IEEE stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, an international professional organization dedicated to advancing innovation and technological excellence in areas related to electrical, electronic, and computing technologies. Established in 1963 through the merger of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), the IEEE has become the largest technical professional society in the world.
Key Aspects of IEEE
Mission:...
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LAN Definition
LAN Definition
Stands for "Local Area Network" and is pronounced "lan." A LAN is a network of connected devices that exist within a specific location. LANs may be found in homes, offices, educational institution, or other areas.
A LAN may be wired, wireless, or a combination of the two. A standard wired LAN uses Ethernet to connect devices together. Wireless LANs are typically created using a Wi-Fi signal. If a router supports both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections, it can be used to create a LAN ...
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WAN Definition
WAN Definition
Stands for "Wide Area Network." It is similar to a Local Area Network (LAN), but it's a lot bigger. Unlike LANs, WANs are not limited to a single location. Many wide area networks span long distances via telephone lines, fiber optic cables, or satellite links. They can also be composed of smaller LANs that are interconnected. The Internet could be described as the biggest WAN in the world. You could even call the Internet a Super WAN BAM if you wanted to. Or maybe not.
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DNS Definition
DNS Definition
Stands for "Domain Name System." Domain names serve as memorizable names for websites and other services on the Internet. However, computers access Internet devices by their IP addresses. DNS translates domain names into IP addresses, allowing you to access an Internet location by its domain name.
Thanks to DNS, you can visit a website by typing in the domain name rather than the IP address. For example, to visit the Tech Terms Computer Dictionary, you can simply type "techter...
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Domain Name Definition
Domain Name Definition
A domain name is a unique name that identifies a website. For example, the domain name of the Tech Terms Computer Dictionary is "techterms.com." Each website has a domain name that serves as an address, which is used to access the website.
Whenever you visit a website, the domain name appears in the address bar of the web browser. Some domain names are preceded by "www" (which is not part of the domain name), while others omit the "www" prefix. All domain names have a dom...
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VPN Definition
VPN Definition
Stands for "Virtual Private Network" (not a successor to the UPN television network). VPN is a network term that most computer users don't need to know, but at least you can impress your friends by talking about it. A virtual private network is "tunneled" through a wide area network WAN such as the Internet. This means the network does not have to be located in one physical location like a LAN. However, by using encryption and other security measures, a VPN can scramble all the da...
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Domain Definition
Domain Definition
While the term "domain" is often used synonymously with "domain name," it also has a definition specific to local networks.
A domain contains a group of computers that can be accessed and administered with a common set of rules. For example, a company may require all local computers to be networked within the same domain so that each computer can be seen from other computers within the domain or located from a central server. Setting up a domain may also block outside traffic ...
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Mail Server Definition
Mail Server Definition
A mail server (or email server) is a computer system that sends and receives email. In many cases, web servers and mail servers are combined in a single machine. However, large ISPs and public email services (such as Gmail and Hotmail) may use dedicated hardware for sending and receiving email.
In order for a computer system to function as a mail server, it must include mail server software. This software allows the system administrator to create and manage email accounts...
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ISP Definition
ISP Definition
Stands for "Internet Service Provider." An ISP provides access to the Internet. Whether you're at home or work, each time you connect to the Internet, your connection is routed through an ISP.
Early ISPs provided Internet access through dial-up modems. This type of connection took place over regular phone lines and was limited to 56 Kbps. In the late 1990s, ISPs began offering faster broadband Internet access via DSL and cable modems. Some ISPs now offer high-speed fiber connecti...
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IMAP Definition
IMAP Definition
Stands for "Internet Message Access Protocol" and is pronounced "eye-map." It is a method of accessing e-mail messages on a server without having to download them to your local hard drive. This is the main difference between IMAP and another popular e-mail protocol called "POP3." POP3 requires users to download messages to their hard drive before reading them. The advantage of using an IMAP mail server is that users can check their mail from multiple computers and always see the ...
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