- MAC
- See: Media Access
Control
- MAC address
- The hardware address of
a device connected to a shared media. See also: Media
Access Control, Ethernet, token ring. [Source: MALAMUD]
- mail bridge
- A mail gateway that
forwards electronic mail between two or more networks
while ensuring that the messages it forwards meet
certain administrative criteria. A mail bridge is
simply a specialized form of mail gateway that
enforces an administrative policy with regard to what
mail it forwards. See also: Electronic Mail, mail
gateway. [Source: NNSC]
- Mail Exchange Record
(MX Record)
- A DNS resource record
type indicating which host can handle mail for a
particular domain. See also: Domain Name System,
Electronic Mail. [Source: MALAMUD]
- mail exploder
- Part of an electronic
mail delivery system which allows a message to be
delivered to a list of addresses. Mail exploders are
used to implement mailing lists. Users send messages
to a single address and the mail exploder takes care
of delivery to the individual mailboxes in the list.
See also: Electronic Mail, email address, mailing
list. [Source: RFC1208]
- mail gateway
- A machine that connects
two or more electronic mail systems (including
dissimilar mail systems) and transfers messages
between them. Sometimes the mapping and translation
can be quite complex, and it 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
translations. See also: Electronic Mail. [Source:
RFC1208]
- mail path
- A series of machine
names used to direct electronic mail from one user to
another. This system of email addressing has been used
primarily in UUCP networks which are trying to
eliminate its use altogether. See also: bang path,
email address, UNIX-to-UNIX CoPy. [Source: RFC1392]
- mail server
- A software program that
distributes files or information in response to
requests sent via email. Internet examples include
Almanac and netlib. Mail servers have also been used
in Bitnet to provide FTP-like services. See also:
Bitnet, Electronic Mail, FTP. [Source: NWNET]
- mailing list
- A list of email
addresses, used by a mail exploder, to forward
messages to groups of people. Generally, a mailing
list is used to discuss certain set of topics, and
different mailing lists discuss different topics. A
mailing list may be moderated. This means that
messages sent to the list are actually sent to a
moderator who determines whether or not to send the
messages on to everyone else. Requests to subscribe
to, or leave, a mailing list should ALWAYS be sent to
the list's "-request" address (e.g., [email protected]
for the IETF mailing list) or majordomo server. See
also: Electronic Mail, mail exploder, email address,
moderator, majordomo. [Source: RFC1983]
- majordomo
- A program which handles
mailing list maintenance (affectionately known as
administrivia) such as adding and removing addresses
from mailing lists. See also: email address, mailing
list. [Source: RFC1983]
- MAN
- See: Metropolitan Area
Network
- Management
Information Base (MIB)
- The set of parameters an
SNMP management station can query or set in the SNMP
agent of a network device (e.g., router). Standard,
minimal MIBs have been defined, and vendors often have
Private enterprise MIBs. In theory, any SNMP manager
can talk to any SNMP agent with a properly defined MIB.
See also: client-server model, Simple Network
Management Protocol, SMI. [Source: BIG-LAN]
- MAPS
- Mail Abuse Prevention
System.
- Martian
- A humorous term applied
to packets that turn up unexpectedly on the wrong
network because of bogus routing entries. Also used as
a name for a packet which has an altogether bogus
(non-registered or ill-formed) internet address.
[Source: RFC1208]
- MAU (1)
- Multistation Access
Unit, for connection and control of Token Ring network
stations in a star arrangement. Also known as MSAU.
- MAU (2)
- Monitoring and Advisory
Unit, a JISC-sponsored service to manage contracts
between JISC and several JISC-funded services.
- Maximum Transmission
Unit (MTU)
- The largest frame length
which may be sent on a physical medium. See also:
frame, fragmentation, frame. [Source: RFC1392]
- Mbit/s
- Megabits (million - or
strictly 2 to the power 20 - bits) per second.
- mbone
- The Multicast Backbone
is based on IP multicasting using class-D addresses.
The mbone concept was adopted at the March 1992 IETF
in San Diego, during which it was used to audiocast to
40 people throughout the world. At the following
meeting, in Cambridge, the name mbone was adopted.
Since then the audiocast has become full two-way
audio/video conferencing using two video channels,
four audio channels, and involving hundreds of remote
users. See also: multicast, Internet Engineering Task
Force. [Source: RFC1983]
- MD-2, MD-4, MD-5
- See: Message Digest.
- Media Access Control
(MAC)
- The lower portion of the
datalink layer. The MAC differs for various physical
media. See also: MAC Address, Ethernet, Logical Link
Control, token ring. [Source: RFC1392]
- medium
- The material used to
support the transmission of data. This can be copper
wire, coaxial cable, optical fibre, or electromagnetic
wave (as in microwave).
- Message Digest (MD-2,
MD-4, MD-5)
- Message digests are
algorithmic operations, generally performed on text,
which produce a unique signature for that text. MD-2,
described in RFC
1319; MD-4, described in RFC
1320; and MD-5, described in RFC
1321 all produce a 128-bit signature. They differ
in their operating speed and resistance to
crypto-analytic attack. Generally, one must be traded
off for the other. [Source: RFC1983]
- message switching
- See: packet switching
- Metropolitan Area
Network (MAN)
- A data network intended
to serve an area approximating that of a large city.
Such networks are being implemented by innovative
techniques, such as running fibre cables through
subway tunnels. A popular example of a MAN is SMDS.
See also: Local Area Network, Switched Multimegabit
Data Service, Wide Area Network. [Source: NNSC]
- MHS
- Message Handling System.
The system of message user agents, message transfer
agents, message stores, and access units which
together provide OSI electronic mail. MHS is specified
in the CCITT X.400 series of Recommendations. [Source:
RFC1208]
- MIB
- See: Management
Information Base
- Microcom Networking
Protocol (MNP)
- A series of protocols
built into most modems which error-check or compress
data being transmitted over a phone line. [Source:
RFC1983]
- MidJUG
- See: Midlands JANET User
Group
- Midlands JANET User
Group (MidJUG)
- The Midlands JANET User
Group presents the views of the users on JANET and
UKERNA services to the JISC Committee on Networking
through the JANET National User Group. See also: JANET
National User Group.
- mid-level network
- Mid-level networks
(a.k.a. regionals) make up the second level of the
Internet hierarchy. They are the transit networks
which connect the stub networks to the backbone
networks. See also: backbone, Internet, stub network,
transit network. [Source: RFC1392]
- MidMAN
- Midlands Metropolitan
Area Network.
- MILNET
- MILitary NETwork.
Originally part of the ARPANET, MILNET was partitioned
in 1984 to make it possible for military installations
to have reliable network service, while the ARPANET
continued to be used for research. See DDN. [Source:
RFC1208]
- MIME
- See: Multipurpose
Internet Mail Extensions
- MMC
- Microsoft Management
Console.
- MNP
- See: Microcom Networking
Protocol.
- moderator
- A person, or small group
of people, who manage moderated mailing lists and
newsgroups. Moderators are responsible for determining
which email submissions are passed on to list. See
also: Electronic Mail, mailing list, Usenet. [Source:
RFC1392]
- MOSPF
- Multicast Open
Shortest-Path First. See: Open Shortest-Path First.
[Source: RFC1983]
- MSC
- Monitoring SubCommittee,
a subcommittee of JCN to monitor the performance of
JANET, now superseded by SPAG.
- MTA
- Message Transfer Agent.
An OSI application process used to store and forward
messages in the X.400 Message Handling System.
Equivalent to Internet mail agent. [Source: RFC1208]
- MTU
- See: Maximum
Transmission Unit
- MUD
- See: Multi-User Dungeon
- multicast
- A packet with a special
destination address which multiple nodes on the
network may be willing to receive. See also:
broadcast, unicast. [Source: RFC1208]
- multiCCNAd host
- A host which has more
than one connection to a network. The host may send
and receive data over any of the links but will not
route traffic for other nodes. See also: host, router.
[Source: MALAMUD]
- multiplex
- The division of a single
transmission medium into multiple logical channels
supporting many simultaneous sessions. For example,
one network may have simultaneous FTP, telnet, rlogin,
and SMTP connections, all going at the same time.
- Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extensions (MIME)
- An extension to Internet
email which provides the ability to transfer
non-textual data, such as graphics, audio and fax. It
is defined in RFC
1341. See also: Electronic Mail. [Source: RFC1392]
- Multi-User Dungeon
(MUD)
- Adventure, role playing
games, or simulations played on the Internet. Devotees
call them "text-based virtual reality
adventures". The games can feature fantasy
combat, booby traps and magic. Players interact in
real time and can change the "world" in the
game as they play it. Most MUDs are based on the
Telnet protocol. See also: Telnet. [Source: LAQUEY]
- MX Record
- See: Mail Exchange
Record
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