Glossary - IT Jargon Buster
We hope that the following definitions assist your understanding of IT terms & acronyms.
Server: Purpose designed and built computer & operating system supporting typically 10's or 100's of concurrent users & processes. Such equipment is optimized for high speed data access & network throughput. Examples of Server operating systems are Windows 2003/2008.
Client: Workstations, notebooks & PDAs running typically Win2000/XPP/Vista operating systems. This equipment is optimized for single users, supporting only 4 or 5 network user sessions. Main function is network connection to Servers.
DC: Domain Controller - key server function of a Microsoft Windows network. A Domain Controller controls network access via user & device credentials.
AD: Active Directory - introduced in Windows Server 2000, provides central network authentication.
DNS: Domain Name Server - resolves network host names to IP addresses. DNS can run as a service on any Win2000/2003/2008 server.
TS: Terminal Server - introduced from WinNT4, allows user sessions to run directly on server via a thin client. The key advantages here are centralized administration & low bandwidth connections.
SQL: Structured Query Language - Microsoft's proprietary database engine. One SQL network server is capable of storing database records from multiple applications.
Exchange: Microsoft e-mail server for collection & routing of internal & external electronic mail.
LAN: Local Area Network - a network connected within an office or factory affording high speed connections between local devices. Typical speeds of 100Mbps or 1000Mbps connect servers, workstations & printers.
WAN: Wide Area Network - a network connected across vast geographical distances.
ADSL: Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line - Internet data access over a telephone exchange line. First introduced as ADSL, many homes & offices can currently connect via ADSL2+ providing for up to 24Mbps connections to the Internet. However the 'asynchronous' tag means that there is a 20:1 ratio in the download to upload speeds. Outbound traffic will typically be restricted to less than 1Mbps.
BDSL: Telstra Business DSL - symmetric data access connections suitable for connection of Branch Offices. Speeds typically available are 2 or 4Mbps across highly reliable carrier networks.
VPN: Virtual Private Network - encrypted connections over LAN or WAN which provide good security.
MOLP: Microsoft Open License Program - a volume license discount agreement providing excellent savings & administration over retail purchases.
WSUS: Microsoft Windows Server Update Services. WSUS enables IT administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates to Windows, Office, Exchange, SQL, ISA & Forefront products.