Glossary of Terms

The following are terms used throughout the information found here. If you have a term you think should be added to the list, please send a note to net-op@skyinet.net.

Many Internet definitions are available in RFC 1392 - Internet Users' Glossary. If the term you are looking for isn't below, try this RFC. Some of the definitions below were copied verbatim from this glossary.

Any referenced RFC's can be found at the InterNIC Internet Documentation.

Autonomous System

A collection of routers under a single administrative authority using a common Interior Gateway Protocol for routing packets.

Autonomous System Number (ASN)

A unique number assigned by the InterNIC that identifies an autonomous system in the Internet. ASNs are used by routing protocols (like BGP) to uniquely define an autonomous system.

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)

The Border Gateway Protocol is an exterior gateway protocol defined in RFCs 1267 and 1268. It's design is based on experience gained with EGP, as defined in STD 18, RFC 904, and EGP usage in the NSFNET Backbone, as described in RFCs 1092 and 1093.

Domain Name System (DNS)

The DNS is a general purpose distributed, replicated, data query service. The principal use is the lookup of host IP addresses based on host names. The style of host names now used in the Internet is called "domain name", because they are the style of names used to look up anything in the DNS. Some important domains are: .COM (commercial), .EDU (educational), .NET (network operations), .GOV (U.S. government), and .MIL (U.S. military). Most countries also have a domain. For example, .US (United States), .UK (United Kingdom), .AU (Australia). It is defined in STD 13, RFCs 1034 and 1035.

InterNIC

The governing body of the Internet in the United States. The Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC) is responsible for database and registration services, including registering domain names, requesting IP networks, and other registration services.