gloss_F

F

fast packet.

Fast packet is a technique for asynchronously transferring data across the network.

fault management.

Fault management, one of the five categories of network management defined by ISO, is the detection, isolation, and correction of network faults.

fault tolerance.

Fault tolerance is the ability of a system to continue operating in the event of a fault. You can implement fault tolerance in many places in a network, including in file servers with Novell's NetWare SFT III, in disks with RAID, and in bridges with the spanning-tree algorithm.

Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI).

FDDI is the ANSI X3T9.5 specification for a 100Mbit/sec network that is logically implemented as dual, counter-rotating rings. A fiber FDDI network can support up to 500 stations over 2 kilometers. FDDI, originally specified to run over fiber, can also operate over shielded and unshielded twisted pair, although the distances are greatly shortened .

fiber- optic cable.

Fiber-optic cable can be used to transmit signals in the form of light. Glass fiber is composed of an outer protective sheath, cladding, and the optical fiber. It comes in single mode and multimode varieties. Single-mode fiber is more often used in the public-switched telephone network; multimode fiber is more often used in local area networks. Single-mode fiber uses lasers to transmit the light; multimode uses light-emitting diodes.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

FTP is the TCP/IP protocol for file transfer.

File Transfer, Access, and Management (FTAM).

FTAM is the OSI protocol for transferring and remotely accessing files on other hosts also running FTAM.

filtering.

Filtering is the process by which particular source or destination addresses can be prevented from crossing a bridge or router onto another portion of the network.

firewall.

A firewall is an impermeable barrier through which certain types of packets cannot pass.

forwarding.

Forwarding is the process by which a bridge copies a packet from one segment or ring to another.

fractional T1.

In fractional T1, the 1.544Mbit/sec T1 capacity is divided into 64Kbit/sec increments . Users can order as many channels as they need, but they are not required to purchase the entire 1.544Mbits/sec from the service provider.

fragmentation.

Fragmentation is the process in which large frames from one network are broken up into smaller frames compatible with the network to which they'll be forwarded.

frame relay.

Frame relay is the ITU-T standard for a low-overhead packet-switching protocol that provides dynamic bandwidth allocation at speeds up to 2Mbits/sec or more. It is considered a second generation X.25 in that it is more efficient.

front-end application.

Users present, manipulate, and display data via front-end or client applications. These applications work with back-end applications, such as a mail or database engines.