glossary
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ASP Application Service Provider or Application Service ProvidingApplication
Service Providing is a business field that arose in 1999 as a result of
the Internet, which makes the use of application programs possible via
the Internet. Here the software developer generates revenue through
such charges as time- or session-dependent fees that are charged to
access the software – and no longer through the sale of his software.
Account Access
entitlement to databases, Networks and mailboxes for an explicit
person; an Account generally consists of a name (user name) and a
password.
Acrobat (Reader)
Program package from Adobe, with the aid of which documents of all
kinds can be created and electronically published across multiple
platforms - while retaining their original appearance. To produce
documents, Acrobat Distiller is required and Acrobat Reader for
reading, which can be downloaded at Adobe at no charge.
Administrator
Name for a system administrator in a network. He has unrestricted
rights of access and is responsible for the administration and upkeep
of the networks.
Administration (Remote)
Remote management of servers or clients, such as to change settings
and configurations on the desktop unit. At IGEL Technology, the IGEL
Remote Management Suite allows for remote administration of all Thin
Clients in the network.
ADSL
"Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line" technology with which data can be transmitted,
such as over telephone lines (analog or ISDN).
Application / Application programs
Programs for solving certain tasks and for creating documents, such as text processing and table calculation programs.
ASCII
"American Standard Code for Information Interchange". THE ASCII
Standard developed in the 60’s, at the time of data transmission by
Telex. For each symbol, there is a numeric code that makes it possible
to exchange texts among different systems. With 7 Bit, the ASCII Code
first however only includes the “simple” Alphabet (!, ", #, , ..., 0,
1, 2, 3, ..., A, B, C, D, ..., a, b, c, d, ..., {, |, }) and control
codes that are, for example, required for printer control – in all,
this includes 128 symbols. This does not take into account special
symbols – or rather, German Umlauts, the "ß" and other national symbols
that are only included in the expanded ASCII Code, based on an 8-Bit
structure.
Asset Management
Asset Management manages inventory in a physical and operational sense.
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Bandwidth
1. MHz-measured indicator for the number of
screen dots depicted per second. The higher the bandwidth, the better
the image performance of the monitor.
2. Indicates the
transmission performance of a line system and is indicated in BIT /s,
and/or in MBit /s. If the ensuing data volume exceeds performance
limits, then communication either becomes very slow or completely
breaks up.
Biometrics
Biometrics replaces code numbers and passwords with unique human identification options, such as fingerprints or iris scans.
Booting
Indicates the loading of the BIOS and the operating system after a Cold- or Warm start.
BootP
"Bootstrap
Protocol", protocol for booting over the network that prevents any
direct association of logical IP addresses and physical network
segments capable of changing a computer from one network into another
with ease. The software on the Host must be adapted to a new IP
address, and if applicable, Servers on the network must be informed
that a host has moved. Even if this has not been a major problem for
relatively static networks for a long time, it is precisely larger
companies or firms with sales force employees that will have to give
this some thought, so as to gain a reasonable grasp of the allocation
of IP addresses. As a solution for these requirements, DHCP (Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol) has been largely implemented in the
meantime. This represents an expansion and further development of the
Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) that was primarily used for connecting
diskless workstations to a TCP/IP network, so as to assign them an IP
address at the start.
Browser
Program for
browsing Websites. Some examples of browsers are MS Internet Explorer,
Opera, Mozilla, Netscape Navigator or Firefox.
BSI
"Federal Office for Security in Information Technology" www.bsi.de
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Citrix
A company that has significantly developed the
technology for Server-based Computing. The Citrix Presentation Server
provides applications.
Client
Term from
the network area: as a Client uses services, a workstation connected to
the Server is labeled a “Client”. The Client sends inquiries from the
user to the server in a special protocol and shows its answers in a
legible manner on the screen. Also see Thin Client.
Client / Server Architecture
Model
of a network structure or database concept, whereby a hierarchical
distribution of tasks is present. Here, the server is the supplier of
resources, services and data that the workstations (Clients) use.
CPU
Central
Processor Unit. A computing unit on the main board of a PC or a Thin
Client. IGEL Thin Clients as a rule use chips from the world’s leading
silicon chip manufacturer, VIA.
Compact Flash
Memory module on which the firmware (the operating system) of IGEL Thin Clients is saved.
Codec
An
algorithm for Compression (COmpressor) decompressions (DECompressor) of multimedia files – or rather of Video for Windows and QuickTime films.
Codecs may be structured purely on a software basis or may also use
specific video hardware. The Codec algorithm quite significantly
influences the quality of a video file and the speed with which it
depicted on the monitor of the computer of on a TV screen. The Codec
Management Tool contained in the IGEL 5128 allows the user to update
and manage Codecs for use in the MPlayer.
COM Interface
"COMmunicaton
Port" name for the serial interfaces (RS232) in the PC or Thin Client.
IGEL Clever Clients have one or two serial “Com Ports”.
Country-related Adaptation
1.
Adaptation of an operating system to country-specific peculiarities
such as keyboard layouts or display variants of date and time. This
also includes special symbols.
2. Adaptation of an international
software to the language, standards and norms to a certain country of
region (This is still more commonly referred to as “localization”!).
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RDT Network
"Remote Data Transmission Network" allows
computers to interface with each other by modems or ISDN cards to a
mini-network at a greater distance. This is also used for selecting
additional online services.
DHCP
"Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol". The DHCP automatically assigns IP
addresses to connected Clients from an established area of IP Addresses
and thus saves a lot of configuration work with larger networks. In
addition to an IP address, a client also receives additional
information, such as the address of the Gateways (Routers) and the
address of a competent name server (DNS).
To be able to
centrally manage the issuance of addresses and setting of parameters,
the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has designed the Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), that offers three procedures:
With automatic address issuance, the DHCP Server selects for the computer any permanent IP number on first registration.
The
dynamic procedures issue temporary IP code words with each login of a
computer. If a client no longer needs the address, then he returns it.
The DHCP Server can then assign it to another computer.
Finally,
the manual configuration allows the administrator to assign a certain
IP address explicitly to one computer. In such a case, DHCP is only
used as a transport medium.
Moreover, DHCP represents an
expansion and further development of the Bootstrap Protocols (BOOTP),
that was primarily used for the connection of diskless workstations to
a TCP/IP network, so as to assign them an IP address at the start.
DSL
"Digital
Subscriber Line Technology". DSL offers technology to operate the
Internet with more MBits per second over copper lines. Also see PPoE.
Ethernet
Patented network standard: part of the
IEEE-802 specification. Conceived of to exchange media, this standard
propelled a development that today has yielded numerous, standardized
achievements. May currently be obtained as 10Mbit, 100Mbit, Gigabit or
10 Gigabit network.
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Fail-safety
This is a criterion of importance to
companies in the purchase of IT systems. High fail-safety guarantees
continuity of the company’s business process.
FAT Client
A PC, in contrast to a TC (Thin Client), represents a FAT Client.
Firefox
Internet browser from Mozilla, also see 'Browser'.
Firmware
Operating systems, such as IGEL Thin Clients, either as Linux-based or MS-Windows CE 5.0 or MS-Windows XPe.
Firmware Update
Update of the firmware present in the TC. With IGEL Thin Clients protected by the secure Fail-safe Firmware update mechanisms.
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GUI
"Graphic User Interface". Technical name for the
graphic user surface of, for example, WINDOWS. The GUI of the IGEL
Remote Management Suite is programmed in Java, regardless of platform.
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ICA
“Independent Computing Architecture”. Citrix
protocol for data transfer between the server and client. Currently in
Version 9 on the market.
IGEL Remote Management Suite
Software
for the remote administration of all setup settings of IGEL Thin
Clients as well as for the automated firmware update. The Remote
Management Suite simplifies installation and configuration of the IGEL
Thin Client network as well as the User Helpdesk (Shadowing)
IP-Address
Internet
Protocol, The IP address is the address of a computer in a network. It
is build out of 4 numbers. Each is between 0 and 255. An Example is:
192.168.15.1
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Java Virtual Machine / JVM / JavaVM
The Java Virtual Machine is necessary for executing Java programs.
Java Runtime Environment
Uncompiled
Java Scripts also run on a Java Runtime Environment. The IGEL-5128LX
Premium has a Java Runtime Environment as standard equipment.
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LAN
"Local Area Network": locally installed network •
in contrast to WAN, which connects the Web stations and networks across
regions. “Local” in this regard refers to a shared location, such as
the grounds of a company or a room.
LDAP
Abbreviation
for "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol" • This protocol offers a
standard for communication with databases in the Internet. As an
example, per LDAP, such email directories as Bigfoot and Four 11 can be
browsed according to email addresses or personal names.
The
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is a simplified form of the
Directory Access Protocol (DAP) of X.500. This is intended to
facilitate the use of Directory Services for `thin´ Internet Clients,
since X.500 is regarded as too complex and resource intensive for
Web-Browser and Mail-Clients (email programs). Entries in an LDAP- or
X.500- Directory allow system and location independent retrieval and
use of all objects, whether it concerns computers, directories, files,
services or persons.
LINUX
UNIX variant, which
was originally developed by Linus Torvalds and many other free
developers worldwide and which is marketed as GPL (General Public
License). IGEL Thin Clients may be obtained, among other things, with
an independent IGEL Embedded Flash Linux developed in Germany.
LPD
A
typical demon is the lpd, the Line Printer Demon. This demon can
receive print orders (jobs) from a user and forward them to a suitable
printer. In contrast to the procedure of direct transfer to a printer,
which is also possible- such as with the cat command, use of the demon
offers a series of advantages.
LWL
Abbreviation
for "Fiber Optic Cable". IGEL Thin Clients from Winestra and the
Premium Series may come equipped with fiber optic cable cards.
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MAC / MAC Address
Abbreviation for "Media Access
Control". Access procedure to the actual medium (cable) of a network
that is implemented in the network controller – or rather, as an
example, in the network card. This card has a so-called MAC address (or
hardware address), whereby a station is clearly identified in the
network. Network addresses (such as IP addresses) are always depicted
at MAC addresses for actual data exchange. The MAC addresses are
stored, with network cards and other devices, in a nonvolatile memory
device and are unambiguous worldwide for each device; this, in other
words, concerns the unmistakable series number of a network device. The
addresses are made up of 48 Bits. These are normally represented as 6
hexadecimal numbers: for example: 00-30-67-34-00-1A. The first three
hex numbers indicate a manufacturer code (here 3Com). The remaining
numbers are used internally for codification purposes.
Data
packets in the network are always sent via the MAC address, while all
other kinds of addressing must always be converted to this hardware
address.
The IGEL Remote Management Suite uses the MAC addresses for
problem-free identification of the TC’s in the network. The MAC
addresses of the devices may also be inputted from a file into the
Remote Management Suite prior to installation.
Manual
Documentation sent along by the manufacturer on hardware and software products.
Mapping
Name for the assignment of a (network) drive name on a directory task.
Media Player
Multimedia application for playing such multimedia content as films and music.
Megahertz
1
million Hertz unit for indicating the Clock rate of computers. PC and
TC Mhz cannot be meaningfully compared to each other, since the
computing performance of the TC only serves to direct entries to the
server and depicts jobs on the screen.
Mozilla
Sometime
in 1997/1998, Netscape brought its Open-Source site "Mozilla" into
life. In doing so, the Browser pioneer made the Source code for the
communicator, including Navigator and other Internet tools available.
The name “Mozilla” comes from the first code name of the Netscape
Navigator and is today the little mascot of the site in the form of a
comic dinosaur.
MP3 / MP4
Procedure for effective compression of sound / music. Also file expansion.
MPEG / MPG
"Motion pictures expert group". Compression procedure for compression of moving images (film).
Multimedia
Audio
and video data that are combined with data from data processing. IGEL’s
Premium Series is the first Multimedia Thin Client that also makes the
use of sound and video, and/or video streams possible through the
MPlayer.
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Net / Network
Interconnection of computers linked over
various media (such as copper lines, optical fibers or air (WLAN)) and
share such collective resources as data and peripheral devices.
Frequently, one or more special computers (Server) are available in a
network, to which other Workstations (clients) have access.
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Operating Expenses
Expenses that arise in ongoing
operations (here, of the IT infrastructure), such as servicing
expenses, electricity and support expenses. Operating expenses plus
costs of acquisition equal total expenses.
Operating System
Operating
systems process data entered by the user, managed saved files and
control such connected devices as printers and hard disks. At the same
time, they also form the basis for such application programs as text
and file processing, which could not run without the substructure of
the operating system. With the development of MS-DOS and WINDOWS,
Microsoft made its breakthrough onto the market. Other operating
systems include Linux, Unix and Mac OS.
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PCI Bus
"Peripheral Component Interconnect Bus". IGEL
Technology’s Clever Clients from Winestra and the Premium Series have
PCI slots with which hardware expansion is possible by means of PCI
cards.
PCMCIA / PCMCIA Card
"Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association". The international association
to establish standards for memory cards. This resulted in standards
(TYPE I, TYPE II and TYPE III) for expansion cards in the check card
format. These memory cards support Plug and Play and work in an
energy-saving way.
PC/SC Standard
Standard for the transfer of data to and from Smartcards.
PPOE
Protocol used for DSL connections. IGEL Clever Clients offers the PPoE protocol as a standard feature.
PPP
Abbreviation
for "Point-to-Point Protocol", which was defined by the IETF (Internet
Engineering Task Force) in 1991. This is a transfer protocol that
governs the transfer of data over a serial line and has become a
standard. This contains expansions for authentication of the
communication partner and for monitoring the quality of the
transmission channel.
PPTP
Abbreviation for
"Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol". PPTP is a Point-to-Point Tunneling
Protocol that was originally developed for RAS (Remote Access Server)
hardware and software (especially Windows NT) and has gained a certain
distribution. The PPTP creates a protected connection within an
Internet connection, in which the data are encoded with MPPE.
Profile
Within
the context of the IGEL Remote Management Suite, Profiles can be issued
that summarize certain settings and can be copied and passed on. One or
more Profiles form the configuration of a Thin Client and are
distributed among them on the network.
PS/2
Abbreviation
for "Personal System /2". Interface for connecting a mouse or keyboard
to a PC or Thin Client. All IGEL Clever Clients have two PS/2
interfaces.
PKI / Public Key Procedure
Encoding
technology that works with one confidential key and one key published
on the Internet. Both keys together are required to decode data
encrypted with one of the two keys. IGEL’s integrated Smartcard Readers
in the PC/SC Standard supports PKI solutions from different
manufacturers.
PXE / PXE Boot
"Preboot
Execution Environment". Part of the Wired for Management from Intel, to
receive and execute executable programs from a server before actually
starting up the computer and loading the operating system. This may
involve servicing tools, operating system installation of an
independent menu of the PXE Server, in which other options are then
available.
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RAM
Abbreviation for "Random Access Memory", which designates the original, working memory of a computer.
RDP
“Remote Desktop Protocol”. Protocol for communication with MS Windows Terminal Servers.
Read Only
The IGEL operating system (firmware) is a Read-Only operating system.
Remote Access
Remote control of a computer (also Servers) via the network or by DFÜ.
Remote Management
Remote servicing and remote management of computers.
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Serial Interface
Interface that transfers data,
bit-wise, according to the RS-232 standard. The serial connections of a
computer are also called "COM-Ports", as communication connections.
Such items as a mouse or modem may also be connected to these
connections.
Server
Central computer in a
Network that makes memory and resources available to the workstation /
clients. The network operating system is installed on the server and
the network is managed by the server.
Shadowing
Method
whereby the contents of the screen of another computer on the network
are indicated on a computer (such as at the help desk). The Die IGEL
Remote Management Suite offers this functionality by means of a VNC
Viewer.
Smartcard
Chip card with an integrated
microprocessor and/or memory that, among other things, serves
identification or data memory purposes.
SMB
This
is a communication protocol for file, printing and other server
services in the network. SMB is not actually a filing system, but may –
similar to NFS – be regarded as closely related and is primarily used
in the Microsoft Windows world.
SNMP
"Simple
Network Management Protocol". The SNMP provides remotes servicing of
servers. With this protocol (as of Version 3.0), routers can, for
example, be configured directly from the office of the network
operator, without anyone having to travel to the customer’s location.
Soundcard/ Sound Chip
IGEL
Clever Clients feature as standard equipment a Sound Chip, as well as
audio in- and outputs (exception: Smart Series, here there is only one
sound out).
SSH
Secure shell expansion of the
DHCP for secure communication and registration on the network. Name and
password are transmitted encoded.
SSL
"Secure
Socket Layer". Technology whereby a Web client can authenticate the
server and encode data traffic between them. Developed by Netscape and
RSA Data Security.
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TCP/IP
Transport Control Protocol / Internet Protocol, A
protocol managing the transport of data packages on the internet. IGEL
Clever Clients always come with the TCP/IP included.
Telecommuting
Working
at home, by DFÜ (Analog, ISDN, DSL) or Internet/Intranet with the
company. All Clever Clients support remote connection.
Terminal
Data
display device that is connected to a large and/or central computer;
data storage occurs via the central computer. The terminal has a
screen, keyboard and mouse. Printers may also be connected. It does
not, however, have a computing unit. Computing activities are assumed
by the central computer. IGEL offers [text missing]
Terminal-Emulation
Terminal
Emulation interprets certain series of symbols that are sent by the
Host computer as attributes for the symbols. Thus, just as with
functions in mailboxes, symbols can be represented in bold, underscored
or blinking. This way the cursor can also be moved freely on the
screen. The various emulations have different codes with which they
transmit these control signals. IGEL has incorporated Ericom’s
PowerTerm Terminal Emulation as a standard feature in various models.
Terminal Server
The
Windows NT Terminal Server (WTS) is an expansion that makes Windows NT
Multi-User-capable. WTS allows access to Windows programs from a Client
computer. And remote access (loosely translated “distant access”) is
made possible from outside locations via the Internet on centrally
installed applications.
Microsoft purchased this technology
from Citrix. The MultiWin technology licensed by Citrix forms the basis
for the MultiUser functionality of terminal servers. Windows Terminal
Server moreover contains RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), a special
protocol for remote linkage of Windows end units to the terminal server.
Thin Client
Thin
Client is a reasonably priced final unit in a Server-based network
architecture. Thin Clients require neither high-performance processors
nor large memory capacities, since the applications are on a central
server. Thin Clients are designed for use in Application Server
environments.
ThinPrint
The company, ThinPrint,
developed, among other things, solutions for bandwidth-optimized
printing in Server Based Computing environments. All IGEL Clever
Clients contain ThinPrint Client.
Token Ring
Network
architecture developed by IBM. IGEL Thin Clients from Winestra and
Premium Series may be equipped with Token Ring cards for these networks.
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USB
(Universal Serial Bus) A widely used hardware
interface for attaching peripheral devices. USB ports began to appear
on PCs in 1997, and Windows 98 was the first Windows to support it
natively. Within a few years, USB became popular for connecting nearly
every external peripheral device. Replacing the serial and parallel
ports on a PC, at least four USB ports are standard on every computer.
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VNC
VNC is a remote service program. VNC enables you to
remotely control a computer via a network connection, so as for example
to access a remote computer, as if you were seated directly in front of
it.
VoIP
Voiceover IP technology, with which
telephone calls can be made over the Internet or the Intranet. To this
end, IGEL Technology has integrated the K-Phone VoIP Client into the
firmware of the Thin Clients of the Series Compact, Winestra, Premium
and Elegance.
VPN
A Virtual Private
Network is generally deployed so as to connect tow or more physically
separated networks over the Internet. Here any transferred information
is transmitted through a, usually secure, tunnel through the connection
network.
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Wake on LAN
Switching on the PC through the network. The
IGEL Remote Management Software is capable of sending a certain data
packet to the MAC Address of the client that is to be switched on. The
client itself is in a so-called “soft-off-status” – the power supply is
not completely switched off, but instead the network component still at
least supplies the network card with power. Here, it is important,
since it concerns a normal network broadcast, for the router and
available network structure to forward these packets appropriately.
Wi-Fi
"Wireless
Fidelity". Wireless LAN cards with this certificate meets the standard
802.11 and have passed Interoperability tests with other 802.11 cards.
Windows CE
Mircosoft
operating system. Windows variant for Thin Clients Handhelds, etc.
"Windows Powered". IGEL Clever Clients may be obtained with the MS
Windows operating system CE 5.0.
Windows XPe
Current
Microsoft operating system with graphic user service and Windows
technology. IGEL Clever Clients may be obtained with the MS Windows
embedded operating system XPe. XP.
WLAN
Wireless Local Area Network (Wi-Fi for LANs) The major wireless LAN standard today is the IEEE 802.11, more widely
known by the "Wi-Fi" logo. Wireless Wi-Fi adapters (Wi-Fi transceivers)
are either built into most new laptops or added via a PC card slot or
USB. Wireless adapters for desktop machines can be plugged into a USB
port or PCI slot.
X
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XDMCP
XDMCP = X Display Manager Control Protocol = this
Protocol is used to communicate between a X terminal and a Unix
workstation. All IGEL Clients are supplied with XDMCP and can
communicate with Unix hosts.
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