Glossary

Administrator

The person who can use the most privileged account, root. This person must have his own personal login account for daily use, but, when there are serious system problems to correct, the person logs in to the root account to change system information using the graphical tools or using the IRIX shell.

The Administrator has all the capabilities of a Privileged User, plus the capability to change information in the root account (such as the password) and to log in to an IRIX shell as root. Because there is only one root account, there is only one Administrator per system. The Information Panel for a particular system includes the name of the system's Administrator so other users know who to contact for help.

BRI

A BRI (Basic Rate Interface) ISDN service includes 2 B channels and 1 D channel. It is the standard type of telephone service you need to use ISDN on an Indy.

B channels

ISDN on the Indy transfers data across two separate conduits, called B channels. Each B channel is capable of transferring up to 64 Kbits/second. See also D channel.

confidence test

A test that you run to make sure a particular device (such as the keyboard, mouse, or ISDN) is set up and working properly.

Customer Premise Equipment (CPE)

A term that the telephone company uses to describe all the end-user equipment needed to make an ISDN connection. For example, the Indy is Customer Premise Equipment (CPE).

D channel

ISDN on the Indy transfers signalling and protocol data (but no user data) on a single conduit, called a D channel. The D channel can transfer up to 16 Kbits/second. See also B channels.

hostname

The name that uniquely identifies each host (system) on the network.

hostname alias

A shorter version (for UUCP applications, it must be 7 characters or less) of a hostname.

hubname

The hostname of a system through which all ISDN connections to a particular network are made.

IP address

The number that uniquely identifies each system on the network.

Internet Service Provider

The person or agency that administers the system or network to which you connect via ISDN.

ISDN

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) technology is a combination of software, hardware, and telephone services that let you communicate with other systems and networks over a high-speed telephone line just as you communicate with other systems and networks over an Ethernet cable.

login account

A collection of information about a person who can log in to the system. The information includes the person's full name, login name, contact information, and the name of a home directory in which the person can store directories and files.

login name

A short version of your own name or your initials; you type it to log in to the system, and the system uses it to label files that belong to you. If your system is on a network, the network administrator usually must approve of the name to make sure it is unique.

NT1 device

A small, external hardware device (often the size of a standard VHS tape) that converts the standard 2- or 4-wire telephone jack signal (the U interface) to an 8-wire ISDN signal (the S/T interface). Depending on the type of NT1 unit you order, you may need a companion power supply unit.

PPP

PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) is a standard communications protocol for transmitting network data over point-to-point links using modems or ISDN lines. You can use it to transfer data between systems that are using TCP/IP or UDP/IP.

PRI

A PRI (Primary Rate Interface) ISDN service requires a T1 link or PBX line; it is used for high-end video teleconferencing, or for a large volume of outbound calls. It will not work over a standard telephone line; the Indy cannot use PRI. See also BRI.

password

A combination of letters and/or numbers that only you know; it is an optional element of your login account. If you specify a password for your account, you must type it after you type your login name before the system lets you access files and directories.

permissions

The information attached to each directory and file that specifies which users can access it and to what degree.

point-to-point

A connection made using the PPP protocol and ISDN hardware and software, where there is one device (point) on each end of the phycical connection. A connection with more than one device (e.g., a telephone and an Indy) on one end of the connection, and a single device (e.g., a server located at an Internet Service Provider's offices) at the other end is called a point-to-multipoint connection.

point-to-multipoint

A connection made using the PPP protocol and ISDN hardware and software, where there is more than one device (e.g., a telephone and an Indy) on one end of the connection, and a single device (e.g., a server located at an Internet Service Provider's offices) at the other end. A connection with only one device (point) on each end is called a point-to-point connection.

prompt

A character or word that the system displays in an IRIX shell that indicates that the system is ready to accept commands. The default prompt for regular user accounts is %; the default prompt for the root account is #.

RJ-11 cable

The standard, 4-wire cable that you use to plug a telephone into a standard wall jack. In an ISDN connection, you use it to connect the NT1 device or power supply unit to the wall jack.

RJ-45 cable

A high-speed, 8-wire cable that looks similar to the RJ-11 (standard telephone cable) but has larger connectors. In an ISDN connection, you use it to connect the NT1 device to the ISDN port on the Indy. If you have a companion power supply for the NT1 device, you use a second, shorter RJ-45 cable to connect the NT1 device to the power supply unit.

root account

The standard IRIX login account reserved for use by the system administrator. This account's home directory is the (/) directory of the filesystem; the user of the root account has full access to the entire filesystem (that is, can change and delete any file or directory). The user of this account is sometimes referred to as the superuser.

routing daemon

A continuously running program that determines the network route by which data will be transferred. gated and routed are the two standard routing daemons available on your system.

SLIP

Standard system software that lets you connect to a network using a serial cable and a modem rather than using an Ethernet cable. Once you're connected, you can use the network as if you were connected by an Ethernet cable. SLIP stands for Serial Line Internet Protocol.

SPID

The SPID (Service Profile Identifier) is a number that typically consists of 11 - 13 digits. For each ISDN telephone number, the telephone company assigns a corresponding SPID number. You need to know your two SPID numbers for these switch software types: 5ESS National ISDN 1; DMS100 BCS level 31, 32, 33, or 34 (Protocol Version 1); DMS BCS level 35 or higher (Protocol Version 2).

S/T interface

The 8-wire, high speed port used to transfer data using ISDN. The NT1 device's S/T interface port is usually labelled S/T, and the S/T interface port on the Indy (the ISDN port) is labelled with an icon of a telephone. These ports accept an RJ-45 cable.

subsystem

A portion of a software product. Each product consists of several subsystems; some are requred and some are optional.

superuser

An alternate name for the user of the root login account. See also system administrator.

switch hardware

The large computer located in the telephone company's central switching office through which telephone calls are routed. In the U.S., the two types of switch hardware are 5ESS and DMS100. See also switch software.

switch software

The type of software that runs on the switch hardware. In the U.S., switch software types include 5ESS Custom, 5ESS NI1, DMS100 BCS level 31, 32, 33, or 34 (Protocol Version 1), and DMS100 BCS level 35 or higher (Protocol Version 2); the last type is also sometimes called DMS NI1. In Germany, switch software types include 1TR6 or NET3 (also known as Euro-ISDN or DSS-1). The rest of Europe has NET3 switch software, and Japan has NTT.

System toolchest

The toolchest in the upper left portion of the screen from which you can access all system administration tools.

TCP/IP

The standard networking software that's included in the system software.

Terminal Adapter (TA)

Technically this is a device that allows terminals to access ISDN through serial lines. It has become a generic term for ISDN end-user equipment. For example, the telephone company may refer to the Indy as a Terminal Adapter (TA).

UUCP

Standard system software that lets you connect to a network using a serial cable and a modem rather than using an Ethernet cable. Once you're connected, you can log into a single system through one window; your system essentially behaves like a dumb terminal.

U interface

The standard, 2- or 4- wire wall jack port for a telephone. It accepts an RJ-11 cable.