- backbone
- The top level in a
hierarchical network. Stub and transit networks which
connect to the same backbone are guaranteed to be
interconnected. See also: stub network, transit
network. [Source: RFC1392]
- bandwidth
- Technically, the
difference, in Hertz (Hz), between the highest and
lowest frequencies of a transmission channel. However,
as typically used, the amount of data that can be sent
through a given communications circuit. [Source:
RFC1392]
- bang path
- A series of machine
names used to direct electronic mail from one user to
another, typically by specifying an explicit UUCP path
through which the mail is to be routed. See also:
email address, mail path, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy. [Source:
RFC1392]
- BAR
- Backbone Access Router
between a MAN and the JANET backbone.
- baseband
- A transmission medium
through which digital signals are sent without
complicated frequency shifting. In general, only one
communication channel is available at any given time.
Ethernet is an example of a baseband network. See
also: broadband, Ethernet. [Source: NNSC]
- Basic Encoding Rules
(BER)
- Standard rules for
encoding data units described in ASN.1. Sometimes
incorrectly lumped under the term ASN.1, which
properly refers only to the abstract syntax
description language, not the encoding technique. See
also: Abstract Syntax Notation One. [Source: NNSC]
- BBS
- See: Bulletin Board
System
- BCNU
- Be Seein' You [Source:
RFC1392]
- BCP
- The newest subseries of
RFCs which are written to describe Best Current
Practices in the Internet. Rather than specifying a
protocol, these documents specify the best ways to use
the protocols and the best ways to configure options
to ensure interoperability between various vendors'
products. BCPs carry the endorsement of the IESG. See
also: Request For Comments, Internet Engineering
Steering Group. [Source: RFC1983]
- BDP
- Netscape's Browser
Distribution Program.
- BECTa
- British Educational
Communications and Technology Agency.
- BER
- See: Basic Encoding
Rules
- Berkeley Internet
Name Domain (BIND)
- Implementation of a DNS
server developed and distributed by the University of
California at Berkeley. Many Internet hosts run BIND,
and it is the ancestor of many commercial BIND
implementations. See also: Domain Name System.
[Source: RFC1983]
- Berkeley Software
Distribution (BSD)
- Implementation of the
UNIX operating system and its utilities developed and
distributed by the University of California at
Berkeley. "BSD" is usually preceded by the
version number of the distribution, e.g., "4.3
BSD" is version 4.3 of the Berkeley UNIX
distribution. Many Internet hosts run BSD software,
and it is the ancestor of many commercial UNIX
implementations. [Source: NNSC]
- BGP
- See: Border Gateway
Protocol
- big-endian
- A format for storage or
transmission of binary data in which the most
significant bit (or byte) comes first. The term comes
from "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift.
The Lilliputians, being very small, had
correspondingly small political problems. The Big-Endian
and Little-Endian parties debated over whether soft-
boiled eggs should be opened at the big end or the
little end. See also: little-endian. [Source: RFC1208]
- binary
- 11001001
- BIND
- See: Berkeley Internet
Name Domain
- Birds Of a Feather (BOF)
- A Birds Of a Feather
(flocking together) is an informal discussion group.
It is formed, often ad hoc, to consider a specific
issue and, therefore, has a narrow focus. See also:
Working Group. [Source: RFC1392]
- Bitnet
- Because It's Time
NETwork. An academic computer network that provided
interactive electronic mail and file transfer
services, using a store-and-forward protocol, based on
IBM Network Job Entry protocols. Bitnet-II
encapsulated the Bitnet protocol within IP packets and
depended on the Internet to route them. [Source:
RFC1208]
- Blue Book
- the document describing
a File Transfer Protocol used in the UK academic and
research community which was implemented on a wide
range of computers and which allowed file transfers
between dissimilar computers. Also known as Network
Independent File Transfer Protocol (NIFTP). Now mostly
superseded by Internet protocols (see FTP).
- Bluetooth
- An IEEE standard
802.15.1 for short range (up to 10m) wireless links
between mobile computers, phones and other portable
peripheral devices. This uses the 2.4GHz band with a
data rate of 1Mbit/s. Work was in progress in March
2002 on a High Rate (20Mbit/s or greater) version
802.15.3 in the same 2.4GHz band. Also known as
Personal Area Network. See also: Wireless Local Area
Network.
- BNC
- Bayonet Nut Connector. A
connector used on coaxial cables such as 10Base2
Ethernet.
- BOC
- Bell Operating Company.
More commonly referred to as RBOC for Regional Bell
Operating Company. The local telephone company in each
of the seven U.S. regions. [Source: RFC1208]
- BOF
- See: Birds Of a Feather
- BOOTP
- The Bootstrap Protocol,
described in RFC
951 and RFC
1084, is used for booting diskless nodes. Updated
in RFC
1395 and RFC
1497 and superseded by DHCP. See also: Reverse
Address Resolution Protocol, Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol. [Source: RFC1392]
- Border Gateway
Protocol (BGP)
- The Border Gateway
Protocol is an exterior gateway protocol defined in RFC
1267 and RFC
1268. It's design is based on experience gained
with EGP, as defined in STD 18, RFC
904, and EGP usage in the NSFNET Backbone, as
described in RFC
1092 and RFC
1093. See also: Exterior Gateway Protocol.
[Source: RFC1392]
- bounce
- The return of a piece of
mail because of an error in its delivery. [Source:
ZEN]
- bridge
- A device which forwards
traffic between network segments based on datalink
layer information. These segments would have a common
network layer address. See also: gateway, router.
[Source: RFC1392]
- broadband
- A transmission medium
capable of supporting a wide range of frequencies. It
can carry multiple signals by dividing the total
capacity of the medium into multiple, independent
bandwidth channels, where each channel operates only
on a specific range of frequencies. See also: baseband.
[Source: RFC1392]
- broadcast
- A special type of
multicast packet which all nodes on the network are
always willing to receive. See also: multicast,
unicast. [Source: RFC1392]
- broadcast storm
- An incorrect packet
broadcast onto a network that causes multiple hosts to
respond all at once, typically with equally incorrect
packets which causes the storm to grow exponentially
in severity. [Source: RFC1392] See also: Ethernet
meltdown.
- brouter
- A device which bridges
some packets (i.e., forwards based on datalink layer
information) and routes other packets (i.e., forwards
based on network layer information). The bridge/route
decision is based on configuration information. See
also: bridge, router. [Source: RFC1392]
- BSD
- See: Berkeley Software
Distribution
- BTW
- An abbreviation for ``By
The Way''.
- Bulletin Board System
(BBS)
- A computer, and
associated software, which typically provides
electronic messaging services, archives of files, and
any other services or activities of interest to the
bulletin board system's operator. Although BBS's have
traditionally been the domain of hobbyists, an
increasing number of BBS's are connected directly to
the Internet, and many BBS's are currently operated by
government, educational, and research institutions.
See also: Electronic Mail, Internet, Usenet. [Source:
NWNET]
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