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IP VPN Glossary

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  6. F
  7. G
  8. H
  9. I
  10. J
  11. K
  12. L
  13. M
  14. N
  15. O
  16. P
  17. Q
  18. R
  19. S
  20. T
  21. U
  22. V
  23. W
  24. X
  25. Y
  26. Z
  27. 123

  1. A

    Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
    Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is the technology used to deliver Broadband over your existing analogue phone line. It is an always on connection, which does not tie up your phone line. It is asymmetric as it has different download and upload speeds.
    Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
    ATM was first developed in the 1980’s and is currently a core protocol used in the SONET/SDH backbone of the public switched telephone network. It is a network technology based on transferring data in cells or packets of a fixed size.

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  2. C

    Connectivity
    Connectivity refers to any fixed line or wireless connection by which information is transmitted. It is used to connect computers and networks to one another, and provide information resources between computer systems and their final users.
    Convergence
    Is the merger of telecom, data processing and imaging technologies into one operating platform. Traffic prioritisation and bandwidth reservation using MPLS and other advanced technologies enables the delivery of Voice, Video and data from one multi-service fixed or wireless connection .
    Class of Service (CoS)
    Is related to traffic prioritisation and is used by Quality of Service (QoS) disciplines to differentiate traffic.
    Zen's six Classes of Service model allows customers to prioritise applications ensuring speed and reliability for delay sensitive applications including Voice and Video.

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  3. D

    Data Packets
    A packet is a basic unit of communication over a digital network. When data has to be transmitted, it is broken down into similar structures of data, which are reassembled to the original data chunk once they reach their destination.
    Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
    A technology enabling very high speed information transfer over ordinary analogue telephone lines.
    Telephone wires are capable of handling more than just phone conversations, and DSL exploits this "extra capacity" to carry information on the wire without disturbing the line's ability to carry conversations.
    Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM)
    A device normally locate at the local telephone exchange that takes several broadband DSL lines and combines them together on one high speed connection to the internet.

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  4. E

    Ethernet
    A high speed fibre optic connection for mission critical business use with 24hr support and options to increase speed at short notice. Ethernet is forecast to be the UK’s fastest growing access technology in terms of spend between now and 2012.

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  5. F

    Fibre
    Glass fibres through which signals are transmitted as pulses of light and is advantageous for long distance communications.
    Firewall
    A layer of protection for IT and communications networks.
    Many levels of protection can be provided - for individual PCs, for enterprises, for national communications networks. They are designed to offer an appropriate level of protection against potential electronic malicious attack and/or unauthorised access to information or systems.
    Frame Relay
    Consists of an efficient data transmission technique used to send digital information. Frame relay is largely considered as legacy technology and has been superseded by IP VPN and other private networking techniques.

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  6. I

    Internet Protocol (IP)
    A unique number identifying the location of your computer on the Internet, enabling it to communicate with other computers, e.g. 123.456.7.891.
    Computers use IP addresses to locate and talk to each other on the Internet, much the same way people use phone numbers to locate and talk to one another on the telephone. When you want to access a Web site, your computer asks a domain name system (DNS) server for the IP address and your computer uses the answer it receives to connect you to your required Web site.
    Internet Protocol Security (IPsec)
    Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) is a suite of protocols for securing Internet Protocol (IP) communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a data stream.
    IPSec has two encryption modes: tunnel and transport. Tunnel encrypts the header and the payload of each packet while transport only encrypts the payload. Only systems that are IPSec compliant can take advantage of this protocol.
    Internet Protocol Security Virtual Private Network (IPsec VPN)
    An IPsec VPN is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which secures inter-site traffic using the Internet Protocol Security framework.
    Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN)
    IP VPN is the most widely adopted Managed IP Service and is now the Wide Area Network of choice for businesses. IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) offers a secure, reliable and cost effective way to connect offices, remote workers and partners.
    It is a fully managed private network that provides businesses with a secure platform to share applications and information between sites. MPLS technology is used within IP VPN’s to prioritise critical delay sensitive applications providing the platform for convergence of Voice, video and data networks.
    Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN)
    A service provided by most telephone carriers that enables the transmission of voice and data.
    Internet Service Provider (ISP)
    A communications provider that provides consumers and businesses with access to the internet and other related services such as web site building and virtual hosting.
    Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
    The term used for the linking of computers, applications and telecommunications networks. It includes, network integration, internet access, web site development, e-commerce and contact management systems.

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  7. L

    Local Area Network (LAN)
    A high speed network that connects computers, printers and other network devices together in, for example, an office building.

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  8. M

    Megabits per second (Mbps)
    A measure of how fast data is transferred from one place to another.
    Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
    MPLS is a highly scalable, protocol agnostic, data-carrying mechanism. It offers traffic prioritisation for mission critical and delay-sensitive applications and is used within Zen’s IP VPN providing a future-proof platform for the convergence of voice, video and data networks.
    Each data packet is assigned an additional label, carried from source to destination, enabling packets to be switched according to the label information. The primary benefit is to eliminate dependence on a particular Data Link Layer technology, such as ATM, frame relay, SONET or Ethernet, and eliminate the need for multiple Layer 2 networks to satisfy different types of traffic making it a cost effective solution.

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  9. P

    Public switched telephone network (PSTN)
    The international telephone system based upon copper wires carrying analogue voice data.

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  10. Q

    Quality of service (QoS)
    The ability of the network to provide better service and different priorities to different applications, users, or data flows, or to guarantee a certain level of performance to a data flow.

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  11. V

    Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)
    VLANs comprise a common Ethernet switched network in which the links can be partitioned to provide capacity for several individual local area networks.
    Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
    Hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet to make telephone calls by sending voice data in packets using IP rather than by traditional methods.
    Virtual Private Network (VPN)
    A VPN is a private network that uses a public network (usually the Internet) to connect remote sites or users together.
    Instead of using a dedicated, real-world connection such as leased line, a VPN uses "virtual" connections routed through the Internet from the company's private network to the remote site or employee.

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  12. W

    WiFi
    A wireless local area network (WLAN) that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections.

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  13. 123

    3G
    3G simply means the third generation of mobile telephone systems. The first generation was analogue and the second was digital. 3G mobiles provide an enhanced range of multimedia services including high speed and internet access.

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