CompTIA Network+ Certification Acronyms List Part 3

UTM

(Unified Threat Management): The evolution of the traditional firewall into an all-inclusive security product able to perform multiple security functions within one single system: network firewalling, network intrusion prevention and gateway antivirus (AV), gateway anti-spam, VPN, content filtering, load balancing, data loss prevention and on-appliance reporting.

UTP

(Unshielded Twisted Pair): A type of twisted pair cabling that does not include shielding around its conductors.

VIP

(Virtual IP): An IP address that doesn't correspond to an actual physical network interface (port). Uses include Network Address Translation (especially, One-to-many NAT), fault-tolerance, and mobility.

VLAN

(Virtual Local Area Network): A network within a network that is logically defined by grouping ports on a switch so that some of the local traffic on the switch is forced to go through a router. A VLAN can consist of any type of network node in any geographic location and can incorporate nodes connected to different switches.

VM

(Virtual Machine): A guest operating system on a system using virtualization. The host system runs hypervisor software and can manage one or more VMs at a time.

VNC

(Virtual Network Computing): An open source system that enables a remote client (or viewer) workstation to manipulate and receive screen updates from a host. Examples of VNC software include RealVNC, TightVNC, and UltraVNC.

vNIC

(Virtual Network Interface Card): A software program that enables a VM to communicate with other VMs on the shared host.

VoIP

(Voice over Internet Protocol): This technology is used to make telephone calls via the Internet usually at a cheaper cost

VPN

(Virtual Private Network): A network that uses a public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organization's network.

VRRP

(Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol): A standard that assigns a virtual IP address to a group of routers. At first, messages routed to the virtual IP address are handled by the master router. If the master router fails, backup routers stand in line to take over responsibility for the virtual IP address.

vSwitch

(Virtual Switch): A logically defined device that operates at the Data Link layer to pass frames between nodes.

WAN

(Wide Area Network): A network that spans a long distance and connects two or more LANs.

WAP

(Wireless Access Point): A device that provides a connection between wireless devices and can connect to wired networks.

WDM

(Wavelength Division Multiplexing): A multiplexing technique in which each signal on a fiber-optic cable is assigned a different wavelength, which equates to its own subchannel. Each wavelength is modulated with a data signal. In this manner, multiple signals can be simultaneously transmitted in the same direction over a length of fiber.

WEP

(Wired Equivalent Privacy): A key encryption technique for wireless networks that uses keys both to authenticate network clients and to encrypt data in transit.

WLAN

(Wireless Local Area Network): A self-contained network of two or more computers connected using a wireless connection.

WPA

(Wi-Fi Protected Access): A security protocol introduced to address some of the shortcomings in WEP, WEP, WPA2, and Wi-Fi.

WPS

(Wi-Fi Protected Setup): Allows users to easily configure a wireless network, sometimes by using only a PIN. The PIN can be found through a brute force attack.