Glossary

AV Extender

A device used to transmit audio and video signal over a long distance with a transmitter at transmitting side and a receiver at receiving end. Sometimes the system adds transceivers to extend equipments to reach longer distance or to cascade more devices.

bandwidth

The channel capacity on a device or network, the rate at which bits maybe transmitted through the system.

bank

Collection of computers connected to a KVM switch.

?cathode ray tube

The technology used in many televisions and computer display screens. It works by moving an electron beam back and forth across the back of the screen.

console port

The port at KVM used to connect console devices.

CRT

See cathode ray tube

daisy chain

A hardware wiring scheme that is connecting one device to the other used when similar devices need to be connected together to expand the system.

daisy chain port

A port that receives inputs from other similar device to allow daisy chaining.

DB-9 serial port

A type of electrical connector commonly used for the RS-232 serial port connections.

DDC/DDC2/DDC2B

See Display Data Channel. DDC/DDC2/DDC2B are different versions of DDC.

Demilitarized Zone

Also known as perimeter network. A network area that sits between a trusted internal network (e.g. LAN) and an external network (e.g. Public Internet).

DHCP

See Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

DIP switch

See Dual in-line package

Display Data Channel

A standard for communication between a monitor and a video adaptor which monitor can inform the video card about its properties.

DMZ

See Demilitarized Zone

dual in-line package

An electric switch packaged in a group. It enables user to configure a circuit board via toggle switches, which only has two possible positions- on or off.

DVI- Digital Visual Interface

transfer a digital video signal from a source component directly to a video display that also has a DVI connection, without conversion to analog.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

A utility that enables a server to dynamically assign IP addresses from a predefined list and limit their time of use so that they can be reassigned. Without DHCP, an IT Manager would have to manually enter in all the IP addresses of all the computers on the network. When DHCP is used, whenever a computer logs onto the network, it automatically gets an IP address assigned to it.

Ethernet

A local-area network (LAN) architecture which uses a bus or star topology and supports data transfer rates of 10 Mbps. It is one of the most widely implemented LAN standards.

firewall

A system that secures a network and prevents access by unauthorized users. Firewalls can be software, hardware or a combination of both. Firewalls can prevent unrestricted access into a network, as well as restrict data from flowing out of a network.

focus control

A small knob on AV extender receiver which can be turned to adjust focus, thus improve picture sharpness.

gain control

A small knob on AV extender receiver which can be turned to adjust gain, thus improve picture brightness.

HCI

See Host Controller Interface

HD15

A VGA connector with three-row 15 pin usually found on most video cards, computer monitors and other devices. Where HD stands for High Density.

HDCP

See High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection

HDMI

See High-Definition Multimedia Interface

HDTV

See High-definition television

High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection

A form of management to prevent transmission of non-encrypted high definition content as it travels across DVI or HDMI connections.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface

A first industry-supported uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. It transmits via a single cable with user-friendly connector which reduces cabling burdens.

high-definition television

A digital TV broadcasting system with a significantly higher resolution than traditional formats such as NTSC, SECAM and PAL.

Host Controller Interface

A register level interface which allows a host controller for USB or FireWire to communicate with the OS of a PC.

hot key

This is also known as keyboard shortcut, is a key or set of keys that performs a predefined function.

hot Plug

The ability to remove and replace components of a device while it is operating. It usually requires more sophisticated software and hardware than does plug-and-play.

Hz (Hertz)

Unit for measuring frequency, refresh rate of display monitor.

IEEE

See Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

An organization best known for developing standards for the computer and electronics industry. Particularly the IEEE 802 standards for LAN which is widely followed.

IP (Internet Protocol)

IP specifies the format of packets and the addressing scheme which acts like the postal system. It allows user to address a package and drop it in the system without a direct link

IP (Internet Protocol) address

A 32-bit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent across the Internet. An IP address has two parts: an identifier of a particular network on the Internet and an identifier of the particular device (which can be a server or a workstation) within that network.

KVM cable

The cable used to connect client PCs to KVM, specially designed to reduce wiring burdens.

KVM switch

Keyboard Video and Mouse switch. A hardware device with the main function of collecting inputs from multiple computers and yields only one set of output such as keyboard, video and mouse. This allows a user to control multiple computers with ease therefore it is widely used to manage networks.

LCD

Liquid crystal display. Thin, flat display device made up of any number of color or monochrome pixels arrayed in front of a light source or reflector.

LED

Light Emitting Diode. A semiconductor device that lights up when electricity is passed through it. In some instances, it is used to indicate status of devices.

MAC

(Media Access Control) Every wireless 802.11 device has its own specific MAC address hard-coded into it. This unique identifier can be used to provide security for wireless networks. When a network uses a MAC table, only the 802.11 radios that have had their MAC addresses added to that network's MAC table will be able to get onto the network.

Mini Din 6 pin

A round 9.5 mm diameter connector with 6 pins. Usually describes keyboard and mouse connectors.

multi-sync

A trademark of NEC, used to describe a monitor that adjusts its scanning rate to accommodate signals from different classes of video graphics boards.

OHCI USB interface

Open Host Controller Interface. An open standard which supports USB 1.1.

operation system

The most important program that runs on a computer which is a must-have in most general-purpose computer. It perform basic tasks such as recognizing input, sending output, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral.

OS

See operation system

OSD

On-Screen Display. An image superimposed on a screen picture to display information such as device settings.

PC port

The port at KVM used to connect client PC.

plug and play

A computer system feature that provides for automatic configuration of add-ons and peripheral devices such as wireless PC Cards, printers, scanners and multimedia devices.

port

Serves as an interface between the computer and other computers or device. Physically, a port is a specialized outlet on a piece of equipment which a plug or cable connects.

PS/2

A mini-din 6pin connector used for connecting a keyboard and a mouse to a PC compatible computer system.

rack mount size

Also known as 19-inch rack, is a standardized system for mounting various electronic modules in a “stack”, or rack which is 19 inches (482.6 mm) wide.

resolution

Display resolution refers to the sharpness and clarity of an image, that is, the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed on digital television or computer display.

RJ-45

Standard connectors used in Ethernet networks. Even though they look very similar to standard RJ-11 telephone connectors, RJ-45 connectors can have up to eight wires, whereas telephone connectors have only four.

server

The computer or device on a network which is responsible to manage or provide network resources.

SSL

(Secured Sockets Layer) Commonly used encryption scheme used by many online retail and banking sites to protect the financial integrity of transactions. When an SSL session begins, the server sends its public key to the browser. The browser then sends a randomly generated secret key back to the server in order to have a secret key exchange for that session.

SVGA

Super Video Graphics Array or Super VGA. An extension to the VGA standard which normally refers to a resolution of 800x600 pixels.

switch

A device to change the course of an electric, or telecommunication circuit.

TFT-LCD

Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display. A variant of LCD which uses TFT technology to improve image quality. It is often used in televisions, flat panel displays and projectors.

Transceiver

A device that has both a transmitter and receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing.

UHCI USB interface

Universal Host Controller Interface is an interface used to support USB 1.0.

USB

A high-speed bidirectional serial connection between a PC and a peripheral that transmits data at the rate of 12 megabits per second. The new USB 2.0 specification provides a data rate of up to 480 Mbps, compared to standard USB at only 12 Mbps. 1394, FireWire and iLink all provide a bandwidth of up to 400 Mbps.

VGA

Video Graphics Array. An analog computer display standard often used to refer to resolution of 640x480 or the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector.

VGA selector

A hardware device which selects video signal from multiple computers and displays to one monitor.

video splitter

A hardware device used when a video output source needs to be broadcasted to multiple displays.

XGA

eXtended Graphics Array. Usually refers to a resolution of 1024x768 pixels.