Glossary of Terms

Numbers

80/20 rule

A rule of thumb by which 80% of a network's traffic is local and 20% is remote.

A-B

Adaptability

A user requirement for the system to be able to adapt to users' changing needs.

Address

For IP, a 32-bit number that identifies a device at the network layer.

Addressing

Applying identifiers (addresses) to devices at various protocol layers (e.g., data-link and network).

Address mask

For IP, a 32-bit number that identifies which bits in the address are considered part of the network and (by default) which bits are considered part of the device.

Address prefix

When an address mask is noted by its length (N) in bits, as / N.

Addressing

Assigning local or global, private or public, temporary or persistent identifiers to devices.

Affordability

A user requirement for what users or management can afford to purchase for the network.

Alarm

A network management event that triggers a real-time notification to network personnel.

See also Event.

Application requirements

Requirements that are determined from application information, experience, or testing and are what are needed by applications to successfully operate on the system.

Architectural components

These are functional areas of the network, whose relationships define the network architecture. Examples of architectural components include IP services, security and privacy, network management, and addressing and routing.

Areas

Segments of a network design that are the result of sizing the network.

Asynchronous applications

Applications that are relatively insensitive to time, either assuming no timing relationship between source and...