A

Affiliate Program - When a site owner pays a WebMaster to send traffic or signups, pays a commission for sales or lead, or pays for advertising space.

Alias - An email recipient on a machine that exists for the purpose of forwarding mail to one or more other recipients. The recipients in an alias may be on the same server on or another mail server.

Anonymous FTP - Many Internet sites have files that are available to the general public. Anonymous FTP is a protocol which allows anonymous file-sharing between two Internet sites using the FTP protocol. When accessing files, the username is always "anonymous" and the password is any e-mail address.

Applet - A program, often written in Java, which downloads from a Web page and runs on a Web browser. Applets typically provide animation, information from the server or other special effects. In order to run an applet, a user must use a browser that supports the protocol used by the applet. For example, to run a Java applet, one needs a Java-compatible browser.

Archive - A collection of computer files that have been packaged together for backup, to transport to some other location, or for saving away from the computer so that more hard disk storage can be made available.

ARPANet - Advanced Research Project Agency Network. The precursor to the Internet, the ARPANet was developed in the late 60's and early 70's by the U.S. Department of Defense as an experiment in wide area networking that would survive a nuclear attack.

Article - In USENET news, a message which is posted to a newsgroup. Anyone subscribing to the newsgroup can read and reply to every article posted to the group.

ASCII - (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) -- This is the de facto world-wide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111.

ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode. An information transfer standard for routing traffic based on an address contained within the first five bytes of a fifty-three byte-long, fixed-length packet or cell.

AVS - (Adult Verification System): An AVS sets up a password-protected entry at sites that do not want their content to be accessible to children or minors.

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B

Backbone - A centralized high-speed network that interconnects smaller, independent networks.

Back door - A way around your password protected directory to gain access into your site.

Bandwidth - The number of bits of information which can move through a communications medium in a given amount of time; the capacity of a telecommunication's circuit/network to carry voice, data and video information. Typically measured in Kbps and Mbps. Bandwidth from public networks is typically available to businesses and residential end-users in increments from 56 Kbps to T-3.

Banner - It is the equivalent to a display ad in a newspaper or magazine, a listing in the yellow pages, and a business card, all in one. Banner ads link your prospective clients directly to you.

BBS - (Bulletin Board System) -- A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on discussions, upload and download files, and make announcements without the people being connected to the computer at the same time. There are many thousands (millions?) of BBS’s around the world, most are very small, running on a single IBM clone PC with 1 or 2 phone lines. Some are very large and the line between a BBS and a system like CompuServe gets crossed at some point, but it is not clearly drawn.

Bit - In computers, a minimal unit of information, representing either one or a zero. Many bits in a series can represent increasing large amount of information. Typically, eight bits, or one byte, is used to represent one alphanumeric character.

BPS - Bits Per Second. The abbreviation is usually applied to modem or network speeds. Modems typically communicate at either 00, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 14,400 or 28,800 bps. Once the bps exceeds 10,000, the abbreviation "K" is usually used to represent 1000; thus 28.8 Kbps is the same as a 28,8000 bps. Higher WAN and LAN networking speeds are typically expressed in Mbps or million bits per second. For example, a T1 transfers data at a a rate of 1.544 Mbps, and Ethernet transfers data at 10 Mbps.

Bridge - A device which joins two network segments by re-broadcasting all network packets through the other network interface. Unlike a repeater, which simply rebroadcasts exactly what it receives, a bridge receives a complete protocol unit and after verifying its correctness rebroadcasts it. Because a bridge must receive a complete and correct protocol unit before it will rebroadcast, it will not rebroadcast media errors.

Browser - A program specifically designed to help users view and navigate hypertext, on-line documentation, or a database.

Byte - A group of eight bits. One byte is the amount of data usually used to represent one alphanumeric character. Memory and disk space are usually represented in increments of bytes (kilobytes or KB) or millions of bytes (megabytes or MB).

C

CGI - Common Gateway Interface. A program, often written in C or Perl, that receives and processes information passed to it by a user through a Web page. CGI programs manipulated data entered by the user, i.e., transferring the content of a form to an e-mail message or using data as database query.

CGI-bin - A directory that contains CGI scripts. As a security precaution, many Web servers only allow Internet users to access scripts that are located in the CGI-bin directory.

CIR - Committed Information Rate. The bandwidth that is statistically guaranteed to a frame relay customer. While it is often possible to "burst" transmission rates higher than one's CIR, the frame network does not guarantee that data in excess of the CIR will be routed through the network.

Clear channel - A line that connects two points which is wholly dedicated to traffic between those two points. This is in contrast with a shared line, such as a frame relay, in which a user must share the frame network with other subscribers.

Client - In the client-server networking model, a machine that is used to contact and request data from a server. A web browser is a specific kind of client.

Click-thru - A revenue option for WebMasters. By placing a banner on your site, you receive a set dollar amount or referral fee each time a user clicks on the banner to visit the sponsor’s site.

CO - Central Office, a local phone company office which leased lines are connected before being routed over the phone network.

Content - The pictures, videos, text, etc. displayed at your site.

Counter - A program that counts how many people have visited an HTML page. Used to track statistics of incoming and outgoing traffic to specific areas of your site. Can also be used to track partnership programs and click-thru’s.

CSU/DSU - Channel Service Unit/Digital Service Unit. A device used to terminate telephone company equipment and prepare data for router interface.

D

(Back to the Top)

Daemon - A program that waits for a request to come in and then forwards them to other processes as appropriate. On the Web, each server has an HTTPD -- or Hypertext Transport Protocol daemon -- that waits in attendance for requests to come in from the rest of the Web.

Digital signature - A method of adding an encrypted hash to a message in order to verify the origin and accuracy of the message. A digital signature could be used to sign an electronic check, for example.

Discussion board - An online bulletin board where you can leave and expect to see responses to messages you have left.

DNS - Domain Name System, a protocol that allows for conversion between host names (such as www.qual.net) and IP addresses (such as 207.206.0.12). DNS also offers a number of other hostname-related services that are designed to simplify the process of assigning and using names with Internet hosts.

Domain - A set of network addresses, usually organized in levels. The top level identifies geographic or purpose commonality (for example, the nation of the domain that it covers or a category such as "commercial"). The second level identifies a unique place within the top level domain and is, in fact, equivalent to a unique address on the Internet (or IP).

Domain name - A domain name locates an organization or other entity on the Internet. For example, "www.qual.net" locates an Internet address for "qual.net" at a unique IP address and a particular host server named "www." The ".net" part of the domain name reflects the purpose of the organization or entity (in this example, an Internet service provider) and is called the top-level domain name. The "qual" part of the domain defines the organization or entity and together with the top-level domain is called the second-level domain name. The second-level domain name maps to an Internet address and can be thought of as the "readable" version of the Internet address. A third level can be defined to identify a particular host server at the Internet address. In our example, "www" is the name of the sever that handles Internet requests. A third level domain name is not required. For example, the fully-qualified domain name could have been "qual.net" and the server is assumed. Second-level domain names must be unique on the Internet and registered with InterNIC for the .root, .edu, .gov, .com, Net, and .org domains. Where appropriate, a top-level domain name can be geographic.

Download - To receive programs or data from a computer to the one you are using.

DS-1 or T-1 - A data communications circuit capable of transmitting data at 1.5 Mbps; can transmit compressed full motion video. Currently in widespread use by medium and large businesses for video, voice and data applications.

DS-3 or T-3 - A data communications circuit capable of transmitting data at 45 Mbps. Equivalent to 28 T-1's of data capacity. Can also transmit uncompressed, TV broadcast quality, full motion video. Currently used only by businesses/institutions and carriers for high end applications.

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line. A method for moving data over regular phone lines. A DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection, and the wires coming into the subscriber’s premises are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service. A DSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations, similar to a leased line.

E-mail - Electronic mail. A technology that allows users to send memo-like messages to each other over a network. Internet e-mail addresses usually take the form: username@domain-name.com . The domain name is the site where the users' account is located, and the username is the specific identity of the user at that site.

Encryption - A way of making data unreadable to everyone except the receiver.

End user - The individual who uses the product after it has been fully developed and marketed.

Ethernet - A common method of networking computers in a LAN. Ethernet will handle about 10 Mbps and can be used with almost any kind of computer.

Fast Ethernet - A new implementation of Ethernet technology that allows for transmission speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Question

FDDI - Fiber Distributed Data Interface. A standard for transmitting data on optical-fiber cables at a rate of around 100 Mbps (10 times as fast as Ethernet, about twice as fast as T-3).

File server - A computer that provides access to files for remote users.

Firewall - A system placed between networks that filters data passing through it and prevents unauthorized traffic, thereby enhancing the security of the network.

First-tier provider - An Internet service provider that has a direct peering relationship with another provider in at least one NAP. Many service providers will not enter into an equal peering relationship with another provider unless they meet certain requirements, such as being in at least three NAPs.

Flamebait - A posting on a bulletin board or other public forum that is intended to elicit the extremely strong responses.

Frame relay - An information transfer standard for relaying traffic based on an address contained in the six byte header of a variable length packet that is up to 2,105 bytes long. Frame Relay has less overhead than ATM but may be difficult to implement at speeds greater than 45 Mbps.

Freeware- Free software available on the Internet that can be redistributed.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol. A protocol that allows clients to connect to FTP servers and download and upload files.

Full duplex - A communication channel over which both sides can simultaneously send and receive information.

Fully-qualified domain name - A domain name of a specific machine. That the name is "fully-qualified" means it is completely spelled out, i.e., "www.qual.net" rather than "www."

Gateway - A machine that routes between two networks, as in default gateway. Also, a machine that translates two dissimilar protocols, as in Quickmail-to-SMTP gateway.

GIF - Graphical Interchange Format. A file format used to represent bitmapped pictures.

Gigabit (Gb) - One billion bits.

Gigabyte (GB) - One billion bytes (or eight billion bits).

GUI (Graphical User Interface) - A graphical (rather than purely textual) user interface to a computer.

Half duplex - A communication channel in which only one party can send information at a time.

Hit- A single connection/data exchange/disconnect transaction with a server. In Web servers, a single client connection can result in many hits.

Hit rate - The number of times a web page has been accessed.

Host - A machine that is available to other computers on a network; i.e., a machine with an IP address.

Hostname - The name of a host as defined in DNS.

Hotspot - A place in a document that contains an embedded hyperlink.

HTAccess - A way to use password-protection on HTML documents and server directories.

HTML - HyperText Markup Language. A language used to construct Web pages. A Web client connects to a sever and downloads the HTML for the Web page it wishes to display. The HTML tells the client how to draw the page and what additional files are needed for full page display. Using this information, the browser proceeds to download and display all relevant information.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A protocol used to connect to a Web server and request a Web page.

Hyperlink - Connection between one piece of information and another.

ICMP - Internet Control Message Protocol. A protocol that is used to report IP errors and generate IP diagnostic information. For example, ICMP message can be sent to a remote machine (using the ping command) to determine if the machine is up.

Internet - Any time you connect 2 or more networks together, you have an internet - as in inter-national or inter-state. Inter-connected networks that all use the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The Internet now (July 1995) connects roughly 60,000 independent networks into a vast global internet.

Internetworking - The process of networking between major networks.

Intranet - A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use.

I/O - Input/Output. The process by which a computer receives or outputs information. The speed of I/O is dependent on the speed of the I/O "bus" being used. In Ethernet, the normal maximum speed is 10 Mbps.

IP - Internet Protocol. The protocol that is used to route Internet traffic. IP is an unreliable protocol; higher layer protocols such as TCP insure that IP successfully delivers all data to the intended recipient.

IP address - A specific node in IP. The IP address is used to facilitate routing. NO two machines on the Internet are allowed to have the same IP address. An IP address looks like this: 149.52.1.145 (note this is only a sample).

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network. An information transfer standard for transmitting digital voice and data over telephone lines at speeds up to 128 Kbps.

ISP - Internet Service Provider. A company that provides Internet access.

Java - A programming language designed to take advantage of the distributed environment of the Internet. Java programs are portable in a network, meaning that the output of compiling a source program is an object that can be sent to any Java-capable server of client in a network with the assurance that it will run. By including a Java application module or applet as part of a Web page, a Web developer can create an interactive experience for the user that is not possible with programs that reside on the server. Java was introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1995 and instantly created a new sense of interactive possibilities of the Web. Since then, almost all of the major developers (IBM, Microsoft, Apple and others) have added or announced they will soon add Java compilers as part of their operating system products.

JavaScript - JavaScript is a programming language that is mostly used in web pages, usually to add features that make the web page more interactive. When JavaScript is included in an HTML file it relies upon the browser to interpret the JavaScript. When JavaScript is combined with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and later versions of HTML (4.0 and later) the result is often called DHTML.

JPG (JPEG) - A type of graphic format.

Kilobit (Kb) - One thousand bits.

Kilobyte (KB) - One thousand bytes.

LAN - Local Area Network. A data communications network designed to interconnect personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, file servers and other communications and computing devices within a localized environment.

Leased line - Telecommunications line dedicated to a particular customer along a predetermined route.

Load balancing - The practice of reducing the work load of a given machine by providing additional machines to do the the identical tasks.

Local loop - The connection between an individual phone service subscriber and the phone company's local CO.

Login - The username and/or password used to access a computer system or website.

Lurker - One who posts occasionally or not at all but is known to read the group's postings regularly.

Megabit (Mb) - One million bits.

Megabyte (MB) - One million bytes.

MIME - Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. The standard for attaching non-text files to standard Internet mail messages. Non-text files include graphics, spreadsheets, formatted word-processor documents, sound files, etc.

Mirroring - Redundant storage of information on disk(s). Mirroring provides high reliability and redundancy for disks; if one set of disks crashes, the mirror can take over immediately. (Note that mirroring does not eliminate the need for backups.)

Modem - Modulator Demodulator. A device that allows a computer to dial and communicate with another computer over a traditional phone line. Maximum speeds for modern analog modems go up to 56 Kbps.

MUX - Multiplexor. A MUX is used to bring multiple communications lines together into one connection.

MX record - A record in DNS that points to backup mail servers in case the sending host could not connect to the destination given in the mail. If a host has three MX records, a mailer will try to deliver to all three before queuing the mail.

Nameserver - A machine that resolves Internet domain names into IP addresses, an vice-versa.

NAP - Network Access Point. A place that service providers put routers that can exchange information from one network to another. Fast connectivity to a NAP is an important measure of a given provider's connectivity to the Internet as a whole.

Newbie - A new user of the Internet, computer, discussion board, etc.

Newsfeed - A subscription from one news server to another for one or more newsgroups. Once a news server downloads newsgroup articles from its feeds, clients of the news server can read and resound to those articles.

Newsgroups- A specific area on USENET, usually broken down by subject, where readers can read and post articles on that subject. Posting articles that are not related to the topic of the newsgroup is called "spamming."

NFS - Network File System. A protocol created by Sun Microsystems that allows a machine to "mount" part of all of the disk of another machine over a LAN.

NNTP - Network News Transfer Protocol. A protocol that is used to deliver newsgroup articles from one news server to another.

NOC - Network Operations Center. A facility that monitors network performance and problems. NOC facilities are typically staffed and/or monitored 24 hours a day.

NS Lookup - A program used to query nameservers for DNS information.

Operating System (OS) - An operating system is a program that is always running on a computer. The operating system is responsible for allocating resources on the computer such as disk space, memory, and processor time.

OPT-IN Email List - Email that people specifically signed up to receive because the subject matter is something they are interested in.

OSPF - Open Shorwww Path First. A routing protocol intended for small-to-large networks. The protocol is called "open" because the algorithm is freely available and can be implemented by anyone. SPF is a protocol that is used to determine optimal paths to a given location from a given location.

Packet - A generic term for a "protocol unit."

Partner programs - A revenue option for WebMasters. By placing a banner on your site, you receive a set dollar amount or referral fee each time a user purchases a membership at the sponsor’s site.

Peering - The commercial practice under which nationwide ISPs exchange each other's traffic without the payment of settlement charges.

Perl - Practical Extraction and Reporting Language. Perl is an interpreted script language that is similar to the C language but includes a number of popular UNIX facilities. Perl is regarded as a good choice for developing Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs because it has good text manipulation facilities.

PGP - Pretty Good Privacy. A program written by Phil Zimmerman that uses public-key encryption techniques to encrypt and digitally sign e-mail. To use PGP, a user needs to generate a public and private key pair. Users can send encrypted mail to anyone whose public key they possess, and anyone who has their public key can send encrypted mail to them.

Ping - A command that can be used to determine the connectivity and speed of connectivity of a remote host. On UNIX, the ping command is used by network administrators to determine the status of host on their network.

Pixel - Short for picture element - the smallest unit of resolution on a monitor. Commonly used as a unit of measurement.

Plug-in - A (usually small) piece of software that adds features to a larger piece of software.

POP - Point of Presence. Telecommunications facility through which an ISP provides local connectivity to its customers.

POP3 - Post Office Protocol. A protocol that is used to retrieve electronic mail from a server. Usage of POP requires a POP-compatible mail client. POP is password-authenticated; most POP-compatible mail clients allow the user to enter a POP server, their username, and their password.

Port - In TCP, a logical address where services on a given machine can be found. TCP/IP ports below 1024 are called "well-known" ports and have been assigned by the IANA to various services. Machine administrators can run any service they need on any port, but the proper use of well-known ports helps reduce confusion. Some common well-known ports: telnet, port 23; SMTP, port 25; Web, port 80; POP3, port 110.

Post- An article which is submitted to a USENET newsgroup. Such articles can be read and replied to by anyone who subscribes to the group.

PPP - Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol that is used to negotiate an IP connection over a point-to-point link such as a telephone line. PPP delivers approximately the same application-layer services as SLIP, but is much more sophisticated in terms of negotiation of the link. PPP is gradually replacing SLIP.

Process - A program which is running on a multitasking operating system. Processes may have certain qualities such as a priority, a status and an owning user, among others.

Protocol - A method by which something is done. In the Internet, detailed protocols are defined to govern the method by which various services are done. Note that a protocol is not a program; a protocol is simply a specification of how something should be done, while a program may be an implementation of a protocol. Protocol implementations should be written to abide by the protocol as strictly as possible in terms of the information they produce, but they should try to be as understanding and permissive as possible in terms of trying to understand the data given to them by others.

PTR record - A record in DNS that translates an IP address into a name. An IP address can only resolve into a single name; this is unlike a name, which can be associated with many IP addresses. Note also that many names can all point to the same IP address; the only restriction is that a single IP address can only resolve to one name.

RADIUS - Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service. RADIUS is a client/server security protocol used to verify usernames and passwords. If a username and password match an entry in the RADIUS server database, the server returns configuration information specific to the authenticated usename. This configuration information may include idle-timeouts, maximum session times, static IP addresses and other connection specific information.

RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. A system that allows many disks to be combined in a single array that appears to a machine as one large disk. RAID allows many operations such as mirroring and redundancy. RAID has six levels, from RAID 0 to RAID 5, each of which offer different capabilities.

Real time - An event occurring almost instantaneously. (I.e. Real-time statistics, live chat rooms, etc.)

Record - Information about a host which is stored in the DNS system.

Redundancy - Multiple resources by which a given service can be provided. By offering multiple resources, the likelihood of all resources being unavailable at the same time is very low. For example, having multiple leased lines to a location helps ensure the location will always be reachable.

Repeater - A device that connects two parts of a network, amplifying the information received from one part and re-broadcasting it on the other.

Resolver - Software that is responsible for using the DNS system to translate between host names and IP addresses.

RISC - Reduced Instruction Set Chip. Each type of computer processor has a unique group of commands called an "instruction set" that allows a program to tell the processor what type of operations need to be performed. In most processors, there are many different instructions for performing similar tasks, and in many cases there exists instructions that reduce a complex series of simpler instructions into one command. These are known as Complex Instruction Command Chips (CISC). RISC processors have fewer, simpler instructions than CISC chips. Because each instruction performs only one simple task, commands can be executed much quicker on a RISC-based chip than on a CISC-based chip. Programs designed to execute on CISC chips are generally considered to be easier to create by programmers because only one or two CISC instructions may be used instead of 20 or 30 RISC instructions, but they are generally slower to execute.

Router - A system placed between networks that relays data to those networks based upon a destination address contained in the data packets being routed.

Script - A computer program written in for a specific function typically executed on a web server. Counters, banner rotators, and email collectors, etc. are commonly used. Common script languages are C++, Perl, Java, etc.

Search Engine - A tool for searching information on the Internet by topic. Popular engines include Google, Lycos, and Altavista.

SendMail - On UNIX machines, a program that handles the routing of e-mail. SendMail is extremely complicated but also extremely flexible and powerful.

Server - A machine that offers a service, such as Web, FTP, or e-mail. A server typically listens on the network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a client to connect and request service.

Shared server - A server which provides service for many different Web sites. Shared servers are potentially an inexpensive solution, but can be unpredictable in terms of quality of service, because one of the sites could use more than its fair share of system resources if that one site suddenly became particularly popular.

Shareware - Software available for downloading on the Internet that you can try before you buy.

Simplex - A communication channel over which only one side can ever send information.

SLIP - A protocol used for communication between a modem on a computer and an Internet service provider. SLIP has been replaced by PPP which is faster and more reliable. In most areas, SLIP accounts are no longer available.

SMDS - Switched Multimegabit Data Service. A networking type that is scalable in terms of bandwidth capacity, from 1.17 Mbps to 34 Mbps. Unlike frame relay, SMDS provides committed access speeds at the rate purchased. For example, 34 Mbps SMDS access guarantees 34 Mbps of connectivity; there is no concept of a CIR.

SMTP - Simple Mail Transport Protocol. The standard Internet method for selling e-mail.

Snail Mail - Old Fashioned United States Post Office.

Spam - Spam is a slang term for unsolicited commercial email, or junkmail. Spam is generally frowned upon by the Internet community, and most ISP's place restrictions on bulk mailing practices on their networks.

SPARC - A type of RISC chip used in machines made by Sun Microsystems, among others. SPARC-based machines can run various versions of SunOS, Solaris 2.5 and close variants, and some other UNIX operating systems.

SSL- Secure Socket Layers. A protocol offered by Netscape Communications to assist in providing private, encrypted communication between Web servers and Web browsers.

Switch - A device that routes network data in a static, predetermined manner.

T-1 or DS-1 - A data communications circuit capable of transmitting data at 1.5 Mbps; can transmit compressed full motion video. Currently in widespread use by medium and large businesses for video, voice and data applications.

T-3 or DS-3 - A data communications circuit capable of transmitting data at 45 Mbps. Equivalent to 28 T-1's of data capacity. Can also transmit uncompressed, TV broadcast quality, full motion video. Currently used only by businesses/institutions and carriers for high end applications.

TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A suite of network protocols that allow computers with different architectures and operating software to communicate with other computers on the Internet.

Telnet - A protocol that allows a user to access a UNIX console from a remote site over a network.

Troll - The practice of trying to lure other Internet users into sending responses to carefully designed incorrect statements or similar bait.

UNIX - A superior operating system commonly used to host Internet servers. UNIX has many capabilities that make it ideal for such purposes, including preemptive multitasking, protected memory, advanced process scheduling facilities and others.

URL - Uniform Resource Locator. A string that specifies the location of a specific resource on the Internet. URL's are given in the format: protocol://host/path/name

USENET - A network of news servers which allows clients to read and post news articles on different topics.

vector-directed - A type of routing protocol in which the direction and distance of every possible destination is determined.

Virtual host - An additional IP address on a machine. Giving a machine more than one IP address allows that machine to simultaneously host multiple web sites along with their DNS domains. While it is possible to host multiple Web sites without virtual hosting, it is not possible to access each of the sites with a URL of the form "http://www.domain.com" without virtual hosting. In the absence of virtual hosting, a URL like "http://www.domain.com/domain" would be required.

WAN - Wide area Network, a network that is spread out over a large area and connected via links such as T1's.

WebMaster - The person at a site providing World Wide Web information who is responsible for maintaining the site.

ZIP - The process of compressing a file. By making a file smaller, it can pass through the Internet quickly.