# Glossary

### Highlight terms A - M

#### Activate <a href="#activate" id="activate"></a>

After a device is fully deployed and tested, 'activate' makes the device live for monitoring on Highlight, previously referred to as 'promote'.

#### Agents <a href="#agents" id="agents"></a>

A server running Highlight software that provides a framework for managing Highlight tasks such as device polling, flow collection and performance testing. Results are compiled and sent back to the main Highlight system for presentation and archiving. Devices monitored by Highlight do not use agent software.

#### Application Domain <a href="#application_domain" id="application_domain"></a>

An application domain comprises a folder and all its subfolders. All users in those folders see the same AppVis groups. Typically an application domain is set at the top folder for an entire customer organisation.

#### Alert <a href="#alert" id="alert"></a>

Sent via email or SNMP trap to make someone aware of issues on the network. Alternatively, use a webhook to integrate into service management systems.

#### Alerting Metrics <a href="#alerting_metrics" id="alerting_metrics"></a>

These are referred to as level 3 metrics in Highlight. **See also:** [Alert messages](/status/alerting/alert-messages.md)

* **Stability:** a measure of outages and availability issues (availability is measured over time, as a percentage and stability relates to whether an element is up or down)
* **Load:** a measure of traffic utilisation on a circuit or other device
* **Health:** a measure of performance problems, packet discards, line errors and signal problems (WiFi only)

#### Bearer/Access Circuit <a href="#beareraccess_circuit" id="beareraccess_circuit"></a>

Like a pipe to transport data - the pipe can be partitioned to fast and slow sections, can be up or down and can be heavily or lightly loaded.

#### Business Hours <a href="#business_hoursworking_hours" id="business_hoursworking_hours"></a>

The time periods (to the nearest hour) that a business is operational, say Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm; used when displaying traffic trend graphics, for filtering report results, and when generating alerts.

#### CCD

CCD stands for **Core Class Definition**. It is a list of class names which are in use on the service provider's network, used to configure Highlight to collect and report on Classes of Service.

#### Chevron <a href="#chevron" id="chevron"></a>

Part of a [heat tile](/getting-started/new-user/glossary.md#heat_tile), coloured amber or red and showing issues are improving (pointing down) or deteriorating (pointing up) as trends (performance over time).

#### Collector <a href="#collector" id="collector"></a>

A server which has the function of receiving data being sent by monitored devices e.g. Flow.

#### Containers <a href="#containers" id="containers"></a>

&#x20;A flexible, customised grouping of watches which can be put into one-off or recurring maintenance, displayed as a service tile or used as the basis of a report.\
**Related terms:** [Watch](/getting-started/new-user/glossary.md#watches), [Maintenance](/getting-started/new-user/glossary.md#maintenance_mode)

#### Contextual Help <a href="#contextual_help" id="contextual_help"></a>

Pop-ups marked with '?' which provide information relevant to the selected area of Highlight and possibly a link to detailed documentation.

#### DBA: Dynamic Bandwidth Adjustment <a href="#dbadynamic_bandwidth_adjustment" id="dbadynamic_bandwidth_adjustment"></a>

Highlight will check and update the bandwidth as part of the 'Device Validation' process for a router, which happens each time a router configuration change is detected, or every 24-48 hours if not.

#### Domain <a href="#domain" id="domain"></a>

A folder in Highlight, and its subfolders, which is associated with a specific login URL. All user accounts in a domain have to be unique but duplicate user accounts can be configured on several domains, allowing access to disparate parts of the Highlight tree.\
**Similar term:** [Application Domain](/getting-started/new-user/glossary.md#application_domain)

#### Dormant <a href="#dormant" id="dormant"></a>

Bearer watches can be set as dormant in the [Edit Watch dialog](https://support.highlight.net/help/admin/edit_watch#main_tab_lower_sections) or in the [SD-WAN Edit Watch dialog](https://support.highlight.net/help/admin/sdwan_items#edit_watch_main_tab). Dormant interfaces only send stability alerts if the device is uncontactable or Highlight has detected that the underlying connectivity service is unavailable.

#### Exception <a href="#exception" id="exception"></a>

Seen in Highlight's historical reporting. When any metric Highlight is monitoring (for example Load or Response Time) exceeds its target threshold for a certain length of time, it generates an **Exception** and causes the watch and its associated location tile to change colour (green to amber and then red). The watch now stays in this ‘Exception’ state until the metric returns to normal. The [Exceptions report](/reporting/network-reports/colours.md#exception) counts the total number of times this watch went into an Exception state and the total time it spent in that state in hours and minutes.\
**See also:** [Reporting exceptions](/reporting/network-reports/colours.md#exception)

#### Favourites <a href="#favourites" id="favourites"></a>

Custom defined, frequent use elements in Highlight.  **See also:**  [Favourites](/getting-started/useful-information/network-explorer.md#id-2-favourites)

#### Folder <a href="#companyfolder" id="companyfolder"></a>

Term used in reference to the [Network Explorer tree](/getting-started/useful-information/network-explorer.md) in Highlight, a parent folder containing subfolders and [locations.](/getting-started/new-user/glossary.md#location)

#### Heat tile <a href="#heat_tile" id="heat_tile"></a>

Coloured green, amber or red to show if performance is within or exceeding thresholds used for locations and services. **See also:** [Heat tiles](/status/network/heat-tiles.md)

#### Issue Score <a href="#issue_score" id="issue_score"></a>

An Issue Score is a number from 0 (good, no issues) to 10 (bad, lots of issues) which provides a simple way to see how good or bad a location was during the selected time period and to compare it with other locations. Issue Scores are an aggregation of several metrics. Values are adjusted logarithmically so that small-medium problems push the score up quickly, and it then levels off.\
**See also:** [Reporting issue score](/reporting/network-reports/colours.md#issue-score)

#### Link-availability <a href="#link-availability" id="link-availability"></a>

Relates to the current up/down state of a watch when monitoring Link Health, WAPs or Performance tests. Affects the Stability metric of the heat tile.\
**Related term:** [Link-stability](#link-stability)\
**See also:** [Problem text in Alerts](/status/alerting/alert-messages.md#problem-text-in-alerts)

#### Link-stability <a href="#link-stability" id="link-stability"></a>

Relates to changes in the state of a device between samples when monitoring Link Health. Affects the Stability metric of the heat tile.\
**Related term:** [Link-availability](#link-availability)\
**See also:** [Problem text in Alerts](/status/alerting/alert-messages.md#problem-text-in-alerts)

#### Location <a href="#location" id="location"></a>

A point in the [Network Explorer tree](/getting-started/useful-information/network-explorer.md) in Highlight which contains reports and tests.

#### Maintenance mode <a href="#maintenance_mode" id="maintenance_mode"></a>

&#x20;Watches in maintenance do not send alerts, change the colour of heat tiles nor decrement availability figures.\
**Related terms:** [Watch](#watches), [Container](#containers)

#### MLE: Multi-link element <a href="#mle" id="mle"></a>

An auto-discovered interface, either defined as part of a switch port channel, or as a circuit bonded with others to form a faster logical interface across the WAN.

### Highlight terms N - Z

#### Network Explorer <a href="#network_explorer" id="network_explorer"></a>

The left panel on the Highlight UI which shows the structure of folders, often referred to as the tree.

#### Performance Test <a href="#performance_test" id="performance_test"></a>

A stand-alone network test associated by Highlight with a bearer or a child watch (class of service or VLAN, for example). The actual test source can be any Highlight reachable device capable of running tests.

#### Poller <a href="#poller" id="poller"></a>

A server with access to a customer's network that validates monitored devices and performs the gathering of statistics via SNMP.

#### Polling cycle <a href="#polling_cycle" id="polling_cycle"></a>

The interval between consecutive SNMP requests from Highlight for information from a watch. Typically every 3 minutes but can vary by partner. This is shown as **Poll Frequency** on the [edit watch dialog](https://support.highlight.net/help/admin/edit_watch#main_tab_lower_sections) and as **Poll (secs)** in the [Admin watch report.](https://support.highlight.net/help/reporting/admin_reports#watch_report)

#### Probe <a href="#probe" id="probe"></a>

As used in Precision Delay testing, a probe is one of a rapid sequence of packets whose transmission times are measured to establish accurate jitter and delay statistics.

#### Product Type <a href="#product_type" id="product_type"></a>

An optional text field which is limited to 20 characters and enables service providers to display the service name for a watch rather than the Highlight default name, for example FTTC instead of ADSL.

#### Reporting API <a href="#reporting_api" id="reporting_api"></a>

The Reporting API makes it possible to view Highlight’s summarised data, device inventory and watch folder/location information outside the Highlight Service Observability Platform. Read more about the [Reporting API](/reporting/reporting-api.md).

#### Subwatch <a href="#subwatch" id="subwatch"></a>

See watch. Also known as 'child watches,' these are discovered watches such as Classes of Service, VLANs and WAPs or created watches such as performance tests. These are typically displayed in Highlight with the parent bearer.\
**Related term:** [Watch](#watches)

#### Technical Test ("Tech Test") <a href="#technical_test_tech_test" id="technical_test_tech_test"></a>

A test to confirm the configured IP address with security credentials provided is reachable and responsive, used in Admin Pending, when adding a Performance Test, with Application Visibility and when editing a watch to change interface.

#### Time bar <a href="#time_bar" id="time_bar"></a>

Found in Reporting and Details pages, use to select a given period: any day, week, or month for the past year.  Also referred to as the Calendar control.

#### Visibility <a href="#visibility" id="visibility"></a>

The visibility setting is applicable to bearer watches, service tiles, folders and alerts and is only shown if you are a service provider administrator. Visibility determines if a service tile, folder or alert will be visible to all users and customers or just to service provider internal staff. There are two options:

* **Customer:**

  anyone can see the item (this is the default setting)
* **Internal:**

  the item is only visible internally (for the service provider)

**See also:** [Bearer Watch Visibility, ](https://support.highlight.net/help/admin/edit_watch#main_tab)[Folder Visibility (referred to as Category) ](https://support.highlight.net/help/admin/create_tree#create_a_folder)and [Alert Visibility](/status/alerting/alerting-email.md#create-alerts)

#### Warning Triangle <a href="#warning_triangle" id="warning_triangle"></a>

In the upper right corner of a location or service tile; shows the number of issues associated with the tile; coloured amber or red according to the severity of the issues.

#### Watches <a href="#watches" id="watches"></a>

View our [What's a watch infographic](https://support.highlight.net/help/admin/watch_fields) to see the full picture of how watches are used in Highlight.

An individual monitoring task that Highlight carries out to collect a specific set of information from a given device at regular intervals. For example, a bearer watch collects traffic, status and health information for a specific circuit or LAN interface, typically every three minutes. Other watch types include switch, host, VLAN, tunnel, Wireless controller, etc. You will also see references to ‘subwatches’ which are usually items associated with, or discovered beneath, a main watch – for example a class of service which is part of a bearer, or a Wireless Access Point (WAP) discovered on a controller:

bearers, Wireless Controller

switches

performance tests

CoS/VLAN/MLE

WAPs

**Related terms:** [subwatch,](#subwatch) [VLAN](#vlanvirtual_local_area_network), [WAP](#wapwireless_access_point), [Wireless Controller](#wireless_controller)

### Industry terms A - E

#### 802.11 <a href="#section80211" id="section80211"></a>

The protocol (with several iterations) defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers for communicating on Wireless Networks. Its purpose is to standardise methods of communication and ensure vendor interoperability.\
**Related term:** [WLAN](#wlanwireless_lan)

#### 95th Percentile <a href="#id-95th_percentile" id="id-95th_percentile"></a>

the ninety-fifth percentile load value for a line, meaning the busiest that the line gets in normal usage, excluding those occasional peaks which might distort the reading.\
**See also:** [How the 95th Percentile is calculated](/reporting/network-reports/output.md#id-95th-percentile-load)

#### ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line <a href="#a-dslasymmetric_digital_subscriber_line" id="a-dslasymmetric_digital_subscriber_line"></a>

a data communications technology that enables data transmission over copper telephone lines by using frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call.

#### AES128: Advanced Encryption Standard <a href="#aes128advanced_encryption_standard" id="aes128advanced_encryption_standard"></a>

one option for the Encryption used by SNMPv3, using a 128-bit key length.\
**Related term:** [DES](#desdata_encryption_standard)

#### ANSI: American National Standards Institute <a href="#ansiamerican_national_standards_institute" id="ansiamerican_national_standards_institute"></a>

an organisation which defines various standards; those standards are referred to as ANSI-standard formats.

#### AP: (Wireless) Access Point <a href="#apwireless_access_point" id="apwireless_access_point"></a>

**See:** [WAP](#wapwireless_access_point)

#### API: Application Programming Interface <a href="#apiapplication_programming_iterface" id="apiapplication_programming_iterface"></a>

a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components.&#x20;

#### ASA: Adaptive Security Appliance <a href="#adaptive_security_appliance" id="adaptive_security_appliance"></a>

A Cisco firewall and network security platform

#### ATM: Asynchronous Transfer Mode <a href="#atmasynchronous_transfer_mode" id="atmasynchronous_transfer_mode"></a>

data is transmitted in cells of a small, fixed size

#### AVC: Application Visibility and Control <a href="#avcapplication_visibility_and_control" id="avcapplication_visibility_and_control"></a>

a Cisco feature to maximise application performance on a network

#### Bandwidth <a href="#bandwidth" id="bandwidth"></a>

data transfer rate (speed) of a network link, usually measured in bits per second (bps) or multiples:

* **Gbps/Gbs:** gigabits per second, Highlight expresses this as 1000 megabits per second
* **Mbps/Mbs:** megabits per second, Highlight expresses this as 1000 kilobits per second
* **kbps/kbs:** kilobits per second, Highlight expresses this as 1000 bits per second

#### Burst <a href="#burst" id="burst"></a>

a relatively high amount of data sent or received over a short period

#### Cache <a href="#cache" id="cache"></a>

website information stored on your computer so web pages will load faster

#### Cacheable Content <a href="#cacheable_content" id="cacheable_content"></a>

static information (on a web page) that does not change very often as opposed to non-cacheable content - dynamic information that changes regularly or for each user request and serves no purpose if it were cached

#### CBQOS: Class Based Quality of Service <a href="#cbqosclass_based_quality_of_service" id="cbqosclass_based_quality_of_service"></a>

a Cisco feature\
**Related terms:** [CoS](#cosclass_of_service), [QoS](#qosquality_of_service)

#### CE: Customer Edge (Router) <a href="#cecustomer_edge_router" id="cecustomer_edge_router"></a>

a router at the customer premises that is connected to the service provider MPLS network\
**Related terms:** [PE](#peprovider_edge_router), [MPLS](#mplsmulti-protocol_label_switching)

#### Channel utilisation (wireless) <a href="#channel_utilisation" id="channel_utilisation"></a>

Channel Utilisation indicates the percentage of time that a wireless access point (WAP) considers a channel to be busy with both user traffic and generic broadcast wireless traffic

#### Cisco <a href="#cisco" id="cisco"></a>

Cisco Systems, based in California, produces networking equipment

#### Class <a href="#class" id="class"></a>

a category of network traffic, used as part of a policy; example: Real\_Time (used for voice and video so highest priority)

#### Client <a href="#client" id="client"></a>

software on a computer that relies on sending a request to a computer server as part of the application

#### Codec <a href="#codec" id="codec"></a>

a device or program capable of encoding or decoding a digital data stream

#### Conversation <a href="#conversation" id="conversation"></a>

two devices communicating, used in Flow\
**Related term:** [Flow](#flow)

#### Cookie <a href="#cookie" id="cookie"></a>

small piece of information stored on your computer by your browser to customise what you see on a web page

#### CoS: Class of Service <a href="#cosclass_of_service" id="cosclass_of_service"></a>

the facility in an Ethernet packet to mark a priority from 0-7 which may be used by QoS to determine how traffic should be treated\
**Related terms:** [CBQOS](#cbqosclass_based_quality_of_service), [QoS](#qosquality_of_service)

#### CPE: Customer Premises Equipment <a href="#cpecustomer_premises_equipment" id="cpecustomer_premises_equipment"></a>

typically the router or edge device connecting to a Service Provider network

#### CPU: Central Processing Unit <a href="#cpucentral_processing_unit" id="cpucentral_processing_unit"></a>

the “brains” of a computer or other networking device, also called the processor

#### CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check <a href="#crccyclic_redundancy_check" id="crccyclic_redundancy_check"></a>

an error-detecting code commonly used in digital networks to detect any changes in received data

#### CSV: Comma Separated Values <a href="#csvcomma_separated_values" id="csvcomma_separated_values"></a>

a tabular file format whereby each line represents a file record, and the fields associated with that record are separated by a comma\
**Related terms:** [DOCX](#docxdocument_format), [RTF](#rtfrich_text_format)

#### Datagram <a href="#datagram" id="datagram"></a>

Another term for a packet in IP networks, contains a segment of data and the destination address, enables data to be sent in small sections and reassembled at the destination\
**Related term:**[ IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### Delay <a href="#delay" id="delay"></a>

related to the processing and queuing times of a device, and also the effect of packet loss on an application requiring retransmissions

#### DES: Data Encryption Standard <a href="#desdata_encryption_standard" id="desdata_encryption_standard"></a>

a widely-used method of data encryption using a 56-bit key length. 3-DES (triple DES) applies the encyption three times for each data block and is Highlight's default option for SNMPv3 encryption.\
**Related term:** [AES128](#aes128advanced_encryption_standard)

#### DNS: Domain Name System <a href="#dnsdomain_name_system" id="dnsdomain_name_system"></a>

translates domain names into numerical IP addresses - the Internet's primary directory service

#### DOCX: Document Format <a href="#docxdocument_format" id="docxdocument_format"></a>

a document/XML file format which allows graphics, column re-sizing and custom logos to be inserted in downloaded Highlight reports and is not generally used for further analysis or data manipulation\
**Related terms:** [CSV](#csvcomma_separated_values), [RTF](#rtfrich_text_format)

#### DPI: Deep Packet Inspection <a href="#dpideep_packet_inspection" id="dpideep_packet_inspection"></a>

an advanced method of packet filtering which makes it possible to locate, identify, classify, reroute or block packets with specific data that normal packet filtering (which examines only packet headers) cannot detect, DPI is useful when identifying port hopping applications such as Skype

#### DSCP: Differentiated Services Code Point <a href="#dscpdifferentiated_services_code_point" id="dscpdifferentiated_services_code_point"></a>

a field in an IP packet that enables different levels of service to be assigned to network traffic - achieved by marking each packet on the network with a DSCP code and appropriating to it the corresponding level of service\
**Related term:**[ IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### DSL: Digital Subscriber Line <a href="#dsldigital_subscriber_line" id="dsldigital_subscriber_line"></a>

a family of technologies that are used to provide data network access by transmitting digital data over telephone lines

#### Echo <a href="#echo" id="echo"></a>

a single packet exchange between two devices typically used to establish round trip time

#### Egress <a href="#egress" id="egress"></a>

the outbound direction on a device interface\
**Related term:** [ingress](#ingress)

#### Encryption <a href="#encryption" id="encryption"></a>

converting data into a form that can be transmitted without others being able to read the data; data is decrypted (using a password or key) by the receiving device

#### Ethernet <a href="#ethernet" id="ethernet"></a>

a family of computer networking technologies mainly used for local area networks\
**Related term:** [LAN](#lanlocal_area_network)

### Industry terms F - O

#### Flow <a href="#flow" id="flow"></a>

a sequence of packets from a source computer to a destination. Highlight Flow reports on the top 20 flows by volume for a given time period, using IP address and port numbers

* **IPFIX:** IP Flow Information Export - an industry standard for sending Flow information
* **NetFlow:** Cisco version of Flow
* **J-Flow:** Juniper proprietary version of Flow using packet sampling

#### FQDN: Fully Qualified Domain Name <a href="#fqdnfully_qualified_domain_name" id="fqdnfully_qualified_domain_name"></a>

the unique combination of a hostname and a parent domain name e.g. [www.highlight.net](http://www.highlight.net) is the FQDN, where www is the host and highlight.net is the domain name

#### Frame <a href="#frame" id="frame"></a>

a block of data that is transmitted across a datalink such as Ethernet\
**Related term:** [Ethernet](#ethernet)

#### Gateway <a href="#gateway" id="gateway"></a>

a device to interconnect networks that use different protocols e.g. an IP network to a public telephone network\
**Related term:**[ IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### GUI: Graphical User Interface <a href="#guigraphical_user_interface" id="guigraphical_user_interface"></a>

the part of software with which the user interacts – buttons, menus, toolbars, etc. Also UI: User Interface

#### HMAC: Hash-based Message Authentication Code <a href="#hmachash-based_message_authentication_code" id="hmachash-based_message_authentication_code"></a>

uses a cryptographic key (like a password) with a hash function to provide data integrity and authentication. (hashing turns a string of characters into a shorter fixed-length value or key that represents the original string)

#### HRM: Host Resources MIB <a href="#hrmhost_resources_mib" id="hrmhost_resources_mib"></a>

part of the SNMP MIB tree, headed by OID .1.3.6.1.2.1.25\
**Related terms:** [SNMP](#snmpsimple_network_management_protocol), [MIB](#mibmanagement_information_base), [OID](#oidobject_identifier)

#### HSRP: Hot Standby Router Protocol <a href="#hot_standby_router_protocol" id="hot_standby_router_protocol"></a>

a Cisco protocol that provides default gateway redundancy in the event of failure

#### HTML: Hypertext Markup Language <a href="#htmlhypertext_markup_language" id="htmlhypertext_markup_language"></a>

a standard used to create web pages adding graphic and hyperlink effects and involving tagging of text indicate font and colour

#### HTTP/S: Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure) <a href="#httpshypertext_transfer_protocol_secure" id="httpshypertext_transfer_protocol_secure"></a>

the set of rules for transferring data over the Internet; entering a URL into a browser sends an HTTP request to the appropriate Web server which in turn sends the requested HTML page\
**Related terms:** [URL](#urluniform_resource_locator), [HTML](#htmlhypertext_markup_language)

#### Hybrid WAN <a href="#hybrid_wan" id="hybrid_wan"></a>

a wide-area network which is built from a combination of two Internet Protocol technologies, usually a private MPLS network, and an IPsec VPN running over the public Internet\
**Related terms:** [WAN](#wanwide_area_network), [IWAN](#iwanintelligent_wide_area_network), [MPLS](#mplsmulti-protocol_label_switching), [VPN](#vpnvirtual_private_network), [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### ICMP: Internet Control Message Protocol <a href="#icmpinternet_control_message_protocol" id="icmpinternet_control_message_protocol"></a>

a standard set of rules used by IP for message control and error reporting

#### Ingress <a href="#ingress" id="ingress"></a>

the inbound direction on a device interface\
**Related term:** [egress](#egress)

#### Interface <a href="#interface" id="interface"></a>

a physical or virtual network connection point on a device, generally defined by a name and network address, plus hardware address (if physical)

#### IOS: Internetwork Operating System <a href="#iosinternetwork_operating_system" id="iosinternetwork_operating_system"></a>

operating software running on Cisco equipment\
**Related term:** [Cisco](#cisco)

#### IP: Internet Protocol <a href="#ipinternet_protocol" id="ipinternet_protocol"></a>

the method by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet

#### IP address <a href="#ip_address" id="ip_address"></a>

a numerical reference used to address a device on a network such as 136.129.4.108\
**Related term:** [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### IPSLA: IP Service Level Agreement <a href="#ipslaip_service_level_agreement" id="ipslaip_service_level_agreement"></a>

a Cisco application which enables a router to measure metrics such as round-trip delays and unanswered echo requests\
**Related terms:** [Cisco](#cisco), [RPM](#rpmreal-time_performance_monitoring)

#### ISP: Internet Service Provider <a href="#ispinternet_service_provider" id="ispinternet_service_provider"></a>

an organisation that provides access to or through the Internet and may also provide other network services such as domain name registration

#### IWAN: Intelligent Wide Area Network <a href="#iwanintelligent_wide_area_network" id="iwanintelligent_wide_area_network"></a>

a Cisco router feature typically found in Hybrid WAN environments. IWAN routers make intelligent routing decisions by weighing jitter, loss and delay measurements against application requirements like priority or delay sensitivity\
**Related terms:** [WAN](#wanwide_area_network), [SD-WAN](#sd_wan), [Hybrid WAN](#hybrid_wan)

#### Jitter <a href="#jitter" id="jitter"></a>

variation in the time between packets arriving, caused by network congestion, timing drift, or route changes (important in digital voice transmission and other real-time applications)

#### Juniper <a href="#juniper" id="juniper"></a>

Juniper Networks, based in California, produces networking equipment

#### LACP: Link Aggregation Control Protocol <a href="#lacplink_aggregation_control_protocol" id="lacplink_aggregation_control_protocol"></a>

A protocol for the bundling multiple physical ports that can be then be treated as a single channel for network traffic purposes.

#### LAN: Local Area Network <a href="#lanlocal_area_network" id="lanlocal_area_network"></a>

a computer network that interconnects devices within a limited area such as an office block, using standards such as Ethernet and WiFi, typically the boundary (domain) of a network broadcast\
**Related term:** [Ethernet](#ethernet)

#### Latency <a href="#latency" id="latency"></a>

a measure of the round trip time to send a packet and confirm its receipt

#### Load <a href="#load" id="load"></a>

a measure of traffic compared with the connection speed

#### MAC address: Media Access Control address <a href="#mac_addressmedia_access_control_address" id="mac_addressmedia_access_control_address"></a>

a unique identifier usually assigned by the hardware vendor to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. This is unlike an IP address, which is assigned using policy set by the administrator of the network a device is connected to.

#### MD5: Message Digest algorithm 5 <a href="#md5message_digest_algorithm_5" id="md5message_digest_algorithm_5"></a>

the default option for the Authentication Protocol for SNMPv3\
**Related term:** [SHA1](#sha1secure_hash_algorithm-1)

#### MIB: Management Information Base <a href="#mibmanagement_information_base" id="mibmanagement_information_base"></a>

a formal description of a set of network objects that can be managed using SNMP\
**Related term:** [SNMP](#snmpsimple_network_management_protocol)

#### MOS: Mean Opinion Score <a href="#mosmean_opinion_score" id="mosmean_opinion_score"></a>

a measure of the perceived audio quality of a telephone connection, scored from 1.0 (poor) to 5.0 (excellent) influenced by delay, loss and jitter\
**Related terms:** [delay](#delay), [loss](#packet_loss),[ jitter](#jitter)

#### MPLS: Multi-Protocol Label Switching <a href="#mplsmulti-protocol_label_switching" id="mplsmulti-protocol_label_switching"></a>

a system in telecommunications networks that passes data from one network node to the next based on short path labels avoiding complex lookups in a routing table

#### NAT: Network Address Translation <a href="#natnetwork_address_translation" id="natnetwork_address_translation"></a>

The process of mapping a source or destination IP address in a packet to another IP address\
**Related term:** [IP address](#ip_address)

#### NBAR: Network-Based Application Recognition <a href="#nbarnetwork-based_application_recognition" id="nbarnetwork-based_application_recognition"></a>

mechanism used by Cisco devices to recognise applications, packets are inspected using DPI\
**Related terms:** [Cisco](#cisco), [DPI](#dpideep_packet_inspection)

#### NDA: Non-Disclosure Agreement <a href="#ndanon-disclosure_agreement" id="ndanon-disclosure_agreement"></a>

a contract between two parties that permits confidential access to a set of information

#### NIC: Network Interface Card <a href="#nicnetwork_interface_card" id="nicnetwork_interface_card"></a>

A circuit board installed in a computer to provide network connectivity

#### NTP: Network Time Protocol <a href="#network_time_protocol" id="network_time_protocol"></a>

A method to provide clock (time) synchronisation between computer systems over data networks

#### Octet <a href="#octet" id="octet"></a>

consists of eight bits of digital information and is broadly equivalent to a byte

#### OID: Object Identifier <a href="#oidobject_identifier" id="oidobject_identifier"></a>

used in SNMP to reference a setting using a numerical tree structure\
**Related term:** [SNMP](#snmpsimple_network_management_protocol)

### Industry terms P - T

#### Packet <a href="#packet" id="packet"></a>

also called a datagram in IP networks, contains a segment of data and the destination address, enables data to be sent in small sections and reassembled at the destination\
**Related term:** [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### Packet loss <a href="#packet_loss" id="packet_loss"></a>

the failure of one or more transmitted packets to arrive at their destination\
**Related term:** [packet](#packet)

#### Packet discard/Discarded packet <a href="#packet_discarddiscarded_packet" id="packet_discarddiscarded_packet"></a>

can be the result of network queues becoming full, or packets which arrive but too late for processing, or duplicate packets\
**Related term:** [packet](#packet)

#### PAgP: Port Aggregation Protocol <a href="#pagpport_aggregation_protocol" id="pagpport_aggregation_protocol"></a>

this is another term for [LACP](#lacplink_aggregation_control_protocol)

#### PE: Provider Edge (Router) <a href="#peprovider_edge_router" id="peprovider_edge_router"></a>

a router on a service provider MPLS network that is connected to other provider networks or a customer edge router\
**Related terms:** [CE](#cecustomer_edge_router), [MPLS](#mplsmulti-protocol_label_switching)

#### Ping: Packet INternet Groper <a href="#pingpacket_internet_groper" id="pingpacket_internet_groper"></a>

A simple network echo packet

#### PoE: Power over Ethernet <a href="#poepower_over_ethernet" id="poepower_over_ethernet"></a>

a system for passing electrical power over Ethernet cabling to a connected device with no other power source

#### Police <a href="#police" id="police"></a>

a process for limiting the throughput of traffic

#### Policy <a href="#policy" id="policy"></a>

a series of actions that you want applied to traffic sent or received, using classes (class-maps) to categorise the traffic of interest

#### QA: Quality Assurance (Testing) <a href="#qaquality_assurance_testing" id="qaquality_assurance_testing"></a>

a way of preventing mistakes or defects in products and avoiding problems when delivering solutions or services to customers

#### QoS: Quality of Service <a href="#qosquality_of_service" id="qosquality_of_service"></a>

the ability in a network to provide different priority, or to guarantee a certain level of performance, to different applications \[Simplistic Analogy: a main road with tolls, both barrier and without. Traffic through the non-barrier channel is unrestricted whereas the barriered channels can limit traffic according to road conditions ahead.]

#### Router or CPE: Customer Premises Equipment <a href="#router_or_cpecustomer_premises_equipment" id="router_or_cpecustomer_premises_equipment"></a>

typically connected to at least two networks and decides which way to send each packet based on its learned or configured understanding of the whole network

#### Routing Table <a href="#routing_table" id="routing_table"></a>

a set of rules that is used to determine the next hop for data packets traveling over a network

#### RPM: Real-time Performance Monitoring <a href="#rpmreal-time_performance_monitoring" id="rpmreal-time_performance_monitoring"></a>

a Juniper service similar to Cisco IPSLA\
**Related term:** [IPSLA](#ipslaip_service_level_agreement)

#### RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator <a href="#rssireceived_signal_strength_indicator" id="rssireceived_signal_strength_indicator"></a>

for cellular connections, a measurement of the power present in a received radio signal. Range is -30 to -120 dBm. Readings closer to zero are a stronger signal.\
**Related terms:** [RSRP](#rsrpreference_signal_received_power)

#### RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power <a href="#rsrpreference_signal_received_power" id="rsrpreference_signal_received_power"></a>

for cellular connections, a measure of signal level and quality for modern 4G and 5G networks. RSRP is a more precise and accurate metric than RSSI. Range is -44 to -140 dBm. Readings closer to zero are a stronger signal.\
**Related terms:** [RSSI](#rssireceived_signal_strength_indicator)

#### RTF: Rich Text Format <a href="#rtfrich_text_format" id="rtfrich_text_format"></a>

a document file format which has formatting applied and is not generally used for further analysis or data manipulation\
**Related terms:** [CSV](#csvcomma_separated_values), [DOCX](#docxdocument_format)

#### RTT: Round Trip Time <a href="#rttround_trip_time" id="rttround_trip_time"></a>

the overall time for a ping or echo to reach a device and receive a response, helpful to determine if there are any delay or latency problems on the network\
**Related terms:** [ping](#pingpacket_internet_groper), [echo](#echo)

#### SaaS: Software as a Service <a href="#saassoftware_as_a_service" id="saassoftware_as_a_service"></a>

a way of delivering centrally hosted service applications, typically over the Internet

#### SD-WAN: Software-defined Wide Area Network <a href="#sd_wan" id="sd_wan"></a>

a network using centralised control of application routing to improve user experience\
**Related term:** [WAN](#wanwide_area_network)

#### Server <a href="#server" id="server"></a>

typically a more powerful computer with greater storage capability which runs applications accessed from client computers\
**Related term:** [client](#client)

#### SHA1: Secure Hash Algorithm-1 <a href="#sha1secure_hash_algorithm-1" id="sha1secure_hash_algorithm-1"></a>

one option for the Authentication Protocol for SNMPv3\
**Related term:** [MD5](#md5message_digest_algorithm_5)

#### Shaping <a href="#shaping" id="shaping"></a>

a traffic management technique which can queue traffic to comply with a desired traffic profile, used to optimise link performance by prioritising some traffic types

#### SLA: Service Level Agreement <a href="#slaservice_level_agreement" id="slaservice_level_agreement"></a>

terms agreed between companies on what will be delivered, typically on service availability or performance

#### SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol <a href="#smtpsimple_mail_transfer_protocol" id="smtpsimple_mail_transfer_protocol"></a>

an Internet standard for email transmission

#### SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol <a href="#snmpsimple_network_management_protocol" id="snmpsimple_network_management_protocol"></a>

a standard method for managing devices on IP networks, using storage that can be that can be read and/or written to by the management system; there are three versions with improving security features: V1, V2c and V3\
**Related terms:** [IP](#ipinternet_protocol), [SNMP trap](#snmp_trap)

#### SNMPv3 terms <a href="#snmpv3_terms" id="snmpv3_terms"></a>

* [DES](#desdata_encryption_standard) - Data Encryption Algorithm encryption protocol
* [AES128](#aes128advanced_encryption_standard) - Advanced Encryption Standard encryption protocol
* [SHA1](#sha1secure_hash_algorithm-1) - Secure Hash Algorithm-1 authentication protocol
* [MD5](#md5message_digest_algorithm_5) - Message Digest algorithm 5 authentication protocol

#### SNMP Trap <a href="#snmp_trap" id="snmp_trap"></a>

an unsolicited message to a server (trap receiver) usually indicating a significant event has occurred Note: Highlight does not operate as a trap receiver\
**Related term:** [SNMP](#snmpsimple_network_management_protocol)

#### SNR: Signal to Noise Ratio <a href="#snrsignal_to_noise_ratio" id="snrsignal_to_noise_ratio"></a>

Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power, often expressed in decibels.

#### SSID: Service Set Identifier <a href="#ssidservice_set_identifier" id="ssidservice_set_identifier"></a>

The name given to a wireless network. A 32 character unique identifier for the WLAN. Usually this is also the name of the network which is visible to those who connect to it.\
**Related term:** [WLAN](#wlanwireless_lan)

#### TCP: Transmission Control Protocol <a href="#tcptransmission_control_protocol" id="tcptransmission_control_protocol"></a>

an IP protocol used at the transport layer which provides reliable transmission and adapts to network changes such as congestion.\
**Related term:** [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol <a href="#tcpiptransmission_control_protocolinternet_protocol" id="tcpiptransmission_control_protocolinternet_protocol"></a>

the standardised set of communication protocols used over the Internet.\
**Related term:** [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### Time Measurements <a href="#time_measurements" id="time_measurements"></a>

millisecond (=1/1000 second, msec or ms), microsecond (=1/1000000 second, µsec/µs)

#### ToS: Type of Service <a href="#tostype_of_service" id="tostype_of_service"></a>

the facility in an IP packet to differentiate services carried, used by QoS schemes\
**Related terms:** [CoS](#cosclass_of_service), [QoS](#qosquality_of_service)

#### Traffic <a href="#traffic" id="traffic"></a>

data being carried by the network or through a particular interface

#### Tunnel <a href="#tunnel" id="tunnel"></a>

a virtual link which provides a network service not supported by the carrying network e.g. the ability to carry non-IP traffic over an IP network\
**Related term:** [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

### Industry terms U - Z

#### UDP: User Datagram Protocol <a href="#udpuser_datagram_protocol" id="udpuser_datagram_protocol"></a>

an IP protocol used at the transport layer which provides simple transmission with no delivery guarantee

#### URL: Uniform Resource Locator <a href="#urluniform_resource_locator" id="urluniform_resource_locator"></a>

the address of a specific website or file on the Internet which uses forward slashes for different directories and does not contain spaces nor certain other characters

#### UTC: Universal Time Coordinated or Coordinated Universal Time <a href="#utcuniversal_time_coordinated_or_coordinated_universal_time" id="utcuniversal_time_coordinated_or_coordinated_universal_time"></a>

the time standard commonly used across the world, usually the same time as GMT

#### VLAN: Virtual Local Area Network <a href="#vlanvirtual_local_area_network" id="vlanvirtual_local_area_network"></a>

a LAN that is partitioned into separate broadcast domains is then comprised of multiple virtual LANs\
**Related term:**[ LAN](#lanlocal_area_network)

#### VM: Virtual Machine <a href="#vmvirtual_machine" id="vmvirtual_machine"></a>

has its own operating system but shares resources, running under a control system which allocates resources and offers power and console management

#### VoIP: Voice over IP <a href="#voipvoice_over_ip" id="voipvoice_over_ip"></a>

a group of technologies to provide voice services over IP\
**Related term:** [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### Volume <a href="#volume" id="volume"></a>

data held on a server or transferred across a network link, usually measured in bytes (B) or multiples:

* **TB:** terabyte, Highlight expresses this as 1024 gigabytes
* **GB:** gigabytes, Highlight expresses this as 1024 megabytes
* **MB:** megabytes, Highlight expresses this as 1024 kilobytes
* **kB:** kilobytes, Highlight expresses this as 1024 bytes

#### VPN: Virtual Private Network <a href="#vpnvirtual_private_network" id="vpnvirtual_private_network"></a>

encrypts the original source and destination addressing as well as the application data before passing it across a public network (to create a network that appears private)\
**Related term:** [encryption](#encryption)

#### VRF: Virtual Routing and Forwarding <a href="#vrfvirtual_routing_and_forwarding" id="vrfvirtual_routing_and_forwarding"></a>

included in IP network routers and allows multiple instances of a routing table to exist in a router and work simultaneously. With VRF, network paths can be segmented without using multiple devices which increases network security and can eliminate the need for encryption and authentication. ISPs often take advantage of VRF to create separate virtual private networks (VPNs) for customers; thus the technology is also referred to as VPN routing and forwarding.\
**Related terms:** [routing table](#routing_table), [VPN](#vpnvirtual_private_network), [ISP,](#ispinternet_service_provider) [IP](#ipinternet_protocol)

#### WAN: Wide Area Network <a href="#wanwide_area_network" id="wanwide_area_network"></a>

typically a telecommunications network that links LANs across a wide geographical area\
**Related term:** [LAN](#lanlocal_area_network)

#### WAP: Wireless Access Point <a href="#wapwireless_access_point" id="wapwireless_access_point"></a>

Often referred to as an Access Point, a device that transmits and receives wireless signals. A WAP acts as the first layer of control for devices connecting to a common WLAN and allows for communication between WLANs and wired LANs.\
**Related terms:** [AP](#wapwireless_access_point), [LAN](#lanlocal_area_network), [WLAN](#wlanwireless_lan)

#### Webhook <a href="#webhook" id="webhook"></a>

A way for an App to provide real-time information to other applications.\
Highlight has an option to pass alert information to service management systems utilising webhook technology.

#### Wireless Controller <a href="#wireless_controller" id="wireless_controller"></a>

WAPs connect to this device and it acts a centralised location for co-ordinating and controlling large numbers of WAPs and Wireless devices. It maintains a central configuration, security policy and software image for a group of WAPs. Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) is used by Cisco, Wireless Network Controller (WNC) by Aruba.\
**Related term:** [WAP](#wapwireless_access_point)

#### WLAN: Wireless LAN <a href="#wlanwireless_lan" id="wlanwireless_lan"></a>

Wireless Local Area Network, a network made up of stations and access points used to connect devices without the use of wires. For the purposes of this glossary it refers to wireless networks using the IEEE 802.11 protocol\
**Related terms:**[ LAN](#lanlocal_area_network), [802.11](#section80211)

#### WLC/WNC: Wireless LAN Controller/Wireless Network Controller <a href="#wlcwncwireless_lannetwork_controller" id="wlcwncwireless_lannetwork_controller"></a>

WLC is used by Cisco, WNC by Aruba.\
**Related term:** [Wireless Controller](#wireless_controller)


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