Network Terms

A network is a group of connected devices that can communicate with each other. These devices are referred to as nodes.

General

  • NIC - Network Interface Controller, the hardware in devices that allow them to connect to a network as nodes.
  • Switch - a device that connects nodes and can be configured to intelligently pass information and direct network traffic. See Network Switches.
  • Link - the physical or logical connection between two nodes or segments. See Network Topology.
  • Segment - a connection between two NICs that goes through at least one switch.
  • Hop - a segment where data is passed from one device to another. See Network Topology.
  • LAN - Local Area Network, any group of connected switches and nodes. See Entertainment Control Networks > Network Isolation.
  • VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network, a digital subdivision of a physical LAN. See Entertainment Control Networks > Network Isolation.
  • WAN - Wide Area Network, a group of LANs and their nodes, connected via routers.
  • Router - a device, often wireless, that passes and filters information between separate LANs. See Wireless Networking.
  • Topology - how the physical elements of a network are arranged and connected. See Network Topology.
  • Octet - an eight-bit unit of data that is commonly used to represent part of a network address. See Internet Protocol (IP).
  • Time Server - a device that establishes the actual time and distributes that information to other nodes. See Entertainment Control Networks > Time Servers.
  • Wireless Access Point - a device that provides a wireless connection point into a physical network. See Wireless Networking.
  • SSID - Service Set Identifier, the name of a wireless network generated by an access point or router. See Wireless Networking.
  • Firewall - a device or software that provides security monitoring and control of incoming and outgoing network traffic.
  • Gateway - a device that translates from one protocol to another; in entertainment control networks, often from sACN to DMX. Not to be confused with Default Gateway.
  • Ping - a utility used to test network connectivity between two nodes. Accessible in Eos software via Eos Configuration Utility > Settings > Network > Device.

Data Units

  • Bit (b) - the smallest unit of digital information for encoding and transmitting data. Literally a 1 or a 0.
  • Megabit (Mb) - roughly one million bits.
  • Gigabit (Gb) - roughly one billion bits.
  • Byte (B) - eight bits.
  • Megabyte (MB) - roughly one million bytes.
  • Gigabyte (GB) - roughly one billion bytes.

Protocols

Network Protocols are sets of standards and rules for how to communicate, format, and process data in a network.

  • Unicast - a protocol communication method where a single sender transmits data to a single receiver in a single IP network. See Communication Methods > Unicast.
  • Broadcast - a protocol communication method where a single sender transmits data to every receiver in a network's subnet. See Communication Methods > Broadcast.
  • Multicast - a protocol communication method where data from one or more senders is transmitted to one or more receivers that have requested to receive the data. See Communication Methods > Multicast.
  • IP - governs how data is addressed and sent within and between networks. See Internet Protocol (IP).
  • IP Address - the unique virtual location of a device within an IP-based network.
  • Packet - a unit of data for transmission in an IP network, often dividing a longer message into formatted pieces. See Internet Protocol (IP).
  • Subnet - logically subdivides an IP network, limiting which nodes can communicate with each other. See Internet Protocol (IP) >Subnet Mask.
  • Default Gateway - the IP address of a network device where data is sent if it cannot be delivered to its intended destination. See Internet Protocol (IP) > Default Gateway.
  • DHCP - a method to automatically assign addresses to devices in a network. See Internet Protocol (IP) > Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
  • MAC Address - a unique identifier manufacturer-assigned to any wired or wireless device that can connect to a network. See Communication Protocols > Ethernet.
  • Ethernet - a collection of standardized technologies that govern network structure and data transmission. See Communication Protocols > Ethernet.
  • Frame - a unit of data dividing a longer message into formatted pieces for transmission between MAC addresses. See Communication Protocols > Ethernet.
  • TCP - ensures reliable communication of data between devices in a network. See Communication Protocols > Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
  • UDP - allows rapid, connectionless communication of data between devices in a network. See Communication Protocols > User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
  • ACN - Architecture for Control Networks, a set of protocols allowing multiple entertainment control systems to operate on the same network. See Control Protocols > Streaming ACN (sACN).
  • sACN - continuously streams lighting levels over a network. See Control Protocols > Streaming ACN (sACN).
  • IGMP - allows communication between multicast transmitters and receivers. See Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP).
  • NTP - synchronizes node clocks in a network to the same global time. See Communication Protocols > Network Time Protocol (NTP).
  • RSTP - prevents network loops by managing redundant connections between switches. See Communication Protocols > Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP).
  • RDM - Remote Device Management, a protocol that allows remote device reporting and configuration via DMX wiring without a network.