Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit 2003
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 338
Pages: 338
A device that enables a broadband connection to the Internet by using cable television infrastructure. Access speeds vary greatly, with a maximum throughput of 10 megabits per second (Mbps).
For DNS and WINS, a local information store of resource records for recently resolved names of remote hosts. Typically, the cache is built dynamically as the computer queries and resolves names. It also helps optimize the time required to resolve queried names. See also cache file; naming service; resource record (RR).
A file used by the Domain Name System (DNS) server to preload its names cache when the service is started. Also known as the root hints file because DNS uses resource records stored in this file to help locate root servers that provide referral to authoritative servers for remote names. For Windows DNS servers, the cache file is named Cache.dns and is located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Dns folder. See also authoritative; cache; Domain Name System (DNS); systemroot.
The process of temporarily storing recently used data values in a special pool in memory for quicker subsequent access. For DNS, typically the ability of the DNS server to store information learned about the DNS namespace during the resolution of DNS queries. (For example, the DNS server can cache DNS records received from other DNS servers.) Caching is also available through the DNS Client service as a way for DNS clients to keep a cache of information learned during recent queries. See also caching resolver; DNS server; Domain Name System (DNS).
A client-side DNS name resolution service that performs caching of recently learned DNS domain name information. The caching resolver service provides system-wide access to DNS-aware programs for resource records obtained from DNS servers during processing of name queries. Cached data is used for a limited period of time and aged according to the active Time-to-Live (TTL) value. You can set the TTL individually for each resource record (RR). Otherwise, it defaults to the minimum TTL set in the SOA RR for the zone. See also cache; caching; expire interval; resolver; resource record (RR); Time to Live (TTL).
The number that a remote access server uses to call back a user. This number can be preset by the administrator or specified by the user at the time of each call, depending on how the administrator configures the user's callback options. The callback number should be the number of the phone line to which the user's modem is connected. See also remote access server.
A 32-bit PC Card.
A unit of media of a certain type, such as 8mm tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, or CD-ROM, used by Removable Storage. See also Removable Storage.
The part of a computer that has the ability to retrieve, interpret, and execute instructions and to transfer information to and from other resources over the computer's main data-transfer path, the bus. By definition, the CPU is the chip that functions as the brain of a computer.
A digital document that is commonly used for authentication and secure exchange of information on open networks, such as the Internet, extranets, and intranets. A certificate securely binds a public key to the entity that holds the corresponding private key. Certificates are digitally signed by the issuing certification authority and can be issued for a user, a computer, or a service. The most widely accepted format for certificates is defined by the ITU-T X.509 version 3 international standard. See also certification authority (CA); International Telecommunication Union -Telecommunication [Standardization Sector] (ITU-T); private key.
A software service that issues certificates for a particular certification authority (CA). It provides customizable services for issuing and managing certificates for the enterprise. Certificates can be used to provide authentication support, including secure e-mail, Web-based authentication, and smart card authentication. See also authentication; certificate; certification authority (CA).
A Windows construct that prespecifies format and content of certificates based on their intended usage. When requesting a certificate from a Windows enterprise certification authority (CA), certificate requestors are, depending on their access rights, able to select from a variety of certificate types that are based on certificate templates, such as User and Code Signing. See also certificate; certification authority (CA).
An entity responsible for establishing and vouching for the authenticity of public keys belonging to users (end entities) or other certification authorities. Activities of a certification authority can include binding public keys to distinguished names through signed certificates, managing certificate serial numbers, and certificate revocation. See also certificate.
A challenge-response authentication protocol for PPP connections documented in RFC 1994 that uses the industry-standard Message Digest 5 (MD5) one-way encryption scheme to hash the response to a challenge issued by the remote access server. See also Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).
A feature new to Windows 2000 that tracks changes to NTFS volumes, including additions, deletions, and modifications. The change journal exists on the volume as a sparse file. See also NTFS file system; volume.
The robotic element of an online library unit.
An object that resides in another object. A child object implies relation. For example, a file is a child object that resides in a folder, which is the parent object. See also object; parent object.
Text that has been encrypted using an encryption key. Ciphertext is meaningless to anyone who does not have the decryption key. See also decryption; encryption; encryption key; plaintext.
Any computer or program connecting to, or requesting the services of, another computer or program. Client can also refer to the software that enables the computer or program to establish the connection.
For a local area network (LAN) or the Internet, a computer that uses shared network resources provided by another computer (called a server). See also server.
In data storage, the smallest amount of disk space that can be allocated to hold a file. All file systems used by Windows organize hard disks based on clusters, which consist of one or more contiguous sectors. The smaller the cluster size, the more efficiently a disk stores information. If no cluster size is specified during formatting, Windows picks defaults based on the size of the volume. These defaults are selected to reduce the amount of space that is lost and the amount of fragmentation on the volume. A cluster is also called an allocation unit.
In computer networking, a group of independent computers that work together to provide a common set of services and present a single-system image to clients. The use of a cluster enhances the availability of the services and the scalability and manageability of the operating system that provides the services. See also client; file system; volume.
A disk on a shared bus connected to the cluster nodes, which all the cluster nodes can access (though not at the same time).
A recovery technique used when NTFS detects a bad sector. NTFS dynamically replaces the cluster containing the bad sector and allocates a new cluster for the data. If the error occurs during a read, NTFS returns a read error to the calling program, and the data is lost. If the error occurs during a write, NTFS writes the data to the new cluster, and no data is lost. See also NTFS file system.
A means of providing support for character sets and keyboard layouts for different countries or regions. A code page is a table that relates the binary character codes used by a program to keys on the keyboard or to characters on the display.
Hardware that can convert audio or video signals between analog and digital forms (coder/decoder); hardware or software that can compress and uncompress audio or video data (compression/decompression); or the combination of coder/decoder and compression/decompression. Generally, a codec compresses uncompressed digital data so that the data uses less memory.
See definition for Component Object Model (COM).
See definition for communication port.
A protocol and a corresponding API used by application programs to request higher level application services. CIFS was formerly known as Server Message Block (SMB).
A port on a computer that allows asynchronous communication of one byte at a time. A communication port is also called a serial port. See also asynchronous communication.
A 32-bit protected-mode file system that controls access to the contents of CD-ROM drives.
A type of CD-ROM that can be written on a CD recorder and read on a CD-ROM drive.
The battery-packed memory that stores information, such as disk types and amount of memory, used to start the computer.
An object-based programming model designed to promote software interoperability; it allows two or more applications or components to easily cooperate with one another, even if they were written by different vendors, at different times, in different programming languages, or if they are running on different computers running different operating systems. Object linking and embedding (OLE) technology and ActiveX are both built on top of COM. See also ActiveX; object linking and embedding (OLE).
A basic security function of cryptography. Confidentiality provides assurance that only authorized users can read or use confidential or secret information. Without confidentiality, anyone with network access can use readily available tools to eavesdrop on network traffic and intercept valuable proprietary information. For example, an Internet Protocol security service that ensures a message is disclosed only to intended recipients by encrypting the data. See also authentication; cryptography; integrity; nonrepudiation.
The left pane in Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that displays the items contained in the console. By default it is the left pane of a console window, but it can be hidden. The items in the console tree and their hierarchical organization determine the capabilities of a console. See also Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
An object that can logically contain other objects. For example, a folder is a container object. See also noncontainer object; object.
A backup that copies all selected files but does not mark each file as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared). Copying is useful if you want to back up files between normal and incremental backups because copying does not affect these other backup operations. See also daily backup; differential backup; incremental backup; normal backup.
See definition for central processing unit (CPU).
A set of information that includes identification and proof of identification that is used to gain access to local and network resources. Examples of credentials are user names and passwords, smart cards, and certificates.
An application programming interface (API) that is provided as part of Microsoft Windows. CryptoAPI provides a set of functions that allows applications to encrypt or digitally sign data in a flexible manner while providing protection for the user's sensitive private key data. Actual cryptographic operations are performed by independent modules known as cryptographic service providers (CSPs). See also application programming interface (API); cryptographic service provider (CSP); private key.
The code that performs authentication, encoding, and encryption services that Windows-based applications access through CryptoAPI. A CSP is responsible for creating keys, destroying them, and using them to perform a variety of cryptographic operations. Each CSP provides a different implementation of the CryptoAPI. Some provide stronger cryptographic algorithms, while others contain hardware components, such as smart cards. See also CryptoAPI; smart card.
The processes, art, and science of keeping messages and data secure. Cryptography is used to enable and ensure confidentiality, data integrity, authentication (entity and data origin), and nonrepudiation. See also authentication; confidentiality; integrity; nonrepudiation.
The set of tracks that are at the same head position on a hard disk. Cylinder numbers start at 0, with cylinder 0 at the outer edge of the platters. A cylinder is approximately 8 megabytes. See also head; track.