WAN Definitions

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  • #

    10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE)

    10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) is a telecommunication technology that offers data speeds up to 10 billion bits per second.

  • C

    committed information rate (CIR)

    Committed information rate (CIR) is the guaranteed rate at which a Frame Relay network will transfer information under normal line conditions.

  • What is Cisco Performance Routing (PfR)?

    Cisco Performance Routing (PfR) is a way of sending network packets based on intelligent path control.

  • D

    data center interconnect (DCI)

    Data center interconnect (DCI) technology links two or more data centers together to share resources.

  • dynamic multipoint VPN (DMVPN)

    A dynamic multipoint virtual private network (DMVPN) is a secure network that exchanges data between sites/routers without passing traffic through an organization's virtual private network (VPN) server or router located at its headquarters.

  • E

    Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP)

    Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) is a network protocol that enables routers to exchange information more efficiently than earlier network protocols, such as Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP) or Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

  • extranet

    An extranet is a private network that enterprises use to provide trusted third parties -- such as suppliers, vendors, partners, customers and other businesses -- secure, controlled access to business information or operations.

  • F

    fax

    A fax -- short for 'facsimile' and sometimes called 'telecopying' -- is the telephonic transmission of scanned-in printed material, including text or images.

  • file server

    A file server is a computer responsible for the storage and management of data files so that other computers on the same network can access the files.

  • frame relay

    Frame relay is a packet-switching telecommunications service designed for cost-efficient data transmission for intermittent traffic between local area networks (LANs) and between endpoints in wide area networks (WANs).

  • L

    load balancing

    Load balancing is a technique used to distribute network traffic across a pool of servers known as a server farm.

  • N

    Network as a Service (NaaS)

    Network as a service, or NaaS, is a business model for delivering enterprise WAN services virtually on a subscription basis.

  • network service provider (NSP)

    A network service provider (NSP) is a company that owns, operates and sells access to internet backbone infrastructure and services.

  • O

    orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)

    Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a method of data transmission where a single information stream is split among several closely spaced narrowband subchannel frequencies instead of a single wideband channel frequency.

  • P

    packet loss

    Packet loss is when one or more transmitted data packets fail to arrive at their destination.

  • S

    SD-branch

    SD-branch is a single, automated, centrally managed software-centric platform that replaces or supplements an existing branch network architecture.

  • SD-WAN security

    SD-WAN security refers to the practices, protocols and technologies protecting data and resources transmitted across software-defined wide area network infrastructure.

  • T

    tunneling or port forwarding

    Tunneling or port forwarding is the transmission of data intended for use only within a private -- usually corporate -- network through a public network in such a way that the public network's routing nodes are unaware that the transmission is part of a private network.

  • What is TCP/IP?

    TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and is a suite of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet.

  • V

    voice over LTE (VoLTE)

    Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is a digital packet technology that uses 4G LTE networks to route voice traffic and transmit data.

  • W

    WAN (wide area network)

    A wide area network (WAN) is a geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs).

  • WAN optimization (WAN acceleration)

    WAN optimization -- also known as WAN acceleration -- is a collection of technologies and techniques used to improve the efficiency of data transfer across a wide area network (WAN) between organizations' centralized data centers and their remote locations.