B

back file system

Used with CacheFS, the back file system contains the original data to be cached and is located on a remote computer.

backup

A replica of data stored in an alternate location. Most frequently, backups are made to tape devices or CD-ROMs, but they can also be made to hard disks and floppy disks.

backup schedule

The frequency of backups made, to ensure the timeliness and completeness of your data backup.

begin script

An optional Bourne shell script that runs before a custom JumpStart installation of Solaris takes place.

Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND)

An industry-wide standard for the implementation of DNS.

Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)

One of the two major UNIX architecture standards. The original versions of SunOS were based on this standard.

bind

In a client-server networking environment, a client will connect to a server and maintain that connection until the communication between those computers is done. The connection process is called a bind.

boot block

An 8KB sector present in slice 0 of a hard disk that contains information on how to begin the computer's boot process.

boot server

A computer that provides boot information, such as a boot file and IP address, to diskless clients or clients that do not have an operating system, on the network.

bridge

A networking device that can connect local area networks to each other. Bridges forward network traffic based on a physical (MAC) address.