Category: Tech Terms Definitions

Definition: Optical Mouse An optical mouse is a computer pointing device that uses a light-emitting diode (LED) and optical sensor to detect movement relative to a surface. Unlike its predecessor, the mechanical mouse, which uses a rolling ball to detect movement, the optical mouse offers greater precision, reliability, and ease

Definition: Server A server is a computer or system that provides resources, data, services, or programs to other computers, known as clients, over a network. In essence, servers perform tasks on behalf of clients. The term can refer to both the hardware designed for this purpose and the software running

Definition: Host A host in the context of computer networks refers to a computer or other device connected to a network that provides data, services, or resources to other devices or clients on the network. Hosts can range from powerful servers hosting websites to personal computers accessing the internet. Essentially,

Definition: Overlay Network An overlay network is a virtual network that is built on top of one or more existing network layers. It allows for the creation of virtualized network topologies that can encapsulate and transport data over these underlying networks without the need to modify them. Overlay networks facilitate

Definition: Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a network technology that encapsulates Fibre Channel frames over Ethernet networks. This allows Fibre Channel to use 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks (or higher speeds) while preserving the Fibre Channel protocol. FCoE facilitates the convergence of storage and IP

Definition: Trace Routing Trace Routing, often referred to as traceroute or tracert, is a network diagnostic tool used to display the route (path) and measure transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The tool identifies each hop that packets take on their path from source to destination,

Definition: Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) is a computer memory design used in multiprocessing, where the memory access time varies depending on the memory location relative to the processor. Under NUMA, a processor can access its own local memory faster than non-local memory (memory local to another

Definition: UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) UART, standing for Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter, is a hardware communication protocol used in serial communication between computers and peripherals. It facilitates asynchronous serial communication where data is transmitted without a shared clock, meaning the sender and receiver each use their own clock signals to coordinate

Definition: Grey Hat Hacker A Grey Hat Hacker is an individual who operates between the legal boundaries of white hat and black hat hacking, often without malicious intent but without explicit permission to probe systems for vulnerabilities. Unlike black hat hackers, who exploit vulnerabilities for personal gain or to inflict

Definition: Host File A host file is a computer file used by an operating system to map hostnames to IP addresses. Before the advent of domain name systems (DNS), host files were the primary method of mapping hostnames to IP addresses. Even in modern operating systems, the host file serves

Definition: High-Performance Parallel Interface High-Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI) is a point-to-point, channel-based, high-speed communication protocol developed to facilitate the rapid transfer of large volumes of data between supercomputers and peripheral devices or between two supercomputers. Originally designed in the late 1980s and standardized in the early 1990s, HIPPI has been

Definition: PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is a computer bus for attaching or connecting peripheral devices to a computer motherboard, facilitating data transfer between the central processing unit (CPU) and the attached devices. Introduced in the early 1990s, PCI became a standard for many types of