Network Chico Computer
terms glossary
Some definitions from the Sharpened Glossary
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=V=
V-series: The ITU-T standards
that specify how data communications can take place over the
telephone network.
Vampire tap: A two-piece
apparatus with a set screw on the upper half that permits the
pointed end of the screw to penetrate thickwire coax to a precise
depth, where it taps into the center conductor without breaking
it. This permits a transceiver to connect to the cable, thereby
enabling devices to attach to the thickwire segment. The set
screw that penetrates the cable is called, in keeping with the
name of the tap, the "fang."
Veronica: The name actually
stands for "Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Netwide Index to Computerized
Archives." The "rodent" part of the acronym refers
to how the Veronica utility allows you to search all of the world's
gopher servers using keywords. (That's about 10 million items
from over 6,000 gopher servers.) After searching for the terms
Veronica displays a list of gopher menus and articles containing
the key words you searched for. The more recent versions of Veronica
can also search certain web pages, newsgroups, and FTP sites.
Unlike most search engines, Veronica searches for keywords only
in gopher server menu titles, and doesn't look through the entire
text of documents. When searching with Veronica you can use the
logical operators AND, NOT, and OR to help narrow your search.
Typing an asterisk (*) at the end of a word will match anything
starting with that word.
Vetting: The Vetting process
includes validation of the requesting entity's identity, business
credentials and the right to use the domains name from which
it runs its business. Vetting means to make a verifiable and
critical examination of someone or some entity, such as a business
being investigated prior to being provided with an Extended
Validation (EV) SSL Certificate.
VGA: "Video Graphics
Array" It is the standard graphics display interface used
in most PCs. Therefore, if a monitor is VGA-compatible, it should
work with most new computers. The VGA standard was originally
developed by IBM in 1987 and allowed for a display resolution
of 640x480 pixels. Since then many revisions of the standard
have been introduced. The most common is Super VGA (SVGA) which
allows for resolutions greater than 640x480 such as 800x600 or
1024x768.
Virtual circuit: A term
used to describe the pathways created in a packet-switching network
to transmit data between connection points.
Virtual docking: One of
the numerous point-to-point wireless infrared technologies that
permit laptops to exchange data with desktop machines or permit
data exchange between a computer and a hand-held device or a
printer. Since this capability replaces a cable between the two
devices the technology is sometimes called "virtual docking."
Virtual LAN (VLAN): A
configuration setting that groups two or more devices attached
to a switch so that network communications pass among group members
as if they were physically wired together in a bus or a ring
topology.
Virus: Like a biological
virus, a computer virus is something you don't want to get. Computer
viruses are small programs or scripts that can negatively affect
the health of your computer. These malicious little programs
can create files, move files, erase files, consume your computer's
memory, and cause your computer not to function correctly. Some
viruses can duplicate themselves, attach themselves to programs,
and travel across networks. In fact opening an infected e-mail
attachment is the most common way to get a virus. We all know
it's hard enough to get a computer to work well when it is healthy,
let alone when it has been attacked by a virus. Therefore it
is better to prevent an attack than to try and cure it. There
are many anti-virus programs available that scan incoming files
for viruses before they can cause damage to your computer. Some
of these programs include Norton AntiVirus®, McAfee VirusScan®,
and Virex®. It is a good idea to have one of these programs
on your computer to prevent a virus attack. It is also important
to update your virus definitions file at least once a month so
that your anti-virus program can check for all the latest viruses.
VLB: "VESA Local
Bus" (VESA stands for "Video Electronics Standards
Association"). The VLB, or VL-bus, is a hardware interface
on the computer's motherboard that is attached to an expansion
slot. By connecting a video expansion card to the VLB you can
add extra graphics capabilities to your computer. The interface
supports 32-bit data flow at up to 50 MHz. Though the VLB architecture
was popular in the early 1990s it has since been replaced by
the newer and faster, but still three-lettered, ISA, PCI, and
AGP slots.
Voicegrade: A designation
for cable (usually TP) that indicates it's rated to only carry
telephone traffic. Voicegrade cable is not recommended for network
use.
Volt-ohm meter (VOM):
A network troubleshooting tool that measures voltage, amperage
and resistance on a cable or other conductive element.
VPN: "Virtual Private
Network" A VPN refers to a network that is connected to
the Internet but uses encryption, via protocols like PPTP, to
scramble all the data sent through the Internet so the entire
network is "virtually" private. For example a large
company that has offices in multiple locations may need to send
data to the different locations via the Internet. To keep the
information secure the company might first set up a VPN with
an encrypted connection. It's basically like having a secure
Intranet over the Internet.
VRAM: "Video Random
Access Memory" VRAM is pronounced "V-RAM." System
RAM is great for loading and running programs but when you need
graphics power VRAM is where it's at. This is the memory used
to store image data that the computer displays and acts as a
buffer between the CPU and the video card. When a picture is
to be displayed on the screen the image is first read by the
processor and then written to the VRAM. The data is then converted
by a RAM digital-to-analog converter (RAMDAC) into analog signals
that are sent to the display. Of course the whole process happens
so quickly you don't notice it. Unlike most system RAM, VRAM
chips are dual-ported, which means that while the display is
reading from VRAM to refresh the currently displayed image, the
processor is writing a new image to the VRAM. This prevents the
display from flickering between the redrawing of images. There
are many different types of VRAM. One popular kind is called
Synchronous Graphics RAM (SGRAM). It is an inexpensive type of
RAM that is clock-synchronized. This means data can be modified
in a single operation rather than as a sequence of read, write,
and update operations. This allows background, foreground, and
image fills to be handled more efficiently. Another type of VRAM
is Rambus Dynamic RAM (RDRAM). It is designed by Rambus and includes
a proprietary Rambus bus that speeds up the transfer of data
through it. Video editing pros like this chip since it is optimized
for video streaming. A third type of VRAM is Window RAM (WRAM).
This high-performance VRAM is dual-ported, has about 25% more
bandwidth than standard VRAM, and typically costs less. Finally,
there is Multibank Dynamic RAM (MDRAM). This is also high-performance
VRAM, developed by MoSys, which divides the memory into divisions
of 32 KB that can be accessed individually. This makes memory
transfers more efficient and increases overall performance. Another
advantage of MDRAM is that it can be manufactured with just the
right amount of memory for a given resolution, so it is cheaper
to manufacture than most other types of VRAM.
VRML: "Virtual Reality
Modeling Language" If you think this has something to do
with HTML you're right. While HTML is the format for web page
production, VRML is a 3D navigation specification, which enables
the creation of interactive 3D web sites. With VRML visitors
can take virtual tours through buildings and view three-dimensional
models of cars directly from their web browsers. Though the technology
was created by Silicon Graphics and Intervista Software a number
of years ago it still is not widely used.
Network Chico Computer
terms glossary
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