Posts

What Does Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Mean? Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a low-level network protocol for translating network layer addresses into link layer addresses. Techopedia Explains Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) When configuring a new network computer, each system is assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address for primary identification and communication. A computer also has a unique media access control (MAC) address identity. Manufacturers embed the MAC address in the local area network (LAN) card....

What Does Electronic Serial Number (ESN) Mean? An electronic serial number (ESN) is a unique identification number embedded by manufacturers on a microchip in wireless phones. The ESN is automatically transmitted to a base station when a call is made. The carrier’s mobile switching office then detects the ESN and checks the validity of the call to prevent fraud. Techopedia Explains Electronic Serial Number (ESN) The electronic serial numbers are used in devices using code division multiple access (CDMA) technology....

What Does Emoticon Mean? An emoticon is some representation of an emotion using digital icons. The first emoticons were made of ASCII text characters. Newer emoticons as used on popular modern messaging platforms are engineered and graphically designed icons rather than collections of text characters. Techopedia Explains Emoticon The use of emoticons goes all the way back to the 1800s, where people began to use numbers as shorthand for various types of emotions in Morse code....

What Does Eye Diagram Mean? An eye diagram is an indicator of quality in a serial bit stream. The display (which has symmetrical patterns shaped similarly to eyes, hence the name) represents the integrity and consistency of data streams by visualizing the transitions between 0 and 1 values and comparing those transitions among the others in their stream. Techopedia Explains Eye Diagram Eye diagrams are displayed using oscilloscopes, which overlay segments of data streams to produce graphic representations that look similar to open eyes....

What Does Operator Mean? Techopedia Explains Operator Assignment Operator: This refers to the “=” (equals) sign and assigns a variable. A variable is the framework of the information.Arithmetic Operators: These include “+” (addition), “-” (subtraction), “*” (multiplication), “/” (division), “" (integer division), “Mod” (Modulo) and “^” (exponentiation).Boolean Operators: These make use of “And” (logical conjunction), “AndAlso” (short circuit And), “OrElse” (short circuit Or), “Or” (logical inclusion), “Not” (negation) and “Xor” (logical inclusion)....

What Does Blockchain (Distributed Ledger) Mean? A blockchain is a tamper-resistant distributed ledger that’s used to validate and store digital transactional records. No single authority is responsible for maintaining a Blockchain. Instead, computers in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network each store a copy of the ledger and transactions are verified through a decentralized consensus mechanism. Techopedia Explains Blockchain (Distributed Ledger) Blockchain can be thought of as a distributed database technology that’s maintained by multiple computers in a network....

What Does Buffer Overflow Mean? A buffer overflow occurs when more data are written to a buffer than it can hold. The excess data is written to the adjacent memory, overwriting the contents of that location and causing unpredictable results in a program. Buffer overflows happen when there is improper validation (no bounds prior to the data being written. It is considered a bug or weakness in the software Techopedia Explains Buffer Overflow Attackers can exploit a buffer overflow bug by injecting code that is specifically tailored to cause buffer overflow with the initial part of a data set, then writing the rest of the data to the memory address adjacent to the overflowing buffer....

What Does Data Streaming Mean? Data streaming is the process of transferring a stream of data from one place to another, to a sender and recipient or through some network trajectory. Data streaming is applied in multiple ways with various protocols and tools that help provide security, efficient delivery and other data results. Techopedia Explains Data Streaming Data streaming methods are central to technologies like the Internet, 3G and 4G wireless systems for mobile devices, as well as data handling for business processes in corporate networks....

What Does Designated Router Mean? A designated router is a hardware piece playing a particular role in wireless networking. It is most frequently used as part of an Open Shortest Path First or OSPF link-state routing protocol for IP networks. Techopedia Explains Designated Router Systems like OSPF involve a designated router or DR and designated backup router or BDR. Experts describe the designated router as the chosen path for multiple routers on a multi-access network segment....

What Does Direct Payment Mean? A direct payment is a form of electronic bill payment for consumers that allows them to pay their bills for services or products over the Internet through their banks. Direct payment transactions occur in the form of a money transfer from a user’s account arranged either through an online bank or a brick-and-mortar financial institution, which provides users with an account and routing number for the party they wish to make electronic payments to....

What Does Document and Media Exploitation (DOMEX) Mean? Document and media exploitation (DOMEX) refers to the extraction, translation and analysis of physical and digital documents and media to generate useful and timely information. DOMEX is a very similar discipline to computer forensics or digital forensics but is aimed more at generating intelligence rather than evidence to be used in a court of law. Techopedia Explains Document and Media Exploitation (DOMEX) The acronym DOMEX came from U....

What Does Hadoop YARN Mean? Hadoop YARN is a specific component of the open source Hadoop platform for big data analytics, licensed by the non-profit Apache software foundation. Techopedia Explains Hadoop YARN Experts explain that the key concept of YARN involves setting up both global and application-specific resource management components. This helps to allocate resources to particular applications and manage other kinds of resource monitoring tasks. In YARN, an application submission client submits an application to the YARN resource manager....

What Does Real-Time Collaboration Mean? Real-time collaboration is a term used for software or technologies that allow multiple users to work together on a project in real time, or simultaneously. Challenges related to real-time collaboration involve making files commonly available to multiple users in different locations, and allowing these users to communicate without signal delays. Techopedia Explains Real-Time Collaboration Different real-time collaboration tools have their own sets of features for accommodating this kind of group interaction....

What Does Refresh Rate Mean? Refresh rate is a characteristic of computer display monitors and projection devices that defines the frequency and ability of the device to repaint or redraw the entire visible display on the screen each second. Techopedia Explains Refresh Rate Refresh rate is a common figure used to gauge a computer monitor’s or device screen’s ability to effectively display the graphical and textual display output. It can be controlled using a compatible video/display card....

What Does Regression Testing Mean? Regression testing is a type of software testing used to determine whether new problems are the result of software changes. Techopedia Explains Regression Testing Regression testing is essential for large software applications, as it is often difficult to know whether changing part of an issue has created a new issue for a different part of the application. For example, a change to a bank application loan module may result in the failure of a monthly transaction report....

What Does Retrocomputing Mean? The practice of retrocomputing involves buying or working with old and obsolete technologies. People describe it as the use of old computer hardware and software in a time when much newer and more advanced hardware and software is available. Retrocomputing is often a hobby, but is sometimes also done for preservation and curation purposes. Techopedia Explains Retrocomputing One example of retrocomputing is the collection and use of obsolete or outdated personal computer systems....

What Does Taskbar Mean? The taskbar is a movable, concealable icon bar that is set on the very edge of the graphical user interface (GUI) desktop and serves as a launching pad for applications as well as a holder for icons indicating running programs. The taskbar was first introduced by Microsoft in Windows 95 and has since been adopted by other operating systems. Techopedia Explains Taskbar The taskbar’s default position is at the bottom of the screen; but it can be repositioned to the left, right and top portions of the desktop....

What Does Transmission Security (TRANSEC) Mean? Transmission security (TRANSEC) is the process of securing data transmissions from being infiltrated, exploited or intercepted by an individual, application or device. TRANSEC secures data as it travels over a communication medium. It is generally implemented in military and government organization networks and devices, such as radar and radio communication equipment. Techopedia Explains Transmission Security (TRANSEC) To create a low probability of interception (LPI) for transmissions To create a low probability of detection (LPD) for the measures TRANSEC takes To ensure antijam, or resistence to jamming

What Does USB-C Connector Mean? USB-C (Universal Serial Bus Type-C) is an industry-standard for transmitting both data and power over a single cable. The benefits of USB-C include increased data transfer rates (DTRs) and faster charging capabilities. Techopedia Explains USB-C Connector The Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface was developed in the mid-1990s and is standardized by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF).

What Does Wi-Fi Protected Access-Enterprise (WPA Enterprise) Mean? Wi-Fi Protected Access-Enterprise (WPA-Enterprise) is a wireless security mechanism designed for small to large enterprise wireless networks. It is an enhancement to the WPA security protocol with advanced authentication and encryption. WPA-Enterprise uses the Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS) protocol to manage user authentication. Techopedia Explains Wi-Fi Protected Access-Enterprise (WPA Enterprise) WPA-Enterprise works like WPA-Personal (WPA-PSK) but requires each user to self-authenticate via a RADIUS server....