CS 536 Park Introduction — Computer Networks

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the CS 536 Park Introduction notes.

Host devices

Computers and devices that host applications and services in a network (e.g., PCs, servers, laptops, handhelds).

Routers & switches

Network devices; routers forward packets between networks, switches forward frames within a LAN (e.g., IP router, Ethernet switch, WiFi routers).

Links

The transmission medium connecting network devices; can be wired, wireless, or quantum.

Protocols

Software-level rules and conventions that bind networked devices, e.g., IP, TCP, UDP, CSMA/CA, OSPF, BGP.

Applications

Top-layer services running over protocols, e.g., DNS, HTTP, SMTP, SNMP, SSL.

Humans and bots

Users or automated agents generating traffic; examples include spam, DoS, worms.

Hardware side

The physical components of a network: hosts, routers, and links.

Software side

Protocols and applications that run on top of the hardware.

NIC

Network Interface Card; hardware in a host for connecting to a network (with firmware).

Device driver

OS software that interfaces with NIC hardware, handling interrupts and I/O.

ARP

Address Resolution Protocol; maps IP addresses to MAC addresses; enables translation between 32-bit IP and 48-bit MAC.

RARP

Reverse Address Resolution Protocol; maps MAC addresses to IP addresses (older method).

IP

Internet Protocol; software glue of the global Internet; provides addressing and routing.

OSPF

Open Shortest Path First; intra-domain routing protocol used inside an organization.

RIP

Routing Information Protocol; intra-domain routing protocol.

BGP

Border Gateway Protocol; inter-domain routing protocol on the global Internet.

Intra-domain

Routing within a single organization or domain.

Inter-domain

Routing between different organizations across the Internet.

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol; reliable, connection-oriented transport for data (e.g., files).

UDP

User Datagram Protocol; connectionless, best-effort transport for multimedia and streaming.

DNS

Domain Name System; resolves hostnames to IP addresses.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol; protocol for transferring web pages.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol; email transfer.

SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol; protocol for managing networks.

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer; cryptographic protocol for securing communications (TLS successor).

SSH

Secure Shell; protocol for secure remote login and command execution.

BitTorrent

Peer-to-Peer file sharing protocol.

YouTube

Video sharing/streaming platform.

Netflix

Video streaming service.

Facebook

Social media platform/application.

Twitter

Social media platform/application.

CDNs

Content Delivery Networks; distribute content to users efficiently.

IoT

Internet of Things; networked everyday devices.

Sub-GHz spectrum

Frequencies around 300–700 MHz used for data networking in some contexts.

RFID

Radio-Frequency Identification; used for tagging and tracking (payments, tolls, inventory).

CAN bus

Controller Area Network; a specialized vehicle networking bus for inter-module communication.

GPS

Global Positioning System; satellite-based location/navigation data incorporated with networks.

Self-driving vehicles

Autonomous vehicles that connect to GPS, cellular, and IP networks for operation.

Internetwork

Network of networks; recursion where point-to-point and multi-access networks form a larger network.

IP addresses

Logical addresses (IPv4/IPv6) assigned to devices for routing.

LAN addresses

Local addresses used on a multi-access link within a LAN.

Port number

16-bit number used with IP to identify a specific process on a host (IP:port).

Multi-homed

A host with multiple NICs and multiple IP addresses.

Autonomous System Number (ASN)

Numeric identifier for an autonomous system; used for inter-domain routing.

Global routing

Routing across multiple autonomous systems on the Internet; policy-based decisions.