Issue 37.13
I am often asked what a series of letters stands for when it comes to technology. Usually I know and remember, but occasionally I am stumped and have to look it up. I figured readers would like to have a short glossary of the most used acronyms so here goes.
I.P. address– Internet Protocol address. This is a unique series of numbers that identifies your computer on the internet or within a LAN (see below). A lot of people get confused when trying to identify this number because local networks usually start with two sets of three numbers (192.168) which is then followed by two more sets that identify your computer or printer, etc. In a WAN, the group of four sets of numbers are unique and identiy where your network is. That is how law enforcement can identify what group of computers sends out fraudulent or illegal content. IPv4 has been the norm (which uses the four groups of three digits mentioned) but we are moving toward a time when IPv6 will be required for many users because the number of computer users worldwide is exceeding the limitations of the 12 digit identifier. The new IPv6 uses 18 digits and include letters, massively increasing the number of available addresses.
L.A.N. – Local Area Network. This includes all computers and peripherals (such as printers) connected to a specific router or switch. These computers can connect or “talk” to each other but can only access the rest of the world through a…
W.A.N. – Wide Area Network. The internet is a WAN, but there are others such as the network that all WalMarts connect to. These allow connection between widely separated physical locations or between a central hub and the many local stores, food service locations or others. When used this way, they are separate from the internet.
C.P.U. – Central Processing Unit. This is the main “brain” of the computer where the majority of calculations and decisions are made. The most common manufacturers are Intel and AMD, though there are others. In the last few years, these are being produced with multiple “cores” or individual processors working together to create more speed and multi-tasking capability. It is now pretty standard to see dual or quad core CPUs and 8 core or 12 core CPUs are available for high end systems.
H.T.T.P – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. This is the system that makes it possible to click on a word or phrase and be directed to a different page in documents or to an IP location on the internet. It imbeds the information you need in a layer beneath the text and usually changes the color of the text or underlines it so that you know it is a link.
D.L.L. – Dynamic Link Library. These are small programs that work with larger programs to provide information or actions. There are hundreds of these and programmers use them to make creating new programs simpler since they don’t have to recreate the process the DLL does.
These are very simplified explanations and just scratch the surface of the many acronyms out there, but hopefully they will help you understand some “computerese”. Enjoy – and as always, remember to back up anything that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 32 years, 23 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or his website www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.