop a set of encryption standards based on “key

escrow.”

Carrier class. Systems characterized by 1) an aggregate bandwidth of hundreds of GB/s; 2) approximately

8-32 interfaces operating at OC-48c and OC-192c that carry frames, POS or ATM-over-SONET; and

3) system availability in excess of 99.999%.

Carrier. A licensed company (network operator) that may market any number of communication services

for voice and data. Carriers offer their services to both end-customers (private or business) and other

carriers. In the latter case, the service simply consists of transport capacity for long-distance traffic. For

example, local/regional network operators buy transport capacity from carriers that operate on a global

basis. There are “private” and “common” carriers. A private carrier can refuse a service; a common carrier

cannot. Common carriers are regulated; private carriers are not. Most carriers in telecommunications are

common carriers.

Cat 5. Category 5 cabling. The most common grade of common copper cabling. Designed to handle 100

megahertz of communications.

Cathode ray tube (CRT). A type of vacuum tube in which images are formed when an electron beam

strikes a phosphorescent surface. CRT is often referred to as a color picture tube (CPT) and is the

conventional technology found in desktop monitors and television sets.

CATV (see cable television).

C-Band. The 3.7-4.2 GHz (Gigahertz) frequency band used for the distribution of programming by virtually

all satellite/cable networks.

CBR (constant bit rate). An ATM traffic type that includes real-time network traffic, such as voice or

video, with strict demands on network bandwidth and network latency/delay.


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CBT. Computer-based training.

CCD (charged coupled device). A light-sensitive chip used for image gathering. CCD pixels gather the

color from light and pass it to the shift register for storage.

CCPU (cash cost per user). In the wireless services industry, refers to the monthly operating costs

associated with servicing a wireless subscriber. These costs are broken down into network, customer care,

billing, bad debt and other general and administrative expenses.

CD (critical dimension). The width of a patterned line or the distance between two lines of the sub-micron

sized circuit in a chip.

CDI (see customer data integration).

CDMA (code division multiple access). A standard digital wireless telecommunications protocol that

dominates the domestic market. Originally developed for military use more than 30 years ago, CDMA is a

multiple access technique, which uses code sequences as traffic channels within common radio channels.

CDMA 1xEV-1xEV (Evolution). The next-generation version of CDMA. Approved by the International

Telecommunications Union (ITU), as a 3G standard, offering data rates in excess of 2 megabits per second.

CDMA 1XEVDO. The evolution of cdma2000 1x, which provides “always on” data packet connections. The

connection is “data optimized,” providing peak data rates of up to 2.4 Mbps and average throughput speeds

of 700 Kbps.

CDMA 1xEV-DV. Short for 1x Evolution, Data and Voice—revision D of cdma 2000.

CDMA 1XRTT. A technology upgrade to current 2G CDMA networks, introducing Internet Protocol (IP)

based data services with speeds up to 144 kbps. Doubles voice capacity in IS 95A/B networks. This

upgrade, commonly referred to as 2.5G under CDMA, precedes 3G technology enhancements (see CDMA

1xEV).

cdma2000 1x-EV. The second step in the evolution of CDMA2000; will bring data rates of up to 2Mbits/s to

the network.

cdma2000 1xRTT. The first step in the evolution to 3G is cdma2000 1X, which improves packet data

transmission capabilities and speeds in the network, and also boosts voice capacity by nearly 2X over CDMA

capacities.

cdma2000 3xRTT. Third-generation technology that offers voice and data on a 5MHz carrier (or 3X the

1.25 MHz carrier).

cdma2000. Common name for IMT-2000 CDMA Multi-Carrier, a next-generation, high-bandwidth wireless

protocol.

cdmaOne. A digital mobile phone standard based on the CDMA principle, which is used in North America,

Korea and Japan. cdmaOne uses frequency ranges around 800MHz and 1900MHz. For migration to third-

generation mobile telephony, cdmaOne networks can be upgraded to the cdma2000 broadband standard.

CDPD (see cellular digital packet data).

CDR (call detail record). Information or record pertaining to a single telephone call used for billing and

marketing purposes. Contains information such as calling number, number called and duration of call.


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CD-ROM. Device for non-volatile optical storage of digital data including video, audio and text. Maximum

capacity approximates 600 megabytes. CD-ROM drives are rated with a speed factor relative to music CDs

(1X).

CD-SEM. A type of scanning electron microscope used to measure critical dimension.

Celeron. A family of lower cost Pentium II/III chips from Intel that was introduced in mid-1998.

Cell phone. An American term for mobile phone.

Cell relay. Network transmission format that uses small packets of the same size, called cells. The cells are

of fixed length and can be transmitted and processed by hardware at very high rates. Cell relay acts as a

basis for ATM.

Cell. The basic geographical unit of a cellular communications system. Service coverage of a given area is

based on an interlocking network of cells, each with a radio base station (transmitter/receiver) at its center.

The size of each cell is determined by the terrain and forecast number of users.

Cells. Fixed-size packets used in ATM transmission, consisting of an aggregate 53 bytes per cell, of which

five bytes form the header, and the remaining 48 the information payload.

Cellular communications. A mobile wireless communication system whereby information is transmitted by

radio frequencies in the 800 MHz area of the radio-frequency spectrum in the U.S. In cellular

communications, the spectrum is divided into geographic cells that allow for increased utilization of the

scarce spectrum. These cells are all interconnected by wires to telephone switching offices, which then

connect to the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

Cellular digital packet data (CDPD). Technology that allows data files to be broken into a number of

packets and sent along idle channels of existing cellular voice networks.

Cellular system. A telephone system based on a grid of “cells” deployed at 800 MHz. Each cell contains

transmitters, receivers and antennas and is connected to switching gear and control equipment.

Central office (CO). 1) A local telephone company office that connects to all local loops in a given area and

where circuit switching of customer lines occurs. This is the “first stop” from which a call may be routed to

other central offices or long-distance networks. 2) A local telephone company switching system in which

Telephone Exchange Service customer station loops are terminated for purposes of interconnection to each

other and to trunks. In the case of a remote switching module (RSM), the term “central office” designates

the combination of the remote switching unit and its host.

Central processing unit (CPU). 1) A central processing unit fabricated on one or more chips that contains

the basic arithmetic, logic, and control elements of a computer that are required for processing data. 2) An

integrated circuit that accepts coded instructions, executes the instructions received, and delivers signals

that describe its internal status. The instructions may be entered or stored internally. Also called “MPU”

(microprocessor unit).

Centrex. The switching system of a local telephone operator.

CERT (see computer emergency response team).

Certificate authority (CA). In security software, an organization or system that creates and issues digital

certificates, schedules their expiration and ensures they are revoked. The CA can be used to verify the

authenticity of a user’s public key.


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Channel service unit (CSU). A CSU is a device that interfaces customer T1 (or E1) equipment to a

carrier’s T1 (or E1) service. At its most basic level, a CSU performs certain line-conditioning and equalization

functions, and responds to loopback commands sent from the central office. It’s also known as a data

service unit (DSU).

Channel. 1) A communication path. Multiple channels can be multiplexed over a single cable in certain

environments. The term is also used to describe the specific path between large computers and attached

peripherals. 2) An electrical or photonic in the case of fiberoptic-based transmission systems communications

path between two or more points of termination. 3) The smallest subdivision of a circuit that provides a type

of communication service; usually a path with only one direction.

Channelized T-3. The ability to break a T-3 line down into smaller segments in order for different

information to be carried.

Character. A symbol that represents information. Examples include numbers, letters and punctuation.

ASCII and ANSI are coding systems for translating characters into bytes.

Chemical mechanical planarization (see CMP).

Chemical vapor deposition. (see CVD.)

Chip. Also called a die. A popular term describing a section of a wafer that contains a discrete component or

an integrated circuit. Many chips are made on a single wafer, then separated into die and packaged

individually.

Chipset. A group of chips designed to work as a unit to perform a function. For example, a modem chipset

contains all the primary circuits for transmitting and receiving. A PC chipset provides the electronic

interfaces between all subsystems.

Churn management. Controlling subscriber—i.e., end-customer—loss by monitoring subscriber behavior

and offering subscribers incentives to stay with the service provider.

Churn rate. In wireless services, the churn rate is expressed as a rate for a given measurement period,

equal to the number of subscriber units disconnected divided by the average number of units of the entire

installed base of customers.

CIFF (camera interchangeable file format). A digital camera storage file format developed by a

consortium of Japanese camera manufacturers.

CIFS (common Internet file system). An open-systems variation of SMB (server message block)

developed by Microsoft. CIFS enables programs to make requests for files and services on remote

computers.

CIO. Chief information officer.

Cipher. An algorithm that encrypts and decrypts data. It is designed to run very quickly in software.

Ciphertext. Encrypted data.

Circuit simulation. An accurate means of verifying the behavior of a circuit before it is fabricated. Very

accurate models of the circuit devices—such as transistors, resistors and capacitors—are used in a simulator

that applies efficient numerical analysis algorithms to solve fundamental circuit analysis equations.

Circuit switching. A method of communicating in which a dedicated communications path is established

between two devices through one or more intermediate switching nodes. Unlike packet switching, digital data


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are sent as a continuous stream of bits. Bandwidth is guaranteed, and delay is essentially limited to

propagation time. The telephone system uses circuit switching.

Circuit. 1) A two-way communications path. 2) A communication path or network; usually a pair of

channels providing bidirectional communication. 3) The combination of a number of connected electrical

elements to accomplish a desired function.

Circuit-switched network. A network that establishes a physical circuit temporarily, until it receives a

disconnect signal.

CIS (customer interaction software). An offshoot of the enterprise software industry developing

software applications that support call center service representatives.

CISC (complex instruction set computing). CISC microprocessors, such as Intel’s Pentium, do more of

the processing of complex operations within the CPU than RISC processors, which require some operations to

be performed by software before data gets to the CPU.

CIX (see commercial Internet exchange).

Clarke belt. The name given in honor of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey) to

the orbit 22,300 miles directly above the equator, where satellites can maintain a stationary position in

relation to the Earth. Also called geostationary orbit.

Class 4 tandem switch. AT&T's name for the type of switch that connects end offices together and does

not deal directly with the customer. Most of the call recording and billing used to be handled by tandem

switches (also called "toll/tandem switches"), but today is provided in the end offices by the end office

switches. A sector tandem switch connects end offices for intraLATA traffic, while an access tandem switch

provides the connection between end offices and the POPs for interexchange carriers (IXCs). In the past,

Class 4 switches dealt only with high-speed, four-wire T1, T3 and OC-3 connections in contrast to two-wire

local lines on Class 5 switches. Today, all switches support four-wire lines.

Class 5 switch. AT&T's name for the type of switch used in a local telephone end office. It provides

customer services such as call waiting and call forwarding. In the past, a Class 5 switch implied two-wire

ports from the customer and four-wire ports out the back end. Today, all switches support four-wire lines.

Class of service. Provides, through a causal relationship, the quality of service, of which there are various

types offered by different types of network. There are five classes of service, ranging from class 0, which

provides only the basic connections needed for connection establishment and data transfer, to class 4, which

provides full error control and flow control procedures.

Class. A means for defining objects. All objects in a class “act” the same but contain different data (see

object).

CLASS. Custom local area signaling services.

Classical IP. A set of IETF-developed specifications for the operation of LAN-to-LAN IP connectivity over an

ATM network.

ClawHammer. AMD’s eighth generation processor for low-end servers and high-end desktops.

Clean room. A confined area in which the humidity, temperature and particulate matter are precisely

controlled within specified units. The “class” of the clean room defines the maximum number of particles of

0.1 micron size or larger that may exist in one cubic foot of space anywhere in the designated area. For

example, in a Class 1 clean room, only one particle of any kind may exist in one cubic foot of space. Newer


21

clean rooms are typically Class 1-10, and are needed for manufacturing ICs with feature sizes less than 1

micron.

CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier). A competitor to the incumbent local access provider (ILEC,

or local telephone company). Similar to a CAP, except that a CLEC has achieved a higher level of regulatory

approval. These companies build out fiberoptic local networks in central business districts of cities to

compete with the incumbent telephone company. These companies have spent almost $6 billion on

infrastructure to date, compared with the $300 billion invested by incumbents in local exchange networks.

Click-through. The rate at which a World Wide Web user clicks on, or chooses to view, an advertisement

such as a banner advertisement on the World Wide Web. If for every three out of one hundred pageviews, a

consumer clicks on a banner, the click-through rate will be 3%.

Client. The desktop workstation in the client/server architecture. (Technically, any computer that requests

something from another computer is a client.) (See server.)

Client/server. Computer architecture that uses numerous remote devices (clients) to access information or

applications that are stored on a single, central site (server). All processing of the data can occur at any

remote site. The attraction of this architecture is that it maximizes network efficiency by storing all

information in one place, while allowing processing at any remote site.

Clipper. The chip that implements the Skipjack algorithm in a Capstone-based encryption system.

Clustering. A group of independent systems working together as a single system, multiplying processing

power and providing failover capabilities. Clustering technology allows groups of servers to access a single

disk array containing applications and data. Clustering is an effective way to balance workloads and avoid

costly downtime.

CMIP/CMIS (common management information protocol/common management information

services). An OSI-based standard protocol for the transmission of network management information.

CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor). A technology used for a broad range of

semiconductor elements with very low power consumption. CMOS semiconductors use both NMOS (negative

polarity) and PMOS (positive polarity) circuits. Because only one of the circuit types is on at any given time,

CMOS chips require less power than chips using just one type of transistor. This makes them particularly

attractive for use in battery-powered devices, such as portable computers (see bipolar).

CMP (chemical mechanical planarization). The planarization of a film layer upon an underlying

substrate (such as a silicon wafer or storage media and thin film head material) by the process of applying

force and an abrasive slurry in a controlled manner.

CO (see central office).

Coax cable. A cable consisting of two concentric conductors: an inner wire and an outer, braided sleeve.

This type of cable is commonly used in cable television systems.

COBOL (common business oriented language). An older software programming language popular in

mainframe computing environments. COBOL has a reputation for being much less flexible than other

languages such as C and C++.

Code division multiple access (see CDMA).


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Code. A generic term that refers to the program generated using traditional procedural programming

languages (not object-oriented languages). Specific code is written for every aspect and functionality of an

application. Code is to software what words are to a book (see object-oriented programming).

CODEC (Coder/decoder). The chips that convert analog signals to digital signals and vice versa.

Collapsed backbone. A non-distributed backbone where all network segments are interconnected via an

Internetworking device. A collapsed backbone may be a virtual network segment existing in a device such as

a hub, a router or a switch.

Co-location. A co-location provider provides dedicated cage facilities (power, backup generators, 24x7

operations, physical security and environmental controls) and carrier-class Internet connectivity, but does

not touch customer servers, data or content.

Color filter. The top sheet of glass in a TFT-LCD display that is used to create a color image. The color

filter comprises a “pixel” that corresponds to each thin-film transistor (TFT) on the bottom sheet of glass (the

backplane) and includes a red, green and blue sub-pixel from which any color can be created.

Command line interface (CLI). A user interface to a computer's operating system or an application in

which the user responds to a visual prompt by typing in a command on a specified line, receives a response

from the system, enters another command, and so forth. The MS-DOS Prompt application in a Windows

operating system is an example of the provision of a command line interface.

Commercial Internet exchange (CIX). A connection point between commercial Internet service

providers. Pronounced “kicks.”

Common air interface (see CAI).

Common business oriented language (see COBOL).

Common carrier. 1) A telecommunications company that holds itself out to the public for hire to provide

communication transmission services, such as telephone and telegraph. A local telephone company is an

example of a common carrier. 2) Licensed utility that provides communications services at government-

regulated rates.

Common management information protocol/common management information services (see

CMIP/CMIS).

Common object request broker architecture (CORBA). An industry standard that governs the inter-

exchange of object-oriented software commands across distributed networks. This functionality enables

interoperable software programming in distributed networks.

Communication service providers. All participants in the communication services industry including but

not limited to domestic and international wireless, wireline, satellite, broadband, Internet or cable service

providers.

Communications protocol. Hardware and software standards that govern transmission between two

computers or communications devices. Most protocols contain several different levels (e.g., seven-layer OSI

model).

Companion virus. A virus that “infects” EXE files by creating a COM file with the same name and

containing the virus code. This virus exploits the MS-DOS property that, if two programs with the same

name exist, the operating system will execute a COM file in preference to an EXE file.


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Competitive access provider (see CAP).

Competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC). A competitor to the incumbent local access provider (ILEC,

or local telephone company). Similar to a CAP, except that a CLEC has achieved a higher level of regulatory

approval. These companies build out fiberoptic local networks in central business districts of cities to

compete with the incumbent telephone company. These companies have spent almost $6 billion on

infrastructure to date, compared with the $300 billion invested by incumbents in local exchange networks.

Complementary metal-oxide silicon (see CMOS).

Complex instruction set computing (see CISC).

Complex managed hosting. A managed service that includes management of servers as well as specific

applications residing on servers. May include application integration and back-end support.

Component object model (COM). Microsoft’s standard for distributed objects, an object encapsulation

technology that specifies interfaces between component objects within a single application or between

applications. It separates the interface from the implementation and provides APIs for dynamically locating

objects and for loading and invoking them.

Compression. Mathematical technique for squeezing high-digital bandwidth signals to create efficient usage

of scarce bandwidth. For example, using this technique, 45 megabit per second video can be replicated as

1.5 megabits, although the quality is diminished.

Computer emergency response team (CERT). The CERT is chartered to work with the Internet

community to facilitate its response to computer security events involving Internet hosts, to take proactive

steps to raise the community’s awareness of computer security issues and to conduct research targeted at

improving the security of existing systems.

Computer telephony integration (see CTI).

Computer-aided design (see CAD).

Computer-aided engineering (see CAE).

Computer-aided manufacturing (see CAM).

Concurrent engineering. A parallel-development approach for reducing time-to-market as well as

improving the quality and market impact of new products. Concurrent teams are composed of

representatives from engineering, manufacturing, marketing, quality, etc., and make a special effort to

involve the customer during product definition.

Conductor. Any material, such as aluminum, copper or gold, that offers little resistance to the flow of

electrical current.

Configuration management. A functional area within operations support systems that involves designing,

requisitioning and establishing the connections and proper settings of network equipment in order to

provision a particular service or add a customer to the network. Configuration involves identifying, collecting

and sending data to network elements.

Congestion. Excessive network traffic.

Connectivity. The ability of PCs and other network equipment to interconnect and communicate.


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Consignment. Arrangement between the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) vendor and an OEM

customer, whereby the OEM provides the EMS vendor with a “kit” of materials that are used for the entire

assembly process of an electronic product.

Consulting services. The first step in an end-to-end outsourcing arrangement; an analysis of what the

customer needs to accomplish its goal.

Contact diameter. The diameter of the metal structure used to connect the doped contact area formed in

the silicon base material to the metal interconnect.

Controlled release. The “release” of a product to specific customers prior to its official release to the

market. Controlled release is another name for beta testing, and more of a marketing ploy than anything

else. For most purposes, a product is released when it is generally available and revenue is recognizable

(see beta testing).

Controller. A circuit board or system designed to enable the computer to operate peripheral devices.

Convergence. The industry trend toward sharing network resources among disparate applications and

traffic types.

Copper seed layer. A thin copper layer deposited by physical vapor deposition over the barrier layer. It

acts as a wetting and nucleation layer for growth of the subsequent copper film deposited by electroplating.

Coppermine. Intel's code name for Pentium III and Celeron CPU chips manufactured using the company’s

0.18µm manufacturing process. Coppermine relies on aluminum metallization technology.

CORBA (common object request broker architecture). An industry standard that governs the

interexchange of object-oriented software commands across distributed networks. This functionality enables

interoperable software programming in distributed networks.

Core network. The switching part of the UMTS network. It provides call control and performs mobility and

high-level security functions such as location updating and authentication. Core network includes a radio

access network, terminals and applications.

Cost models: TSLRIC (total service long-run incremental cost), TELRIC (total element long-run

incremental cost). These are forward-looking incremental costing models being used by Federal and state

commissions to calculate the costs of unbundled local exchange networks and universal service.

Coverage. The geographical reach of a mobile phone network or system.

CPE (see customer premises equipment).

CPGA. Cost per gross addition, in the wireless services arena, it is the all-in cost associated in activating a

subscriber. The cost includes handset subsidies, marketing, advertising and promotional cost as well as

commissions paid to sales agents and third-party distribution channels.

CPLD. Complex programmable logic device.

CPM. The blended average rate for the purchase of 1,000 advertisement views in a period. In other words,

total advertising revenue dollars divided by the total pageviews sold.

CPU (see central processing unit).

CRC (see cyclic redundancy check).


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CRM (customer relationship management). Systems, software and Internet connectivity designed to

improve an enterprise’s ability to manage customer relationships.

Crossbar switches. An early telephone switch that used mechanical equipment, such as magnets and

metal bars, to close connections; or, an alternative to a single shared backplane bus, that replaces said bus

with a stack of buses all connected to the line cards. The line cards can then communicate with one another

simultaneously.

Crosstalk. Line static that can occur when wire pairs within the same bundles are used for separate signal

transmission. Especially evident with repeated T1/E1 transmission.

CryptoAPI (cryptographic application program interface). Microsoft’s program interface to add

cryptography to Windows applications. Applications can support encryption and digital signatures while

maintaining the secrecy of the user’s private key.

Cryptographic application program interface (see CryptoAPI).

Cryptographic checksum. A one-way function applied to a file to produce a unique “fingerprint” of the file

for later reference. Checksum systems are a primary means of detecting file system tampering on UNIX.

CSD. Circuit-switched data is the traditional technology used for the exchange of data. A circuit connection

is made that is exclusively reserved for the individual’s use. Payment is then made in accordance with the

duration of the connection. This can be inefficient, as, for example, when connecting to the Internet using

WAP, because more time is spent reading the information than is spent exchanging data; however, users

continue to pay when reading. For corporate e-mail services, however, applications have been developed

where the user works "off line" and then only connects to the server to download and receive e-mails.

CSMA/CD (carrier sense multiple access with collision detection). The medium access methodology

employed by the Ethernet LAN protocol.

CSP (chip scale package). Packaging technology that limits the size of the packaging material added to

the silicon chip, resulting in lighter and thinner ICs. Electrical performance is also improved by decreasing

the wire lengths connecting the chip to the circuit board. Commonly used in portable electronic devices.

CSR (customer service representative). A communications service provider employee responsible for

handling interactions with customers, including activation of service and inquiries.

CSU (see channel service unit).

CSU/DSU (see channel service unit/data service unit).

CTI (computer telephony integration). Technology allowing the integration of telephone systems and

computer systems (or voice and data). Most telephone systems currently are controlled by microprocessors

and use some form of CTI.

CTI boards. Circuit boards using digital signal processing technology that slide into industry standard

PC/workstation chassis to allow computers to process calls and interact with telephone systems.

CTI link. The interface through which a CTI-capable switch communicates with data processing systems.

CTI server. A PC or UNIX workstation that uses a CTI link to interface between the telephone switch and

data processing systems to coordinate use of voice and data.

CTIA (cellular telecommunications industry association). A trade group representing cellular, PCS and

enhanced specialized mobile radio carriers.


26

Custom integrated circuit. An integrated circuit that requires a full set of masks specifically designed for a

particular function or application. A custom IC is usually developed for a specific customer.

Customer data integration (CDI). The ability to create a single, comprehensive view of the individual

customer. Companies can link contact information captured in real time from multiple “touchpoints” with

legacy customer data stores. Analyzing these data enables a company to create a panoramic view of the

customer to better align loyalty, marketing and frequent buyer programs with the one-to-one needs of the

individual customer.

Customer interaction software (see CIS).

Customer premises equipment (CPE). Terminating equipment, such as terminals, phones, routers and

modems, supplied by the phone company, installed at customer sites, and connected to the phone company

network.

Customer relationship management (CRM). Business strategies designed to optimize profitability,

revenue and customer satisfaction. CRM applications focus on relationships rather than on transactions.

Customer service representative (see CSR).

CVD (chemical vapor deposition). Exposing underlying substrate (such as a silicon wafer or liquid crystal

display glass) to chemically reactant gases in a heated plasma state to induce deposition of a thin film of

material.

CVM (centralized vendor management). Allows companies with demands for large resources to access

many providers through a single contact point. The common point serves as an e-marketplace designed to

manage the entire procurement process, simplify billing and administration, as well as coordinate the

activities of secondary suppliers.

CyberCash®, CyberCoin®, CyberCheck®. Trademarks owned by a company called CyberCash that offers

customers the ability to make secure payments over the Internet. The company’s products are intended to

mimic the functionality of similar payment mechanisms in the physical world.

Cyclic redundancy check (CRC). In the security software field, a mathematical method for verifying the

integrity of data. It is a form of checksum, based on the theory of maximum length polynomials. While

more secure than a simple checksum, a CRC does not offer true cryptographic checksum.

CYMK. Cyan, magenta, yellow and extra black. In imaging industry, subtractive colors that are used to

make other colors. This is the color management plan generally used by color printers.


27

D D/A converter. Digital-to-analog converter. A circuit that converts digital input signals to analog output

signals.

DACS (digital cross connect system). A network element or piece of equipment used to interconnect

networks, especially between long-distance and local networks.

DACS (see digital cross connect system).

DAMA (demand assigned multiple access). A method of sharing a channel’s capacity.

Damascene. An integrated circuit process in which a metal conductor pattern is embedded in a dielectric

film on the silicon substrate, resulting in a planar interconnection layer. The creation of a damascene

structure most often involves chemical mechanical polishing of a nonplanar surface resulting from multiple

process steps.

D-AMPS. D-AMPS has been renamed TDMA (time division multiple access). TDMA is a digital mobile phone

network that operates in the United States, Latin America, New Zealand, parts of Russia and Asia-Pacific.

Ericsson's TDMA mobile phones also work on AMPS networks.

Dark fiber. Fiberoptic cable that has been deployed but lacks the requisite electronic and optronic

equipment necessary to use the fiber for transmission. Many electric utilities install optical fiber cable

alongside power lines, with the expectation that they can lease the infrastructure to third parties (typically

phone or cable companies).

DAS (direct attached storage). A peripheral memory device such as a disk system that is directly and

privately connected to the mainframe or server.

Data center. A centralized repository for storage, computing and networking devices designed to provide

data and other services for the enterprise.

Data compression. Reducing the size of a data file by reducing unnecessary information, such as blanks

and redundant data.

Data encryption standard (DES). The most widely used, secret-key-system cryptography standard.

Data mart. An information repository for specific subjects of interest or particular departments that are

optimized for complex queries. Data marts can be either subsets of information in data warehouses or

separate databases unto themselves (e.g., Eastern regional sales data, marketing program data) (see data

warehouse).

Data mining. A specialized database application that identifies patterns, groupings and correlations in sets

of information (e.g., 75% of celery purchasers also purchase diet soda).

Data protection. The prevention of the passing of an individual’s personal information from one computer

system where the information legitimately resides to other computer systems without the consent of the

individual. In the United Kingdom, the Data Protection Act of 1984 requires the registration of every data

user who processes personal information.


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Data service unit (DSU). Device on the customer end of a digital circuit that provides framing of sub-rate

(under 64 Kbps) customer access channels onto higher rate data circuits. May be combined with a channel

service unit (CSU) in a single device.

Data warehouse. A repository of data segregated from the operational database used for strategic

analysis. Designed for searches, rather than for transactional data processing. Can store vast amounts of

data and return query results quickly.

Database management systems (DBMS). A program that manages all facets of a database. Primary

services of a DBMS include storage, modification and extraction of data. A DBMS also regulates user access

and protects data against damage (see relational database).

Database multiplexing. The management of transactions that interact with the database, which results in

an increase in the number of clients the database can support without increasing the database server.

Database. A collection of information stored in a central site that enables efficient storage, retrieval and

manipulation of the data for analytical purposes.

Data-driven attack. In the security software field, a form of virus attack in which the attack is encoded in

innocuous-seeming data, which is executed by a user or other software to implement an attack. In the case

of firewalls, a data-driven attack is a concern because such an attack may get through the firewall in data

form and launch an attack against a system behind the firewall.

Datagrams. The name referring to packets transmitted within TCP/IP networks.

DBA (see dynamic bandwidth allocation).

DBMS (see database management systems).

DBS (direct broadcast satellite). A satellite that transmits audio and video signals direct to the end user.

DCE (see distributed computing environment).

DCS (see digital cross connect system).

DDR (double data rate). An SDRAM memory chip that increases performance by doubling the effective

data rate of the front-side bus.

Decision support systems (DSS). A subset of the data warehouse market, DSS as well, are the front-end

query tools that bring information to the user (i.e., querying and reporting). Competitors in this market

differentiate themselves by “ease of use” and the number of functions and flexibility their tools offer (see

data warehousing).

Dedicated access. A leased, private connection between a customer’s equipment and a phone company

location, most often that of an interexchange carrier.

Dedicated circuit. A transmission circuit leased by one customer for exclusive use around the clock. Also

called a private line, or leased line.

Dedicated hosting. Customers lease dedicated rack and server resources and typically pay for bandwidth

on a per-megabyte basis. This service does not include management of data/content, nor does it integrate

back-end processes or information systems.

Dedicated LAN. Network segment allocated to a single device. Used in LAN switched network topologies.


29

Dedicated line. 1) A communications circuit or channel provided for the exclusive use of a particular

subscriber. Dedicated lines are used for computers when large amounts of data need to be moved between

points. Also known as a “private line.” 2) A transmission circuit installed between two sites of a private

network and “open,” or available, at all times.

Dedicated services. Point-to-point communication connections to connect end users with long-distance

carriers or to connect two end users. This market is estimated at $6 billion. This is the traditional CAP

market, in which customers "bypassed" the telcos’ switched network.

Deep ultra violet (see DUV).

Deerfield. Intel’s McKinley processor shrink to 0.13µ.

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The new name for the Defense Communications Agency.

Demand assigned multiple access (see DAMA).

Demilitarized zone (DMZ). In security software, a configuration that involves multiple firewalls to add

layers of security between the Internet and a company's critical data and business logic. The primary

purpose of a DMZ configuration is to protect the business logic and data in the environment from

unauthorized access.

Demodulation. Opposite of modulation; the process of retrieving data from a modulated carrier wave.

Demultiplexing. A function performed by a layer entity that identifies and separates SDUs from a single

connection to more than one connection.

Deposition. In the semiconductor manufacturing process and other processes, the procedure in which

materials are deposited onto a substrate. Usually refers to thin conducting or insulating films used to form

MOS gates, capacitors, thin-film resistors and the interconnect system for an IC.

Depth cueing. In computer graphics, lowering the intensity of lighting (color and hue) in a graphic to make

an object appear more distant.

DES (see data encryption standard).

Deschutes. The 0.25µm version of Intel’s Pentium II desktop microprocessor.

Descrambler. An electronic circuit that restores a scrambled video signal to its standard form.

Design for manufacturability. A pre-production design approach used to ensure that a product can be

readily and cost-effectively manufactured for high yields using available components, manufacturing

equipment and processes.

Design for test. Design approach used to ensure that a product can be readily tested throughout the

various stages of the production cycle.

Design rule. Rules that outline the allowable dimensions of features used in the design and layout of

integrated circuits, such as limits for feature size and layer-to-layer overlap.

Device driver. A program designed to control a peripheral device (e.g., printer, disk drive, monitor)

attached to a computer.

DFT (design for test): Design approach used to ensure that a product can be readily tested throughout the

various stages of the production cycle.


30

Dial around. A dialing method that allows the user of a pay phone to access the network of a carrier other

than the pre-subscribed operator service provider for that pay phone (typically calling card calls, prepaid

calling cards).

Dialed number identification service (see DNIS).

Dial-up. A type of communication that is established by a switched-circuit connection using the telephone

network.

Die bond. This is the process step responsible for creating a strong physical bond between the chip and the

package, electrical conducting or insulating properties between the die and the package, and thermal

controls. The two methods of die bond are eutectic and epoxy.

Die. A single square or rectangular piece of semiconductor material into which a specific electrical circuit has

been fabricated. Also called a chip. An unpackaged integrated circuit.

Dielectric. An insulator. Localized regions of dielectric materials are used in semiconductor devices, for

example, to provide electrical isolation between die, between metal interconnect layers and between the gate

electrode and the channel.

Diffie-Hellman. Key agreement protocol in which each user has a public key and a private key; a security

software term. The public key is available to all users. The private key is known only to the user. The

protocol depends on the discrete logarithm problem to ensure the secrecy of the private key.

Diffusion. A high-temperature process in which chemical impurities (dopants) enter and move through the

crystalline lattice structure of a semiconductor material to change its electrical characteristics. The process

takes place in a diffusion furnace, usually at temperatures between 850°C and 1150°C.

DigiCash. A company offering digital money that can be used for both Internet payments and smart card

payments. DigiCash’s approach is slightly different than CyberCash’s, because it allows customers to make

truly anonymous payments (akin to cash transactions in the physical world), whereas CyberCash

transactions, although private, can be traced (like ordinary credit card transactions).

Digital certificate. In the security software industry, an endorsement by a certification authority vouching

for the identity of specific individuals, organizations, devices and content. Also aids in the management of

privileges to authorized users.

Digital cross connect system (DCS). 1) An electronic switching node that enables circuits to be cross-

connected. 2) An electronic cross-connect that has access to the lower-rate channels in higher-rate

multiplexed signals and can electronically rearrange or “groom” those channels.

Digital IC. A class of integrated circuits that process digital information (expressed in binary numbers). The

processing operations are arithmetic or logical (in which the circuit senses certain patterns of input binary

information and indicates the presence or absence of those patterns by appropriate output binary signals).

Digital integrated circuit. A class of integrated circuits that process digital information (expressed in

binary numbers). The processing operations are arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)

or logical (in which the circuit senses certain patterns of input binary information and indicates the presence

or absence of those patterns by appropriate output binary signals).

Digital loop carrier (DLC). Network transmission equipment used to provide pair gain on a local loop. The

digital loop carrier system derives multiple channels, typically 64-Kbps voice-grade, from a single four-wire

distribution cable running from the central office to a remote site.


31

Digital modem. A modem designed to decode digital PCM-encoded signals into actual data and vice versa.

These modems are generally connected to ISDN and T-1/E-1 lines within remote access concentrators.

Digital modulation. A method that encodes information (e.g., a voice conversation) into a series of digital

bits—the zeros and ones of computer binary language—that are then transmitted. At the receiving end, the

information is reconverted to its original form. Digital transmission offers a cleaner signal and is less subject

to the problems of analog modulation such as fading and static. Digital transmission has been embraced by

the wireless industry because it offers major gains in capacity compared with analog.

Digital protocols. Methodologies that manage the communication for digital signal transmission. CDMA

and TDMA are examples of high-level digital protocols.

Digital signal 0 (DS-0). North American Digital Hierarchy signaling standard for transmission at 64 Kbps.

Digital signal 1 (DS-1). North American Digital Hierarchy signaling standard for transmissions at

2.544Mbps. It supports 24 simultaneous DS-O signals. The term often is used interchangeably with T-1,

although DS-1 signals may be exchanged over other transmission systems.

Digital signal 3 (DS-3). North American Digital Hierarchy signaling standard for transmission at

44.736Mbps. It supports 28 simultaneous DS-1 signals.

Digital signal processing (DSP). The processing of signal transmission using digital techniques (see

DSP 1).

Digital signal processing. According to techweb.com, “A category of techniques that analyze signals from

sources such as sound, weather satellites and earthquake monitors. Signals are converted into digital data

and analyzed using various algorithms such as Fast Fourier Transform. Once a signal has been reduced to

numbers, its components can be isolated, analyzed and rearranged more easily than in analog form. DSP is

used in many fields, including biomedicine, sonar, radar, seismology, speech and music processing, imaging

and communications. DSP chips are used in sound cards for recording and playback, compressing and

decompressing and speech synthesis. Other audio uses are in amplifiers that simulate concert halls and

surround sound effects for music and home theater.”

Digital signal processor. A semiconductor device designed for performing computationally intensive tasks

involving the processing of various formats including images, sound, video and voice. It provides extremely

rapid instruction sequences that commonly are used in math-intensive signal processing applications. DSP

chips are used in a myriad of devices, including sound cards, fax machines, modems, cellular phones, high-

capacity hard disks and digital TVs. The first DSP chip used in a commercial product is thought to be that of

Texas Instruments’ very popular Speak & Spell game, which appeared in the late 1970s.

Digital signature algorithm (DSA). An algorithm used for authentication in security software. Unlike

RSA, signature generation is more rapid than signature verification using DSA.

Digital signature standard (DSS). A digital authentication standard used in Capstone, the U.S.

Government project to develop a set of encryption standards.

Digital signature. Binds the owner of a public key to a document in order to verify identity and ensure

integrity of a transaction over an open public network, such as the Internet.

Digital strategies. The transformation of business models to create dramatically different e-businesses

that deliver sustained market leadership.


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Digital subscriber line (DSL). A technology that allows the transmission of many forms of data, voice and

video for limited distances over the standard twisted pair copper wire that is widely used to connect home

and business telephone lines to telephone company central offices. DSL generally offers much higher

transmission speeds than standard modems or ISDN but lower speeds (i.e., less bandwidth) than cable

modems or T1 lines.

Digital transmission. A method of sending and receiving information coded with on-and-off pulses of

electricity or light.

Digital versatile disk (see DVD).

Digital. A form of wireless communications that takes all voice transmissions and converts them to

computer language (zeros and ones, or “binary” language) and then reconstructs them into the original voice

format at the other end. More secure than its original sibling, analog, and also relatively impervious to static

or fading signals.

Digitized compressed imaging. The compression of very large static pictorial files in digitized form for

transmission or storage.

Digitized compressed video. The compression of video in digitized form for transmission or storage,

currently primarily for picturephone-quality video.

DIP (dual in-line package). The most common type of integrated-circuit package, which can be either

plastic (DIP-Plastic) or ceramic (CERDIP).

Direct broadcast satellite (see DBS).

Direct-to-home (see DTH).

DISA (see defense information systems agency).

Discrete device. A class of electronic components. Typically, these devices contain one active element,

such as a transistor or diode. In contrast, integrated circuits (ICs) typically contain hundreds, thousands, or

even millions of active elements in a single die.

Disintermediation. A business-to-business term for bypassing a traditional channel, more directly linking

buyers with suppliers.

Disk drive. A peripheral for reading and writing data onto a storage medium (disk). Features a motor to

rotate the disk and one or more read/write heads. Common disk drive interfaces include SCSI and IDE.

Diskette. A removable, portable magnetic disk for storing digital data.

Dispatch and depot. Customer interaction software applications, typically self-contained, that address

remote field service and “repair and return” activities.

Distributed component object model (DCOM). Microsoft protocol that enables software components to

communicate directly over a network in a reliable, secure, efficient manner. DCOM is based on the DCE-RPC

specifications and works with both Java applets and ActiveX components through its use of the COM object

model.

Distributed computing environment (DCE). An architecture of standard programming interfaces,

conventions and server function personalities (e.g., naming, distributed file system, remote procedure call)

for distributing applications transparently across networks of heterogeneous computers. Promoted and

controlled by the Open Software Foundation (OSF), a vendor consortium.


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Distributed computing. The use of several networked computers and related systems rather than a single

centralized resource.

Distributed database. A database in which data files are located on different computers or in separate files

on a network, thereby allowing multiple users to access data simultaneously.

Distributed objects. Small applications or procedural code that use standard interfaces and protocols to

communicate. These are similar to subroutines in a larger primary code in that they are called into action

when needed by the main program; however, they are independent of the main code and are not an integral

part of the program as subroutines are.

Distributed systems. Combinations of client and server computers that allow data and application

software to reside and be executed across multiple CPUs within a single computer or in numerous machines

in different locations (see client, server).

Distribution channel. A method by which a manufacturer or software developer delivers its goods to

customers and receives payment in return. A direct channel, whereby the company transacts business with

its customers with no intermediaries, is common in business-to-business commerce and in catalog sales,

direct mail or telemarketing to consumers. Indirect channels may use any variety of distributors, resellers,

retailers, agents or other intermediaries. In many indirect channels, the goods are marketed using the brand

of the manufacturer, while sales, installation, service and customer support are provided by an intermediary.

In the original equipment manufacture (OEM) channel, the product often takes on a brand owned by the

intermediary and becomes part of a more comprehensive offering by the intermediary.

Dixon. Intel’s code name for the 0.25µm version of its mobile Pentium II microprocessors with integrated

level 2 cache memory.

DLC. Digital loop carrier.

DLEC (data local exchange carrier). A CLEC that specializes in DSL services primarily by leasing lines

from local phone companies and reselling them to ISPs. The DLEC industry got off to a big start in the late

1990s, but ended up in trouble just a couple years later. Several minor DLECs and two of the three largest

(Rhythms and Northpoint) have gone out of business. The incumbent local telcos (ILECs) have always had

the lion's share of DSL customers and have increased their share since the DLEC demise.

DLM (double-level metal). An IC metal interconnect process that employs two vertical levels of metal,

separated by an insulating layer. DLM technology allows a designer to use a smaller die size (for a given

level of design functionality) than does SLM.

DMA (direct memory access). A form of specialized circuitry in the bus architecture of a computer that

transfers data from its memory bank to that of another computer without the use of the host CPU.

DMT (discrete multitone). The official T1.413 standard modulation scheme for xDSL.

DNC (do not call) legislation. Legislation affirming the Federal Trading Commission’s (FTC) authority to

obtain funding for the national do-not-call (DNC) registry. By adding their names to this registry, consumers

are able to block telemarketers unwanted solicitations.

DNIS (dialed number identification service). Call centers are frequently fed by multiple “800” numbers;

a DNIS lets the center know which service the customer is seeking.


34

DNS (domain name system). A methodology whereby Internet domain names are located and translated

into IP addresses. A DNS server maintains a database of domain names and their corresponding IP

addresses.

DNS spoofing. Assuming the DNS name of another system by either corrupting the name service cache of

a victim system, or by compromising a domain name server for a valid domain.

Domain name system (DNS).

Domain name. The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain names always have two or more

parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most

general. A given machine may have more than one domain name but a given domain name points to only

one machine. For example, the domain names matisse.net, mail.matisse.net and workshop.matisse.net can

all refer to the same machine, but each domain name can refer to no more than one machine. Usually, all of

the machines on a given network will have the same name as the right-hand portion of their domain names

(matisse.net in the examples above).

Dopants. An impurity added in a controlled amount to a material in order to modify some intrinsic

characteristic, such as resistivity/conductivity or melting point.

Doping. Adding a controlled amount of impurities to a material in order to modify some intrinsic

characteristic, such as resistivity/conductivity or melting point.

Double buffering. In computer graphics, a technique in which the graphics engine employs two buffers:

one for display and the other for rendering. The viewer sees only the finished screen image and not the

rendering process. This results in smooth-motion animation.

Double-level metal (see DLM).

Downlink. Technical term for data transmission in the direction from the network, the provider or the

Internet provider to the subscriber (the return channel is know as the uplink).

Downstream. Data flowing from the central office or service provider to the subscriber. In many access

technologies, such as ADSL, the downstream data rate is significantly higher than the upstream data rate.

DPI (dots per inch). Printing term that describes the number of dots per inch that are used to create an

image. The image can be a font or graphic.

DRAM (dynamic random access memory). The lowest cost and most popular type of semiconductor

read/write memory chip, in which the presence or absence of a capacitive charge represents the state of a

binary storage element (zero or one). Pronounced “dee-ram.” The charge must be periodically refreshed.

Unlike firmware chips (ROMs, PROMs, etc.), both major varieties of RAM (dynamic and static) lose their

content when the power is turned off.

DRO. Dielectric resonance oscillator.

Dropped call. A wireless call that is unintentionally disconnected because of a system problem, lack of

channel availability or dead spot in coverage.

DS-0, DS-1, DS-3. (See VGE circuits.)

DS-0. Digital service, Level 0, a worldwide standard for digitizing one voice conversation and equal to

64Kbps of transmission bandwidth.


35

DS-1. Digital Service, Level 1. In North America a DS-1 is 24 DS-0s and is equal to 1.544 Mbps. Elsewhere,

a DS-1 is equal to 30 DS-0s or 2.048 Mbps. A DS-1 is also called a T-1 line (see T-1).

DSL (or xDSL). Digital subscriber line. A generic name for a family of digital transmission services offered

by ILECs and CLECs that uses the existing copper wire in the local loop to provide access to and from the

network at high speed data rates.

DSLAM (digital subscriber line access multiplexer). Infrastructure equipment that aggregates signals

from different forms of DSL access lines at the central office for transport to the Internet or segments of the

wide area network.

DS-N (digital signal level N). Refers to signal levels in the North American digital signal hierarchy. DS-0,

digital signal level zero, represents one digitized voice conversation/channel and has a data rate of 64 kbps.

Higher levels in the hierarchy multiplex many DS-0 signals together. As an example, a DS-1 (1.544 Mbps)

signal multiplexes 24 DS-0 signals together. A DS-2 (6.312 Mbps) signal multiplexes 4 DS-1 signals, and a

DS-3 (44.736 Mbps) signal multiplexes 7 DS-2 signals.

DSP (digital signal processor). A semiconductor device designed for performing computationally intensive

tasks involving the processing of various formats including images, sound, video and voice. DSP chips are

used in a myriad of devices, including sound cards, fax machines, modems, cellular phones, high-capacity

hard disks and digital TVs.

DSS (see decision support systems).

DSU (see data service unit).

DTH (direct-to-home). Official term used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to refer to

the satellite television and broadcasting industries.

Dual band. Dual band mobile phones can work on networks that operate on different frequency bands. This

is useful if one moves between areas covered by different networks.

Dual in-line package (see DIP).

Dual mode. Dual mode mobile phones work on more than one network (e.g., CDMA2000 and WCDMA).

Dual-mode operation. A wireless system capable of supporting either different protocols or both digital

and analog technologies, including those at different frequencies.

Dumb terminal. A computer terminal with no processing or programming capabilities that derives all of its

power from the computer it is attached to, typically over a local hardwire or a phone line. A dumb terminal

does not employ a data transmission protocol and only sends or receives data one character at a time,

sequentially.

Duron. AMD’s processor for the desktop and mobile value markets, competing head-on with Intel’s Celeron.

DUT. Die-under-test.

DUV (deep ultra violet). Bandwidth of light at 248 nanometers (nm) used in lithography to project

patterns upon underlying silicon wafer or glass substrates with resolutions exceeding 0.30m.

DVD (digital versatile disk). Sometimes called digital video disk. A high-capacity (4.7 gigabyte) optical

storage and retrieval system. Differentiated from CD-ROM by its larger capacity and ability to store digital

video.


36

DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing equipment). Infrastructure equipment that

multiplexes signals, hence increasing system bandwidth by transmitting at different wavelengths through a

single fiber.

Dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA). A process that optimizes overall network efficiency by

automatically increasing or decreasing the bandwidth of a channel to accommodate changes in data flow

from end-user equipment.

Dynamic password authentication servers. Products consisting of server software that generates

constantly changing passwords and of two-factor, software- or hardware-based password generators that

teleworkers carry with them.

Dynamic random access memory (see DRAM).


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E E-1. E-1 is the European version of T-1 running at 2.048 Mbps. An E-1 line consists of 30 64 Kbps DS-0s,

one 64 Kbps signaling channel and one 64 Kbps channel for framing and maintenance.

E3 (a.k.a. CEPT3). The 34.368 Mbps rate used by European CEPT carriers.

EAI (see enterprise application integration).

E-beam (electron beam). E-beam is a machine that produces a stream of electrons that can be used to

expose photo-resists that are sensitive to such beams. E-beam can be used to expose resists directly on a

wafer or on a mask. Electron-beam lithography is a direct-write microprinting technique.

e-Business transformation. The process by which a business is transformed from a traditional non-

electronic business to an e-Commerce entity. Includes the migratory and/or evolutionary stages of

development that businesses undergo en route to becoming complete e-Enterprises. A completely integrated

e-Business often involves real-time, high-volume transactions, enterprise application integration, e-CRM and

supply chain management, and many-to-many exchange capabilities.

EC messaging. The most advanced form of EDI, in which companies can transmit any type of information

from application to application without human intervention. (More traditional EDI software allows only the

transmission of EDI documents.)

EC (see electronic commerce.)

Echo cancellation. Process by which a transmitter/receiver cancels out the transmitted signal to “hear” the

received signal better.

ECL circuit (emitter-coupled logic circuit). ECL circuits use bipolar transistors biased in the active region.

They are a very fast high-power digital technology commonly used in logic circuits.

EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution). EDGE is considered a 2.5 generation technology to be

deployed by the GSM and TDMA carriers. EDGE promises transmission rates of up to 384 kbps.

EDI documents. Standardized electronic business documents—such as purchase orders, invoices and

advanced shipping notices—that can be sent from computer to computer without human intervention.

EDI formats. Standardized, computer-readable document formats a company can use to transmit

transaction-related data to its trading partners and have the data automatically integrated into the trading

partner’s computer systems (after than having a clerk key it in, as would to be the case if the company sent

a simple e-mail). The formats are established by domestic and international standards organizations such as

the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and EDIFACT.

EDI translator. A software program that converts data from proprietary formats into standardized formats,

or standardized formats into proprietary formats. Translators allow companies to exchange data

electronically with their trading partners.

EDI (see electronic data interchange).


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EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory). A memory chip that holds its

content without power. It can be erased, either within the computer or externally, and usually requires more

voltage for erasure than the common +5 volts used in logic circuits. EEPROMs are used in devices that must

keep data up to date without power. EEPROMs have a lifespan of between 10 and 100,000 write cycles.

Also known as “E2PROM.”

EFT (see electronic funds transfer).

E-GPRS. Enhanced GPRS, another term for EDGE.

Egress. An adjective describing a line card that is to send out a packet.

Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (see EEPROM).

Electrolyte capacitor. A capacitor made using a solid or liquid electrolyte. Major types are aluminum and

tantalum capacitors. Both metals are exceptions because they form non-crystalline, electrically insulating

oxides the thickness of which can be precisely manipulated.

Electronic catalog. This is an information catalog that can be accessed and “browsed” with computers.

The catalogs come in two varieties: human-to-computer and computer-to-computer. Human-to-computer

catalogs allow people to browse through graphic or text information using a PC with a Web browser or

CD/ROM drive (depending on where the catalog information is stored). Computer-to-computer catalogs are

used in replenishment-intensive industries such as retailing when suppliers wish to transmit product

information directly into their customers’ computer systems.

Electronic commerce (EC). Business conducted using computers, phones, fax machines, bar-code

scanners, credit cards, smart cards, the Internet, Web sites, telecommunications lines and other information-

technology gadgets instead of paper and mail.

Electronic data interchange (EDI). A series of standards that provide computer exchange of business

documents between different companies over phone lines and the Internet. These standards allow for the

transmission of purchase orders, shipping documents, invoices, invoice payments and other documents

between an enterprise and its “trading partners.” Also known as quick response.

Electronic forms. Data-input screens that enable companies to collect information from remote customers

or internal users via a private network or the Internet and then have the information automatically

integrated into internal systems. Like EDI, the use of electronic forms eliminates the need to have a clerk

key in data received through the mail or fax machines.

Electronic funds transfer (EFT). The transfer of money between two individual bank accounts using the

Federal ACH (automated clearing house) telecommunications network. Banks are required by law to be able

to use EFT, which is a cheaper and faster method of exchanging funds than paper-based clearing operations.

Electronic mail (E-mail). Messages, usually text, sent from one person to another via computer. E-mail

can also be sent automatically to a large number of addresses (via a mailing list).

Electronic stapling. Billing process whereby billing data for different services is gathered on separate

systems and then combined onto one bill at printing. This is not true for convergent billing because there are

no IT synergies.

Electronics program guide (EPG). Part of the transport stream that contains the database and/or user

interface for the electronic TV guide.

Electroplating. A deposition process in which metals are removed from a chemical solution and deposited

on a charged surface.


39

Electrostatic capacitor. A class of capacitors that has a lower capacitance than electrolyte capacitors and

uses an insulating material as a dielectric. A major type of such capacitors is MLCC (multi-layer ceramic

capacitors).

Element. A generic term for essentially any piece of equipment or hardware within a communications

network.

E-mail (see electronic mail).

EMI. Electro magnetics interface.

Emitter-coupled logic circuit (see ECL circuit).

EMS. Electronic manufacturing services.

Encapsulated postscript (see EPS).

Encapsulation (a.k.a. tunneling). A technique that packages data associated with one protocol within

another for transparent transmission along a network. Upon receipt, the target node removes the outer

protocol and processes the original message.

Encryption. In the security software field, a technique for ensuring the security of information

communicated over various networks. Information is scrambled at one end and unscrambled at the other

through use of mathematical algorithms. Encryption will become increasingly critical as more proprietary

information is disseminated via the Internet and intranets. (See Internet, intranet.)

End user. Any customer of an interstate or foreign telecommunications service that is not a carrier,

although a carrier other than a telephone company is deemed to be an end user when it uses a

telecommunications service exclusively as a reseller.

End-to-end. A term used to describe e-Solutions service offerings in areas such as data warehousing, data

mining and e-CRM. The most developed e-Business that is fully integrated from both the sell-side and the

buy-side.

Enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (see EDGE).

Enhanced services. Also known as vertical services, class services and value-added services, these

services include caller ID, voice dialing, voice mail, call forwarding and conference calling. Generally

software-based, high-margin services.

Enhanced specialized mobile radio (ESMR). Digital mobile telephone services offered to the public over

channels previously used for two-way analog dispatch services.

Enterprise application integration (EAI). The linking and sharing of multiple business applications and

data, including extensions to business partners, through the use of application-to-application modules, object

middleware and message brokering or multi-tier application server platforms. Motivations for EAI include the

need to rapidly implement Web-based projects, to link to legacy data and to forge links to different systems

acquired through corporate mergers and acquisitions.

Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB). An architecture for setting up programs, written in the programming

language, that run in the parts of a computer network that use the client/server model. Enterprise

JavaBeans is built on the JavaBeans technology for distributing program components to in a network. EJB

offers enterprises the advantage of being able to control change at the server rather than having to update


40

each individual computer with a client whenever a new program component is changed or added. EJB

components have the advantage of being reusable in multiple applications.

Enterprise network. A geographically dispersed network under the auspices of one organization.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP). The latest generation of enterprise resource planning software

currently on the market. ERPs’ usefulness and power lie beyond the present functional boundaries of

traditional back-office processing. In addition to the standard functionality that is offered, other features are

included, such as quality process operations management and regulatory reporting. In addition to the base

technology provided by ERPs, users often have complete software and hardware independence as well as an

Internet-based upgrade path.

Entrepreneurs’ band. The C and F Block licenses, consisting of 30 MHz and 10 MHz of spectrum,

respectively, auctioned by the FCC to bidders consisting of smaller businesses.

EPG (see electronics program guide).

Epi or Epitaxy. A process technology used in some semiconductor designs in which a pure silicon crystalline

structure is deposited or "grown" on a bare wafer, enabling a high-purity starting point for building the

semiconductor device.

e-Procurement. Also referred to as supplier exchange. It is the business-to-business purchase and sale of

supplies and services over the Internet. e-Procurement is a also component of supply chain management.

EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory). A programmable and reusable ROM chip that

holds its content until erased under ultraviolet light. EPROMs have a lifespan of a few hundred write cycles.

EPS (encapsulated PostScript). A file format storing visual data so that it can be exchanged between

programs so that it can be exchanged between programs or different computer systems. The EPS format

saves a description of art or page layout in the PostScript language together with some minimal instructions

enabling the graphics to be displayed in a non-PostScript video device.

Equal access. A creation of the Telecom Act of 1996 that requires that service provider competitors be

allowed to connect with incumbent service providers’ OSS systems on a fair and equal basis. This allows

these competitors to add, drop and change customers in the same manner as the incumbent carriers.

Erasable programmable read-only memory (see EPROM).

Erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). EDFAs or optical amplifiers have become the dominant method for

signal amplification in long-haul lightwave transmission systems. EDFAs differ from the normal method of

regenerative or electro-optic repeaters in that light does not have to be converted to an electrical signal,

amplified, and then converted back to light. Optical amplifiers contain a length of fiber that is doped with

erbium (a rare earth substance) that provides the gain medium, an energy source or “pump” from a laser

source at the correct frequency, and a coupler to couple the pump laser to the doped fiber.

ERM (employee relationship management). Software and services that help companies streamline the

processes for hiring, training, managing and retaining employees.

ERP (enterprise resource planning). The latest generation of enterprise resource planning software

currently on the market.

Error storm. A cascade of redundant error messages generated when a transmission error occurs within a

communications network and each successive network element recognizes the single error as a number of

separate events.


41

Error-detecting code. A code in which each data signal conforms to specific rules of construction, so that

departures from this construction in the received signal can be automatically detected.

ESCON (enterprise systems connection). A channel-based technology designed by IBM for S/390

environments. ESCON employs fiberoptic media to transfer data at 17 Mb/s over distances supporting large

campuses and metropolitan areas.

ESMR (see enhanced specialized mobile radio).

ETACS (extended total access communications system). Developed from AMPS technology, ETACS is

the conventional wireless technology used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Etching. The removal of underlying material from a wafer by exposure to reactive gases (dry etching) or

corrosive liquids (wet etching).

Ethernet. Sometimes referred to as 10Base-T, Ethernet is a 10 megabit per second local area networking

technology. It is also perhaps the most commonly used method of accessing a LAN. Ethernet can run at

10 Mbps (ethernet), 100 Mbps (fast ethernet) or 1000 Mbps (gigabit ethernet), and 10 Gbps ethernet is

currently finalizing a standard. Earlier forms required users to share bandwidth; however, with switched

ethernet, each sender and receiver pair has the full bandwidth.

ETL (extract, transform, load). ETL refers to programming that pulls data from databases, data marts

and data warehouses (extract); translates these data into a desired state (transform); and moves the data

to a target database (load).

ETSI (European Telecommunications Standard Institute). A body formed by the European

Commission in 1988 that included vendors and operators. ETSI’s purpose is to define standards that will

enable the European market for telecommunications to function as a single market. It specified the UMTS

radio access with the creation of several working groups that set out to develop radio solutions presented by

various companies.

European Telecommunications Standards Institute (see ETSI).

Exchangeable image file (see EXIF).

EXIF (exchangeable image file). A digital camera file format developed by Kodak and Fuji.

Extended total access communications systems (see ETACS).

Extensible markup language (XML). A document description language, primarily used to define Web

pages and applications, that is compatible with hypertext markup language (HTML) but provides more

capabilities and flexibility. XML removes presentation constraints imposed by HTML and does not necessarily

require a Web browser. While both languages are platform independent, XML is also database and file format

independent. To display an XML document (or run the XML application), the user’s machine must be

equipped with an XML parser, which refers to the document type definition (DTD) in order to determine how

to display the document or run the application. More or less standard DTDs have been developed for

engineering, law, medicine and other areas of knowledge.

Exterior gateway protocol (EGP) (TCP/IP). The service by which gateways exchange information about

which systems they can reach; generally, an exterior gateway protocol is any internetworking protocol for

passing routing information between autonomous systems.

Extranet. Based on Internet technology, an extranet is an extended intranet that allows outside entities

(usually business partners) to access specific data on a company’s network.


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F Fab. A term used in semiconductor device manufacturing fabrication referring to the front-end process of

making devices and integrated circuits in semiconductor wafers, but does not include the package assembly

(back-end) stages.

Factory panel price. The “wholesale” price received by a TFT-LCD manufacturer when the “raw” panel is

sold to a contract assembler as a component for applications such as notebook PCs, desktop monitors, LCD

TVs, cell phones and PDAs.

FAE. Field application engineer.

False negative. In security software, an existent event reported as nonexistent, e.g., a virus failing to be

detected.

False positive. A nonexistent event reported as existent, e.g., a virus being reported when no virus is

present.

Fast ethernet. An extension of ethernet running at 100 Mbps.

Fat client. A computing device, such as a PC or Macintosh, that includes an operating system, RAM, ROM, a

powerful processor and a wide range of installed applications that can execute on the desktop or 100% on

the server with Citrix application server architecture. Fat clients can operate in a Citrix application server

environment.

Fault management. A key function of operations support systems that detects, isolates and corrects

equipment faults within communications networks.

Fault simulation. A logic-gate level simulation technique in which the circuit description is modified

(faulted) to correspond to a processing defect, and the simulation is rerun to determine whether the test

program would find this defect. After many faults are simulated, this gives an indication of the quality (fault

coverage) of the test program.

Fault tolerance. A design method that ensures continued systems operation in the event of individual

failures by providing redundant system elements.

FBGA (fine-pitch ball grid array): Package type using the same technology as BGA, but with a smaller

form factor.

FCC proxy prices. Prices developed by the FCC, using incremental cost methodologies, for unbundled

elements of the local exchange network. Such elements include line costs, ports, switches and operator

services.

FCC. The Federal Communications Commission.

FCIP (fibre channel over IP). A proposed means by which fibre channel nodes can be interconnected over

IP networks, including the LAN, MAN and WAN. This interconnect is enabled by way of encapsulating

(tunneling) fibre channel frames within TCP/IP packets.


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FC-PGA (flip-chip pin grid array). A pin grid array is a type of chip package in which the connecting pins

are located on the bottom in concentric squares. PGA packages are particularly good for chips that have

many pins, such as modern microprocessors.

FCS (first customer ship) (see GA).

FDD (frequency division duplex). FDD is the first variation of W-CDMA to be standardized.

FDDI (see Fiber distributed data interface).

FDMA (frequency division multiple access). Assigns users separate frequencies on which to

communicate.

FEC (forward error correction). A receiver technique for correcting errors in received data.

Federal Communications Commission (The) (see FCC).

FEDI (see financial EDI and EDI).

FET (field effect transistor). A solid-state device in which current is controlled between source and drain

terminals by voltage applied to a non-conducting gate terminal.

Fiber channel. Fiber channel is a high-performance serial link supporting its own protocol, as well as higher

level protocols such as the FDDI, SCSI, HIPPI, and IPI. The fast (up to 1 Gbps) technology can be converted

for local area network technology by adding a switch specified in the fiber channel standard that handles

multipoint addressing.

Fiber distributed data interface (FDDI). An ANSI-defined standard specifying a 100 Mbps token-passing

network using fiberoptic cable. It uses a dual-ring architecture to provide redundancy.

Fiber in the loop (see FITL).

Fiber miles. Number of route miles or conduit miles installed multiplied by the number of fibers in the

conduit.

Fiberoptic cable. A transmission medium that uses glass or plastic fibers, rather than copper wire, to

transport data or voice signals. The signal is imposed on the fiber via pulses (modulation) of light from a

laser or a light-emitting diode (LED). Because of its high bandwidth and lack of susceptibility to interference,

fiber-optic cable is used in long-haul or noisy applications.

Fiberoptic systems. Systems that use laser-generated light to transmit voice, data and video in digital

format through strands of glass. Typically provide substantial capacity, good sound quality and direct

interface to digital switching equipment.

Fiberoptical Bragg grating. An optical fiber component consisting of a length of optical fiber wherein the

refractive index of the core has been permanently modified in a periodic fashion, generally by exposure to an

optical interference pattern as generated by an ultraviolet laser.

Fiberoptical terminating system. A network element that terminates the optical circuit. It serves such

functions as mapping the service into the SONET carrier and making opto/electrical conversions.

Fiberoptics. A method for the transmission of information (sound, pictures, data). Light is modulated and

transmitted over high-purity, hair-thin fibers of glass. The bandwidth capacity of fiberoptic cable is much

greater than that of conventional cable or copper wire.


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Fiberplant. Arial or buried fiberoptic cable that establishes connectivity between fiberoptic transmission

equipment locations.

Fibre channel. A family of protocols defining a high-speed transmission technology that allows data

transfer rates of up to 2 gigabits per second and supports multiple protocols including SCSI, IPI and IP. To

date, fibre channel has been the predominant protocol used in the SAN environment.

FICON (fiber connectivity). A next-generation version of the ESCON channel protocol developed by IBM

for use in the mainframe environment. FICON employs a mapping layer based on the fibre channel-physical

and signaling interface and supports transfer rates of 100 Mb/s over 20 kilometers.

FIFO (first in, first out). An approach whereby whichever packet is received first will also be sent out first.

File transfer protocol (FTP). An IP application protocol for transferring files between network nodes.

File transfer, access and management (FTAM). The OSI remote file service and protocol.

File transfer. A data exchange method in which computers send entire information files to one another.

File transfer software is the engine that actually moves the files from point to point.

File. A program, document or data stored on a disk or tape with an identifying name.

Filter. A process or device that screens incoming information for certain characteristics, allowing a subset of

that information to pass through.

Filtering bilinear, trilinear and point-sampled. Smooth, flat surfaces that move linearly away from the

viewer. Bilinear filtering averages the four nearest texels to interpolate a pixel, producing a higher quality

image than would point-sampled filtering. Point-sampled filtering, used by some low-end 3D algorithms,

takes the nearest adjacent pixel and replicates its color to interpolate pixels. Small on-screen movements

can cause full pixels to change color, causing aliasing and unwanted screen artifacts (see anti-aliasing,

pixel and texel).

Financial EDI (FEDI). A form of electronic data interchange (EDI) in which payment remittance

information (an electronic “note” that explains the details of payment—i.e., which invoice it is for, how much

it is, etc.) is sent along with the actual electronic funds transfer payment. (The two are separate messages:

the EFT payment usually ends up in the bank; the remittance information remains in the computers of the

entity that is being paid.)

Firewall. 1) A software program that controls information flow between two networks. 2) A means for

keeping unauthorized people from accessing data in a private network (typically an intranet). Firewall

technology is becoming more important as corporations make more proprietary information accessible via

the Internet and intranets (see Internet, intranet).

FITL (Fiber in the loop). Fiber in the loop uses underground fiberoptic cables to connect end-users to the

phone company’s central office public switch. An advantage of FITL: It provides virtually unlimited

bandwidth; the disadvantages: it is very expensive requiring one to two years to lay the cable using skilled

labor, and the fiberoptic wire frequently is stolen. It is prevalent in regions where there are significant

airwave capacity restraints and “capacity hogs” like video-on-demand.

Five-year buildout requirement. The requirement that a holder of a 30 MHz MTA license build out its

network so that service is available to one-third of the population in the MTA within five years of the date the

license was issued (see MTA).


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Fixed wireless (or fixed cellular) network. This apparent contradiction in terms signifies a cellular

network that is set up to support fixed rather than mobile subscribers. It is increasingly being used as a fast

and economic way to roll out modern telephone services, because it avoids the need for fixed wires.

Flash memory. A programmable memory chip that holds its content without power. It is used as digital

film and for data and programs for communications and industrial products, as well as a variety of handheld

devices. Unlike DRAM and SRAM memory chips, in which a single byte can be written, flash memory is

written and erased in fixed blocks, typically ranging from 512 bytes up to 256KB.

Flash RAM. Flash random access memory, often used as removable or nonvolatile memory for storing

information, like digital pictures. Unlike EPROM, reprogramming can be done with the chip installed.

Flash random access memory (see Flash RAM).

Flat panel displays (FPDs). Generic term that refers to display technologies of less than 3.0” deep and

which possess “hang-on-the-wall” capability. FPDs mostly include TFT-LCD, plasma displays (PDPs) and

organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Flat shading. A basic graphics shading technique in which an entire triangle consists of a single color

(shade). Because colors are not blended in the image in flat shading, the resulting image is choppier (see

rendering and gouraud shading).

Flat-file database. Unlike relational databases that allow for multiple tables, flat-file databases have a

single table. Typically, flat-file databases are more suitable for smaller applications, whereas relational

databases are necessary for larger ones.

Flip chip. A method of integrated circuit attachment in which the “bare” silicon is attached directly to the

printed circuit board using solder. Flip chip is considered one of the smallest and highest performing

commercially available IC packaging techniques.

Flooding. A technique by which information received by an internetworking device is sent out to each of the

device’s interfaces except (usually) the interface on which the information was received.

Fogging. A blending of a graphical object with a translucent image that obscures the original image.

FOMA (freedom of mobile multimedia access). FOMA is Japanese telecommunications giant DoCoMo's

brand name for third-generation (3G) services, based on the W-CDMA format.

Footprint. An area of the Earth that is able to receive a particular satellite’s signals.

Fortezza. A smart card developed by the National Security Administration (NSA) that implements Capstone

algorithms. It was designed to be used with the Defense Messaging System (DMS).

Foster. A 0.18µ processor architecture for Intel’s Xeon server microprocessors.

Foundry. A wafer production and processing plant. It is usually used to denote a facility that is available on

a contract basis to companies that do not have wafer fab capability of their own, or that wish to supplement

their own capabilities.

FPDs (see flat panel displays).

FPGA (field programmable gate array). An integrated circuit that can be programmed in the field after

manufacture. FPGAs are often used to support pre-standard products, to be later produced as hard-wired

ASICs.


46

Fractional T-1. A WAN communications service that provides the user with some portion of a T1 circuit,

which has been divided into 24 separate 64 Kbps channels. It is known as fractional E-1 in Europe.

FRAD (frame relay access device, also referred to as a frame relay assembler/disassembler). A

device responsible for framing data with header and trailer information prior to presentation on the frame to

a Frame Relay switch.

Frame relay. A high-speed packet switching protocol used in wide area networks (WANs) that has become

very popular for LAN-to-LAN connections across remote distances. Services are offered by all the major

carriers. This technology organizes digital data into frames, with variable lengths, which enables efficient

connection of distributed computer networks over shared networks. Frame relay was designed for currently

available reliable circuits and performs less rigorous error detection—the name comes from the fact that

frame relay does not do any processing of the content of the packets; rather, it just relays them from the

input port of the switch to the output port.

Frame switch. A device, similar to a bridge, that forwards frames based on the frame’s Layer 2 address.

Frame switches are generally of two basic forms, cut-through switch (on-the-fly switching), or store-and-

forward switch. LAN switches such as ethernet, Token Ring, and FDDI are all examples of frame switches.

Frame. A logical grouping of information sent as a link-layer unit over a transmission medium. The terms

packet, datagram, segment and message are also used to describe logical information groupings at various

layers of the OSI reference model and in various technology circles.

Framers. Framers process serial bit stream signals and establish a reference so that time slots or elements

within a frame can be identified. In addition to identifying the frame, framer devices process control bits

inserted into a frame for the purpose of network maintenance and administration. Typical network protocols

requiring framing include PDH with DS1/DS3 framing formats and optical networking SONET/SDH with STS-n

framing formats.

Framing. The process by which incoming frame alignment signals of a received stream of framed data, i.e.,

distinctive bit sequences, are identified or distinguished from data bits, permitting the data bits within the

frame to be extracted for decoding or retransmission.

Frequency division multiple access (see FDMA).

Frequency reuse. A measure of relative efficiency in the use of frequency.

Frequency. 1) Frequency measures the number of electromagnetic waves that pass a given point in a

given time period. It is equal to the speed of light, divided by wavelengths, and is expressed in cycles per

second or hertz. 2) The number of cycles of periodic activity that occur in a discrete amount of time.

Front end. 1) A Web-based graphic user interface. Also used to describe customer-facing, sales force

automation and customer relationship management (CRM and e-CRM) applications. 2) In semiconductor

manufacturing, the process steps associated with the creation of the silicon wafer and die.

Front office. The part of an organization that touches the customer. “Front-office” electronic commerce

solutions are typically designed to improve customer service and increase revenue. (See back office.)

Front side bus. The primary pathway between the CPU and memory. The speed is derived from the

number of parallel lines (16 bit, 32 bit, etc.) and the clock speed (66MHz, 100MHz, etc.). Also known as a

system bus, the front side bus is typically faster than the peripheral bus (PCI, ISA, etc.), but slower than the

backside bus to cache memory.


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FSG (fluorine-doped silicate glass). FSG is a reduced dielectric constant (k=approximately 3.5) material

made by doping SiO2 with fluorine.

FTAM (see file transfer, access, and management).

FTP (see file transfer protocol).

Fulfillment. The main elements of service fulfillment are order management, inventory management,

service provisioning and service activation. The first steps in delivering communications services to business

or residential customers include obtaining the customer order, assessing network inventory available to fulfill

the order, designing the network to support the order and activating the service. These activities are largely

related to network issues, as opposed to customer data and accounts.

Full duplex. LAN technique for transmitting in both directions simultaneously. It is available for ethernet,

fast ethernet, gigabit ethernet and token ring. It supports single stations only, not LAN segments.


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G G.LITE. A lower speed version of ADSL (1.5 Mbps downstream, 512 kbps upstream) that does not require

the use of splitters (“splitterless”).

G.SHDSL. A next-generation global DSL technology that supports variable rate, simultaneous data and

voice communications over twisted pair at downstream and upstream rates of up to 4 Mbps.

GA (general availability). When a product has completed beta testing, is available for purchase to all

potential customers and revenues from sales are recognizable (see FCS).

GaAs (gallium arsenide). A semiconductor material capable of operation at microwave frequencies. GaAs

has a higher electron mobility than silicon, giving it the capability of producing higher speed devices.

Electrons in GaAs travel at twice the speed of those in silicon.

GAIT (GSM ANSI interoperability team). A term that refers to mobile handsets that can roam between

GSM, TDMA and analog networks for networks primarily in North and South America.

Gallatin. Intel’s 0.13µ architecture for Xeon processors aimed at 4- and 8-way servers.

Gallium arsenide (see GaAs).

GaN. Gallium nitride.

Gate array. A semi-custom IC consisting of a regular arrangement of gates that are interconnected through

one or more layers of metal to provide custom functions. Generally, gate arrays are preprocessed up to the

first interconnect level so they can be quickly processed with final metal to meet a customer’s specified

function.

Gate. A combination of transistors that form a circuit that performs a logic function, such as NAND or NOR.

Gateway. 1) Infrastructure equipment that provides entry points and exit points between two similar

communication networks. 2) A set of functions intended to facilitate electronic access by users to remote

services and vice versa. Gateways are intended to provide a single source through which users can locate

and gain access to a wide variety of service. Gateways typically offer a directory of services available

through them, and provide billing for these services.

GBIC (gigabit interface converter). An interface used to convert serial electrical signals to serial optical

signals and vice versa. GBICs are commonly deployed to attach network devices to fiber-optic transmission

systems.

General availability (see GA).

General packet radio service (see GPRS).

General-purpose PBX. An ACD/PBX able to handle outbound dialing by using a CTI board to monitor call

completion and telephone line status.

Generation-5 (Gen-5). Refers to the “breed” of fab used to manufacture TFT-LCDs. A Gen-5 substrate is

approximately 1,100 x 1,250 mm and can yield up to 15 15.0” panels, or 12 17.0” panels.


49


approximately 1,500 x 1,800 mm in size and can yield up to 12 25.0” LCD TV panels, or 8 30.0” panels.

Most TFT-LCD manufacturers are now moving to Gen-6 production in order to target the LCD TV market.


approximately 1,880 x 2,150 mm in size and can yield up to 12 30.0” panels, or 8 40.0” panels.

Geometry. A circuit line or etched feature on a chip.

Geosynchronous satellite. A satellite that orbits the equator at the same velocity as the earth’s rotation,

thus remaining in one place in the sky.

Geosynchronous. The Clarke circular orbit above the equator, 22,300 miles above the surface of the Earth.

GHz, or gigahertz. One billion radio waves, or cycles, per second. Equal to one thousand megahertz.

GIF (graphic interface). A bit map image format originally designed by CompuServe for using images on

line.

Gigabit ethernet. An extension to fast ethernet, running at 1,000 Mbps or 1 Gbps.

Gigabit. One billion bits. In general, the prefix giga means billion, and it is abbreviated G. It actually

signifies the precise value 1,073,741,824 in the binary number system.

Gigabits per second (Gb/s). A billion bits per second. A measure of transmission speed.

GigaBlade. A network accelerator designed by Softcom Microsystems (subsequently acquired by Intel)

providing seamless connectivity to any fiber backbone. In conjunction with an entire family of products now

offered by Intel, it can be used in existing and development-stage networking products such as Internet

servers and gigabit routers.

GIX (see Global Internet exchange).

Global Internet exchange (GIX). A common routing exchange point that allows pairs of networks to

implement agreed-upon routing policies. The GIX is intended to allow maximum connectivity to the Internet

for networks all over the world.

Global positioning system (see GPS.)

Global system for mobile communications (see GSM).

Gouraud shading. A more advanced computer graphics shading technique that analyzes the color at each

corner of a triangle and averages the value over each pixel in the polygon. This improves the overall

appearance of the graphic by blending colors within each polygon (see also flat shading, pixel, polygon

and rendering).

GPRS (general packet radio service). A GSM data transmission technique that does not set up a

continuous channel from a portable terminal for the transmission and reception of data, but transmits and

receives data in packets. It makes very efficient use of available radio spectrum, and users pay only for the

volume of data sent and received.

GPS (global positioning system). Global positioning system hardware facilitates navigation via satellites.

There are now versions for automobiles that have LCD screens to show maps and present vehicle location.

Granite Bay. Intel chipset for workstations.


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Graphic interface (see GIF).

Graphical user interface (GUI). A generic name for any computer interface that substitutes graphics for

characters; often referred to as the “front end.” GUIs usually work with a mouse or trackball.

Graphics adapter (a.k.a. display adapter or video adapter). A circuit board that serves as the interface

between a computer and its video monitor.

Graphics memory. Graphics memory is dedicated RAM used by the GPU to perform graphics processing. It

is typically located on the graphics board, and is only found in PCs (and servers) with a discrete graphics

controller (those with integrated graphics controllers use main DRAM for memory).

Groupware. Software that several people use to collaborate on a project or function within a department or

company. Users can create, organize and share data as well as work together on transactions, reports,

schedules, etc. (e.g., Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange, Novell GroupWise and Oracle InterOffice).

GSM (global system for mobile communications). GSM is the mobile phone platform used in Europe

and much of the rest of the world—though it is not mainstream in the United States. Dual band phones are

capable of operating on other bandwidths abroad. GSM TDMA air interface can be implemented in 900MHz,

1800MHz or 1900MHz frequency bands.

GUI (see graphical user interface).


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H H.320. An international standard devised to allow videoconferencing devices to interoperate over digital

telecommunication circuits such as ISDN or T-1s.

H.323. An international standard used to enable videoconferencing devices to communicate with each other

over computer networks such as LANs, intranets and the Internet.

H.324. An international standard used to enable videoconferencing devices to communicate with each other

over POTS.

Hacker. A person who attempts to defeat and/or succeeds at defeating computer security measures.

Half duplex transmission. Data transmitted in either direction, one direction at a time.

Hammer. AMD’s eighth-generation processor to follow up the Barton for desktop and mobile. Hammer

uses AMD’s x86-64 technology that employs an internal 64-bit architecture while remaining compatible with

32-bit code.

Handheld device markup language (see HDML).

Handoff. A function enabling communications to continue without gaps when a subscriber's hardware

(telephone set or modem) is not within the service area of a base station because a communication route is

automatically transited and connected from one base station to another.

Hard disk. The primary computer storage medium. It is made of one or more aluminum or glass platters,

coated with a ferromagnetic material. Hard disks provide fast retrieval because they rotate constantly at high

speed, from 5,000 to 15,000 rpm. In laptops, they can be turned off when idle to preserve battery life.

Hash function (MD2, MD4, MD5). In security software, a mathematical algorithm that is used to create a

unique string of numbers based on an original message to be encrypted as a signed document. MD2, MD4

and MD5 algorithms are used to compress a large message before being signed by a private key.

HBT. Heterojunction bipolar transistor.

HDLC (high-level data link control). Layer 2 full-duplex protocol.

HDML (handheld device markup language). A modification of standard HTML for use on small screens of

mobile phones, PDAs and pagers. HDML is a text-based markup language that uses HTTP and is compatible

with Web servers.

HDSL or high bit-rate DSL. High-speed digital subscriber line, a symmetric transmission technology also

known as repeaterless T-1. HDSL provides transmission speeds of 1.544 Mbps up to 12,000 feet as opposed

to T-1, which can only transmit up to 4,000 feet before repeaters are necessary. Like ADSL, HDSL also uses

existing copper cabling.

Head. The portion of the disk drive that reads and writes to the disk surface.

Headend. The source end of a coaxial cable TV system. Often, the site for signal processing equipment

essential to proper functioning of a cable system.


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Hertz. A unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second.

HFC (see hybrid-fiber coaxial).

Hidden surface removal (see Z-buffering).

High definition television (HDTV). Technology that significantly increases the resolution of video signals

that will offer vastly improved picture quality over the current NTSC standard.

High-level language. Essentially any of the computer languages the code of which is not unique to the

hardware or architecture of a particular computer. High-level languages translate human instructions into

the machine language computers can understand. Computer languages such as Basic, Fortran, COBOL and

Pascal are high-level languages. They are a number of levels (at a high level) away from the actual bit

manipulation (machine language; also called “bit twiddling” by hackers).

High-speed digital subscriber line (see HDSL).

Hit. As used in reference to the World Wide Web, a hit means a single request from a Web browser for a

single item from a Web server; thus, in order for a Web browser to display a page that contains three

graphics, four hits would occur at the server: one for the HTML page, and one for each of the three

graphics. Hits are often used as a very rough measure of load on a server—e.g., “Our server has been

getting 300,000 hits per month.” Because each hit can represent anything from a request for a tiny

document (or even a request for a missing document) to a request that requires some significant extra

processing (i.e., a complex search request), the actual load on a machine from one hit is almost impossible

to define.

Honeypot. In the security software field, an intrusion system that has the ability to act as a decoy or trap

to lure and record information about attackers.

Horizontal domain knowledge. A skill base developed across various technologies like engineering

services, .net, Java/e-commerce, etc. The term is mostly used in the software services industry to

differentiate among companies on the basis of their experience in providing solutions for a specific

technology.

Host. A computer acting as an information or communications server.

Hosting. The Web-server application on a computer system through which electronic content on the

Internet is readily available to a specific or to many Web browser(s).

HRIS. Human resources information system.

HSCSD (high-speed circuit switched data). In using HSCSD, a permanent connection is established

between the called and calling parties for the exchange of data. Because it is circuit switched, HSCSD is more

suited to applications such as videoconferencing and multimedia than “bursty”-type applications such as e-

mail, which is more suited to packet-switched data. (“Bursty” refers to data that come in bursts, rather than

as a steady flow.)

HSPDA. High speed downlink packet access.

HTML (hypertext mark-up language). HTML is the current computer programming language of the

Internet. It is a “bare bones” language portable across any operating environment, such as Windows or

Macintosh. An HTML document is a text file that is literally “marked up” with “tags” that tell the Web

browser how to paint it on the user’s screen. HTML is the equivalent of handwritten annotations made on a


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memo to someone make certain words or phrases boldfaced, underlined, the beginning of a new paragraph,

etc., when it is typed. The language is currently in its fourth generation (see Internet, intranet.)

HTTP (hypertext transport protocol). The telecommunications protocol that computers use for moving

hypertext files across the Internet. It requires a HTTP client program on one end and a HTTP server program

on the other end. HTTP is the most important protocol used on the World Wide Web.

Hub. In networking, a device used to connect individual computers or computer segments with other

computers or computer segments. Hubs differ from switches in that they are shared media and thus provide

bandwidth according to how many users are simultaneously connected. For example, an ethernet hub with

only one individual downloading information will download at 10 megabits per second; an ethernet hub with

five individuals on simultaneously will download at an average of only 2 megabits per second.

Hub-and-spoke. An architectural topology or structure typically used in a message broker-based

integration software solution. The message broker (the hub) is the connecting interface to the different

applications (the spokes).

Hybrid-fiber coaxial (HFC). A technology being developed by the cable TV industry to provide two-way,

high-speed data access to the home using a combination of fiberoptics and traditional coaxial cable.

Hyper transport. A high-speed interconnection between chips being developed by AMD and others. The

HyperTransport I/O Link Specification defines a protocol and electrical interface between the CPU, memory

and peripheral devices. It provides a peak rate of 1.6GHz per wire pair and supports a total bandwidth of

12.8 Gbps.

Hypertext mark-up language (see HTML).

Hypertext transport protocol (see HTTP).


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I I/O (input/output). Any operation, program or device that transfers data to or from a computer is

involved in an I/O transaction. While some devices support only input (e.g., keyboards) and others only

output (printers), storage systems (disk, tape) support both input and output.

I/O controller. I/O controllers are discrete devices used to control the basic low throughput input and

output devices in a PC or server. Basic I/O functions include floppy disk control, keyboard control and BIOS,

and parallel and serial port control. As PC designs have expanded, the role of the I/O controller has

increased to include other functions like infrared support, system management (fan tachometer and control,

or chassis intrusion, for example), and some elementary power management. Most I/O controllers

implement the Super I/O standard, although many use Ultra I/O or an enhanced Super I/O.

IA (see Internet assigned numbers authority).

IC (integrated circuit). A type of semiconductor device constructed with multiple transistors. ICs are

used to process or store data signals in an electrical format. Industry participants will often use the terms

semiconductor, integrated circuit, chip, or microchip interchangeably; usually they are referring to any micro

device built around transistors.

ICP. Integrated communications provider (also known as a CLEC).

IDE (integrated drive electronics). Synonymous with ATA, IDE is a type of hardware interface widely

used to connect hard disks, CD-ROMs and tape drives to a PC. IDE is very popular because it is an

economical way to connect peripherals. With IDE, the controller electronics are built into the drive itself,

requiring a simple circuit in the PC for connection.

iDEN (integrated dispatch enhanced network). A wireless technology developed by Motorola that works

in the 800MHz, 900Mhz and 1.5GHz radio bands. The technology supports, on one handset, voice, short

message service (SMS), data and fax transmission.

IDL (interface definition language). IDL facilitates interfacing between servers and IDL-compliant client

computers. For example, a Java IDL enables Java to communicate with non-Java objects on networks.

IDM (Integrated device manufacturer): Companies that design and manufacturer semiconductor

devices.

IEEE 1394 (a.k.a. Firewire). IEEE 1394 is a high-speed serial bus developed by Apple and Texas

Instruments that allows for the connection of up to 63 devices. The original specifications called for 100, 200

and 400 Mbps transfer rates. IEEE 1394b provides 800, 1600 and 3200 Mbps speeds. Firewire supports hot

swapping, multiple speeds on the same bus and isochronous data transfer, which guarantees bandwidth for

multimedia operations. It is expected to be widely used for attaching digital cameras and other video devices

to the computer.

IEEE 802. A family of local area networking protocols, including ethernet and token ring.

IEEE. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.


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IETF (Internet engineering task force). The body that defines standard Internet operating protocols

such as TCP/IP. Standards are expressed in the form of requests for comments (RFCs).

IF (intermediate frequencies). A transitional step used in devices that use radio frequency for

transmission when converting the digital signal to radio waves, and vice versa.

iFCP (Internet fibre channel protocol). A Nishan-submitted proposal for implementing fibre channel

transport service on a TCP/IP network via frame translation. This distinction allows iFCP to deliver the fibre

channel frame as if it were an IP packet.

ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier). The incumbent provider of local telephony service. The

regional bell operating companies (RBOCs) are all ILECs.

iMode Japanese network. NTT DoCoMo has had a great deal of success with iMode, its proprietary

wireless Internet/data architecture, with the main advantage over WAP being that iMode is a packet-switched

network.

Impression. The viewing of a Web advertisement by a Web user. For the advertiser, one pageview equals

one impression.

IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications 2000.) The International Telecommunications

Union (ITU) initiative for a service that will provide radio access to the global telecommunications

infrastructure, through both satellite and terrestrial systems, serving fixed and mobile users in public and

private networks. In Europe, it is referred to as Universal Mobil Telecommunications System (UMTS) and in

Japan as Future Public Land-Mobile Telephone Systems (J-FPLMTS). In other words, third-generation

services.

IN. Intelligent network.

Incubator. Often applied to venture capital firms that provide growth or start-up capital management

assistance, relationship referrals and occasionally high-level strategy. May also be used to describe an

enterprise set up to provide office space, equipment and sometimes mentoring assistance and capital to new

businesses. Business incubators are set up by venture capitalists, universities and non-profit groups.

Incumbent local exchange carrier (see ILEC).

Independent software vendor (ISV). Makes and sells software products that run on one or more

computer hardware or operating system platform. Companies that produce platforms such as Microsoft, IBM,

Hewlett-Packard, Apple and others, encourage and lend support to ISVs, often with special “business

partner” programs because, in general, the more applications that run on a platform, the more value it offers

to customers.

Industry standard architecture (see ISA).

InfiniBand. The result of the merger of future I/O and next generation I/O, InfiniBand is an architecture

and specification designed to increase data rates between processors and I/O devices by replacing the

shared PCI bus.

Information technology (see IT).

Infrastructure equipment. Fixed infrastructure equipment consisting of base stations, base station

controllers, antennas, switches, management information systems and other equipment making up the

backbone of the wireless communications system that receives, transmits and processes signals from and to

subscriber equipment and/or between wireless systems and the public switched telephone network.


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Infrastructure vendor. An example of an ASP model, an infrastructure vendor looks to obtain traffic

volume and usage fees based on the number of users of a particular application or based on various hosting

services it provides.

Infrastructure. The basic facilities, services and installations needed for the functioning of a community or

society such as transportation and communications systems.

InGaP. Indium gallium phosphide.

Ingress. An adjective describing a line card that receives a packet.

INMARSAT. The International Maritime Satellite Organization, which operates a network of satellites for

international transmissions of all types of international mobile services including maritime, aeronautical and

land mobile.

InP. Indium phosphide.

Input/Output (see I/O).

Insider attack. In the area of computer security, an attack originating from inside a protected network.

Inspection. After die separation and pick and place, each die is optically inspected before being committed

to the rest of the assembly and test process. Then the edges of the die are inspected for contamination or

imperfections, and surface and embedded defects including passivation defects, prove mark defects and

bump defects. This is often completed through an automated inspection system.

Integrated access device. Infrastructure equipment that supports data, video and voice streams over a

single high capacity circuit.

Integrated circuit (IC). A type of semiconductor device constructed with multiple transistors. ICs are

used to process or store data signals in an electrical format. Engineers design pathways using logical

arrangements of transistors to perform specific functions, and these pathways become the circuit

architecture etched onto the surface of the chip. Industry participants will often use the terms

semiconductor, integrated circuit, chip, or microchip interchangeably; usually they are referring to any micro

device built around transistors.

Integrated dispatch enhanced network (see iDEN).

Integrated drive electronics (see IDE).

Integrated graphics chipset. An integrated graphics chipset is a core logic chipset that includes graphics

functionality integrated into the north bridge. These chipsets can also include an AGP port and the ability to

disable integrated graphics when a customer upgrades to a discrete graphics board.

Integrated information system. Networked systems that allow centrally located multimedia sources to

communicate with remote centers such as branch offices and global data centers.

Integrated services digital network basic rate interface (see ISDN-BRI).

Integrated services digital network primary rate interface (see ISDN-PRI).

Integrated systems digital network (see ISDN).

Integrators. Companies that have significant resources to integrate third-party products and/or build

customized billing systems on their own. These players are difficult to displace, as their solutions are not of

the “off-the-shelf” type and are usually highly integrated into other business and back-office systems. Such


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vendors include Accenture, Amdocs, IBM, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, PwC Consulting, KPMG,

SchlumbergerSema and Logica.

Integrity. A security protection aimed at ensuring that data cannot be deleted, modified, duplicated or

forged without detection.

INTELSAT. The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, which operates a network of

satellites for international transmissions.

Interactive multimedia. Applications involving substantial user input or control and presenting at least

two of the following: text, graphics, sound, image, video and animation. Often used for education,

entertainment, information and publishing and transaction processing.

Interactive professional service provider (IPSP). Provides ASP services. May also adopt hosting

partnership arrangements that complement integration expertise without the substantial capital expenditure

associated with building out or leasing hosting facilities.

Interactive voice response (see IVR).

Interactivity. In computers, the sensory dialog that occurs between a human being and a computer

program. Programs that run without immediate user involvement are not interactive and are usually called

batch or background programs. Computer games are usually thought of as fostering a great amount of

interactivity. However, order entry applications and many other business applications are also interactive.

Interconnect: The wiring in an integrated circuit that connects the transistors to one another.

Interexchange carrier (IXC); Interexchange common carrier. 1) Any individual, partnership,

association, joint-stock company, trust, governmental entity or corporation engaged for hire in interstate or

foreign communication by wire or radio, between two or more exchanges. 2) A long-distance telephone

company offering circuit-switched, leased-line or packet-switched service or some combination.

Interface definition language (see IDL).

Interface. A mechanism through which outside components interact with software.

Interlayer dielectric (ILD). Films used between metal layers of an IC for insulation.

Intermediate frequencies (see IF).

Inter-metal dielectric (IMD). Insulating films used between adjacent metal lines; typically silicon dioxide.

International Maritime Satellite Organization (The) (see INMARSAT).

International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (see IMT-2000).

International Organization for Standardization (ISO). A worldwide federation of national standards

bodies, responsible for fostering the OSI model. National standards organizations such as ANSI contribute to

ISO standards-making; perhaps best known for the 7-layer OSI Reference Model.

International Telecommunication Union (see ITU).

International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (The). (see INTELSAT).

Internet address. Also called an IP address. It is a 32-bit address assigned to hosts using TCP/IP. The

address is written as four octets separated with periods (dotted decimal format) and is made up of a network

section, an optional subnet section and a host section.


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Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The entity responsible for assigning numbers in the

Internet Suite of Protocols.

Internet commerce. A subsector of electronic commerce in which goods and services are bought or sold

using the World Wide Web as a communications medium. Companies that want to conduct Internet

commerce create Web sites that function as “virtual” storefronts through which customers can access

product information, place orders and make payments using a Web browser. Some companies do not have

“real-world” stores and conduct business solely on the Web. Others sell products through both the Internet

and real-world channels. The Internet can also be used to transmit information related to transactions

initiated in the real world, such as credit card and EDI data; in this case, however, the Internet is merely

being used as a data-transmission pipe rather than a visual medium (see World Wide Web).

Internet security association key management protocol (see ISAKMP).

Internet service provider (ISP). 1) Any of a number of companies that sell Internet access to individuals

or organizations at speeds ranging from 300bps to OC-3. 2) A business that enables individuals and

companies to connect to the Internet by providing the interface to the Internet backbone.

Internet telephony. A generic term used to describe various approaches to running voice telephony over

IP.

Internet. A collection of networks interconnected by a set of routers that allow them to function as a single,

large virtual network. The Internet is the largest such network in the world, using a common protocol and

allowing millions of users to share information all over the planet through the public switched telephone

network.

Internetworking. A general term used to refer to the industry that has arisen around the problem of

connecting networks. The term can refer to products, procedures and technologies.

Interoperability specification. A specification for the ability to operate software and exchange

information in a heterogeneous network, i.e., one large network made up of several different local area

networks.

Intranet. A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that are

on the public Internet, but that are only for internal use. As the Internet has become more popular, many of

the tools used on it are being employed in private networks. Many companies have Web servers that are

available only to employees.

Intrusion detection. Detection of break-ins or break-in attempts, either manually or via software-expert

systems that operate on logs or other information available on the network.

Inventory management. Once an order is received, inventories need to be assessed. The inventory

subsystem manages information about facilities, equipment, bandwidth and applications within the network,

determining the best manner of service deployment. This is most helpful to the service provider’s engineers.

Inverse multiplexing. A method of combining individually dialed low-speed circuits into a single high-

speed data stream.

Ion implantation. A means for adding dopants to semiconductor material. Charged atoms (ions) of

elements such as boron, phosphorus or arsenic are accelerated by an electric field into the semiconductor

material.


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IP (Internet protocol). A connectionless protocol used to send data from one computer to another on the

Internet. IP manages the segmenting of data into packets that take dynamic, least-resistance, paths to the

target computer. It may also break the packet into fragments to support the maximum transmission unit

(MTU) of the network. Upon arrival at the target, another protocol (usually TCP) facilitates the

reorganization of the packets into their original order.

IP splicing/hijacking. An attack whereby an active, established session is intercepted and co-opted by the

attacker. IP splicing attacks may occur after an authentication has been made, permitting the attacker to

assume the role of an already authorized user. Primary protections against IP splicing rely on encryption at

the session or network layer.

IP spoofing. An attack whereby a system attempts to illicitly impersonate another system by using its IP

network address.

IP storage. A family of proposals that seek to leverage the existing TCP/IP infrastructure for delivery of

block storage traffic. Included in the IP-storage initiative are FCIP, iFCP, iSCSI, iSNS and mFCP.

IP switching (see layer 3 switching).

IPSec (IP security). A security protocol that provides authentication and encryption over the Internet.

Unlike SSL, which provides services at layer 4 and secures two applications, IPSec works at layer 3 and

secures everything in the network.

IPSP (see interactive professional service provider).

IS. Interim standard.

IS-136. Second-generation TDMA in 1994. Also called "Digital AMPS" or "D-AMPS."

IS-41. Inter-network connection protocol for connecting systems based on both analog and digital U.S.

standards.

IS-54. First-generation TDMA in 1991.

IS-95. First-generation CDMA (cdmaONE).

ISA (industry standard architecture). A common bus architecture on the motherboard of MS-DOS-based

computers.

ISAKMP (Internet security association key management protocol). A key management protocol

standard supported by Cisco Systems, Cylink and RSA Data Security for integration of encryption keys in

software products.

iSCSI (SCSI over IP). A block-level transport protocol introduced by Cisco and IBM that leverages existing

TCP/IP infrastructure and management tools. Unique among the IP-storage family, iSCSI is designed to

implement SCSI over TCP/IP, with no legacy fibre channel support built into the protocol.

ISDN (integrated services digital network). ISDN is a high-bandwidth, digital, switched access

technology commonly operated at up to 128 kbps. It is an efficient way to transport digital bits over the

PSTN, particularly to households that have only a twisted pair copper wire connection to the central office.

ISDN-BRI (integrated services digital network basic rate interface). A digital telecommunications line

with two 64-kilobit B (Bearer) channels and one 16-kilobit D channel (used for signaling).


60

ISDN-PRI (integrated services digital network primary rate interface). ISDN-PRI is an ISDN line

consisting of 23 64-kilobit B (Bearer) channels and one 64-kilobit D channel (used for signaling).

iSNS (Internet storage name service). A member of Nishan’s SoIP platform and companion specification

to iFCP and mFCP, iSNS integrates fibre channel and Internet protocol naming mechanisms into a common

naming and resource-discovery framework.

ISO (International organization for standardization). A worldwide federation of national standards

bodies responsible for fostering the OSI model. National standards organizations such as ANSI contribute to

ISO standards making.

ISO 9001. Quality standards created by the International Standards Organization covering the design,

development, production, installation and service procedures of technology companies. As an example:

“ISO 9001 is to software developers what GAAP is to accountants.”

ISO joint picture expert group (see JPEG).

Isochronous. All devices in the network derive their timing signal directly or indirectly from the same

primary reference clock.

ISP (Internet service provider). A communications services company that provides access to the

Internet by way of a gateway. Small ISPs provide service via modem and ISDN while the larger ones also

offer private line hookups (T1, fractional T1, etc.). Customers are generally billed a fixed rate per month,

but other charges may apply. Organizations such as AOL and CompuServe do not label themselves as such;

instead, they prefer to be called “online services.”

ISV (see independent software vendor).

IT (information technology). A generic term used to describe various computer technologies most

commonly associated with computer software programming and data processing.

Itanium 2. The follow-up model of the Itanium processor, introduced in July 2002. The Itanium 2 family

ships with the McKinley (0.18-micron) core.

Itanium. The first model of Intel's next-generation IA-64 64-bit server processor family, introduced in May

2001. The Itanium family shipped with the Merced (0.18-micron) core.

ITU (International Telecommunications Union). A United Nations organization responsible for co-

ordinating global telecommunications activities, especially in the areas of standards setting, radio spectrum

allocation and regulation.

ITU-T SSG IMT-2000. (International Telecommunications Union – Terminal Special Study Group.)

This body is part of the International Telecommunications Union and offers a long-term vision related to the

evolution of IMT-2000 systems and other systems over the next 10 years.

ITV. A combination of software, hardware and two-way connectivity that is expected to connect the digital

information highways with homes and offices around the world. A single piece of interactive TV digital

television equipment will combine what are now television sets, telephones, stereos, videotape players,

videodisc players, compact disc players and computers. ITV is expected to network millions of servers and

user, ranging from the computer files of individuals to the systems of computer files that contain vast

amounts of media, entertainment, cataloged products and services available from vendors and public

documents of governments.


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IVR (interactive voice response). Units that allow callers to obtain information by keying in touch-tones

in response to computer generated or recorded voice prompts.

IXA (Internet exchange architecture). A family of chips from Intel that are designed to enable network

device manufacturers to build custom systems. Introduced in 1999, the first models were the StrongARM-

based IXP 1200 (internet exchange processor) designed for general packet handling with six processors

around its core. The IXE 2412 (internet exchange engine) is a core component for building workgroup

switches, and the IXF 6400 (internet exchange forwarder) is designed for building carrier-class switches with

port speeds up to OC-48.

IXC (interexchange carrier). A provider of long-distance telephony services.

IXE. The IXE 2412 (Internet exchange engine) is a core component for building workgroup switches.

IXF. The IXF 6400 (Internet exchange forwarder) is designed for building carrier-class switches with port

speeds up to OC-48.

IXP. The StrongARM-based IXP 1200 (Internet exchange processor) designed for general packet handling

with six processors around its core.


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J J2EE connection architecture (JCA). Standard of component and services created by JavaSoft that

allows developers to quickly connect and integrate applications with virtually any back-end enterprise

information system.

Jaggies. Slang term for the stair-stepped appearance of a curved or angled line in digital imaging. The

smaller the pixel and the greater their number, the less apparent the “jaggies.” Also known as pixelization.

Java 2 platform, enterprise edition (J2EE). A Java platform designed for the mainframe-scale

computing typical of large enterprises. Sun Microsystems (together with industry partners such as IBM)

designed J2EE to simplify application development in a thin client tiered environment.

Java database connectivity (JDBC). An application program interface specification for connecting

programs written in Java to the data in popular database. The application program interface allows for the

encoding of access request statements in structured query language (SQL) that are then passed to the

program that manages the database. It returns the results through a similar interface.

Java message service (JMS). An application program interface (API) from Sun Microsystems that

supports the formal communication known as messaging between computers in a network. JMS provides a

common interface to standard messaging protocols and also to special messaging services in support of Java

programs.

Java. A programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java was expressly designed for use in

the distributed environment of the Internet, and was designed to have the "look and feel" of the C++

language but is simpler to use and enforces an object-oriented programming model. Java can be used to

create complete applications that may run on a single computer or be distributed among servers and clients

in a network. Applets written in Java include their own software players, so that they can be downloaded

and run on any computer (see applet, Internet, intranet).

JavaBeans. An object-oriented programming interface from Sun Microsystems that enables building of re-

useable applications or program building blocks called components that can be deployed in a network on any

major operating system platform.

JBOD (just a bunch of disks). A group of hard disks not set up in any RAID configuration to improve fault

tolerance.

JIT: Just-in-time.

Joint picture expert group (see JPEG).

JPEG (iSO joint picture expert group). A standard for the compression of still pictures.


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K K56Flex. Rockwell International’s proprietary asymmetrical 56K analog modem technology. Similar to x2

(see x2), K56Flex takes advantage of the digital telephone network connecting the ISP to the client modem.

Using pulse code modulation, remote access servers can send data downstream at speeds of up to 56 kilobits

per second. However, because upstream connections from the client modem are mostly analog, upstream

transmission rates are limited to 33.6 kilobits per second.

K7. The first AMD processor to carry the Athlon name. The K7 core was fabricated in 0.25-micron CMOS,

though it was quickly migrated to the K75.

K75. The second AMD core to carry the Athlon name, the K75 was essentially a 0.18-micron version of the

K7.

K8. A code name sometimes used to refer to AMD’s Hammer architecture.

Ka-band. The portion of the spectrum that operates in the high microwave/millimeter range (33-36 GHz).

Commonly used to describe satellites rotating on this spectrum.

Katmai. The code name for the Pentium III, targeted at desktop systems. Katmai is similar to the

Deschutes Pentium II processor but added enhanced multimedia capability in the form of new SSE

instructions. Like Deschutes, Katmai was fabricated in 0.25-micron CMOS.

Kbps. Kilobits per second. A measure of bandwidth or data speed. One kbps is 1,000 bits per second.

Kerberos. A component of MIT’s Project Athena, Kerberos is a computer security system based on

symmetric key cryptography.

Kernel. The core of the operating system, the kernel is responsible for basic functions and normally resides

in a protected area of the computer’s memory.

Key escrow. A security regulation standard in which the Federal Government would hold a set of “skeleton

keys” that could be used under court order to decode encrypted communications.

Key management. The method by which secret keys or public keys are assigned, stored and retrieved.

Key recovery initiative. A proposed reconciliation to key escrow between the commercial software

industry and the Federal Government. Under the compromise, export restrictions based on key size would

be lifted; standards for key escrow would be designed and implemented by the software industry instead of

the Federal Government, and companies would be allowed to hold their own skeleton keys.

Key. A digital secret code used to encode and decode a message in a secure transmission. The key may or

may not be the same, depending upon which type of encryption system is being used.

KGD (see known-good-die).

Kilobit. 1,024 bits. Symbol Kb.

Kilobits per second (see Kbps).

Kilobyte. 1,024 bytes (8,192 bits). Symbol: KB.


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Klamath. The code-name for Intel’s Pentium II microprocessor with external Level 2 cache. The Pentium

II/Klamath is based on the P6 CPU core used in the Pentium Pro but adds the MMX instruction set and further

improvements to boost performance of 16-bit code.

Knowledge management. In business information technology, an entire integrated system for the

accumulation, integration, manipulation and access of data across multiple organizations, including such data

as credit data, consumer profiles, market data and product development data. At another level, may refer to

enterprise resource management systems such as SAP.

Known-good-die (KGD). Known-good-die are bare ICs that are equivalent to packaged parts in testability

and reliability, giving customers the same assurance that the device has been tested to the same

specifications as its conventionally packaged counterparts.

Ku-band. The 11.7-12.7 GHz (Gigahertz) frequency band. This band has been split into two segments by

the Federal Communications Commission. The first is the 11.7-12.2 GHz band known as FSS (Fixed Satellite

Service); there are 22 FSS ku-band satellites currently in orbit over North America. The 12.2-12.7 GHz

segment is known as BSS (Broadcasting Satellite Service). Satellites in this band range in power from 100

to 200 watts per transponder, allowing the use of receiver antennas as small as 18 inches.


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L Label-swapping. A characterization of PMC-Sierra's LCS (Line card to Switch) Protocol, signifying that data

sent into the switching center is tagged with a label indicating to which output port the data should go, and

with what level of priority.

LAN (see local area network).

LAN-on-motherboard. A PC design that includes LAN connectivity (usually ethernet) via devices directly

on the motherboard, rather than via an add-in NIC or PCMCIA card.

Large-area panel. Refers to a TFT-LCD panel of 10.0” or more in diagonal and is usually found in notebook

PC, desktop monitor or LCD TV applications.

Large-scale integration (see LSI).

Laser. A device that produces highly coherent light using light amplification by stimulated emission of

radiation; lasers are used in fiberoptic communication systems as light sources.

Last mile. A reference to the local loop, the distance between a local telephone company office and the end

user; actually about two to three miles, or three to four kilometers.

LATA (local access and transport area). The local operating area that a Bell company is permitted to

serve subsequent to AT&T’s divestiture of its telephone operating companies. Most states contain several

LATAs, although some smaller states are one-state LATAs.

Latency. Synonymous with delay, latency expresses how much time it takes for requests to be met with

responses. On a disk, latency is the time it takes for the selected sector to come around and be positioned

under the read/write head. Channel latency is the time it takes for a computer channel to become

unoccupied to transfer data. Network latency is the delay introduced when a packet is momentarily stored,

analyzed and then forwarded.

Layer 1, physical layer. In the ISO’s scheme for how messages should be transmitted from point to point

over a common network, Layer 1 consists of the mechanical and electrical means by which devices are

physically connected and data are transmitted (see OSI model).

Layer 2, link layer. The layer concerned with how to move data reliably across the physical data link.

Layer 3 switching (a.k.a. multilayer or IP switching). Before the introduction of layer 3 switches, all IP

traffic was routed because IP is inherently a layer 3 protocol. Then, some companies came up with the idea

of using hardware-assisted routing or other schemes, with minimal handling of IP packets (i.e., encryption,

firewall, protocol translation, etc.), to speed up the throughput of IP traffic.

Layer 3, network layer. Provides the means to establish, maintain and terminate connections between

systems; concerned with switching and routing information.

Layer 4, transport layer. The layer concerned with end-to-end data integrity and quality of service.

Layer 5, session layer. The layer that standardizes the task of setting up and terminating a session;

coordinates interaction between end-application processes.


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Layer 6, presentation layer. The layer that relates to the character set and data code that are used, and

to the way data are displayed, on a screen or printer.

Layer 7, application layer. The layer that is concerned with the higher level functions that support the

application or system activities.

LCD. Liquid crystal display, also known as flat panel display (FFD).

LCOS. Liquid crystal on silicon.

LDAP (see lightweight directory access protocol).

LDMOS. Laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor.

Lead plating. Process step in which the outer leads of the die are plated with a lead-tin solder. This allows

the leads to be soldered into the PCB with better electrical connectivity and protects the leads against

oxidation or corrosion.

Leased line. A permanent physical connection between two locations that forms a private wide area

network (WAN). The connection is made via lines leased from a telephone company.

LECs. (See local exchange carriers.)

LED (light-emitting diode). A semiconductor P-N junction diode that emits light under forward-bias

conditions. The wavelength of the emitted light is a function of the semiconductor material.

Legacy system. A computer system or application program that continues to be used because of the high

cost of replacing or redesigning it, often despite its poor competitiveness and compatibility with modern

equivalents. The term implies that the system is large, monolithic and difficult to modify. Such systems

typically have high switching costs, large installed bases, and no growth, regardless of whether they are

client/server or mainframe (e.g., Sybase databases and Novell NetWare networks are legacy systems) (see

mainframe).

LEO (low earth orbit). Satellites placed in orbit less than 22,300 miles above the Earth.

Level 1 (L1) cache. Memory built into the CPU chip in a computer used to feed instructions to the

processor at the highest speed.

Level 1 (L2) cache. Memory used as a staging area for level 1 cache. Most microprocessors contain some

quantity of L2 cache, either on-chip, inside a MCP (multi-chip package module), or as a separate chip.

License-based vendors. Vendors that offer billing systems on a licensed ownership model and including

maintenance, renewal and some customization and integration work (although minimal). Such vendors

include Amdocs, Convergys (Geneva), Portal Software, ADC, CSG Systems (Kenan), Mind CTI and Digiquant.

Lifeline POTS. A minimal telephone service designed to extend a “lifeline” to the telephone system in case

of emergency, particularly when electric power is lost. Subject to only 53 minutes of downtime annually.

Light-emitting diode (see LED).

Lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP). A protocol used to access a directory listing. LDAP

support is being implemented in Web browsers and e-mail programs, which can query an LDAP-compliant

directory.

Lindenhurst. Intel’s next-generation mainstream server chipset to follow the E7501 in support of the

Nocona processor.


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Line driver. A semiconductor device used to produce a signal on a transmission medium. Usually a

specialty form of analog amplifier.

Linear device. An amplifying-type, analog device with a linear input/output relation, as opposed to a non-

linear, digital device: it is either completely “on” or completely “off” over large ranges of input signals.

Linear integrated circuit. A circuit the output of which is an amplified, linear version of its input, or the

output is a predetermined variation of its input. A class of integrated circuits that process analog information

expressed as voltages or currents.

Linecard. A circuit card that provides a transmitting/receiving port for packets of a particular protocol.

Linewidth. The width of a metal interconnect.

Link layer. The data link layer that controls the transfer of data across a physical network link. Data-link

layer protocols define the characteristics of network links including network topology, physical addressing,

frame formats, frame sequencing, error notification and flow control.

Link monitor. A device used to capture data flowing through the SS7 network.

LINUX. A free, UNIX-like operating system, developed originally for home PCs, but which now runs on a

variety of platforms.

Liquid crystal display (see LCD).

Lithography. The transfer of a pattern or image from one medium to another, as from a mask to a wafer.

If light is used to effect the transfer, the term “photolithography” applies. In semiconductor manufacturing,

photolithography is applied to generate circuit patterns on a silicon wafer.

LIU (line interface unit). Device that converts digital signals to analog signals for transmission across a

physical medium and converts received analog signals to digital signals for processing.

LLC (logical link control). Defined by IEEE, the logical link control layer is a sub-layer of the data-link

layer (layer 2) of the OSI reference model.

LMDS (local multipoint distribution service). A spectrum allocation by the FCC that permits two-way,

high-speed data transmission and/or one-way video distribution in the high-frequency microwave or

millimeter wave band. Its principal strength is that it is cheaper and faster to deploy than fiberoptics or

coaxial cable. The weaknesses are that its range is only one to 10 miles, depending on rainfall, line of sight

technology, etc.

LMS (learning management systems). Software solutions that help automate the learning process

across an organization, and facilitate the delivery of proprietary or third-party content to the learner.

LNA. Low-noise amplifier.

LNP (see local number portability).

LO (local oscillator). Generic term for a signal source in an RF system.

Load balancing. 1) In routing, the ability of the router to distribute traffic over all its network ports that

are the same distance from the destination address. This increases the use of network segments, which

increases the effective network bandwidth. 2) In computer systems, dividing the amount of work a

computer must do between two or more computers so that more work gets done in the same amount of time

and, in general, all online users are served faster.


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Load locks. An isolation chamber that allows a process chamber to be protected from ambient conditions.

Local exchange carriers (LECs) or telcos. Local telephone companies, including the RBOCS, that have

90% of the market and independent phone companies.

Local access and transport area (see LATA).

Local area network (LAN). 1) A network covering a relatively small geographic area (usually not larger

than a floor or small building). Compared with WANs, LANs are usually characterized by relatively high data

rates. 2) A network permitting transmission and communication between hardware devices, usually in one

building or complex.

Local loop. The “last mile” connection between a communications service provider and an end customer;

on average less than 1.5 miles long. Most commonly a pair of twisted copper wires that runs from a

customer’s premises to a telco.

Local multipoint distribution service (see LMDS).

Local number portability (LNP). The ability of a customer to keep an existing telephone number when

switching from one carrier to another. This is an important provision of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Local oscillator (see LO).

Location-based applications. Location-based applications allow end users to find community services

near their location such as hotels, restaurants, pharmacies, banks, gas stations and many other

neighborhood services. These applications are effective in both consumer and business markets.

Location-based service. A service that tracks a cellular phone user's location within the mobile network

and provides a variety of additional services: E911 service automatically notifies an emergency center of a

user's location when he/she is in an urgent situation. Location-based billing service provides a discount rate

when calling and receiving at a specific area. Tracking service grasps and manages the location of a person

and an object. Location-based information service provides local information on the area near subscribers. All

these services are made possible by a wide range of technology; GPS + cell based (location) tracking,

measuring signal attenuation (between a subscriber's hardware and a base station), server aided GPS

system, assisted GPS tracking made of DSP Software based device and TOA (time of arrival)/TDOA (time

difference of arrival) tracking. The server aided GPS System was developed by SnapTrack, tested and

verified at CDMA, GSM networks and is now under commercialization.

Logic bomb. In the security software field, a program modification that causes damage when triggered by

some condition such as the date, or the presence or absence of data, e.g., a name.

Logic devices. A device that processes digital data to control the operation of a computing system.

Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers and digital signal processors.

Logic. Mathematical treatment of formal logic in which a system of symbols is used to represent quantities

and relationships. And, or and not are examples of symbols of logical functions. Each function can be

translated into a switching circuit or gate. Since a switch (or gate) has only two states—open or closed—it

makes possible the application of binary numbers for a solution of problems.

Long-distance call. Any call that goes between telephone service territories. Also called an interLATA call.

Longitude. An east/west measurement of position in relation to the prime meridian (in Greenwich,

England), an imaginary circle that passes through the North and South poles.


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Loosely coupled processing. System architecture that consists of separate computer systems, each with

its own memory and operating system, connected by some type of communications link (see tightly

coupled processing).

Lossless compression. An image compression method whereby the image does not lose any graphical

information when compressed. GIF and PNG are examples of lossless file formats.

Lossy compression. An image where the image “loses” information, decreasing the resolution levels. JPEG

is a lossy image file format.

Low earth orbit (see LEO).

Low k. A dielectric material having relatively greater insulating ability than silicon dioxide (SiO2), usually

with a k<3.5.

LPCVD (low-pressure CVD). Systems that process wafers in an environment with less than atmospheric

pressure. LPCVD systems may be furnaces that process wafers in batches, or single-wafer systems.

LSI (large-scale integration). Integrated circuits containing between 100 and 5,000 gate equivalents, or

1,000 to 16,000 bits of memory. Integration levels have progressed from SSI (small-scale integration), MSI

(medium-scale integration), and LSI, to the current VLSI (very large-scale integration).

LUN (logical unit number). Common in SCSI-bus environments, a LUN is a unique number that identifies

a specific logical unit, which may be an end user, a file or an application program.


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M

MAC (media access controller). In networking applications, the MAC chip processes overhead, enclosing and removing data into packets for transmission over the network.

Madison. A planned 0.13-micron version of McKinley, which will likely increase the cache size as well.

Mail gateway. A machine that connects two or more electronic mail systems (especially dissimilar mail

systems on two different networks) and transfers messages between them. Sometimes the mapping and

translation can be quite complex, and generally, requires a store-and-forward scheme whereby the message

is received from one system completely before it is transmitted to the next system after suitable translation.

Mainframe. This originally referred to the cabinet containing the central processing unit of a machine that

filled an entire room. An older computer architecture that is characterized by a large, central data

processing engine that is accessed by peripheral equipment. In general, all information and functionality are

maintained at a central site. Although extremely powerful, mainframes are also known for being inflexible

and expensive to operate and maintain.

Major trading area (MTA). A service area composed of basic trading areas (BTAs) that is used by the FCC

to promote the rapid deployment and ubiquitous coverage of personal communication services (PCS). There

are 51 MTAs in the United States.

MAN (metropolitan area network). A network that connects computers and network resources in a

specific geographic area such as a city or suburb; it is larger than a local area network but smaller than a

wide area network. MANs may carry voice, video or data traffic.

Managed security provider (MSP). Internet security service that provides an outsourced, Web-based

approach to security management, also offering security consulting and packaged assessments.

Managed security services (MSS). A suite of e-business security solutions providing monitoring and

response services, safeguard management and security program management.

Mapping. Insertion of PDH signals into similar rate SONET/SDH signals for the purpose of transporting

plesiochronous signals over synchronous networks. For example, a DS1 can be mapped into a SONET VT1.5

or an E1 can be mapped into SDH VC12. Demapping is a reverse process.

Mask. A transparent (glass or quartz) plate covered with an array of patterns used in making integrated

circuits. Each pattern consists of opaque and transparent areas that define the size and shape of all circuit

and device elements. The mask is used to expose selected areas of photoresist, which defines areas to be

etched.

Massively parallel processing (MPP). The distribution of large databases across dozens to hundreds of

independent processors simultaneously. This architecture enables queries to be processed on multiple

processors. It is the type of computing that uses many separate CPUs (each with its own memory) running

together to execute a program (see symmetric multiprocessing, asymmetric multiprocessing, parallel

processor).

Mbps. Megabits per second, a measure of bandwidth or data speed. One mbps is 1,000,000 bits per

second.


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McKinley. Code name for Itanium II, Intel’s second IA-64 high-end server microprocessor to follow the

Itanium. Merced offers 1.5M or 3M of on-chip cache. Like Merced, McKinley is fabricated in 0.18-micron

CMOS.

MCM. Multichip module.

m-Commerce (mobile commerce). Similar to e-Commerce, but differentiated by the fact that the

commerce transaction occurs using a wireless device such as a mobile phone, pager or PDA.

MCU (multipoint conferencing unit). It allows more than two sites to participate in a multimedia

communications conference.

Mediation. Bill mediation is the process of collecting transaction information from a communications device

in order to generate a bill. In the telecom world, these individual data packages are called CDRs. Even

though the most common application of mediation information remains retail and wholesale billing, mediation

output can feed other support systems including fraud management, traffic management, churn

management and customer care.

Medium earth orbit (see MEO).

Megabit. One million bits (in general, the prefix mega means million, and abbreviated “M”). Megabits are

usually used to describe transmission rates of communications equipment (e.g., a fast ethernet connection

transmits at 100 megabits per second).

Megabits per second (see Mbps).

Megabyte. One million bytes (it actually signifies the precise value 1,048,576 in the binary number

system). Megabytes are generally used to quote the size of files (e.g., a 3 megabyte file).

Megapixel. A one million pixel image. Usually produced with high-end digital cameras and scanners. The

greater the pixel count of an image, the higher the resolution of that image.

Memory integrated circuit. An integrated circuit consisting of memory cells and usually including

associated circuits such as those for address selection and amplification. A class of integrated circuits that

store digital information, the information being expressed in binary numbers.

Memory. A device for retaining data in machine-readable form. Usually refers to random-access memory

(RAM). Can be volatile (i.e., loses content without a constant stream of current) or nonvolatile (retains

content without a constant stream of current).

MEMS: Micro electro mechanical systems.

Mendocino. In 1998, Intel introduced a new Celeron that was based on the then-new Mendocino 0.25µm

core. The main difference between the newer Mendocino Celeron and the original is the addition of a fully

integrated 128 KB L2 cache, which greatly helps the business performance.

MEO (medium earth orbit). A 2,000-10,000-mile band above the Earth.

Merced. Code name for Itanium, Intel’s first IA-64 high-end server microprocessor with 2M or 4M of on-

chip cache. Merced is fabricated in 0.18-micron CMOS.

MESFET. Metal semiconductor field-effect transistor.

Message warehousing. A central repository for temporarily storing messages for analysis or transmission.


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Message-oriented middleware (MOM). Used for connecting applications running on different operating

systems, most commonly through the use of message queuing.

Meta data. Information about data in a database. System-level meta data describe tables and indexes for

a database administrator. Other meta data describe the actual content of data to someone seeking it. Meta

data would instruct a data warehouse, for instance, to recognize dates stored in various databases no matter

how they are recorded: June 1, 1996, 6/1/96, 1-June-96 would all be recognized as the same day.

Metallization. The deposition of a layer of high-conductivity metal such as aluminum used to interconnect

devices on a chip by CVD or PVD. Metals typically used include aluminum, tungsten and copper, etc.

Metropolitan area network (see MAN).

mFCP (metropolitan fibre channel protocol). Another member of Nishan’s SoIP family, mFCP is designed

to provide metropolitan area service capabilities to fibre channel installations. In contrast with other IP-

storage specifications that employ TCP/IP, mFCP uses UDP/IP.

MFM. Multifunction modules.

MHz (megahertz). One million radio waves, or cycles, per second. Equal to one thousand kilohertz.

Micro cells. Larger mobile phone cells with diameters from 10 to 20 miles are "macro cells." Radio cells in

the mid-range (with a diameter of about one mile) are "micro cells." Even smaller are pico cells, which often

only range a few hundred meters. The miniaturization of radio cells allows more subscribers to be supplied

over a given area.

Microbrowser. A Web browser optimized to run in the low-memory and small-screen environment of a Net

device.

Microcomputer. 1) A computer system with a microprocessor for a processing unit. 2) A microprocessor,

complete with stored program memory—read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), and

input/output (I/O) logic—on a single chip.

Micron (µm or micrometer). A unit of length; one-millionth of a meter or about forty-millionths of an

inch. A human hair is approximately 100 microns wide.

Microprocessor unit (MPU). A microprocessor is defined as a digital processor that executes external

instructions and performs system control functions as programmed via software with an assembly language.

The architecture is optimized for general purpose data processing and includes an instruction decoder,

arithmetic logic unit, registers and additional logic to support operation as per an assembly language. An

MPU can receive input commands, manipulate data, direct storage of data and initiate application commands

to the outside world.

Microprocessor. The central processing unit of a microcomputer. A single-chip microprocessor may

include other components such as memory, caches, input/output ports and the floating-point unit. Examples

include Intel’s Pentium, Digital’s Alpha and the IBM/Motorola PowerPC.

Microprocessor: The central processing unit of a microcomputer. A single chip microprocessor may include

other component such as memory, caches, input/output ports and the floating-point unit.

Microwave. Frequencies between 1 GHz and 20GHz.

Middleware. 1) Software used to link legacy data processing systems. CTI middleware links legacy data

processing systems and telephone systems. 2) Software that facilitates communication between two


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applications. Provides an API through which applications invoke services and controls the transmission of the

data exchange over the network. There are three basic types: communications middleware, database

middleware and systems middleware.

Millimeter wave. Frequencies between 20GHz and 50GHz.

Millions of instructions per second (see MIPS).

Minicomputer. Smaller and less robust than a mainframe. Used for applications where a small dedicated

machine is permanently assigned to one task. Examples include the DEC VAX and IBM AS/400.

MIP mapping. Process by which copies of the bitmap, which make up a texture, are stored in different

sizes within memory in order to minimize distortion caused by shrinking or enlarging textures during

perspective correction. “MIP” stands for multum in parvum, or many in few.

MIPS (million instructions per second). The execution speed of a computer. For example, 0.5 MIPS is

5,000,000 instructions per second. High-speed personal computers and workstations perform at 200 MIPS

and higher. For large servers or mainframes, MIPS is a way to measure the cost of computing: the more

MIPS delivered for the money, the better the value. MIPS also are often used as a pricing unit (e.g., price per

MIPS). In addition, there is a mathematical relationship between MIPS and megahertz: It is possible to

derive MIPS from MHz if one knows how many machine cycles it takes to execute an instruction in the CPU

(see mainframe).

Mission-critical application. An operation that is absolutely necessary to a business (i.e., an automatic

teller machine back-end system or an airline reservation system).

Mixed assembly. Printed circuit board assembly that incorporates components using both “pin through

hole” and surface mount techniques.

Mixed-signal IC. An integrated circuit that has both digital and analog functions on the same

semiconductor chip, permitting a high degree of system integration.

MLCC: Multi-layer ceramic capacitor.

MMDS (multichannel multipoint distribution service). A communications service that operates in the

2.1 to 2.7 GHz spectrum.

MMIC. Monolithic microwave integrated circuits, usually GaAs.

MMS (multimedia messaging service). A service allowing wireless devices to send multimedia messages

(video, photos) between devices.

MMX (multimedia extensions). A set of instructions that was introduced by Intel in 1997 to support

multimedia extensions for its Pentium family. MMX was optional on the original Pentium family, but

integrated as a standard feature with the Pentium 2.

Mobile commerce (see m-Commerce).

Mobile radio network. A network that uses radio frequencies to connect mobiles to the fixed or mobile

network.

Mobile satellite systems. Satellite systems designed for communications in remote locations where

terrestrial wireless systems such as PCS are neither feasible nor economical.


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Mobility radeon. ATI’s brand name for its mainstream mobile graphics controller portfolio. The Mobility

Radeon 9000 (M9) is the top-of-the-line targeting the performance notebook, while the Mobility Radeon 7500

(M7) targets the mainstream PC and value notebook segment. The older Mobility Radeon (M6) is still in

production.

Mobitex. A cellular land radio-based packet switched data communications system developed by Ericsson

and used by BellSouth’s two-way packet data network.

Modem. A type of computer equipment that links computers via telephone lines and enables the

transmission of data. Derived from the words "modulate" and "demodulate," because a modem converts, or

modulates, transmission signals from digital to analog for transmission over analog telecommunications

lines, and then converts them back, or demodulates the signals from analog to digital. Modems must use the

same baud rate, or speed, to communicate with one another. The maximum baud rate commonly available

is 33,600.

Modular switches. Switches with slots that can be upgraded or changed by plugging new cards into empty

slots within the switch.

Modulation. Process by which signal characteristics are transformed to represent information. Types of

modulation include frequency modulation (FM), where signals of different frequencies represent different

data values.

Molding and encapsulation: The process step of sealing a packaged die in a protective enclosure, which

prevents damage from moisture and contamination.

Monolithic circuit. Same as an integrated circuit: a circuit fabricated within a single body of semiconductor

material. This single body of material is referred to as an integrated circuit die.

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits (see MMIC).

Montara G-M. Intel’s mobile chipset with integrated graphics.

Montecito. A planned follow-up to the IA-64 Madison Itanium processor. Montecito will be fabricated in 90-

nanometer CMOS.

MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor). A common type of transistor in which the

conducting channel is insulated from the gate terminal by a layer of oxide. Therefore, it does not conduct

even if a reverse voltage is applied to the gate.

Motherboard. The main circuit board inside a computer, housing the central processing unit, buses,

memory sockets and expansion slots. Additional boards, called daughter boards, can be plugged in via the

expansion slots.

MOU (see access minutes of use).

MPCA. Multi-carrier power amplifier.

MPEG-1. The 1991 compression standard requiring a minimum of 30 frames per second of standard image

format of 352 pixels x 240 pixels and CD-quality sound at 44.1 Khz, 16-bit stereo.

MPEG-2. A more efficient compression scheme than MPEG-1, offering a “main profile at main level”

resolution of 720 by 480 pixels at 30 frames per second with full CD-quality audio. At compression ratios of

30:1 and smaller, MPEG-2 offers the perception of broadcast-quality television.

MPLS. Multi-protocol label switching.


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MPP (see massively parallel processing).

MPU (microprocessor unit). Sometimes used synonymously with microprocessor.

MQSeries. An IBM software family, the components of which are used to tie together other software

applications so they can work together. Such an application is often known as business integration software,

or middleware. The MQSeries consists of three products: MQSeries Messaging, which provides the

communication mechanism between applications on different platforms; MQSeries Integrator, which

centralizes and applies business operations rules; and MQSeries Workflow, which enables the capture,

visualization and automation of business processes.

MSA (metropolitan statistical area). MSA is a term used in telecommunications and cable to describe a

geographic area consisting of a large population nucleus together with adjacent communities having a high

degree of economic and social integration with the nucleus.

MSI: Millions of square inches.

MSMQ (microsoft message queuing). Provides fault-tolerant support for distributed applications, which

work in conjunction with message transaction server (MTS), a component manager for Windows NT/2000.

MSO (multiple system operator). A provider of cable television services that operates more than one

system.

MTA (see major trading area).

Multi-access portal. A service that provides Web access from a range of mobile, fixed and cable television

devices.

Multicast. Single packets copied to a specific subset of network addresses. These addresses are specified in

the destination-address field. In contrast, in a broadcast, packets are sent to all devices in a network.

Multichip module. A packaging technique that combines multiple silicon chips together into a single

functional device.

Multi-conductor copper cable. Provides transmission facilities for VF and digital services up to 1.5MB/s.

Upper bit rate growth possible through technology such as adaptive digital subscriber loop (ADSL).

Multilayer switching (see Layer 3 switching).

Multilongitudinal mode laser. A laser that transmits over a narrow range of wavelengths.

Multimedia extensions (see MMX).

Multimedia. Rich (not static, alpha-numeric) data that include manipulated text and images as well as

audio/video.

Multimode fiber. Optical fiber supporting propagation of multiple modes of light. MMF is of lower quality

and price than single-mode fiber.

Multi-partite virus. A virus that infects both boot sectors and executable files, thus exhibiting the

characteristics of both boot sector and parasitic viruses.

Multiple system operator (see MSO).

Multiplexer (MUX). A device for combining several channels to be carried by one line or fiber.


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Multiplexing. A technique that allows numerous simultaneous transmissions to be made over a single voice

or data circuit or path. This can be accomplished in many ways such as time, space, frequency, code and

wave.

Multipoint conferencing unit (see MCU).

Multipoint service. Distribution of telecommunications services to two or more stations.

MUX (see multiplexer).

MVNO (mobile virtual network operators). A company that buys network capacity from a network

operator to offer its own branded mobile subscriptions and value-added services.

MVS (multiple virtual storage). Synonymous with System 390, an IBM O/S installed on most of its

mainframes and large servers. MVS incorporates the use of virtual memory, whereby programs can access

the maximum amount of memory in a system, despite being shared among more than one application

program.


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N NAP. Network access point.

Narrowband integrated services digital network (N-ISDN). Services include basic rate interface

(2B+D or BRI) and primary rate interface (30B+D-Europe and 23B+D-North America or PRI). Supports

narrowband speeds at/or below 1.5 Mbps.

Narrowband. A classification of the information capacity or bandwidth of a communication channel.

Narrowband is generally taken to mean a bandwidth of 64kbit/s or less.

NAS (network-attached storage). An optimized file server, NAS typically contains its own hard disk

storage and file mapping software and is connected to the network using common LAN protocols such as

TCP/IP and ethernet.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A division of the U.S. Department of

Commerce that sets government standards for data security products and services.

National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC). Organization that provides

telecommunications services to rural electric and rural telephone cooperatives; it provides DIRECTV

distribution through approximately 250 franchise members and affiliates in selected rural areas.

National Security Agency (NSA). A division of the U.S. Government that monitors and decodes foreign

communications of interest to the national security of the United States.

NC (see network computer).

NE (see network element).

Near video-on-demand. Multichannel system broadcasting many copies of a film with staggered start

times so a complete film is always available to a viewer with a short waiting period.

Net PC. A low-priced, scaled-down PC offering from Microsoft and Intel. Net PCs are intended to simplify

connecting to a network but differ from network computers in that they execute Windows locally.

NetBurst. The technology used in Intel's Pentium 4 chips. It doubles the instruction pipeline to 20 stages,

runs the ALU at twice the core frequency and improves performance in the Level 1 and 2 caches. It provides

a 400 MHz or 533 MHz system bus (front side bus), which is three times as fast as the bus in the

Pentium III. An additional 144 instructions were also added to the instruction set, known as SSE2.

Network address. 1) Also called a protocol address. A network layer address referring to a logical, rather

than a physical, network device. 2) Numeric character string used to specify the location of the called

customer.

Network byte order. The Internet-standard ordering of the bytes corresponding to numeric values.

Network computer (NC). A “thin” client hardware device that executes applications locally by downloading

them from the network. NCs adhere to a specification jointly developed by Sun, IBM, Oracle, Apple and

Netscape. They typically run Java applets within a Java browser, or Java applications within the Java Virtual

Machine. NCs can also access Windows-based applications in conjunction with Citrix’s server-based solutions.


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Network computing architecture. A computing architecture in which components are dynamically

downloaded from the network into the client device for execution by the client. The Java programming

language is at the core of network computing.

Network consulting. This builds network infrastructures, making e-business possible. It includes the

design, management and security of business-critical networks.

Network element (NE). Any device that is part of a communications transmission path and serves one or

more of the section, line, or path terminating functions.

Network equipment. The fixed infrastructure consisting of base stations, base station controllers, mobile

switching centers and related information processing control points that manage communications between

the mobile unit and the public telephone network.

Network interface card (NIC). An NIC is a peripheral card used in PCs and servers to connect up to a

local area network. Most NICs support the ethernet standard.

Network interface device (NID). The circuit board or other hardware that provides the interface between

a communicating terminal element and the network.

Network layer. Layer 3 of the OSI reference model. This layer is responsible for establishing and clearing a

connection between two transport-layer entities. It includes such services as network routing (addressing),

flow control, and harmonization functions between the interconnected networks.

Network management software. Software that monitors an active communications network in order to

diagnose problems and gather statistics for administration and fine-tuning. Examples of network

management products are IBM's NetView, HP's OpenView, Sun's SunNet Manager and Novell's NMS. Almost

all network management software supports the SNMP network management protocol. Other management

protocols are CMIP and DME.

Network management system (NMS). A system responsible for managing at least part of a network.

NMSs communicate with agents to help keep track of network statistics, resources, and performance.

Network management. The process by which telecommunications networks are operated, monitored and

maintained. Functions include configuration, fault, security, performance and accounting management.

Network number. The part of an Internet address that specifies the network to which the host belongs.

Network operations center (see NOC).

Network processor. 1) A programmable semiconductor device designed to provide wire speed packet

processing in data networking equipment such as routers, switches, etc. Network processors will compete

against ASIC designs in this market. 2) A flexible, highly integrated, scalable and programmable processor

that makes it possible to add new functions to a switch, router or other core network equipment at virtually

any time through software, rather than hardware, modifications.

Network service provider (NSP). A provider that sells high-volume Internet backbone capacity to

Internet service providers. Network service providers often sell to end users as well. Sometimes called

“carriers,” network service providers include MCI, AT&T, Sprint and European postal, telegraph and

telephone (PTT) agencies.

Network. A collection of computers and other devices that are able to communicate with each other over a

telecommunications/information technology medium.


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Network-centric, or NC computing. Consists of thin clients served by large mainframes that are meant to

supplant PC computing. The telephone company could provide centralized computer processing and data

storage or datatone, similar to existing dialtone services for voice.

Network-level firewall. In security software, a firewall in which traffic is examined at the network protocol

packet level.

New media. A loosely defined term, new media often refers to the Internet, intranets and current

innovations such as Web TV.

nForce. NVIDIA’s brand name for its chipset portfolio targeting AMD desktop PCs. Currently, the nForce

serves the mainstream segment while the nForce2 targets the high end. nForce products include the IGP

integrated graphics north bridge, SPP standard north bridge, and MCP south bridge (with optional audio

processing unit). All nForce products are fabricated in 0.15-micron CMOS.

NFS (network file system). Developed by Sun Microsystems, NFS is the primary file sharing protocol in

UNIX networks.

NIC (network interface card). (See adapter and adapter card.)

NID (see network interface device).

N-ISDN (see narrowband integrated services digital network).

NIST (see National Institute of Standards and Technology).

NMS (see network management system).

NOC (network operations center). A centralized site used to monitor and maintain all operations of a

network. Most commonly, NOCs focus on monitoring network traffic, errors, disruptions and performance.

Nocona. Appearing in 2003, Nocona is the faster successor to Intel’s Prestonia (0.13-micron) Xeon server

processor core.

Node. 1) A MAC-addressable device joined with others to form a network. 2) One of a number of UNIX

computers joined together to form a staffware network.

Non-return to zero (NRZ). A signal that does not return to the zero level between successive transmitted

ones.

Non-volatile memory. Any device that faithfully retains its stored information after power is removed.

Examples: EPROMS, PALS, bubble memories, rotating magnetic discs and optical memory.

North bridge. One of the two key devices in the PC core logic, the north bridge, also called the memory

controller hub, interfaces with the CPU and provides access to memory and graphics as well as to the PCI

bus.

Northwood (32-bit, 0.13 process). Northwood is the 0.13µm version of the Willamette-479 (Pentium 4)

processor, which uses less power and achieving higher MHz. The Northwood processor is estimated to have

a rather economical die size of 116 mm2.

NorthwoodX/XS. Intel’s next-generation Northwood processor.

NRE (non-recurring engineering). A one-time charge for photomask development, test and prototype

tooling, and associated engineering costs.


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NRTC (see National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative).

NRZ (see non-return to zero).

NSA (see National Security Agency).

NSM (see network management system).

NT. A Windows-based, enterprise-wide, client/server operating system sold by Microsoft.

NTIA (The National Telecommunications and Information Administration). The Federal

Government's spectrum management authority.

N-type semiconductor. A semiconductor type in which the density of holes in the valence band is

exceeded by the density of electrons in the conduction band. N-type behavior is induced by the addition of

donor impurities, such as arsenic or phosphorus, to the crystal structure of silicon.

Nucleation layer. A thin layer of film that promotes the growth of the subsequently deposited film.


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O Object linking and embedding database (OLE DB). A Microsoft interface for sharing multimedia data

among different kinds of servers, including SQL server and clients.

Object. An efficient means of writing software that uses entities that consist of both data and the

procedures to manipulate that data. Objects can be thought of as “canned” portions of code regularly and

repeatedly used when writing software (see object-oriented programming.)

Object-oriented programming. A type of computer programming that packages computer instructions

into reusable modules or “objects” that provide particular functionality. “Objects” can then be connected to

form applications in a much more efficient manner than if the programming were done one line at a time.

Object-oriented programming is designed to reduce the time needed to develop applications significantly.

(Cobol, C, Java, C++ and Smalltalk are examples of OOP languages) (see object).

Object-oriented. In imaging technologies, a type of drawing that defines an image mathematically, rather

than as pixels in a bitmap.

OC-192. Optical carrier Level 192. SONET bit rate of 10 Gb/s.

OC-48. Optical carrier Level 48. SONET bit rate of 2.4 Gb/s.

OCLM (see order life cycle management).

OC-N [optical carrier (n)]. A fundamental unit in the synchronous optical network (SONET) hierarchy. A

SONET channel is composed of the transport overhead and the synchronous payload envelope. “OC”

indicates an optical signal and "n" represents increments of 51.84 Mbps. Therefore, OC 3 represents

155 Mbps, OC 12 represents 622 Mbps, OC 48 represents 2.488 Gbps, OC 192 represents 9.953 Gbps and

OC 768 represents 39.812 Gbps.

ODBC (see open database connectivity).

Odem. Intel mobile chipset.

OEM (original equipment manufacturer). A manufacturer that sells equipment to a reseller for

rebranding or repackaging. However, the term has evolved to refer to the reseller itself. Thus, an OEM

either adds value to the product before reselling it, privately labels the merchandise under its own name, or

bundles it with its own products. OEM generally refers to almost everything that does not have to do with

direct sales to the end user via normal wholesale/retail distribution.

OFDM. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.

Offshore service delivery. Refers to delivery of software services, including application development,

maintenance, re-engineering, etc., by vendors while using facilities and manpower resources in a

country/base where costs are lower (or there is superior skills/quality availability). These services are

provided to international clients and the delivery is done largely through high tech communication links

between the client and vendor facilities.


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OLAP tools (online analytical processing). Tools that provide multi-dimensional views of data fed to it

by an OLAP server sitting in front of a database. A single dimensional query would be, “How much were

sales in 1995?” A multi-dimensional query would be, “How much were sales in the East region in 1995?”

OLED (organic light emitting diode). A type of flat panel display (FPD) in which organic, small molecule

fluorescent materials are used to create an image. Each pixel comprises a red, green and blue sub-pixel and

is controlled by a thin-film transistor (TFT) back-plane. Because the organic material emits its own light

when an electric charge is applied to the pixel, the need for a backlight is eliminated.

OLTP (see online transaction processing).

Online analytical processing (see OLAP).

Online transaction processing (OLTP). Mission-critical applications that typically require a one-to-three

second response 100% of the time. The accuracy and security of these transactions are critical (see

Mission-critical application).

Online. A consumer is online when connected to the Internet. AOL, CompuServe, ISPs, etc. provide

Internet access, or the ability to connect to the Internet.

OOP (see object-oriented programming).

OP AMP (operational amplifier). A general purpose integrated circuit used as a basic building block for

implementation of linear functions. An op amp’s gain and response characteristics are determined by

external components. Op amps form the “front end” or sensory apparatus of thousands of electronics

systems, capturing weak signals emanating from the real world and amplifying them for processing.

Open architecture. A system the characteristics of which comply with industry standards and can be

connected to other systems that also comply with these standards.

Open data base connectivity (ODBC). An open standard application programming interface (API) that

allows users to request and receive data from different databases (see API).

Open platform for security (OPSEC). In the security software arena, an open industry alliance driven by

Check Point that ensures the interoperability at the policy level between security products. Interoperability is

achieved through a combination of published APIs, industry-standard protocols and a high-level scripting

language.

Open systems interconnection (see OSI).

Open systems. Technology that can be used with many systems and is not limited to one specific platform

or vendor. In contrast with proprietary systems, open systems adhere to a publicly known, or standardized,

set of interfaces. UNIX is an example of an open operating system.

Operating system. System software that controls a computer and its peripherals. Modern operating

systems such as Windows 97, 98 and 2000, and NT handle many of a computer’s basic functions.

Operational amplifier (see OP AMP).

Operations support system (see OSS).

Opteron. AMD’s brand name for server microprocessors to follow the Athlon MP in 2003. Opteron cores will

include the Clawhammer (0.13-micron SOI) for one-way and two-way servers, and the Sledgehammer

(0.13-micron SOI) for two-way, four-way, and eight-way servers.


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Optical add-drop (OADM). Optionally allows up to four or more optical wavelengths to be added or

dropped at any line amplifier location.

Optical carrier (OC-x). Fundamental unit used in synchronous optical NETwork (SONET) hierarchy. OC

indicates an optical signal and x represents increments of 51.84 Mbps. OC-1, -3, and -12 equal optical rates

of 51, 155, and 622 Mbps.

Optical carrier 1 (OC-1). ITU-ISS physical standard for optical fiber used in transmission systems

operating at 51.84 Mb/s.

Optical carrier 3 (OC-3). Optical carrier level 3, SONET rate of 155.52 Mb/s, matches STS-3.

Optical networking. A form of communication among computers, telephones and other electronic devices

that uses light, which is far more reliable and has far greater potential transmission capacity than electricity.

Optoelectronic device. A device that is responsive to or that emits or modifies light waves. Examples are

LEDs, optical couplers, laser diodes and photo detectors.

Orbit. The path a satellite takes around the Earth.

Order life cycle management (OCLM). Also known as order processing, OCLM is an important part of all

end-to-end e-Fulfillment solutions. It enables merchants to open and support new sales channels, implement

new marketing programs and develop strategic partnerships within an electronic-commerce community,

thereby attracting and retaining more customers and revenue.

Original equipment manufacturer (See OEM.)

OSI model (open system interconnection). An ISO standard defining a framework for how messages

should be transferred point-to-point over a communications network. The OSI model contains seven layers

of protocols through which data and information are transmitted: physical, link, network, transport, session,

presentation and application. Each layer performs a specific data-communications task with increasing levels

of sophistication. The ISO model provides a framework for the coordination of standards development and

allows existing and evolving standards to be set within a common framework. OSI is the only internationally

accepted framework of standards for communication between different systems made by different vendors.

OSS (operations support system). OSSs are methods and procedures that allow the efficient operation of

all equipment within the telecommunications infrastructure. Currently, these most commonly are software

systems.

Outsourcing: An arrangement whereby one company provides services for another company that could also

be or usually have been provided in-house.

Over-delivery. Over-delivery refers to the number of impressions Internet companies will give away for

free, either to attract new advertisers or to fill space.


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P

P54C. Technical specification for Intel’s Pentium processor (see also microprocessor).

P55C. Technical specification for Intel’s Pentium processor with MMX technology (see microprocessor).

PA. Power amplifier.

Package. The protective container or housing for an electronic component or die, with external terminals to

provide electrical access to the components inside. Packages provide power and signal distribution, power

dissipation, and physical and chemical protection of the circuits.

Packet buffer. A storage area that holds incoming data until the receiving device can process the data.

Packet data. A process whereby stored data are transmitted in discrete units called packets, allowing for

more efficient use of channel capacity and reliability of transfer.

Packet filter. A type of firewall that filters packets based on only the source and destination addresses of

the traffic. The filter checks the packet addresses against a predefined list of valid traffic and blocks out

unauthorized traffic.

Packet filtering. A second layer of filtering on top of the standard filtering provided by a traditional

transparent bridge. It can improve network performance, provide additional security or logically segment a

network to support virtual workgroups.

Packet switch. 1) The vehicle of the local public data network that performs the switching function. For

local public data network service, this is a telephone company facility hub. 2) A device within a system that

decides the next destination of a packet after it reaches an ingress line card, deliver the packet to the

appropriate egress line card, and decide when the packet should be sent out from the egress line card.

Packet switch is an inclusive term, comprising ATM switches, frame relay switches and IP routers because of

their similar structure.

Packet switching. A method of transmitting messages through a communication network, in which long

messages are subdivided into short packets and routes to its final destination. It enables efficient use of

limited bandwidth.

Packet. 1) A logical grouping of information that includes a header and (usually) user data. 2) A

continuous sequence of binary digits of information that is switched through the network and is an integral

unit. It consists of up to 1,024 bits (128 octets) of customer data, and additional transmission and error

control information.

Packet-based networks. A networking technology that breaks up a message into smaller packets for

transmission and switches them to their required destination. Unlike circuit switching, which requires a

constant point-to-point circuit to be established, each packet in a packet-switched network contains a

destination address. Thus all packets in a single message do not have to travel the same path. They can be

dynamically routed over the network as lines become available or unavailable. The destination computer

reassembles the packets back into their proper sequence.


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Packet-switched network. A network in which data are transmitted in units called packets. The packets

can be routed individually over the best available network connection and reassembled to form a complete

message at the destination.

Page description language (PDL). A computer language designed for describing how type and graphic

elements should be produced by output devices.

Pageview. The page of Web graphics (or Web page) displayed upon the consumer’s request. A request can

be processed through clicking on a button, such as Home, or through entering the Web address in a Web

browser’s “Go To” box.

Pair gain. The multiplexing of some number of phone conversations over a lesser number of physical

capacities. “Pair gain” is the number of conversations obtained, divided by the number of wire pairs used by

the system.

Palomino. AMD’s high-end desktop, server and mobile core that was the first to carry the Athlon XP name.

PAP (see password authentication protocol).

Parallel port. A computer socket for transmitting data in parallel, or more than one bit at a time. Used to

connect tape drives, CD-ROMs and printers, it transmits data faster than a serial port.

Parallel processing. The distribution of several parts of one program to different processors

simultaneously so that the processing goes faster (see symmetric multiprocessing, asymmetric

multiprocessing, massively parallel processing).

Parasitic virus. A computer virus that attaches itself to another computer program, and is activated when

that program is executed.

Partition. The division of a hard disk into separate logical segments for use by different operating system

or the creation of disparate storage resources for file management or security purposes.

Partitioning. Division of memory in a computer so that each portion of the memory functions

independently. (Conceivably, if a server’s memory were divided into two partitions, a different operating

system could be run on each section.)

PAS (see personal access system).

Passivation. A layer of insulating material deposited over a wafer or a region of a device to stabilize and

protect the surface against moisture, contamination and mechanical damage. Silicon dioxide or silicon nitride

is often used for IC passivation.

Passive component. An electrical component without gain or current-switching capability. Commonly used

when referring to resistors, capacitors and inductors.

Password authentication protocol (PAP). A simple password protocol that transmits a user name and

password across the network, unencrypted.

Password. A group of characters assigned to a staffware user by the system administrator and used to sign

off and on some forms.

Payload. 1) That portion of a frame or cell that carries user traffic, i.e., the frame or cell exclusive of any

headers or trailers. 2) The service carried by a SONET carrier; the contents of an STS SPE or VT SPE.


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PBX (private branch exchange). A scaled-down telephone switch installed at the customer premises, to

provide enhanced services such as four-digit inter-company dialing. These services can also be replicated as

centrex services, provisioned by the telephone company at the central office.

PC card (a.k.a. PCMCIA cards). A PC card is a credit-card sized, removable module for portable

computers standardized by PCMCIA. PC Cards are 16-bit devices used to attach modems, network adapters,

sound cards, radio transceivers, solid state disks and hard disks to a portable computer. The PC Card is a

"plug and play" device, which is configured automatically by the card services software.

PC. Personal computer, usually an IBM PC or compatible. Can also refer to printed circuit when referring to

printed circuit boards (PCBs).

PCB (printed circuit board). PCB usually is made out of plastic or fiberglass sheets with embedded copper

wiring that serves as the connection between circuits.

PCCard PCMCIA. Removable memory for computers and computer peripherals. Three types exist; Type I

and Type II usually are Flash RAM or Static RAM, Type III is often small hard drives.

PCI (peripheral component interconnect). A peripheral bus commonly used in PCs, providing a high-

speed data path between the PC core logic and peripheral devices. PCI provides "plug and play" capability,

automatically configuring the PCI cards at startup. PCI runs at 33MHz, and supports 32- and 64-bit data

paths and bus mastering. PCI Version 2.1 calls for 66MHz, which doubles the throughput.

PCI (personal computer interface). The bus used in most personal computers; also used in

communications systems to interconnect line cards.

PCI-X (peripheral component interface extended). An enhanced PCI bus that generally is used in

servers, and is backward compatible with existing PCI cards. PCI-X uses a 64-bit bus with a clock speed as

high as 133MHz, providing a large jump in speed from the original PCI bus at 132Mbps to as much as 1Gbps.

PCM (pulse code modulation). The technique by which a signal is periodically sampled; each sample is

transmitted as a signal binary code.

PCS (personal communications services). Any of several types of wireless, voice and/or data

communications systems, typically incorporating digital technology. PCS licenses are most often used to

provide services similar to advanced cellular mobile or paging services. However, PCS also can be used to

provide other wireless communications services, including services that allow people to place and receive

communications while away from their home or office, as well as wireless communications to homes, office

buildings and other fixed locations.

PCS-1900. A 1.9 GHz upbanded version of the 900 MHz RF access protocol to GSM, in use in PCS systems

in the United States.

PCX. MS Windows paintbrush bitmap image standard.

PDC (personal digital cellular). The digital wireless standard used in Japan. PDC uses TDMA air interface.

PDF (portable document format). A proprietary format for the transfer of designs across multiple

computer platforms. PDF is a universal electronic file format, modeled after the PostScript language and is

device and resolution independent. Documents in the PDF format can be viewed, navigated and printed from

any computer, regardless of the fonts or software programs used to create the original.

PDH (see pleisiochronous digital hierarchy).


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PDL (see page description language).

PDU (see protocol data unit).

PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition). A process whereby plasma is used to lower the

temperature required to deposit film onto a wafer.

Peering. The commercial practice under which nationwide ISPs exchange each other’s traffic without the

payment of settlement charges.

Pentium (I, II, III). The fifth generation of the Intel x86 family of CPU chips. Introduced in 1993, it was

the successor to the 486, and, depending on clock speed, could be up to ten times as fast.

Pentium 4. Intel’s mainstream desktop and mobile processor brand name. The Pentium 4 was introduced

in 2001 at 1.4 GHz and included an entirely new architecture, called NetBurst.

Pentium II. Intel’s Pentium Pro microprocessor enhanced with MMX functionality and improved 16-bit code

handling. (See microprocessor, MMX.)

Pentium Pro. The Pentium Pro was a short-lived brand name used by Intel when it introduced the P6 core.

The Pentium Pro was introduced in 1995 at 150 MHz, and had 5.5 million transistors, nearly an 80% increase

over the P5 Pentium core. The Pentium Pro was followed in 1997 with a 200 MHz version that shipped with

up to 1M of L2 cache (primarily used in server applications).

Pentium. With its many suffixes, Pentium is Intel’s brand name for its mainstream desktop and mobile

microprocessors. The original Pentium followed the 486 processor and contained more than 2.5X the

number of transistors, with 3.1 million, the first of which was introduced in March 1993 at 60 MHz. The last

desktop Pentium was introduced in June 1997 at 233 MHz.

PEO (professional employment organization). A company that operates as a co-employer, providing

comprehensive HR services including benefits, payroll, tax administration, medical and workers’

compensation insurance programs, administration and employment regulatory compliance management.

Performance management. A functional area within operations support systems that monitors and

records the operations of network equipment to measure factors such as utilization, quality and

effectiveness. The system also manages service level agreements (SLAs) and issues alerts to network

operations before compliance levels are in jeopardy of being violated.

Perimeter firewall. In the area of network security, there are two types of perimeter firewalls: static

packet filtering and dynamic firewalls. Both work at the IP address level, selectively passing or blocking data

packets. Static packet filters are less flexible than dynamic firewalls.

Perimeter-based security. The technique of securing a network by controlling access to all entry and exit

points of the network.

Peripheral component interconnect (see PCI).

Per-kilocharacter pricing model. The volume-based method by which VANs calculate monthly charges to

their customers.

Permanent virtual circuit (PVC). A PVC connects the customer’s port connections, nodes, locations, and

branches to each other. All customer ports can be connected to each other, resembling a mesh, but PVCs

usually run between the host and branch locations.


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Personal access system (PAS). A limited-mobility or fixed wireless, mobile voice and data service within

a city or community that supports up to several hundred thousand subscribers.

Personal communications service (see PCS).

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (see PCMCIA).

Personal computer (see PC).

Personal digital cellular (see PDC).

Perspective correction. Refers generally to techniques used to alter textures in a graphical scene to give a

real sense of convergence as continuous elements (e.g., a brick wall) get farther from the viewer.

PES (packetized elementary stream). A term that refers to continuous elementary streams carrying

audio or video that are broken into packets of a convenient size.

PGA (pin-grid array). A packaging technology for high-pin-count packages. The name derives from the

array of pins at the bottom of the package. The pins go through holes on a printed circuit board. I/O lead

counts as high as 600 can be achieved with PGA packaging designs.

Phase. In the context of framed digital signals, phase refers to the position of a frame in a sequence of

frames.

PHEMT. Pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor.

Photo CD (PSD). High-resolution file format for photographs and images developed by Kodak. The images

have multiple resolution levels and are saved on compact disc.

Photo multiplier tube (PMT). A light-sensitive sensor that can sense very low light levels by amplifying

the signals applied to it during the sensing. PMTs give drum scanners their superior color separation

capabilities.

Photolithography. A process by which a mask pattern is transferred to a wafer, usually using a "stepper."

Photomask. Also known as mask or reticle. It is a quartz substrate with the reverse pattern of a desired

circuitry, used in lithography, much like a negative in photography.

Photoresist. A light-sensitive liquid that is spread as a uniform thin film on a wafer or substrate, hardened

through the application of a pattern of light in the lithography process to protect selective underlying circuitry

from discriminated etching or ion-implantation of unprotected areas.

Photosite. The portion of the silicon chip that functions as the light-sensitive area for imaging.

Physical layer (PHY). The bottom layer of the OSI and ATM protocol “stack” that defines the interface

between ATM traffic and the physical media. The PHY consists of two sub-layers: the transmission

convergence (TC) sub-layer and the physical medium-dependent (PMD) sub-layer. The PHY is concerned

with the physical and electrical interfaces between the terminal equipment and that of the network. It

provides the actual link that transmits a serial bit stream between two communicating loci.

Physical layer devices. The electrical and mechanical connections to a network.

Physical vapor deposition (see PVD).


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Pick and place. After the die are separated from each other, the die determined to be properly functioning

at the wafer level test are individually picked up through use of a vacuum wand and placed into sectioned

plates or carriers.

Pico cell. Very small cell in a mobile network for boosting capacity within buildings.

PICT. The native bit-mapped file format for Macintosh images.

Piggybacking. The inclusion of an acknowledgment of a previously received protocol data unit in an

outgoing protocol data unit.

PIM (personal information management). Personal information management functionality started with

the Filofax, with all of the user’s personal data held in paper form in a single package. The personal organizer

now stores the data electronically, with the ability to store the same information on the user’s PC and

synchronize the two.

Pin-grid array (see PGA).

Pin-through-hole. A method of circuit board assembly whereby the pins or leads of electronic components

are inserted and soldered into plated holes in a circuit board. The pin-through-hole method predates surface

mount technology.

Pipelining (a.k.a. pipeline processing). Pipelining refers to a category of techniques that provide

simultaneous processing of multiple instructions within a microprocessor. Pipelining involves overlapping

operations by moving data or instructions into a conceptual pipe, with all stages of the pipe processing

simultaneously: while one instruction is being executed, the computer is decoding the next instruction. In

vector processors, several steps in a floating point operation simultaneously can be processed. Mainstream

microprocessors can have up to a 20-stage pipeline.

Pitch: The center-to-center spacing between pads, rows of bumps, pins, posts, leads, etc., on an IC or

circuit board.

Pixel (picture element; sometimes called a pel). One spot in a rectilinear grid of thousands of such

spots that are individually “painted” to form an image produced on the screen by a computer or on paper by

a printer. A pixel is the smallest element that display or print hardware and software can manipulate in

creating letters, numbers, or graphics, although subpixels can be formed in a computer’s memory.

Pixelization (see jaggies.)

PKI (public key infrastructure). A system for managing public key crytography components including

encryption, digital certificates and certificate authorities.

Place and route. The act of placing the physical representations of the circuit functions, either as macro

blocks or as rows of standard cells. The signal paths are then routed on the interconnect layers.

Placer. Intel’s planned chipset for workstations, including AGP 8X and dual-channel DDR266 support.

Plain old telephone system (see POTS).

Plasma display panel: A type of flat panel display (FPD) in which a plasma gas is trapped between two

glass panels and made to glow when electrically energized. The gas reacts with pixels layered on the visible

surface of the glass. Each pixel comprises red, green and blue fluorescent lights. By electronically varying

the intensity of the different lights, a full range of colors can be produced to form an image.

Plasma. Ionized gases that have been highly energized, e.g., by a radio frequency energy field.


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Platform. In software, platform refers to the operating system(s) and hardware on which a software

program runs.

PLCC (plastic leaded chip carrier). A package type in which each lead is J-shaped and protrudes from the

chip carrier package. This package can have between 18 and 100 pins.

Plesiochronous digital hierarchy (plesiochronous means nearly synchronous). This was developed to

carry digitized voice over copper wire more efficiently. A discrete set of fixed rates is available, i.e., n x DS 0

(DS 0 is a 64 Kbps rate), and then the next levels in the respective multiplex hierarchies. For example, 24

channels at 64 Kbps equates to a T-1 or 1.5 Mbps rate.

Plumas. Code name for the Intel E7500 server chipsets offering DDR support.

PMD (physical medium dependent). PMD semiconductor devices interface directly with the laser driver

and photodetector optical components. PMD layer devices include the laser driver (to transmit direction), the

transimpedance/pre amplifier (to receive direction) and the post/limiting amplifier (to receive direction).

PMOS (P-channel mos). A type of MOSFET in which the semiconductor channel is doped P-type. In such a

MOSFET, the current between source and drain is primarily the result of the motion of holes.

PMP. Point to multipoint.

PMT (see photo multiplier tube).

P-N junction. The basic structure formed by the intimate contact of P-type and N-type semiconductors. The

important characteristic of a P-N junction is that it will conduct electric current with one polarity of applied

voltage (forward bias) but will not conduct with the opposite polarity (reverse bias).

PNG. A bit-map file format developed by a consortium of software developers to replace GIF. It has 10%-

30% better compression rates and can have up to 24 bits in color depth.

Point of presence (POP). A telecommunications facility through which the company provides local

connectivity to its customers.

Polycide. A material formed by reaction of polysilicon with a metal.

Polygon. A closed plane figure formed by the joining of three or more straight lines.

Polymorphic virus. Self-modifying encrypting virus.

Polysilicon (poly) polycrystalline silicon. It is used extensively as conductor/gate materials in a highly

doped state. Poly films typically are deposited using high-temperature CVD technology.

POP. 1) In the communications environment, POP, or point of presence, is a place for the interconnection of

networks such as a telco central office or ISP hub. 2) In the wireless environment, POP is short for

population, the equivalent of one person, and refers to the number of potential subscribers in a particular

geographic region. Wireless carriers generally express their coverage reach in terms of POPs.

Port. 1) A specific line or channel into a switch. 2) The point at which the local loop access line

interconnects with a central office switch.

Portable document format (see PDF).

Portal. A term generally synonymous with gateway, for a World Wide Web site that is or proposes to be a

major starting site for users when they get connected to the Web, or that users tend to visit as an anchor

site. There are general portals and specialized or niche portals.


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POS (packet-over-SONET). A metropolitan area network (MAN) or wide area network (WAN) transport

technology that carries IP packets directly over SONET transmission without any data link facility, such as

ATM, in between. Packet over SONET is intended to transmit data at the highest rates possible, because

SONET has a smaller packet header overhead than ATM (28 bytes out of an 810-byte frame compared with

5 out of a 53-byte ATM cell).

Postal, telegraph and telephone company (PTT). A generic term for a provider of these services. A

governmental agency in many countries.

PostScript. A page-description language (PDL) developed by Adobe Systems. Digital pages are stored as a

set of instructions specifying the measurements, typefaces and graphic shapes that make up a page.

POTS (plain old telephone service). Basic dial-tone telephone service commonly provided by local

exchange carriers.

Power amplifier (a.k.a. power amp). Power amplifiers are digital circuits used in communications

subsystems to boost signal strength. Power amplifiers are digital in nature.

PPP (point-to-point protocol). A layer-two data networking protocol that defines framing and

negotiations between Internet protocol point-to-point links.

Predictive dialer. A very fast phone switch with automated dialing features designed for outbound call

centers.

Presentation layer. This layer is concerned with the syntax of data during transfer the way that it appears,

and its structure.

Presentment. Presentment is the process of generating a bill for delivery to an end user. This can take

several forms, including the traditional paper bill sent in the mail or electronic representations over the

Internet.

Prestonia. The 0.13-micron version of the small-cache Foster Xeon server microprocessor.

Printed circuit board (PCB). PCB usually is made out of plastic or fiberglass sheets with embedded copper

wiring that serves as the connection between circuits.

Printed circuit. A circuit in which the wires or components have been replaced by a conductive pattern

printed upon or bonded to the surface of an insulating board.

Private branch exchange (see PBX).

Private key. In security software, an encryption key known only by the owner. It is used to decode a

message encrypted using the matching public key.

Private line. A dedicated point-to-point telephone line for the exclusive use of one party.

PRM (partner relationship management). A set of solutions for managing and communicating with

partners, including channel management.

Procedural language (third-generation language, 3GL). A programming language in which the

developer writes code for each step of a procedure to accomplish a task (e.g., FORTRAN, COBOL, BASIC,

PASCAL, and C are procedural languages).

Programmable read-only memory (see PROM).


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PROM (programmable read-only memory). A read-only memory that can be written to only once. It is

programmed after manufacture by external equipment. Typically, PROMs use fusible links that may be

burned open to set a specific memory location to a specific logic level.

Protocol data unit (PDU). A message sent between peer protocol entities.

Protocol. 1) A formal description of a set of rules and conventions that govern how devices on a network

exchange information. In diverse networks, protocols are very important. 2) Set of rules conducting

interactions between two or more parties. These rules consist of syntax (header structure); semantics

(actions and reactions that are supposed to occur); and timing (relative ordering and direction of states and

events).

Provider. A company that provides an interface between the teleservices platform and an installed

telephone device, such as a telephone line or a fax machine.

Provisioning. The act of establishing service to a customer including all account and equipment setup.

Provisioning is a key aspect of network operations support systems.

Proxy. The mechanism whereby one system “fronts for” another system in responding to protocol request.

Proxy systems are used in network management to avoid having to implement full protocol stacks in simple

devices, such as modems.

PSA (professional services automation). An integrated suite of applications and services that helps

service companies such as IT consultants and law firms match resources and capabilities with new business

opportunities and changing market conditions. PSA helps companies manage human skills inventory,

effectively deploying workers to appropriate jobs, projects or teams. These solutions also usually automate

administrative processes, involving self-service procurement and travel expense.

PSD (packet switched data) (see photo CD). Packet-switched data is a technology where the

communication "pipe" is shared by several users, thus making it very efficient. The data are sent to a specific

address with a short delay. This delay depends on how many users are using the pipe at any one time, and

on the level of priority requested for a particular piece of information. Charging is in accord with the volume

of data, not the duration of the connection. PSD is the technology used for data communication across the

Internet, and because it maximizes the use of the network, this type of communication seems likely to

eventually be used even for voice communication, with a high level of priority assigned to that form of traffic.

PSM (phaseshift mask). A type of photomask with a double phase of patterns allowing, all other things

being equal, higher resolution in lithography.

PSTN (public switched telephone network). The worldwide voice telephone network. Once only an

analog system, the core of most telephone networks now is digital. In the United States, most of the

remaining analog lines are those from houses or offices to the central office of the telephone company.

PTT (postal, telegraph and telephone company). A government-owned entity, existing in many foreign

countries, that provides telecommunications services.

PTT (push-to-talk). “Walkie-talkie” like functionality allowing an instant connection between two cell

phones.

P-type semiconductor. A semiconductor type in which the density of electrons in the conduction band is

exceeded by the density of holes in the valence band. P-type behavior is induced by the addition of acceptor

impurities, such as boron, to the crystal structure of silicon.


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P-type semiconductor: A semiconductor type in which the density of electrons in the conduction band is

exceeded by the density of holes in the valence band. P-type behavior is induced by the addition of acceptor

impurities, such as boron, to the crystal structure of silicon.

Public key. An encryption key that is freely available to all users. It is used to encrypt a message sent to

the owner of the matching private key.

Public network. A network operated by common carriers or telecommunications administrations for the

provision of circuit-switched, packet-switched and leased-line circuits to the public.

Public switched network. The combined transmission facilities of the world’s telephone companies and

administrations, including all those circuits available to subscribers on an unrestricted basis.

Pulse code modulation (PCM). A technique for converting an analog voice signal to digital format.

Requires sampling the analog signal 8,000 times per second and converting the sample to an 8-bit value.

Hence, PCM requires a 64 Kbps digital channel to carry one voice connection.

PVC (see permanent virtual circuit).

PVD (physical vapor deposition). The sputtering of material from a target solid sheet an underlying

substrate (such as a silicon wafer or liquid crystal display glass) is used to create an even film of deposited

material. PVD is typically used with metals (such as aluminum and copper) for which there is no known or

productive CVD technique.

PXR. Image file format for Pixar objects.


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Q QAM (quadrature amplified modulation). A two-dimensional modulation used for ADSL and cable

modems and proposed for VDSL. CAP is a special case of QAM. In QAM, a single carrier frequency is

modulated in both sine and cosine components.

QFP (quad flat pack). A package type similar to the DIP, but the QFP has leads extending from all four

sides of the component’s body.

QOS (quality of service). A set of parameters that establish performance guidelines for communications

transmission. The QOS can vary from guaranteed delivery to “best efforts.”

QPSK (quaternary phase shift keying). A digital modulation scheme used in transmission

communications that allows increased sending capacity.

Quadrature amplified modulation (see QAM).

Quality of service. Quality of service, or QoS, is a generic term for the ability to prioritize data traffic.

Currently, under ethernet and token ring systems, data cannot be categorized according to priority. Certain

types of data such as video and audio require predictable and constant bandwidth in order to function

properly, while other types, such as backup and batch filing do not. QoS recognizes these types of data and

gives certain ones precedence over others. QoS also is sometimes referred to as class of service.

QuantiSpeed. The architecture used in AMD’s Athlon XP-based microprocessors.

Quarternary phase shift keying (see QPSK).

Query. A request for information from a database often facilitated by structured query language (SQL), a

powerful language specifically designed to run against a database.


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R Rack. A frame or cabinet into which components are mounted.

Radeon IGP. ATI’s brand name for its integrated graphics chipset portfolio, which both includes north

bridge and south bridge solutions for Intel and AMD microprocessors for both desktop and mobile PC

platforms.

Radeon. ATI’s brand name for its mainstream desktop graphics controller portfolio.

Rad-hard. Terminology used to describe products or programs that must be capable of surviving and

operating in very high levels of radiation, including high total dose, high dose rate and single event upset

(SEU) environments.

Radio cell. The area served by a radio base station in a cellular or cordless communications system: where

the term “cellular” came from. Cell size ranges from a few tens of meters to several kilometers.

Radio channels. An individual UMTS radio channel is defined in the IMT 2000 standard as having a

bandwidth of 5 MHz. This means that an individual UMTS radio channel, for example, ranges from 1900 to

1905 MHz. How many radio channels a UMTS provider can make available to customers depends on which

frequency spectrum has been won in the auctioning of UMTS mobile phone frequencies. Each radio channel

can transport more than one connection, so more than one subscriber can use the same channel, multiple

access methods, such as W-CDMA (FDD), TD-CDMA (TDD) or cdma2000, are used for 3G networks.

Radio frequency (see RF).

Radio in the loop (see RITL).

Radio interface. System enabling a mobile terminal to communicate with the network. Numerous

discussions were held within ETSI in 1997 on the standardization of a radio interface for UMTS. In January

1998, the SMG committee adopted the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access standard (UTRA). UTRA was adopted

by the ITU in March 1999 as a radio interface standard for IMT 2000.

RADSL (rate-adaptive ADSL). A simple extension of ADSL to encompass a wide variety of data rates

depending on the line’s transmission capability. RADSL can be either CAP or DMT ADSL.

RAID (redundant array of independent disks). A disk subsystem that increases performance and/or

provides fault tolerance by using one or more schemes to store data in different places on multiple disks.

RAM (random access memory). A memory that may be written to, or read from, any address location in

any sequence. Also called a read/write memory, it is random access in the sense of providing access to any

storage location in the memory. RAM stores digital bits temporarily and can be rapidly changed as required.

RAM is the basic read/write storage element in computers.

Random access memory (see RAM).

Raster graphics (see bit-map). Digital images created or captured (e.g., by a scanner in a photo) as a set

of samples of a given space. The raster file is sometimes referred to as a bit-map because it contains

information that is directly mapped to a display grid.


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Raster (see bit-map). 1) The region of a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor

that is capable of rendering images. 2) A grid of x and y coordinates on a display space. (For three-

dimensional images, a z coordinate.)

Rate table. A database or schedule of communications call prices used to determine the costs charged to

customers for any particular call or event. Rating is a key billing function of billing and customer care

(B&CC).

Rate-adaptive ADSL (see RADSL).

Rating. The processing of individual communications event records (CDRs) to determine the price that will

be charged to end users for each transaction or service received. In communications software, rating is a

key billing function of billing and customer care (B&CC).

RBOC (see Regional Bell operating company).

RDRAM (Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory). A type of DRAM designed by Rambus and licensed to

memory providers. RDRAM is significantly faster than standard SDRAM, and is usually used in high-

performance desktop PCs, workstations, servers, and some game consoles.

Reactive ion etch (RIE). A combination of chemical and physical etch processes carried out in a plasma.

Read-only memory (see ROM).

Real CPM. The price per 1,000 Internet advertising impressions when total advertising revenues is divided

by the total available pageviews, not the number sold.

Real-time operation. Data processing technique in which information is used as events occur and the

information is generated, rather than batch processing at a time unrelated to the time the information was

generated.

Reduced instruction set computing (see RISC).

Regenerator. An electrical device that restores a degraded digital signal for continued transmission; also

called a repeater.

Regional Bell operating company (RBOC). 1) One of six telephone companies created after the AT&T

divestiture. 2) The acronym for the local telephone companies created in 1984 as part of the break-up of

AT&T. The original six RBOCs were Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, NYNEX, Southwestern Bell and

US West.

Relational database. The form of a database that organizes data in tables.

Remote access concentrator. Infrastructure equipment that provides modem and ISDN access between

the circuit switched network and an Internet service provider point of presence (PoP).

Remote access server. A wide area networking (WAN) device used to connect and aggregate users to

computer networks such as intranets or the Internet. This device is sometimes referred to as a modem pool

or remote access concentrator and generally supports devices such as analog or digital modems, T-1 lines,

ISDN lines and other means of communication.

Remote access. The hookup of a remote computing device via communications lines such as ordinary

phone lines or wide area networks (WAN) to access network applications and information.

Remote monitoring (see RMON).


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Remote network. The access equipment and telephone lines that connect remote users at multiple

locations to the corporate LAN.

Remote procedure calls (RPC). A form of application-to-application communication that hides the

intricacies of the network by using an ordinary procedure call mechanism. It is tightly coupled with a

synchronous process.

Remote RBOC (see regional Bell operating company).

Rendering. Rendering, also known as shading, describes how color is distributed on individual triangles in a

graphic; it is a computer graphics term.

Repeater. 1) A wireline device that regenerates and propagates electrical signals between two network

segments. 2) A wireless device that restores a degraded digital signal for continued transmission; also called

a regenerator.

Replication. The periodic copying of changes in data from one version of a database to another (e.g., used

in sales organizations so that traveling sales representatives always have up-to-date information for their

presentations).

Repository. A central place wherein an aggregation of data is kept and maintained in an organized way,

usually in computer storage. (i.e., operational database, data warehouse, etc.) (see relational database,

data warehousing, data mart).

Reseller. A communications services company that purchases wholesale minutes of use (MOU) on a

carrier’s network for resale to end customers. A reseller is predominantly a marketing company that does not

have its own facilities for carrying customer traffic.

Resolution. The amount of detail that can be seen in an image. The resolution of a TV computer screen is

defined in terms of the number of horizontal lines of picture elements the screen displays.

Restricted access. A security measure that admits or rejects callers by checking them against a list of

remote node addresses programmed into a central site server.

Reticle. A flat, transparent plate used in a stepper that contains the photographic image of wafer patterns to

be reproduced on a wafer.

Return to zero (RZ). A signal that returns to the zero level between successive transmitted ones.

RF (radio frequency). 1) Frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum that are associated with radio wave

propagation; generally, frequencies up to 1 GHz. 2) The range of electromagnetic frequencies above the

audio range and below visible light. All broadcast transmission, from AM radio to satellites, falls into this

range, between 30 kHz and 300 GHz. In semiconductors, RF devices refer to those that produce and receive

radio waves.

RF bandwidth. The amount of radio frequency spectrum assigned to a channel or license that encompasses

a relative range of frequencies that can be passed through a transmission medium without distortion

(normally with respect to one channel). The greater the bandwidth, the greater the information carrying

capacity. Bandwidth is measured in hertz.

RFID. Radio frequency identification.

RFP (request for proposal). A document describing a communications service provider’s problems or

needs, intended to generate solution proposals from vendors.


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RGB (red, green, blue). The color language of computers. Computer monitors and digital cameras use the

RGB scheme to create all the colors seen on the monitor.

Ring topology. Topology in which the network consists of a series of repeaters, add-drop multiplexers, or

terminals. Ring networks are relatively immune to interruption and fiber cuts, because of the multiple

transmission paths that are implied in the ring.

Ring. A connection of network elements in a circular logical topology.

RISC (reduced instruction set computer). A computer architecture that reduces chip complexity by

using simpler instructions. RISC processors generate software routines to perform complex instructions that

were previously done in hardware by CISC computers. RISC keeps instruction size constant and retains only

those instructions that can be overlapped and made to execute in one machine cycle or less. Thus, the RISC

chip is faster than its CISC counterpart, and is being designed and built more economically.

RITL (radio in the loop). Uses radio media to transmit between the end-user and the phone company’s

central office public switch: advantages are that it is fast to deploy and that incremental additions are

available: the disadvantage is that it has limited bandwidth relative to fiber in the loop (FITL).

RJ-11. The standard four-wire jack used in analog telephones.

RJ-45. The standard four-wire jack used in telecommunications equipment. The connector resembles a fat

RJ-11 analog telephone jack.

RMON (remote monitoring). RMON can be hardware-based or a software package used network devices

such as switches, routers, hubs and NICs to help monitor the state of the network.

Roaming. In wireless networking, roaming refers to the ability to move from one coverage area to another

without interruption in service or loss in connectivity.

ROM (read-only memory). A memory in which the binary information located at each address is fixed and

cannot be changed subsequently. Permanently stores information repeatedly used, such as tables of data,

characters for electronic displays, etc. One type of ROM is programmed by mask pattern as part of the last

fabrication stage. Another popular type, known as PROM, is programmable in the field with the aid of

programmer equipment. Programmed data stored in ROMs are often called firmware.

Route miles. The amount of fiber conduit constructed. Fiberoptic strands are pulled through fiber conduits

to construct a local exchange network.

Router. In the networking arena, a device that forwards data packets from one local area network (LAN) or

wide area network (WAN) to another based on the most expedient route, as determined by such variables

as: traffic load, line costs, speed, bad lines, etc. Most routers are specialized computers optimized for

communications; however, router functions can also be implemented by adding routing software to a file

server.

Routing. The process of finding a path to the destination host. Routing is very complex in large networks

because of the many potential intermediate destinations a packet might traverse before reaching its

destination host.

RSA (rural service area). One of the 428 FCC-designated rural markets across the United States. There

are two cellular carriers licensed in each RSA (see MSA, BTA).

RSVP. Resource reservation protocol.


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RTP (rapid thermal processing). A process in which a wafer is heated to a specified temperature for

short periods of time to remove imperfections in the crystalline structure of the silicon.

Rural service area (see RSA).

RZ (see return to zero).


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S Sales force automation (see SFA).

Sampling. Sampling is the process of periodically measuring a signal’s amplitude at regular time intervals.

SAN (storage area network). A storage sub-network located behind the LAN that provides any-to-any

connectivity between data storage devices and servers, usually via fibre channel interface.

SANmark. A certification program established by the Fibre Channel Industry Association to designate fibre

channel vendor products that have met performance benchmarks relative to a set of industry standards.

SATS: Semiconductor test & assembly services.

Sawing: A method of die separation in which a diamond edge saw slices through the wafer on the scribe

lines. The three techniques of sawing are trench, saw-through and laser.

S-Bus. An internal system bus developed by Sun Microsystems. Contrast with PCI.

Scalability. The ability to expand a computing solution to support large numbers of users without affecting

performance.

Scalable. A scalable product can easily be changed in size; it often is used to describe the capabilities of

software and platforms to grow as the installed base of users grows.

SCE. Semiconductor capital equipment.

Schema. The organization or structure for a database.

Schematic capture. The capture of circuit design by graphic means. The symbols representing functional

blocks or individual circuit elements are placed on a graphical design workstation, and interconnected by

graphic representations of wires, pins, etc.

Scrambling. Coding the output of a SONET transmitter to assure adequate density for the receiving and to

detect the signal. SONET scrambling compares the currently transmitted bit with several previously

transmitted bits, and changes its value based on the result of that comparison. The receiving end decodes

the scrambling.

Screen s. Programming that translates between legacy application programs (written to communicate with

generally obsolete input/output devices and user interfaces) and new user interfaces, so that the logic and

data associated with the legacy programs can continue to be used.

Scribe and break. The procedure used to separate a processed wafer into individual ICs. Narrow channels

between individual ICs are mechanically weakened by scratching with a diamond tip (scribe), sawing with a

diamond blade, or burning with a laser. The wafer is mechanically stressed and broken apart along the

channels (called scribe lines), thereby separating the individual ICs (die).

SCSI (small computer systems interface). SCSI, pronounced “skuzzy,” is standard for system-level

interfacing between a computer and intelligent devices such as hard disks, CD-ROMs and printers. SCSI can

connect up to seven devices (newer versions can connect up to 15) to a single host adapter on a computer’s

bus (see IDE).


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SDH (synchronous digital hierarchy). The international structure of optical transmission standards,

corresponding to U.S. SONET standards. SDH starts at the 155 Mbps level and increases in 155-Mbps

multiples. ITU-TSS international standard for transmission over optical fiber.

SDMA (space division multiple access). A technique that makes it possible to increase the capacity of a

cellular mobile radio system by taking advantage of the spatial separation between users. The base station

does not transmit the signal to the entire cell area, as in conventional access techniques, but concentrates

power in the direction of the mobile unit for which the signal is directed, reducing it in the directions where

other units are present.

SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory). A type of dynamic RAM memory chip most

common in PCs. SDRAMs are based on standard dynamic RAM chips, but have sophisticated features that

make them considerably faster. SDRAM chips are fast enough to be synchronized with the CPU's clock,

eliminate wait states, and the SDRAM chip is divided into two cell blocks, with data interleaved between the

two so that while a bit in one block is being accessed, the bit in the other is being prepared for access. This

allows SDRAM to burst the second and subsequent, contiguous characters at a rate of 10ns, compared with

60ns for the first character. SDRAM provides 800 Mbps or 1 Gbps data transfer depending on whether the

bus is 100MHz or 133MHz. Double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM) doubles the rate to 1.6 Gbps and

2.1 Gbps.

SDSL, or Symmetrical DSL. 1) High-speed symmetric access over twisted pair at data rates of up to

4 Mbps for both downstream and upstream communications. 2) Symmetric digital subscriber line.

Search engine. A search engine offers users the ability to search Web sites based on specific word or

phrase queries. Search engines typically use automated software that “crawls” the Web to continuously

capture and store updated Web site information. The information is then indexed in a database to provide

immediate retrieval of relevant Web site listings in response to a query.

SECC (single edge cartridge connector). Packaging technology used for Intel’s newest generation

processors. In a departure from earlier designs, Intel’s Pentium II microprocessor resides on a slot

“daughter card,” which carries its own 512KB L2 cache.

Secure electronic transactions (SET). A collection of standards for payment over the Internet.

Supported by Visa, MasterCard, Microsoft, Netscape, and others.

Secure hypertext transfer protocol (S-HTTP). An extension of HTTP that provides communication,

security, authenticity, and integrity over the World Wide Web (WWW).

Secure socket layer (SSL). The leading security protocol on the Internet. When an SSL session is started,

the browser sends its public key to the server so that the server can securely send a secret key to the

browser. The browser and server exchange data via secret key encryption during that session.

Secure/multipurpose Internet mail extensions (S/MIME). A security specification for e-mail. S/MIME

provides authentication and encryption.

Security management. A functional area within operations support systems that is responsible for the

detection and prevention of unauthorized network resource and service usage.

Security policy. A security policy is the set of rules, principles and practices that determine how security is

implemented in an organization. It must maintain the principles of the organization’s general security policy.

Security. Protection against unwanted behavior. Perhaps the most widely used definition of (computer)

security is “security = confidentiality + integrity + availability.”


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Sell-through. The percentage of available pageviews that are sold to Internet advertisers in a period. Sell-

through multiplied by total pageviews equals ad pages sold. Sell-through is also sometimes known as

inventory utilization. In computer hardware or software, it is the amount of product or inventory sold to the

consumer.

SEM. A scanning electron microscope is a device that displays an electronically scanned image of a die or

wafer for examination on a screen or for transfer onto photographic film.

SEMATECH (Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Research Consortium). A consortium of

American semiconductor manufacturing firms dedicated to restoring America’s manufacturing leadership in

semiconductors. Located in Austin, TX.

Semiconductor device. Any electrical device built around semiconductor materials, including discretes (a

single transistor in a package) and integrated circuits.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Research Consortium (see SEMATECH).

Semiconductor. A solid state substance that can be electrically altered. Certain elements in nature, such

as silicon, act as semiconductors when chemically combined with other elements. A semiconductor is

halfway between a conductor (such as copper and aluminum) and an insulator (such as glass and rubber);

when charged with electricity or light, semiconductors change their state from nonconductive to conductive

or vice versa. The most significant semiconductor is the transistor, which is simply an on/off switch.

Serial ATA. A newer standard being used to connect hard disks in a PC, serial ATA replaces parallel ATA and

has a faster throughput, peer-to-peer architecture, and thinner, more practical cabling.

Serial port. A computer socket that transmits data one bit at a time, as opposed to a parallel interface,

which sends more than one bit at a time. Uses include mice and scanners.

Server farm. A group of servers that are linked together as a “single system image” to provide centralized

administration and horizontal scalability.

Server. A computer that manages network resources such as printers, storage devices and the network

itself (i.e., network traffic). It is the machine that talks to clients, and anything that shares files, applications

and other services with multiple users (see client).

Service bureau. These are billing solution providers that use either their own or other billing vendors’

billing products to perform outside bill processing. This type of service is widely used in the U.S. but has not

been adopted by European service providers. Such vendors include Convergys, CSG Systems, Amdocs

(ITDS), DST, Alltel Information Services and EDS.

Service level agreement (SLA). A contract between the provider and the user that specifies the level of

service that is expected during its term. SLAs are used by vendors and customers as well as internally by IT

shops and their end users. They can be general or very specific. They can specify bandwidth availability,

response times for routine and ad hoc queries, or response times for problem resolutions (network down,

machine failure, etc.).

Service provider. The company that sends the Internet user bills and owns the user’s signature on a

contract.

Session layer. This layer is responsible for setting up and clearing a communication channel between

application layer protocol entities. During information transfer, the session layer signals the application layer

concerning unrecoverable exceptions, provides facilities for controlling the exchange of data and establishes

synchronization points at which users can resume transmission should faults develop.


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SET (see secure electronic transactions).

SFA (sales force automation). Customer interaction software applications that support highly skilled

direct sales representatives making big-ticket sales with long sales cycles, emphasize lead tracking and

opportunity management, and support frequent updates from prospect and customer databases.

Shading (see rendering).

Shared bus. A common pathway or channel between multiple devices; in the case of packet switches, a

shared pathway between the line cards, the CPU and buffers.

Shared hosting. Customers lease shared rack and server resources and typically pay for bandwidth on a

per-megabyte basis; remote monitoring and management are typically included.

Shared network arrangement. A service offering whereby a service user may connect sub-tending

services to a host subscriber’s multiplexed high-capacity service. The telephone company then maintains

separate customer records and billing.

SHDSL, or symmetrical high bit-rate DSL. 1) High-speed symmetric access over twisted pair at data

rates of up to 2.3 Mbps for both downstream and upstream communications. 2) Single pair transmission

using HDSL technology, normally 2B1Q.

Shielded twisted pair (STP). Two-pair wire medium used in the transmission of several different

protocols. These wires have a layer of shielded insulation to reduce EMI.

Short message service (see SMS).

S-HTTP (see Secure hypertext transfer protocol).

SI (systems integrator). A company that combines hardware and software into a working system for

customers. Systems integrators can be important high-end distribution channels for technology companies

because of the high-level customer relationships.

SIA: Semiconductor Industry Association.

SiC. Silicon carbide.

SiGe. Silicon germanium.

Signal processing. A broad class of electronic functions that enhance the representations of physical or

electrical phenomena. Temperature, pressure, vibration, acceleration and flow are examples of physical

properties that rely on signal processing enhancements. The detection and conversion of RF, X-ray or

ultrasonic energy into images and sound is another form of signal processing.

Signaling system 7 (see SS7).

Signaling. 1) The process of sending a transmission signal over a physical medium for purposes of

communication. 2) Method of communication between network components to provide control management

and performance monitoring.

Signed document. An encrypted document secured with a digital signature.

Silane (SiH4). A gas that readily decomposes into silicon and hydrogen, silane is often used to deposit

silicon-containing compounds. It also reacts with ammonia to form silicon nitride, or with oxygen to form

silicon dioxide.


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Silicide. A film compound of silicon with a refractory metal. Common silicide semiconductor films (used as

interconnects) include tantalum, tungsten, titanium and molybdenum.

Silicon dioxide (SiO2). The silicon/oxygen film most often used for dielectric applications; it can be

deposited via silane or TEOS; often called "oxide."

Silicon nitride (SiN). A silicon/nitrogen film dielectric deposited using plasma-enhanced or LPCVD (see

LPCVD).

Silicon. A solid element abundantly available in the form of SiO2 (glass). It is element 14 in the periodic

table, with an atomic weight of 28.09. Silicon has a diamond crystal lattice, a density of 2.328 g/cm3 and a

melting point of 1415°C. Its extreme abundance, moderate processing temperatures, and the stability of its

native oxide (SiO2) have made it the electronic semiconductor material of choice for nearly four decades.

SIM (subscriber identity module). A computer chipset in a handset that contains information needed to

identify the subscriber when connecting to the network, especially for billing purposes.

SIMD instruction set (single instruction stream multiple data stream). A computer architecture that

performs one operation on multiple sets of data. One computer or processor is used for the control logic and

the remaining processors are used as slaves, executing the same instruction.

Simple key management for Internet protocols (SKIP). A key management protocol standard

supported by Sun Microsystems for integration of encryption keys in software products.

Simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP).

Simple network management protocol (see SNMP).

Simulation. The process of using software to model an electronic system.

Single edge cartridge connector (see SECC).

Single mode. A term used to describe optical fiber that allows only one mode of light signal transmission.

Single-level metal (see SLM).

Single-mode fiber. Single-mode fiber has a narrow core that allows light to enter only at a single angle.

This fiber has higher bandwidth than multimode fiber, but requires a light source with a narrow spectral

width (e.g., a laser).

SiP: System-in-a-Package.

SKIP (see simple key management for Internet protocols).

Skipjack. An encryption algorithm supported by the U.S. Government and used in Capstone, a government

project to develop a set of encryption standards.

SLA (service level agreement). A contract between the provider and the user that specifies the level of

service that is expected during its term. SLAs are used by vendors and customers as well as internally by IT

shops and their end-users. They can be general or very specific. They can specify bandwidth availability,

response times for routine and ad hoc queries, or response times for problem resolutions (network down,

machine failure, etc.).

Sledgehammer. AMD’s eight-generation processor, to follow up the Barton MP for two-way, four-way, and

eight-way servers. Sledgehammer will use AMD’s x86-64 technology, which employs an internal 64-bit

architecture while remaining compatible with 32-bit code.


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SLM. 1) Service level management. A popular term for network management, which includes functions such

as fault, performance and SLA management of complex network infrastructures, tying individual device

issues to the service performance with the end user. 2) Single-level metal; the use of only one level of metal

to form the contact interconnections in an IC.

Slot one. A motherboard design that accommodates SECC packaging technology (see SECC).

Small computer systems interface (see SCSI).

Smalltalk. Object-oriented programming language developed by Xerox in the early 1970s. It preceded

other object-oriented programming languages that enjoyed more commercial success, such as C++ and Java

(see object-oriented programming).

Smart antenna. It solves the capacity problems of mature mobile cellular networks. By directing radio

signals to an intended target, rather than broadcasting throughout the entire cell area, increase the

network’s capacity. The more elaborate smart antenna systems can communicate with multiple mobile

stations in the same cell, on the same channel, exploiting their spatial separation.

SmartCard. A hardware device that automatically performs encryption and stores electronic money, public

keys, and authentication.

S/MIME (see secure/multipurpose Internet mail extensions).

SMP (see symmetric multiprocessing).

SMR (see specialized mobile radio).

SMS (short message service). A service to send short alphanumeric messages between devices.

SMT (see surface-mount technology).

SNMP (simple network management protocol). A standard protocol used to gather and transmit data

between disparate networks, specifically designed for information exchange on the Internet.

SOC: System-on-a-chip.

SO (small outline): The most common package type for simple analog devices, primarily simple function RF

devices.

Softswitch-based architecture. A programmable network that can process the signaling for all types of

packet protocols. Also known as a “media gateway controller,” “call agent,” or “call server,” such devices are

used by carriers that support converged communications services by integrating SS7 telephone signaling

with packet networks. Using network processors at its core, softswitches can support IP, DSL, ATM and

frame relay in the same unit. The switching technology in a softswitch is in software (hence its name) rather

than in the hardware as with traditional switching center technology. This software programmability allows it

to support existing and future IP telephony protocols (H.323, SIP, MEGACO).

Software. The changeable programs and instructions for a computer, rather than the fixed hardware that

implements the programs.

SOHO. Small office, home office.

SOIC (small outline integrated circuits). The largest segment of the package market. SOICs occupy an

area about 30%-50% less than an equivalent DIP, with a typical thickness that is 70% less.

Solid state. Refers to the electronic properties of crystalline materials, generally semiconductor, as opposed

to vacuum and gas-filled tubes, that function by flow of electrons through space, or by flow through ionized


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gases. Solid state devices involve the interaction of light, heat, magnetic field, and electric currents in

crystalline materials. Compared to earlier vacuum-tube devices, solid-state components are smaller, less

expensive, more reliable, use less power, and generate less heat.

SONET (synchronous optical network). An ANSI standard for synchronous data transmission on optical

media, usually with the assistance of an ATM layer. Carried on fiberoptic networks, SONET typically greatly

increases the efficiency and reliability of local exchange and long-distance networks. SONET’s speeds range

from 51 megabits to multiple gigabits per second. SONET is an intelligent system that provides advanced

network management and a standard optical interface. It uses a self-healing ring architecture that is able to

reroute traffic if a line goes down. SONET backbones are widely used to aggregate lower-speed T1 and T3

lines. The European counterpart is SDH.

Source code. The original form of a program and the only one understandable by humans.

South bridge. One of the two key devices in a PC’s core logic chipset, the south bridge, also called the I/O

controller hub, connects the north bridge to the hard drive, PCI devices, BIOS, and other I/O devices. As PCs

have matured, the south bridge has come to incorporate most of the digital circuitry that has historically

been implemented as separate devices in the PC, such as the PCI controller, USB host controllers, ATA

controller, ethernet MAC, and even audio processing and analog modem functionality.

SPS. Switching power supply.

Spatial data. Data related to maps or distances. This kind of data may not be simply the number of miles

from one location to another, but rather the map itself. This is an example of a complex data type managed

as objects in either hybrid object-relational databases or pure object databases.

Specialized mobile radio (SMR). Mobile telephone service offered to the public over channels previously

used for two-way analog dispatch services and the forerunner of ESMR service.

Spectrum. The range of electromagnetic radio frequencies used in the transmission of sound, data and

television.

SpeedStep technology. A power-saving feature incorporated into Intel mobile microprocessors beginning

with the Pentium III. The processors can dynamically switch clock frequency and voltage, depending on

whether the computer is running on batteries or is plugged into AC power. When running in Battery

Optimized Mode, the processors run at a lower frequency and lower voltage (1.35 volts), significantly

lowering CPU power consumption. When a user plugs into an AC outlet, the notebook can automatically

switch to Maximum Performance Mode, significantly increasing the frequency.

Spim. Similar to spam except it is for blast instant messaging.

Splitter. A passive device (one with no active electronic components) that distributes a television signal

carried on a cable in two or more paths and sends it to a number of receivers simultaneously.

Spoke. In the supply-chain software field, a spoke is a small company in the middle of a supply-chain that

supplies products to a hub (see Hub).

Spoofing. In the field of computer security, a method of fooling access equipment into thinking a network

connection is active even when it is not.

Spot beam. A focused antenna pattern sent to a limited geographical area. Used by domestic satellites to

deliver certain transponder signals to geographically well-defined areas such as Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto

Rico.

Spread spectrum. A modulation technique, known as frequency hopping, used in wireless systems. The

data is packetized and spread over a range of bandwidth.


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Springdale. Intel desktop chipset in support of the Pentium 4 and Pentium 4-M (Northwood, Prescott)

processors. Springdale supports dual-channel DDR and AGP 8X.

SQL (structured query language). SQL is the language of relational databases. An International

Standards Organization (ISO) standard, SQL is a list of commands used to manipulate and query data

organized in table. (see relational database).

SRAM. A memory chip that requires power to hold its content. Static RAM chips have access times in the 10

to 30-nanosecond range. Dynamic RAMs are usually above 30, and Bipolar and ECL memories are under 10.

A static RAM bit is made up of a pretzel-like flip-flop circuit that lets current flow through one side or the

other based on which one of two transistors is activated. Static RAMs do not require refresh circuitry as do

dynamic RAMs, but they are less space and power efficient.

SS7 (signaling system 7). A telecommunications protocol that provides call set-up and dial-tone for

circuit-switched telecommunications networks. Also used for advanced intelligent network functionality such

as voice mail, call waiting and caller ID.

SSE (streaming SIMD extensions). A set of SIMD (single instruction stream multiple data stream)

instructions added with the introduction of the Pentium III. SSE aims to improve performance of 3D

graphics, video encoding, speech recognition, and memory bandwidth utilization.

SSE2 (streaming SIMD extensions 2). An updated set of SIMD instructions added with the introduction

of the Pentium 4.

SSFDC (smart media). Solid state floppy disk card, a removable flash RAM memory card used in digital

cameras and other digital products.

SSL (see secure socket layer).

Stackable switches. Stand-alone switches that also can be connected with each other through ports on the

switch. Also known as fixed-port switches.

Staffware. Products (typically software and systems) that support business procedures.

Standard cell. Predefined circuit elements that may be selected and arranged to create a custom or

semicustom integrated circuit more easily than through original (custom) design.

Star topology. A topology where devices are connected to a central point such as a hub.

Static random access memory (see SRAM).

Stealth virus. A virus that hides its presence from the PC user and anti-virus programs, usually by tapping

interrupt services.

Stepper. Equipment used to transfer a reticle (mask) pattern onto a wafer.

Stockers. Enclosed racks used for the automatic storage of silicon wafer lots between process steps within

semiconductor manufacturing fabs.

Stored procedure. An operation written in SQL and stored on the database server itself so that it is

available to all clients.

Stovepipe applications. Applications that are developed and exist as independent entities, separate from

the other entities of an enterprise.

STP (see shielded twisted pair).


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Streaming media. Technical term for digital audio or video transmissions via the Internet. The sound and

image data are sent as a data stream to the subscriber, hence the term “streaming.” A variety of deferred

data streams can be output from a streaming media server on the Internet. Each receiver can thus receive

the same content deferred. Normally, a packet-switched or asymmetric transmission method is used.

Stripping. A variant of etching in which the underlying material is a polymer rather than metal- or silicon-

based substrate; like etching, stripping can be performed within both dry and wet mediums.

StrongARM. A family of high-performance RISC-based microprocessors from Intel. StrongARM chips are

used in handheld devices such as PDAs and palmtops.

Structured query language (see SQL).

STS-1 (see synchronous transport signal 1).

STS-N. The electrical signal equivalent to the optical OC-N signal.

Subpixel positioning. Because the lines of a graphic do not always run directly through a pixel, the line

must be shifted toward the nearest pixel as it is being drawn, which introduces the possibility the graphic will

be drawn incorrectly. Pixels can be broken down into subpixels in the computer's memory so that the lines

of the graphic can be drawn to the nearest subpixel (see also pixel).

Subscriber equipment. Mobile or portable wireless telephone handsets.

Subscriber identity module (see SIM).

Substrate. The underlying material on which a microelectronic device is built. Such material may be

electrically active, such as silicon, or passive, such as alumina ceramic.

S-UMTS (satellite UMTS). A satellite-based system that, independent of the terrestrial mobile networks,

can provide some of the ground based UMTS system's capabilities.

Supply chain management (SCM). Oversight of materials, information and finances as they move in a

process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Involves coordinating and

integrating three main types of flows: product flows, information flows and finance flows.

Surface mount technology (SMT). A method of soldering electrical components directly to a board,

resulting in high-density configurations. SMT allows components to be placed on both sides of a printed

circuit board and offers advantages in miniaturization, vibration resistance, performance and cost reduction

over the older pin-through-hole method.

Survivability. A property of a system, subsystem, equipment, process, or procedure that provides a

defined degree of assurance that the device or system will continue to work during and after a natural or

man-made disturbance.

SVC (see switched virtual circuit).

Switch. A mechanical or electronic device that directs the flow of electrical or optical signals from one side

to the other. Switches with more than two ports, such as a LAN switch or PBX, are able to route traffic.

Switch fabric. 1) The internal interconnect architecture used by a switching device that redirects the data

coming in on one of its ports out to another of its ports: 2) The combination of interconnected switches used

throughout a campus or large geographic area, which collectively create a routing infrastructure.

Switched access services. Communication services provided by the local exchange companies to long-

distance carriers for access to end users. The local exchange carrier transports calls from the long-distance

Pop or switch through its own local switches to connect directly to the end user.


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Switched ethernet. Configuration supporting an integrated MAC layer bridging capability to provide each

port with 10, 100 or 1,000M b/s of bandwidth. Separate transmissions can occur simultaneously on each port

of the switch, and the switch filters traffic based on the destination MAC address.

Switched LAN. LAN implemented with packet switches.

Switched virtual circuit (SVC). A virtual link, with variable end-points, established through an ATM

network. With an SVC, the user defines the end-points when the call is initiated that are subsequently

terminated at the end of the call. With a PVC, the end-points are predefined by the network manager. A

single virtual path may support multiple SVCs.

Switching. On a telecommunications network, switching means routing traffic by setting up temporary

connections between two or more network points. This is done by devices located at different locations on

the network, called switches (or exchanges). The basic structure of a telecommunications network therefore

comprises transmission media, interconnected by exchanges. “Packet” and “circuit” switching are two

techniques used by telecommunications networks. The first is used by IP networks, and the second by

traditional networks (PSTN).

Switching platform. A platform that provides interconnection of the RF access system to the PSTN and

supports the network with databases and other support services.

Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP). A computing architecture in which “all processors are created equal.”

Any processor can do the work of any other processor. This architecture, supported by the major 32-bit

operating systems (i.e., UNIX, NetWare, OS/2, and NT), improves application performance as well as the

total throughput of the server system (see asymmetric multiprocessing, massively parallel processing,

parallel processor).

Symmetric transmission. Transmission in which a channel sends and receives data with the same

signaling rate.

Synchronous digital hierarchy (see SDH).

Synchronous optical network (see SONET).

Synchronous transmission. Transmission in which a channel sends and receives data with the same

signaling rate.

Synchronous transport signal 1 (STS-1). 1) SONET standard for transmission over OC-1 optical fiber at

51.84 Mb/s; 2) A SONET frame including overhead and payload capacity.

System administrator. The person responsible for maintaining staffware data not specific to individual

procedures, such as user data.

Systems integrator. A company that combines hardware and software into a working system for

customers. Systems integrators can be important high-end distribution channels for technology companies

because of the high-level customer relationships.


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T T.120. A new international communications standard that enables multiparty sharing of data in real time.

Many major vendors of software and hardware are adopting T.120 for use in video and data conferencing,

multi-player gaming and application sharing.

T1. The 1.544 Mbps trunking standard in the Bell digital hierarchy; a physical transmission standard

consisting of two twisted wire pairs and related equipment capable of carrying a 1.5444 Mbps DS-1 signal; a

standard for digital transmission in North America (also see VGE circuits).

T3. 1) A digital transmission facility operating at 45 Mbps bandwidth. Composed of 28 DS-1 channels in

many cases. Also known as DS-3; 2) A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 45 mbits/sec. Prior

to the establishment of the SONET standards, this was as fast as standardized transmissions in the public

network could go (also see VGE circuits).

Tagged image file format (see TIFF).

Tantalum capacitor. Electrolyte capacitors made using the metal tantalum. They are the preferred choice

of capacitor when resistance to high temperatures and reliability is required. Tantalum capacitors tend to

have three times more capacitance/volume efficiency than aluminum capacitors.

TAP: Test, assembly and package.

TAPI and TSAPI. Separate CTI standards proposed by Microsoft, in the case of TAPI, and by an industry

group including Lucent (Versit) and Novell, in the case of TSAPI.

TCP (transmission control protocol). A protocol used in conjunction with IP to send data between

computers on the Internet. TCP reorganizes IP packets into their original form once they reach the target

node.

TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol). A protocol capable of linking different

computer platforms across the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX system, TCP/IP software is now

available for every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet, a computer must

have TCP/IP software.

TDD (time division duplex). The second variation of W-CDMA. This version is especially suited to indoor

environments, where there is a need for high traffic density.

TDM (time division multiplexing). A technology that transmits multiple signals simultaneously over a

single transmission path. Each lower speed signal is time reduced into one high-speed transmission. For

example, three incoming 1,000 bps signals (A, B and C) can be combined into one 3,000 bps signal. The

receiving end divides the single stream back into its original signals. TDM enabled the telephone companies

to migrate from analog to digital on all their long distance trunks.

TDMA (time division multiple access). A digital transmission allowing a large number of users to access a

single radio frequency channel without interference by allocating unique time slots to each user within each

channel. The technique is used for GSM, D-AMPS (IS-136) and PDC air interfaces. D-AMPS in North America

is often called just TDMA. TDMA services can be delivered in the 800 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency bands.


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TD-SCDMA. Siemens developed this special transmission method for UMTS together with the China

Academy of Telecommunications Technology (CATT). TD-SCDMA is to be used for setting up UMTS mobile

phone networks in China. It combines the SCDMA technique developed by CATT with the TD-CDMA method

proposed by Siemens and other manufacturers. The “S” in “SCDMA” refers to the special synchronous mode:

All radio base stations transmit and receive synchronously. They prevent unavoidably occurring feedback

interferences with asynchronous radio methods. An advantage of the TD-SCDMA technique is that it is also

suitable for unpaired frequency ranges.

Tehama. The Pentium 4 chipset. Tehama offers only Rambus DRAM (RDRAM) support.

Telco. An abbreviation for local telecommunications service provider.

Telecommunications Act of 1996. Landmark legislation passed in February 1996 designed to provide

competition in all telecommunications markets. It requires the telephone companies to open their networks

to competitors, that is, to allow interconnection with, and the resale of, telephone company facilities. It also

permits the RBOCs to provide long-distance services once they have met certain interconnection

requirements.

Television receive only (see TVRO).

Ten-year buildout requirement. The requirement that a holder of a 30 MHz MTA license must build out

its network so that service is available to two-thirds of the population in the MTA within 10 years of the date

the license was issued (see major trading area).

Terabit. A trillion bits or a million megabits.

Tessellation. General term for the phase of 3D processing in which a description of an object is created and

converted into a set of polygons.

Texel. Textured pixel (see pixel).

Texture mapping. Pasting of bit-mapped texture images stored in memory to a graphical scene’s triangle

surfaces, almost like wallpaper, to add another level of realism (as in perspective-correct texture mapping)

(see bit-mapped graphics and perspective correction).

TFT-LCD (liquid crystal display) or active matrix LCD. A type of flat panel display (FPD) in which a

liquid compound (liquid crystals) is sealed between two pieces of glass. The bottom sheet of glass is

composed of hundreds or thousands of “pixels,” each possessing a thin-film transistor (TFT). An electric

charge may be applied or not applied to each TFT. The strength of the charge at each pixel dictates the

extent to which the liquid crystal is “twisted” to alter the passage of light through the display and create an

image.

Thin client. A low-cost computing device that works in a server-centric computing model. Thin clients

typically do not require state-of-the-art, powerful processors and large amounts of RAM and ROM because

they access applications from a central server or network. Thin clients can operate in an application server

environment.

Third-generation wireless technology (see 3G).

Throughput. The volume of work flowing through a system. In networking and communications, the

measure of the top speed of the device in packets per second.

Throughput. The volume of work flowing through a system.


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TIFF (tagged image file format). A graphics and page layout file format for desktop computers. Used as

an intermediary file format for both color and black and white images, TIFF is used to transfer documents

between different applications and computer platforms.

Tightly coupled processing. A system in which processing units share memory as well as the operating

system and communicate directly with each other (see loosely coupled processing).

Tillamook. Code name for a high-clock speed notebook version of Intel's Pentium MMX processor (see

microprocessor).

Time division multiple access (see TDMA).

Time division multiplexing (TDM). A technique whereby information from multiple channels may be

allocated bandwidth on a single wire based on time slot assignment.

TLM (triple-level metal). An IC metal interconnect process that employs three vertical levels of metal,

separated by insulating layers. Such a dense configuration requires that each metal interconnect layer be

made planar before the subsequent layer is deposited.

TMDS (transmission minimized differential signaling). A transmission method for sending digital

information from a PC to a digital flat panel display. TMDS is used in the VESA plug and display, DFP and

DVI interfaces. TMDS is a variation of LVDS, but converts an 8-bit signal into a 10-bit signal to minimize

voltage swings and provide more tolerance.

TMN (telecommunications management network). An evolving set of open standards or guidelines

established to ensure interoperability of telecom operations support systems. A centralization occurs to

facilitate control, monitoring, and management of all devices in the communications network.

Token ring. As defined in IEEE 802.5, a communications method that uses a token to control access to the

LAN. The difference between a token bus and a token ring is that with a token ring, a LAN does not use a

master controller to control the token. Instead, each computer knows the address of the computer that

should receive the token next. When a computer with the token has nothing to transmit, it passes the token

to the next computer in line.

Token. A physical device that provides secure access control.

Toll call. A “short-haul” long-distance call that local exchange carriers typically have provided, it is priced

well above cost to subsidize basic residential rates and therefore is highly profitable. These services have

become competitive over the past several years, and incumbents’ toll prices have come down.

Topography. The layering of features on a device structure causing contours on the surface. The degree of

flatness and/or smoothness is very important in wafer fabrication.

TP monitor. Software that monitors the completion of a transaction. It is based on the premise of a

transaction, which is a unit of work with a beginning and an end. The reasoning is that if an application logic

is encapsulated within a transaction, then the transaction is either competed or is rolled back completely. If

the transaction has been updating remote resources, such as databases and queues, then they too will be

rolled back if a problem occurs.

Traffic management. A key function of operations support systems that enables network operators to

track traffic flows to ensure efficient utilization of network resources.


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Traffic shaping. Allows the sending station to specify the priority and throughput of information going into

the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network and subsequently monitor information progress to meet

required service levels.

Transceiver. A device or piece of equipment that combines both the function of a transmitter and receiver,

thereby providing both output and input interfaces in a single solution.

Transistor. A three-terminal active semiconductor device that provides current amplification. A bipolar

transistor is composed of base, emitter and collector and is a current-controlled device with a low input

impedance. A field-effect transistor has gate, source and drain electrodes and is a high-impedance, voltage-

controlled device.

Transistor. A three-terminal active semiconductor device that provides current amplification. A bipolar

transistor is composed of base, emitter and collector and is a current-controlled device with low input

impedance. A field-effect transistor has gate, source and drain electrodes and is a high-impedance, voltage-

controlled device.

Transistor-transistor logic (see TTL).

Transmission control protocol (TCP). A reliable, full duplex, connection-oriented end-to-end transport

protocol running on top of Internet protocol.

Transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (see TCP/IP).

Transponder. A combination receiver, frequency converter and transmitter package, physically part of a

communications satellite. Transponders have a typical output of five to ten watts, operate over a frequency

band with a 36-72 megahertz bandwidth in the L, C, Ku and sometimes Ka Bands or in effect typically in the

microwave spectrum, except for mobile satellite communications.

Transport layer. An OSI (open systems interconnection) layer that functions as the interface between the

upper-end application-oriented layers and their underlying network-dependent layers, providing the session

layer with a message transfer facility and overseeing the lower layers to ensure an error-free transmission.

The transport layer also offers several classes of service.

Trim & Form: This is the last process step in making a production ready device by trimming away the

excess material from the leads.

Triple-band. The American 1900MHz frequency band as well as the European 900MHz and 1800MHz bands.

Triple-level metal (see TLM).

Trojan horse. In security software: 1) A software entity that appears to do something normal but which,

in fact, contains a trapdoor or attack program; 2) A computer program, the execution of which would result

in undesired side effects, generally unanticipated by the user. The Trojan horse program may otherwise give

the appearance of providing normal functionality.

Trouble ticket. A form filled out to indicate a service or equipment problem within telecom networks.

Trouble ticket management is a key aspect of telecom operations support systems.

Trunk. A communications path connecting two switching systems in a network, used in the establishment of

an end-to-end connection.

TSOP (thin small outline package). A popular package type for less sophisticated DRAM, logic and Flash

applications.


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TTL (transistor-transistor logic). A bipolar technology used for producing logic gates. Positioned in the

evolution of logic families after RTL (resistor transistor logic), DTL (diode transistor logic) and before ECL and

CMOS.

Tualatin. Tualatin is the 0.13-micron version of the Coppermine Pentium III, and has up to 512K of L2

cache. Tualatin is currently sold as the desktop Celeron, the mobile Pentium III-M, and the mobile Celeron

(the Tualatin incorporated IMVP II power-saving technology).

Tumwater. Intel’s workstation chipset.

Tungsten. A refractory metal used as an interconnect material.

Turnkey. A type of outsourcing method that turns over to the electronics manufacturing services (EMS)

provider all aspects of manufacturing, including materials acquisition, and testing. Its opposite is the

consignment outsourcing method.

TVRO (television receive only). A satellite receiving antenna, also known as a downlink or a backyard

dish.

TWAIN. An image acquisition interface developed by a consortium of software developers as a standard for

communications between scanners, imaging devices and now digital cameras and the computer. TWAIN

allows one to import (acquire) an image into software. By several accounts, TWAIN was an acronym

developed playfully from "technology without an important name." However, the TWAIN Working Group says

that after the original name turned out to already have been trademarked, the group came up with TWAIN,

deriving it from the saying, "Ne'er the twain shall meet," because the program sits between the device driver

and the application.

Two-phase commit. A feature that ensures databases remain synchronized. Often one transaction

updates many databases. With two-phase commit, updates will only occur when all databases are available

to receive new data.


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U UDP (user diagram protocol). An alternative protocol to TCP that is usually used in applications that do

not require reliable delivery of all packets such as real-time audio and video. In contrast with TCP, UDP does

not provide services such as datagram generation and packet sequencing, relying instead on the underlying

network equipment or a lower layer protocol.

UMTS (universal mobile telephony system). This is the almost universally subscribed-to standard for

the third generation and is generally based on W-CDMA (wideband code division multiple access) telephony.

UMTS promises a permanent Internet connection of at least 384kbps and up to about 2mbps, combined with

highly integrated devices and a super-fast back end (see IMT-2000).

Unauthorized switching. Long-distance services that are switched to a new long-distance company

without consumers’ permission. Such unauthorized switching violates FCC rules and consumer protection

policies.

Unbundled lines. As part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the incumbent local exchange carriers

(ILECs) must allow new entrants to lease portions of the network. Thus, a new entrant, rather than leasing

all physical and functional elements of the network from the ILEC, may lease only the access line that

connects a home or business with a central office, while installing its own switch. The access line is thus

"unbundled" or separated from the ILEC’s additional network elements.

Unbundled network element (see UNE).

Unbundling. The process of separating the operations and reselling access to individual devices or services

within a network. Unbundling is a key provision of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

UNE (unbundled network element). A creation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to allow

competitive service providers to purchase/lease selected pieces of incumbent carrier networks for resale to

customers without having to purchase/lease an entire end-to-end connection (e.g., access lines with no

switching functionality).

UNI (user to network interface). Protocol between an ATM service provider and a customer; also, an

ATM physical layer device that inserts ATM cells into DS-N frames (e.g., a DS-3 ATM UNI).

Unicast address. An address specifying a single network device.

Unified network management architecture (UNMA). AT&T’s umbrella software system.

Uniform resource locator (see URL).

UNII. Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure, a communications service that operates in the

5.3 GHz to 5.8 GHz unlicensed band.

Universal mobile telecommunications system (see UMTS).

Universal service. The U.S. Government, and most other governments around the world, have had a long-

term policy of promoting nationwide ubiquitous accessibility to telephone service at a low average rate. This

generally has led to below-cost prices for rural customers and above-cost prices for urban and business

customers.


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UNIX. The most commonly used operating system in enterprise computing. An operating system developed

at Bell Labs in the early 1970s, UNIX became popular owing to its strong multi-tasking and multi-user

functionality. Like Chinese, UNIX has a language that has been fractured into a multitude of dialects

throughout the years.

Unshielded twisted pair (see UTP).

Uplink. A technical term for data transmission in the direction from the subscriber to the network, or rather

back to the provider or Internet provider; also called back channel. The opposite transmission direction, the

“transmission channel,” is called the “uplink” in technical jargon.

Uploading. The sending of a text file or software program via telecommunications to another computer.

Upstream. Data flowing from a subscriber to a central office.

URL (uniform resource locator). The standard way to give the address of any resource on the Internet

that is part of the World Wide Web (WWW). A URL looks like this: http://www.matisse.net/seminars.html or

telnet://well.sf.ca.us or news:new.newusers.questions. The most common way to use a URL is to enter it

into a WWW browser program.

USB (universal serial bus). A hardware interface for low-speed peripherals such as the keyboard, mouse,

joystick, scanner, printer and telephony devices. It also supports MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 digital video. Because

USB has a maximum bandwidth of 1.5 Mbytes/sec, up to 127 devices can be attached. Fast devices can use

the full bandwidth, while lower-speed ones can transfer data using a 1.5 Mbits/sec subchannel. The faster

USB 2.0 has a bandwidth of 480 Mbps, and is beginning to ship in mainstream PCs.

Username. The name assigned to users for staffware log-in (it is the same as the user’s UNIX log-in name).

Utopia (universal test and operations interface). Refers to an electrical bus interface between the

physical and ATM layers in an ATM Network. Utopia has various levels (e.g., 1, 2, 3 and 4) that correspond

to data transmission rates.

UTP. Unshielded twisted pair copper wire. Commonly used in telecommunications and data networks.

UTRA (UMTS terrestrial radio access). A term used for UMTS radio access solution, applied to W-CDMA

and TD-CDMA.


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V V.34. The international standard for dial-up modems of up to 28,800 bits per second. V.34 bits is a faster

version of V.34, which adds two optional higher data rates to V.34—31,200 bits per second and 33,600 bits

per second.

V.42BIS. Data compression protocols for voice-band modems.

V.70. The ITU-T standard for DSVD (digital simultaneous voice and data) modems. DSVD allows the

simultaneous transmission of data and digitally encoded voice signals over a single dial-up analog telephone

line.

V.80. A way that V.34 modems negotiate connection features and options.

V.90. An analog modem standard (1998) for 56 Kbps downstream and 33.6 Kbps upstream. It is intended

for use only with ISPs and online services that are digitally attached to the telephone system.

V.92. An improved version of the V.90 modem that boosts the upstream rate from 33.6 Kbps to 48 Kbps.

Introduced in 2000, V.92 reduces connection time by remembering the previous settings negotiated when

dialing the same telephone number. It also supports call waiting by allowing the data session to be put on

hold while a voice call is taken.

V5. A European standard protocol for the interface between the access network and the carrier switch,

principally for basic telephony.

Validation list. A drop-down list of values attached to a field from which the device user selects one.

Value-added network (VAN). 1) A private network provider (sometimes called a turnkey communications

line) that is hired by a company to facilitate electronic data interchange (EDI) or provide other network

services. 2) A national (or international) enhanced network that is designed expressly to carry data

communications. VANs also provide billing and other special services to their customers.

Value-added resellers (see VARs).

VAN (see value-added network).

VARs (value-added resellers). Businesses, smaller than systems integrators, that sell products and

consulting services typically for smaller organizations. While VARs and systems integrators are similar in

nature, VARs focus more on the low end and systems integrators more on the high end (see Systems

integrator).

VBR (variable bit rate). An ATM traffic type.

VC (see virtual circuit).

VCC (virtual channel connection). Identifies a virtual circuit in an ATM switch through an input port, a

virtual channel identifier and a virtual path identifier.

VCD. Video CD, a popular MPEG-1 based video player sold primarily in China.

VCI (virtual channel identifier). A 16-bit value specifying a connection on a particular path.


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VDSL (very high-speed digital subscriber line). Another asymmetric transmission technology using

existing copper cabling, VDSL provides download speeds of up to 52 Mbps. However, VDSL is limited to

distances of 2,700 feet.

Vector graphics. Object-oriented graphics in which an image is stored as a series of numbers defining size,

position and shape.

Verilog. A Cadence Design Systems logic simulator.

Vertical domain knowledge. Refers to skill bases developed across specific industries such as telecom,

banking, financial services, insurance and manufacturing. The term is mostly used in software services

industry to differentiate among companies on the basis of their experience in providing solutions for a

specific industry.

Very high-speed digital subscriber line (see VDSL).

Very small aperture terminal (see VSAT).

VGE circuits. Voice-grade equivalent circuits, of which there are three classifications: 1) DS-0, which can

transmit a single bit at a rate of 64 kilobits per second, which is one circuit; 2) DS-1, which can transmit at a

bit rate of 1.544 megabits per second, which equates to 24 circuits; and 3) DS-3, which can transmit at a bit

rate of 44.736 megabits per second, which equates to 672 circuits. The latter two are also known as T-1 and

T-3 service, respectively.

VHDL (VHSIC hardware description language). Originally developed as a language for describing the

design of an IC under the VHSIC (very high speed integrated circuit) program, this language, sponsored by

the U.S. Department of Defense, is the military-mandated language for describing hardware functionality as

well as a commercially viable standard for high-level descriptions of ICs.

VHSIC hardware description language (see VHDL).

VI (virtual interface). A memory-to-memory transport protocol that enables large block transfers directly

between applications. VI can be considered a remote direct memory access (RDMA) technology.

Via.hole. Through dielectric layers, opened by etching. Metal will be deposited in the via to form a plug and

create an interconnect between two metal lines.

Virtual channel. A defined route between two end nodes that may access multiple virtual paths.

Virtual circuit (VC). 1) A portion of a virtual path or a virtual channel used to establish a virtual connection

between two end nodes. 2) Logical channels established as a result of the call initiation procedure to a

network address that exists for a period of time.

Virtual IP. A function provided on the catalyst with the virtual network services software, which enables the

creation of logically separated switched IP workgroups across catalyst switch ports.

Virtual LAN. Membership to a virtual LAN is defined administratively, independent of the physical network

topology. A virtual LAN segment is a unique broadcast domain.

Virtual local area network (see VLAN).

Virtual path connection (VPC). Virtual paths in two or more sequential physical circuits can be

concatenated to create a logical connection, called a VPC. VPCs must be pre-configured. All cells traversing

VCs in a VPC are routed the same way.


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Virtual private network (VPN). A private wide-area network that uses the Internet for long-distance data

transport rather than traditional, point-to-point EDI. A VPN uses firewalls to create a seamless encrypted

communication channel between offices to ensure privacy.

Virtual tributary (VT). A structure designed for transport and switching of sub DS-3 payloads. A unit of

sub-SONET bandwidth that can be combined or concatenated, for transmission through the network. VT1.5 is

equivalent to 1.544 Mbps and VT2 is equivalent to 2.048 Mbps.

Virtualization. Software technology that creates an abstraction layer between different layers of software

technology.

Virus signature. In the security software area, an identifier recognized by the virus as meaning “this item

is already infected, do not reinfect.” It can take different forms such as the text “sURIV” at the beginning of

the file, the size of the file divisible by a number, or the number of seconds in the date stamp set to 62.

Some viruses do not recognize their signatures correctly.

Virus. A self-replicating code segment. Viruses may or may not contain attack programs or trapdoors.

Visual C++. A computer programming language used to design applications and programs, especially for

Microsoft Corporation’s Windows operating environment.

VLAN (virtual LAN). A logical subgroup of the LAN, segmenting user groups and access rights via software

and specialized switching versus more complicated hard-wiring.

VLSI. Very large-scale integration.

Vocoder. A speech compression device used to convert speech into digital signals, thus reducing the

amount of bandwidth required for a voice transmission.

VOD (video on demand). A service that allows subscribers to watch programs at the time they want.

Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). A method for carrying voice over the same media currently used

for the Internet. When used in a private intranet or WAN, it is generally known as "voice over IP," or "VoIP."

When the transport is the public Internet or the Internet backbone from a major carrier, it is generally called

“IP telephony” or “Internet telephony.” However, the terms IP telephony, Internet telephony and VoIP are

used interchangeably.

Voice-over-DSL (VODSL). Sending voice transmissions over DSL-based networks instead of traditional

circuit-switched networks. Using compression, a large number of voice channels can be placed on DSL

channels, which makes the technology very attractive. For example, up to 150 voice channels can be

transmitted over a 1.5 Mbps DSL line. DSL signals at the customer side are delivered into an integrated

access device (IAD), which forwards them over twisted pair to the carrier. The signals go to the carrier's

DSLAM and then to an access switch that forwards voice to a voice gateway and then the PSTN and data to

the appropriate data network.

Voice-over-IP (VOIP). Converting voice transmissions to packets of data, then transmitting them over a

packet or IP network such as the Internet.

VoIP (see voice over Internet protocol).

Volatile memory. A memory device that does not retain stored information when power is interrupted.

Voltage regulator. A device that provides constant output voltage to an electrical system regardless of

variations in output current or input voltage. Voltage regulators are key to total system power management.


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Voltage. Electromotive force (EMF). One volt is equal to the EMF required to force one ampere of current

through one ohm of resistance. Symbol: V.

VPI (virtual path identifier). The field in the ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) cell header that labels

(identifies) a particular virtual path.

VPN (see virtual private network).

VSAT (very small aperture terminal). A means of narrowcast transmission of video, voice and data by

SCPC means to a satellite, typically used in business applications.


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W

Wafer. A very thin sheet of semiconductor material, about 1/30th of an inch thick, which serves as the

substrate for a microchip.

WAN (wide-area network). 1) A network that encompasses interconnectivity between devices over a wide

geographic area. Such networks would require public right-of-way and operate over long distances; 2) A set

of computers that communicate with each other over long distances.

WAP (wireless application protocol). The development of WAP is being driven by the WAP Forum,

initially founded by Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson and Unwired Planet. WAP is a technology designed to provide

users of mobile terminals with limited access to the Internet. In the future, devices and service systems that

use WAP will be able to interoperate. The WAP layers are: wireless application environment (WAE), wireless

session layer (WSL), wireless transport layer security (WTLS) and wireless transport layer (WTP).

W-ASP (wireless application service provider). An application service provider focused on providing

wireless data solutions. The W-ASP provides complex third-party hosting services for enterprises and offers

sophisticated system and network management solutions.

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). A transmission method that exponentially increases the

capacity of fiberoptic lines. Ordinary fiberoptic technologies work by using a single frequency or color when

transmitting data. WDM increases bandwidth by transmitting and receiving light in different frequencies or

colors rather than one frequency or color.

Wavelength. The length of one complete wave of an alternating or vibrating phenomenon, generally

measured from crest to crest or from trough to trough of successive waves.

W-CDMA (wideband code division multiple access). One of two third-generation (3G) wireless

communications standards that makes use of a wider spectrum than CDMA and therefore can transmit and

receive information for faster and more efficiently. Co-developed by NTT DoCoMo, it is being backed by most

European mobile operators and is expected to compete with cdma2000 to be the de facto 3G standard.

WDM (see wavelength division multiplexing).

Web directory. A Web directory is typically compiled manually and lists Web sites by specific topics of

interest. A directory generally lists Web sites by their hypertext address, enabling a user to go directly to

the listed site by clicking on the address. Entries may also contain Web site descriptions or reviews.

Web hosting. Placing a consumer or organization’s Web site on a server that can be accessed via the

Internet.

Wide area network (WAN). 1) A network that encompasses interconnectivity between devices over a

wide geographic area. Such networks would require public right-of-way and operate over long distances; 2)

A set of computers that communicate with each other over long distances.

Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA). The air interface technology selected by the major Japanese mobile

communications operators, and in January 1998 by ETSI, for wideband wireless access to support third-


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generation services. This technology is optimized to allow very high-speed multimedia services such as full-

motion video, Internet access and videoconferencing.

Wideband. A classification of the information capacity or bandwidth of a communication channel. Wideband

is generally taken to mean a bandwidth between 64kbits/s and 2Mbit/s.

Wi-Fi. Wireless fidelity (see 802.11b).

Willamette (32-bit, 0.18µm processor). Intel’s seventh-generation IA-32 processor and the first to carry

the Pentium 4 name, Willamette uses Intel’s new NetBurst architecture.

Windows. A family of computer operating systems developed by Microsoft Corporation providing graphical

user interfaces. Windows NT is optimized for the computer network environment.

Wireless application protocol (see WAP).

Wireless application service provider (see WASP).

Wireless LAN (WLAN). A networking technology that transmits data using radio frequency to form a local

area network. WLAN can be used to add wireless clients to a wired Ethernet business LAN, and as the

primary networking technology in a small home network. Most wireless LANs are based on the IEEE 802.11

standard.

Wireless local loop (see WLL).

Wireless markup language (see WML).

WLAN-on-motherboard. A PC design that includes wireless LAN (WLAN) connectivity via devices directly

on the motherboard rather than via an add-in WLAN NIC or PCMCIA card.

WLL (wireless local loop). Eliminates the need for a wire (loop) connecting users to the public switched

telephone network (used in conventional wired telephone systems) by transmitting voice messages over

radio waves for the “last mile” connection between the location of the customer’s telephone and a base

station connected to the network equipment.

WML (wireless markup language). Wireless markup language is a markup language developed

specifically to deliver Internet/data content to wireless devices under the WAP protocol. WML is based on

XML (extendible markup language).

Workflow management coalition. A consortium of industries, composed of workflow vendors, users,

analysts and university/research groups, working to establish workflow standards for software terminology,

interoperability and connectivity between workflow products.

Workflow. The tasks, procedural steps, organizations or people involved, required input and output

information and tools needed for each step in a business process.

Workgroup switch. Typically a less dense switch used to connect users and other workgroup switches with

each other.

Workgroup. A group of workstations and servers that commonly exchange data. This term is also used to

describe a group of people who work together.

Workstation (WS). A terminal or computer that provides access to a network element.

World Wide Web (see WWW).


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WS (see Workstation).

W-TDMA (wideband-time division multiple access). A technique based on time division transmission,

which is similar to that used by GSM but provides a much higher transmission rate. It was submitted as a

solution for UMTS radio interface, but was rejected.

WWW (World Wide Web). 1) Loosely used: the whole constellation of Internet resources that can be

accessed using Gopher, FTP, HTTP, telnet, USENET, WAIS and some other tools; 2) The universe of

hypertext servers (HTTP servers), which are the servers that allow text, graphics, sound files, etc., to be

mixed together.


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X X.25. An old international packet-based standard of data communication. X.25 was created when telephone

networks were not as reliable as they are now and included plenty of error correction code. With the

evolution of the telephone network, X.25 has been replaced by frame relay, which does not use such

thorough error correction and thus provides better performance.

X.509. In the security software area, a standard that specifies a format and syntax for digital certificates.

V3 is the current version of the X.509 standard. Fields within an X.509 V3 certificate include X.509 version

number, authentication service algorithm identifier, owner name, CA name, certificate validity period and

public key information. It is used in PEM, PKCS, S-HTTP and SSL.

x2. Analog modem technology from U.S. Robotics, which can reach downstream speeds of up to 56 kilobits

per second. Using pulse code modulation, x2 works by taking advantage of the downstream digital telephone

network to which ISPs are usually connected. However, because connections from the client modem to the

central site are mostly analog, upstream transmission rates are limited to 33.6 kilobits per second.

xDSL. A generic term used to describe any of many digital subscriber line access technologies, including

ADSL, HDSL and VDSL. DSL technology enables existing copper loops to transport data and video digital bits

and rates between 1.5 megabits and 6.0 megabits per second or higher. Asymmetric DSL (ADSL) is for

Internet access, where fast downstream is required, but slow upstream is acceptable. Symmetric DSL (SDSL,

HDSL, etc.) is designed for short haul connections that require high speed in both directions. XDSL refers to

DSL technologies in general, including ADSL, HDSL, SDSL and VDSL.

Xeon. Intel’s brand name for its server microprocessors. Xeon was originally introduced in 1998 as a suffix

to the Pentium II, was later introduced as a suffix to the Pentium III, and most recently used on its own

(discarding the Pentium 4) with the introduction of the Pentium-4 based Xeon in 2001. The Pentium II Xeon

used the Tanner (0.25-micron) core, while the Pentium III Xeon used the Cascades (0.18-micron) core. The

current Xeon processor uses the Foster/FosterMP (0.18-micron) and Prestonia (0.13-micron) cores.

XML (extensible markup language). A document description language, primarily used to define Web

pages and applications, that is compatible with hypertext markup language (HTML) but provides more

capability and flexibility. XML removes presentation constraints imposed by HTML and does not necessarily

require a Web browser. While both languages are platform independent, XML is also database and file

independent.

X-ray lithography. The lithographic process for transferring patterns to a silicon wafer in which the

electromagnetic radiation used is X-ray, rather than visible radiation. The shorter wavelength for X-rays (10-

50 angstroms, versus 2,000-3,000 angstroms for ultra-violet radiation) minimizes diffraction, and extends

the useful range of lithography toward 0.1µm. Optical lithography is currently thought to be limited to

feature sizes above 0.25-0.3µm.

xSP. A generic term for any service provider on the Internet, including Internet service providers (ISPs),

application service providers (ASPs) or storage service providers (SSPs).


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Y Yield. The percentage of wafers, die or packaged units conforming to specifications. The most common

yields in the manufacturing process are wafer fab yield (percentage of the wafers that complete wafer

processing); wafer probe yield (the fraction of die on a wafer that meet device specifications); assembly yield

(percentage of units that are assembled correctly); and final test yield (percentage of packaged units that

pass all device specifications).

YIG. Yttrium iron garnet.


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Z Z-buffering. Process that tracks the depth of each triangle in a graphic from the viewer’s perspective to

ensure that objects that fall behind others do not get displayed, but do appear as the viewer moves within a

scene.


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Equity Research


John Parks (212) 667-7367 [email protected]

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