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Internet Information Services |
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Internet Information Services |
[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change]
Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary.
Aaccess control list (ACL)
A list that indicates which users or groups have permission to
access or modify a particular file; the Windows discretionary
access control list (DACL) and system access control list (SACL)
are examples of access control lists.
ACL
Seeaccess control list.
Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI)
A COM-based directory service model that allows ADSI-compliant
client applications to access a wide variety of distinct directory
protocols, including Windows Directory Services and Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), while using a single, standard
set of interfaces. ADSI shields the client application from the
implementation and operational details of the underlying data store
or protocol.
Active Group, The
A standards organization, under the auspices of The Open Group,
which is an open, customer-driven steering committee responsible
for the ongoing development and management of ActiveX technologies
and licensing.
active script
A script that can be implemented in various languages, persistent
formats, and so on, that can interact with other ActiveX
Controls.
active scripting
A Microsoft technology that uses COM to run third-party scripts in
Microsoft Internet Explorer without regard to language and other
elements of implementation. See also Active Server Pages;
Automation; Component Object Model component;
script; scripting engine.
Active Server Pages (ASP)
A server-side scripting environment that can be used to create
dynamic Web pages or build Web applications. ASP pages are files
that contain HTML tags, text, and script commands. ASP pages can
call Component Object Model (COM) components to perform tasks, such
as connecting to a database or performing a business calculation.
With ASP, the user can add interactive content to Web pages or
build entire Web applications that use HTML pages as the interface
to your customers.
ActiveX
An umbrella term for Microsoft technologies that enable developers
to create interactive content for the World Wide Web. A set of
language-independent interoperability technologies that enable
software components written in different languages to work together
in networked environments. The core technology elements of ActiveX
are the Component Object Model (COM) and distributed COM. These
technologies are licensed to The Open Group standards organization,
and are being implemented on multiple platforms. See also
Component Object Model; Common Gateway Interface;
distributed COM; Java.
ActiveX Controls
Reusable software components that incorporate ActiveX technology.
These components can be used to add specialized functionality, such
as animation or pop-up menus, to Web pages, desktop applications,
and software development tools. ActiveX Controls can be written in
a variety of programming languages including C, C++, Visual Basic,
and Java.
ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
A high-level data access programming interface to an underlying
data access technology (such as OLE DB), implemented by using the
Component Object Model (COM).
activity
A collection of COM objects that has a single distributed logical
thread of execution. Every COM object belongs to one activity.
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
A TCP/IP protocol for determining the hardware address (or
physical address) of a node on a local area network connected to
the Internet, when only the IP address (or logical address) is
known. An ARP request is sent to the network, and the node that has
the IP address responds with its hardware address. Although ARP
technically refers only to finding the hardware address, and
Reverse ARP (RARP) refers to the reverse procedure, the acronym ARP
is commonly used to describe both. ARP is limited to physical
network systems that support broadcast packets. It is defined in
RFC 826. See also Reverse Address Resolution Protocol;
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.
ADO
SeeActiveX Data Objects.
ADSI
SeeActive Directory Service Interfaces.
ADSI Provider
An application that makes itself available to ADSI client
applications by providing an ADSI implementation.
agent
In client/server applications, a process that mediates between the
client and the server. In Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP), agent information consists of comments about the user, the
physical location of the computer, and the types of service to
report based on the computer's configuration. See also catalog
agent.
aggregation
A composition technique for implementing component objects whereby
a new object can be built by using one or more existing objects
that support some or all of the new object's required
interfaces.
alias
A name that maps part of a URL to a physical directory on the
server. In general, an easily remembered name used in place of an
IP address, directory path, or other identifier; also called a
friendly name. See also host name; virtual directory;
virtual server.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
A voluntary, nonprofit organization of U.S. business and industry
groups formed in 1918 for the development of trade and
communication standards. It provides area charters for groups that
establish standards in specific fields, such as the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). ANSI is the American
representative of the International Standards Organization and has
developed recommendations for the use of programming languages
including FORTRAN, C, and COBOL. Standards approved by ANSI are
often called ANSI standards (for example, ANSI C is the version of
the C language approved by ANSI). See also ASCII; ASCII
character set; ASCII file.
American Standard Code for Information Interchange
(ASCII)
A coding scheme using 7 or 8 bits that assigns numeric values up
to 256 characters, including letters, numerals, punctuation marks,
control characters, and other symbols. ASCII was developed in 1968
to standardize data transmission among disparate hardware and
software systems and is built into most minicomputers and all
personal computers.
annotation file
For the FTP service, a summary of the information in a given
directory. This summary appears automatically to browsers.
Anonymous File Transfer Protocol (anonymous FTP)
Makes it possible for a user to retrieve documents, files,
programs, and other archived data from anywhere on the Internet
without having to establish a logon name and password.
anonymous-only logons
Allows remote access by the IUSR_computername account.
Remote users can connect to that computer without a user name or
password, and they have only the permissions assigned to that
account. Anonymous access is typically used for Internet sites.
ANSI
SeeAmerican National Standards Institute.
Apartment model multithreading
The Component Object Model (COM) supports a form of multithreading
called the Apartment model. The apartment is essentially a way of
describing a thread with a message queue that supports COM objects.
Apartment model multithreading enables multiple application
threads-one for each apartment-to be managed by COM.
Apartment thread
A thread used to execute calls to objects of components configured
as "Apartment threaded." Each object "lives in an apartment"
(thread) for the life of the object. All calls to that object
execute on the Apartment thread.
API
Seeapplication programming interface.
applet
A small piece of code that can be transported over the Internet
and executed on a client's computer. This term is frequently used
to refer to such programs in the form of embedded inline objects in
HTML documents on the World Wide Web.
application
A computer program, such as a word processor or electronic
spreadsheet; or a group of Active Server Pages (ASP) scripts and
components that perform such tasks.
application programming interface (API)
A set of routines that an application uses to request and carry
out lower-level services performed by a computer's operating
system. Also, a set of calling conventions in programming that
define how a service is invoked through the application.
application root
The root directory for an application; all directories and files
contained within the application root are considered part of the
application. Also called an application starting-point
directory.
application scope
A way of making data available to all users of an application from
all pages of a Web application. A variable or an object instance is
given application scope by storing it in the Active Server Pages
(ASP) application object. Application scope is useful for global
data, such as a global counter.
argument
A constant, variable, or expression passed to a procedure.
ARP
SeeAddress Resolution Protocol.
array
A list of data values, all of the same type, any element of which
can be referenced by an expression consisting of the array name
followed by an indexing expression. Arrays are part of the
fundamentals of data structures, which, in turn, are a major
fundamental of computer programming.
ascii
In an FTP client program, the command that instructs the FTP server
to send or receive files as ASCII text. See also ASCII.
ASCII
SeeAmerican Standard Code for Information
Interchange.
ASCII character set
A standard 7-bit code for representing ASCII characters by using
binary values; code values range from 0 to 127. Most PC-based
systems use an 8-bit extended ASCII code, with an extra 128
characters used to represent special symbols, non-English language
characters, and graphic symbols.
ASCII file
Also called a text file, a text-only file, or an ASCII text file.
An ASCII file contains characters, spaces, punctuation, carriage
returns, and sometimes tabs and an end-of-file marker, but it
contains no other formatting information.
ASP
SeeActive Server Pages.
ASP buffering
Functionality of ASP that temporarily stores all output generated
by a script until script execution is complete, then sends it to a
client.
associating
Seefile name extension mapping.
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)
A network technology capable of transmitting data, voice, video,
and frame relay traffic in real time. Data, including frame relay
data, is broken into packets containing 53 bytes each, which are
switched between any two nodes in the system at rates ranging from
1.5 to 622 Mbps. ATM is defined in the broadband ISDN protocol at
the levels corresponding to levels 1 and 2 of the ISO/OSI model. It
is currently used in local area networks involving workstations and
personal computers. See also Integrated Services Digital
Network; International Organization for Standardization Open
Systems Interconnection model.
asynchronous transmission
In modem communication, a form of data transmission in which data
is sent intermittently, one character at a time, rather than in a
steady stream with characters separated by fixed time intervals.
Each transmitted character consists of a number of data bits (the
character itself) preceded by a "begin character" signal called the
start bit, and ending in an optional parity bit followed by 1, 1.5,
or 2 "end character" signals, called stop bits.
ATM
SeeAsynchronous Transfer Mode.
atomicity
A feature of a transaction considered or guaranteed to be
indivisible. Either the transaction is uninterrupted, or, if it
fails, a mechanism is provided that ensures the return of the
system to its state prior to initiation of the transaction.
attributes
In a database record, the name or structure of a field. The size
of a field or the type of information it contains would also be
attributes of a database record. In markup languages such as
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and HTML, a name-value
pair within a tagged element that modifies certain features of that
element.
auditing
The process an operating system uses to detect and record
security-related events, such as an attempt to create, access, or
delete objects such as files and directories. The records of such
events are stored in a file known as a security log, whose contents
are available only to those with the proper clearance. See also
security log.
authentication
The process by which the system validates a user's logon
information. A user's name and password are compared against an
authorized list, and if the system detects a match, access is
granted to the extent specified in the permission list for the
user.
authentication certificate
Seecertificate, digital.
authorization
In relation to computers, especially to remote computers on a
network open to more than one person, the right granted to an
individual to use the system and the data stored on it.
Authorization is typically set up by a system administrator, Web
master, or site owner and checked and cleared by the computer. This
requires that the user provide some type of identification, such as
a code number or a password, that the computer can verify against
its internal records. Also called permission or privilege.
automatic directory listing
Providing a directory listing by default when a URL without a file
name is received; also called directory browsing.
Automation
A COM-based technology that enables dynamic binding to COM objects
at run time. Automation was previously called OLE Automation and
ActiveX Automation.
Automation object
An object that is exposed to other applications or programming
tools through Automation interfaces.
Bbandwidth throttling
Setting the maximum portion of total network capacity that a
service is allowed to use. An administrator can deliberately limit
a server's Internet workload by not allowing it to receive requests
at full capacity, thus saving resources for other programs such as
e-mail.
Basic authentication
An authentication protocol supported by most browsers, including
Internet Explorer. It is a method of authentication that encodes
user name and password data transmissions. Basic authentication is
sometimes called clear-text authentication because the Base-64
encoding can be decoded by anyone with a freely available decoding
utility. Note that encoding is not the same as encryption. See also
Integrated Windows authentication; encryption.
baud
A measure of data transmission speed. Commonly used to refer to
the data transmission speed of a modem.
BIND
SeeDomain Name System.
binding
The way in which Microsoft Visual Basic code uses Automation to
access objects in another application. See also Automation;
static binding; dynamic binding.
Bits per second (bps)
The speed at which data bits are transmitted over a communications
medium, such as a transmission wire or a modem.
Boolean
Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of logical (true or false)
values. Many languages directly support a Boolean data type, with
predefined values for true and false; others use integer data types
to implement Boolean values, usually (although not always) with 0
equaling false and "not 0" equaling true. Queries with Boolean
operators (AND, OR, NOT, and NEAR) are referred to as Boolean
queries.
Boolean expression
An expression that yields a Boolean value.
Both-threaded
A component that supports Free- and Apartment-threading models. See
also Apartment thread.
broken link
A reference to a resource that cannot be located because the URL
is not valid, the resource the link points to doesn't exist, or the
server containing the resource is busy or is having other technical
difficulties.
browser
Also called a Web browser. A client interface that enables a user
to view HTML documents on the World Wide Web, another network, or
the user's computer; follow hyperlinks among them; and transfer
files. One example is Microsoft Internet Explorer.
bulk data encryption
The encryption of all data sent over a network. See also
encryption.
business rules
The laws, regulations, policies, and procedures that are encoded
into a computer system. Also known as business logic.
bytecode
The executable form of Java code that executes within the Java
virtual machine (VM). Also called interpreted code, pseudo code,
and p-code.
Ccache
A special memory subsystem in which frequently used data values
are duplicated for quick access. A memory cache stores the contents
of frequently accessed RAM locations and the addresses where these
data items are stored. When the processor references an address in
memory, the cache checks to see whether it holds that address. If
it does, the data is returned to the processor; if it does not, a
regular memory access occurs. A cache is useful when RAM accesses
are slow compared with the microprocessor speed, because cached
memory is faster than main RAM memory.
call
To transfer program execution to some section of code (usually a
subroutine) while saving the necessary information to allow
execution to resume at the calling point when the called section
has completed execution. When a subroutine call occurs, one or more
values (known as arguments or parameters) are often passed to the
subroutine, which can then use and sometimes modify these
values.
callback function
A function provided by IIS that allows an ISAPI extension or filter
to access IIS services.
caller
A client that invokes a method of an object. An object's caller
isn't necessarily the object's creator. For example, client A could
create object X and pass this reference to client B, and then
client B could use that reference to call a method of object X. In
this case, client A is the creator, and client B is the caller.
catalog agent
An automatic software program that periodically opens all files in
a designated set of directories and indexes their contents; also
called a link crawler.
certificate, client
A digital certificate that functions in a way similar to a
driver's license or passport. Client certificates can contain
detailed identification information about the user and organization
that issued the certificate. See also certificate,
digital.
certificate, digital
An encrypted file, containing user or server identification
information, that is used to verify identity; also called an
authentication certificate. When issued to users, a digital
certificate is called a client certificate. When issued to a server
administrator, it is called a server certificate. See also key
pair; certificate, client, encryption.
certificate revocation list
A document maintained and published by a certification authority
(CA) that lists certificates that have been revoked by the
certification authority. See also certification
authority.
certification authority (CA)
An entity that issues, manages, and revokes certificates.
CGI
SeeCommon Gateway Interface.
class
In Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript), the formal
definition of an object. The class acts as the template from which
an instance of an object is created at run time. The class defines
the properties of the object and the methods used to control the
object's behavior. See also Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting
Edition.
class factory
An object that implements the IClassFactory interface, which
allows it to create objects of a specific class.
class ID (CLSID)
A universally unique identifier (UUID) that identifies a COM
component. Each COM component has its CLSID in the Windows registry
so that it can be loaded by other applications.
class restrictions
A general term sometimes used for access control by IP address
filtering and hostname filtering.
client
On a local area network or the Internet, a computer that accesses
shared network resources provided by another computer, called a
server. Also, an application or process that requests a service
from some process or component. A client facilitates a connection
to server computers, and manages and presents information retrieved
from those sources. In a client/server environment, the workstation
is usually the client computer. When referring to COM objects, a
program that accesses or uses a service provided by another
component.
client tier
In the three-tier Web application model, the application or process
that requests services from the middle tier, which typically
includes a Web server and business processes. See also middle
tier; data source tier.
client/server architecture
A model of computing whereby client applications running on a
desktop or personal computer access information on remote servers
or host computers. The client portion of the application is
typically optimized for user interaction, whereas the server
portion provides centralized, multi-user functionality.
CLSID
Seeclass ID.
clustering
Connecting two or more computers together for the purpose of
sharing resources and request load. Each member computer of a
cluster is called a node. The nodes in a cluster may either have
their own storage devices or share a common device. Typically,
clustering will involve support for load balancing, fault
tolerance, and fail-over. See also load balancing;
node; fault tolerance; failover.
codepage
A codepage is used by the system to encode and interpret string
characters. Codepage formats are not the same for each language.
Some languages such as Japanese and Hindi have multi-byte
characters while others like English and German only need one byte
to represent each character. Each codepage is represented by a
unique integer. In IIS, the default codepage is the same as CP_ACP.
IIS supports Web files saved in UTF-8 format or ANSI format. See
also CP_ACP, UTF-8.
colocation
Installing and maintaining a computer at an Internet Service
Provider (ISP) that belongs to another company or group. For
example, a company might colocate one of their servers at an ISP to
save costs, or to make large-scale upgrades easier.
COM
SeeComponent Object Model.
commit
The phase in a transaction when all interactions are finalized and
the persistent state of the underlying database is changed.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
A server-side interface for initiating software services. The
specification that defines communications between information
services (such as an HTTP service) and resources on the server's
host computer, such as databases and other programs. For example,
when a user submits a form through a Web browser, the HTTP service
executes a program (often called a CGI script) and passes the
user's input information to that program through CGI. The program
then returns information to the service through CGI. Any software
can be a CGI program if it handles input and output according to
the CGI standard. CGI applications always run out-of-process. See
also server.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) bin directory
The directory on a server where CGI script programs are stored.
Commonly called CGI-bin or CGI-scripts.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script
A program that allows a server to communicate with users on the
Internet. For example, when a user enters information in a form on
a Web page, a CGI script interprets the information and
communicates it to a database program on the server.
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
A specification developed by the Object Management Group in 1992
in which pieces of programs (objects) communicate with other
objects in other programs, even if the two programs are written in
different programming languages and are running on different
platforms. A program makes its request for objects through an
object request broker, or ORB, and thus does not need to know the
structure of the program from where the object comes. CORBA is
designed to work in object-oriented environments.
communications protocol
A set of rules or standards designed to enable computers to
connect with one another and to exchange information with as few
errors as possible. Some communications protocols contain other
protocols, such as hardware protocols and file transfer protocols.
Examples include Hypertext Transfer Protocol, Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Systems Network
Architecture (SNA).
compile time
The time during which a program is translated from source language
into machine language.
Component Object Model
The object-oriented programming model that defines how objects
interact within a single application or between applications. In
COM, client software accesses an object through a pointer to an
interface-a related set of functions called methods-on the
object.
Component Object Model (COM) component
A binary file containing code for one or more class factories, COM
classes, registry-entry mechanisms, loading code, and so on. See
also Component Object Model; distributed Component Object
Model.
concurrency
The appearance of simultaneous execution of processes or
transactions by interleaving the execution of multiple pieces of
work.
connected user
A user who is currently accessing one of the services of a Web
server.
connection pooling
A performance optimization based on using collections of
pre-allocated resources, such as objects or database connections.
Pooling results in more efficient resource allocation.
content type
The type of file (such as text, graphic, or sound), usually
indicated by the file name extension (such as .txt, .gif, or .wav,
respectively).
control
In a graphical user interface (GUI), an object on the screen that
can be manipulated by a user to perform an action. Perhaps the most
common controls are buttons that a user can click to select an
option, and scroll bars that a user employs to move through a
document or position text in a window.
cookies
A means by which, under the HTTP protocol, a server or a script
can maintain information on the client computer. Cookies are small
text files which are stored in the user's browser by the Web
server. Cookies contain information about the user such as an
identification number, a password, how a user shopped on a Web
site, or how many times the user visited that site. A Web site can
access cookie information whenever the user connects to the
server.
CORBA
SeeCommon Object Request Broker Architecture.
counters
SeeCounters Component (a simple COM object ships
with IIS) or Performance Counters (used to measure system
performance).
Counters Component
An installable component of IIS that allows you to create, store,
increment, or retrieve any number of individual custom counters.
Not to be confused with the Performance Counters installed with
Windows to monitor system performance.
CP_ACP
The system ANSI CodePage. There is also a system OEM CodePage,
CP_OEMCP. See also codepage.
crawler
Seespider.
CryptoAPI
SeeMicrosoft Cryptographic API.
Cryptographic Service Provider
The Microsoft CryptoAPI provides a set of functions that allow
applications to encrypt or digitally sign data in a flexible manner
using certificates. Cryptographic operations (encryption) are
performed by independent modules known as cryptographic service
providers (CSPs). When you create a certificate for your server,
you can select a Microsoft CSP or a third-party CSP if you have one
installed. SeeMicrosoft Cryptographic API,
encryption.
cryptography
A field science involving the transmission of information in an
encoded form so that only an intended recipient can decode the
information and reveal its meaning. Encoded information is commonly
said to be encrypted.
CSP
SeeCryptographic Service Provider.
cursor
An onscreen indicator, such as a blinking underline or rectangle,
that marks the place at which a keystroke will appear when typed.
In applications and operating systems that use a mouse, the arrow
or other onscreen icon that moves with movements of the mouse.
Also, a piece of software that returns rows of data to the
application. A cursor on a resultset indicates the current position
in the resultset.
cycle
In logging, to close an existing log file and start a new one.
DData Encryption Standard (DES)
A specification for encryption of computer data developed by IBM
and adopted by the U.S. government as a standard in 1976. DES uses
a 56-bit key to protect against password discovery and
playback.
datagram
A self-contained, independent entity of data carrying sufficient
information to be routed from the source to the destination
computer without reliance on earlier exchanges between the source
and destination computer and the transporting network. See also
frame; packet.
data provider
Software that implements Object Linking and Embedding Database
(OLE DB) methods and interfaces.
data source
The name that applications use to request a connection to an Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC) data source. It specifies the computer
name and (optionally) database that the data source name (DSN) maps
to. A system data source is a data source that is available to
anyone using the computer. Data sources that will be used with a
Web server need to be system data sources.
Data Source Name (DSN)
The logical name used by Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to
refer to the drive and other information required to access data.
The name is used by Internet Information Services for a connection
to an ODBC data source, such as a SQL Server database.
data source tier
A logical layer that represents a computer running a Database
Management System (DBMS), such as a SQL Server database. See also
client tier; middle tier.
DAV
SeeDistributed Authoring and Versioning.
DCOM
Seedistributed COM.
deadlock
In operating systems or databases, a situation in which two or
more processes are prevented from continuing while each waits for
resources to be freed by the continuation of the other.
debugger
A software tool used to detect the source of program or script
errors, by performing step-by-step execution of application code
and viewing the content of code variables.
default document
Sometimes called a default home page. The file sent by a Web
server when it receives a request for a URL that does not specify a
file name. This document can be generated automatically by the
server, or it can be a custom file placed in that directory by the
administrator.
default gateway
In TCP/IP, the intermediate network device on the local network
that has knowledge of the network IDs of the other networks in the
Internet, so it can forward the packets to other gateways until
they are delivered to the one connected to the specified
destination.
DES
SeeData Encryption Standard.
design time
The time during which a user builds an application in the
development environment by adding controls, setting control or form
properties, and so on. In contrast, during run time, a user
interacts with the application.
Design-time ActiveX Controls
Visual authoring components that help a developer construct
dynamic Web applications by automatically generating standard HTML
and scripting code. They are analogous to wizards. Design-time
ActiveX Controls exist at design time, and not at run time.
developer isolation
A feature of some software that provides a way for an application
developer to create and test scripts without a connecting to a Web
server.
DHCP
SeeDynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
DHTML
SeeDynamic HTML.
dial-up
Of, pertaining to, or being a connection that uses the public
switched telephone network rather than a dedicated circuit or some
other type of private network. Also called a slow link.
Dial-up Networking
A component of the Windows operating system that makes it possible
for users to connect to remote networks such as the Internet or a
private network.
Digest authentication
An authentication method that sends user name and password
information over the network as a hash value. See also
authentication; hash value; hash value
comparison.
digital signature
The part of a digital certificate that contains an encryption key
that uniquely identifies the holder of the certificate. See also
certificate, client; key pair.
directive
An instruction to the Active Server Pages (ASP) script engine that
specifies properties, such as script language, for the selection of
a script.
directory browsing
A feature that automatically provides a default Web page of
available directories and files to browsers that submit a URL that
does not specify a particular file.
directory replication
The copying of a master set of directories from a server (called
an export server) to specified servers or workstations (called
import computers) in the same or other domains. Replication
simplifies the task of maintaining identical sets of directories
and files on multiple computers, because only a single master copy
of the data must be maintained. Files are replicated when they are
added to an exported directory, and every time a change is saved to
the file.
directory service
Middleware that locates the correct and full network address from
a partial name or address typed into a dialog box. See also
middleware.
disconnected recordset
A recordset in a client cache that no longer has a live connection
to the server. If something must be done with the original data
source, such as updating data, the connection will need to be
re-established.
discovery mechanism
A way of finding other servers on the network.
Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)
An extension to the HTTP 1.1 standard that facilitates access to
files and directories through an HTTP connection. Remote authors
can add, search, delete, or change directories and documents and
their properties.
distributed COM
A wire protocol that enables software components to communicate
directly over a network.
Distributed interNet Application Architecture (DNA)
Microsoft's architecture for Web applications.
distributed processing
A form of information processing in which work is performed by
separate computers linked through a communications network.
Distributed processing is usually categorized as either plain
distributed processing or true distributed processing. Plain
distributed processing shares the workload among computers that can
communicate with one another. True distributed processing has
separate computers perform different tasks in such a way that their
combined work can contribute to a larger goal. The latter type of
processing requires a highly structured environment that allows
hardware and software to communicate, share resources, and exchange
information freely.
DLL
Seedynamic-link library.
DNS
SeeDomain Name System.
domain
In Windows, a collection of computers that share a common domain
database and security policy. Each domain has a unique name. See
also domain, Internet.
domain controller
For a Windows Server domain, the server that authenticates domain
logons and maintains the security policy and the master database
for a domain.
domain, Internet
The highest subdivision of a domain name in a network address,
which identifies the type of entity owning the address (for
example, .com for commercial users or .edu for educational
institutions) or the geographical location of the address (for
example, .fr for France or .sg for Singapore). The domain is the
last part of the address (for example, www.microsoft.com).
domain name
An address of a network connection that identifies the owner of
that address in a hierarchical format. For example,
www.whitehouse.gov identifies the Web server at the White House,
which is a government agency. See also Domain Name
System.
Domain Name System (DNS)
The system by which hosts on the Internet have domain name
addresses (such as microsoft.com) and IP addresses (such as
172.21.13.45). The domain name address is used by human users and
is automatically translated into the numerical IP address, which is
used by the packet-routing software. DNS is also the acronym for
Domain Name Service, the Internet utility that implements the
Domain Name System. DNS servers, also called name servers, maintain
databases containing the addresses and are accessed transparently
by the user.
Domain Name System (DNS) reverse lookup
Finding the IP address that corresponds to a domain name.
Domain Name System (DNS) spoofing
Assuming the DNS name of another system by either corrupting a
name-service cache, or by compromising a domain-name server for a
valid domain.
download
In communications, the process of transferring a copy of a file
from a remote computer to the requesting computer by means of a
modem or network.
DSN
SeeData Source Name.
DWORD
The Win32 API designation for a 32-bit integer.
dynamic binding
Binding (converting symbolic addresses in the program to
storage-related addresses) that occurs during program execution.
The term often refers to object-oriented applications that
determine, during run time, which software routines to call for
particular data objects. Also called late binding.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
A TCP/IP protocol that enables a network connected to the Internet
to assign a temporary IP address to a host automatically when the
host connects to the network.
dynamic HTML (DHTML)
A set of innovative features in Internet Explorer version 4.0 and
later that can be used to create HTML documents that dynamically
change their content and interact with the user. By using DHTML,
authors can provide special effects on a Web page without relying
on server-side programs.
dynamic-link library (DLL)
A feature of the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems
that supports executable routines-usually serving a specific
function or set of functions-to be stored separately as files with
the file extension name .dll, and to be loaded only when called by
the program that needs them. This saves memory during program
execution and enables code reusability.
dynamic page
An HTML document that contains animated GIFs, Java applets,
ActiveX Controls, or DHTML. Also, a Web page created automatically
based on information provided by the user, or generated "on the
fly" with ASP.
Ee-commerce
Electronic commerce. The process of buying and selling over the
Web-often based on software products such as Microsoft Commerce
Server.
e-mail
A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages with other
computer users (or groups of users) through a communications
network. E-mail is one of the most popular uses of the
Internet.
encapsulate
To treat a collection of structured information as a whole without
affecting or taking notice of its internal structure. In
communications, a message or packet constructed according to a
protocol such as a TCP/IP packet, may be taken with its formatting
data as an undifferentiated stream of bits that is then broken up
and packaged according to a lower-level protocol (for example, as
ATM packets) to be sent over a particular network; at the
destination, the lower-level packets are assembled, re-creating the
message as formatted for the encapsulated protocol.
encryption
A way of making data indecipherable to protect it from
unauthorized viewing or use, especially during network transmission
or when it is stored on a transportable magnetic medium while it is
being sent from computer to computer. Encryption can be either
symmetric or asymmetric. Symmetric encryption involves the use of
the same key to both encrypt and decode the data. Asymmetric
encryption uses one key to encrypt and another to decode. See also
key pair, Cryptographic Service Provider.
Ethernet
A 10-Mb/s standard for local area networks (LANs) initially
developed by Xerox and later refined by Digital, Intel, and Xerox
(DIX). All hosts are connected to a coaxial cable where they
contend for network access using a CSMA/CD paradigm.
event
Any action, often generated by a user or an ActiveX control, to
which a program might respond. Typical events include pressing a
keyboard key, choosing a button by using a mouse click, and other
mouse actions. Programmers write code to respond to these
actions.
event method
A procedure that is invoked only by a particular event, such as
On_Click.
exception
In programming, a problem or change in conditions that causes the
microprocessor to stop what it is doing and handle the situation in
a separate routine. An exception is similar to an interrupt; both
refer the microprocessor to a separate set of instructions.
executable program
A program, or collection of programs, forms, data, menus, and
other files, that can be run.
expires header
An expiration date or time for a file sent by a server; the
expiration information is used by proxy servers and browser
caches.
extended partition
Created from free space on a hard disk, an extended partition can
be subpartitioned into zero or more logical drives. Only one of the
four partitions allowed per physical disk can be an extended
partition, and no primary partition needs to be present to create
an extended partition. See also logical drive.
eXtensible Markup Language (XML)
A data format for structured document interchange on the Web. It
is called the "extensible markup language" because it is not a
fixed format like HTML. XML is designed to enable the use of SGML
on the World Wide Web. XML is not a single markup language: It is a
metalanguage that allows an author to design a markup language. A
regular markup language defines a way to describe information in a
certain class of documents (for example, HTML). With XML, authors
can define their own customized markup language for many classes of
documents.
eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL)
A stylesheet mechanism that can be used to specify how to transform
XML documents into displayable structures. Although XSL defines a
grammar of advanced formatting characteristics, it also can be used
to generate displayable HTML, or other well-formed markup
languages.
extension control block
A data structure created and used by IIS to communicate with an
ISAPI extension.
extranet
An extension of a corporate intranet using World Wide Web
technology to facilitate communication with the corporation's
suppliers and customers. An extranet allows customers and suppliers
to gain limited access to a company's intranet in order to enhance
the speed of communications and the efficiency of business
relationships.
Ffailover
When one individual computer fails, another automatically takes
over its request load. The transition is invisible to the user.
FAQ
SeeFrequently Asked Questions.
fat server
In a client/server architecture, a server computer that performs
most of the processing, with little or none performed by the
client.
fault tolerance
The ability of a computer or an operating system to respond to a
catastrophic event or fault, such as a power outage or a hardware
failure, in a way that ensures that no data is lost or corrupted.
This can be accomplished with a battery-backed power supply, backup
hardware, provisions in the operating system, or any combination of
these. In a fault-tolerant network, the system has the ability
either to continue the system's operation without loss of data; or
to shut the system down and restart it, recovering all processing
that was in progress when the fault occurred. See also
replication; failover.
file allocation table (FAT) file system
The system used by MS-DOS to organize and manage files. The FAT is
a data structure that MS-DOS creates on the disk when the disk is
formatted. When MS-DOS stores a file on a formatted disk, the
operating system places information about the stored file in the
FAT so that MS-DOS can retrieve the file later when requested. The
FAT is the only file system MS-DOS can use. See also
NTFS.
file name extension mapping
Connecting all files with a certain file name extension to a
program. For example, by a default setting in Windows Explorer, all
.txt files are associated with Notepad.
file space
A term sometimes used for the file-directory tree of a server.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
The protocol used for copying files to and from remote computer
systems on a network using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP), such as the Internet. This protocol also allows
users to use FTP commands to work with files, such as listing files
and directories on the remote system.
filter
In IIS, a feature of ISAPI that allows pre-processing of requests
and post-processing of responses, permitting site-specific handling
of HTTP requests and responses.
filtering, host name
Allowing or denying access based on the host name from which the
browser is attempting access.
filtering, IP address
Allowing or denying access based on the IP address from which the
browser is attempting access.
finger
An Internet utility that enables a user to obtain information on
other users who may be at other sites (if those sites permit access
by finger). Given an e-mail address, finger returns the user's full
name, an indication of whether or not the user is currently logged
on, and any information other users have chosen to supply as a
profile. Given a first or last name, finger returns the logon names
of users whose first names match. It can also show the last time
the user logged on, idle time, terminal line, and terminal location
(where applicable), and even project files left by the user.
firewall
A security system intended to protect an organization's network
against external threats, such as intruders, coming from another
network such as the Internet. A firewall prevents computers in the
organization's network from communicating directly with computers
external to the network and vice versa. Instead, all communication
is routed through a proxy server outside of the organization's
network, and the proxy server decides whether it is safe to let a
particular message or file pass through. See also proxy
server.
footer
In Web publishing, a short addition to every Web page sent out by
the server. Seeserver-side include.
form
In Web publishing, a Web page or portion of a Web page that is
filled out by the user and sent back to the server for
processing.
Fortezza
The U.S. government security standard that satisfies the Defense
Messaging System security architecture with a cryptographic
mechanism that provides message confidentiality, integrity,
authentication, and access control to messages, components, and
systems. These features can be implemented both with server and
browser software and with Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association (PCMCIA) hardware. A Fortezza card is a
type of PCMCIA card, similar to those used in notebook computers
and other small devices. This card can store a private key used by
the server to authenticate users. See also Crypto Service
Provider.
frame
In asynchonous serial communications, a unit of transmission that
is sometimes measured in elapsed time. It begins with the start bit
that precedes a character and ends with the last stop bit that
follows the character. In synchronous communications, a package of
information transmitted as a single unit. Every frame follows the
same basic organization and contains control information, such as
synchronizing characters, station address, and an error-checking
value, as well as a variable amount of data. See also
datagram; encapsulate; packet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Usually a document containing questions and answers that address
basic questions. A visitor can find an FAQ on many Web sites. An
FAQ serves to introduce a visitor to the topic or subject of the
Web site and to offer general guidelines about how to best use the
site.
friendly name
Also called a host name. A name that substitutes for an IP
address, for example, www.microsoft.com instead of
172.16.255.255.
FrontPage Server Extensions
A group of files installed on an HTTP service to give that service
the ability to provide special Microsoft FrontPage functionality.
With FrontPage Server Extensions, administrators can view and
manage a Web site in a graphical interface. Also, authors can
create, edit, and post Web pages to IIS remotely.
FTP
SeeFile Transfer Protocol.
GGIF
SeeGraphics Interchange Format.
Global.asa
A file that stores information about an IIS application such as
initialization in structures, and objects that have been given
application scope.
globally unique identifier (GUID)
In COM, a 16-byte code that identifies an interface to an object
across all computers and networks. Such an identifier is unique
because it contains a time stamp and a code based on the network
address hard-wired on the host computer's LAN interface card. These
identifiers are generated by a utility program.
Gopher
An early Internet protocol and software program designed to search
for, retrieve, and display text documents from remote computers or
sites.
graphical user interface (GUI)
A type of environment that represents programs, files, and options
by means of icons, menus, and dialog boxes on the screen. The user
can select and activate these options by pointing and clicking with
a mouse or, often, with a keyboard.
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
A computer graphics file format developed in the mid-1980s by
CompuServe for use in photo-quality graphic image display on
computer screens. Now commonly used on the Internet.
GUI
Seegraphical user interface.
GUID
Seeglobally unique identifier.
Hhash value
A small amount of binary data, typically around 160 bits, derived
from a message by using a hashing algorithm. The hashing procedure
is one-way. There is no feasible way of deriving the original
message, or even any of its properties, from the hash value, even
given the hashing algorithm. The same message will always produce
the same hash value when passed through the same hashing algorithm.
Messages differing by even one character can produce very different
hash values.
hash value comparison
When a client or server receives a hash value as part of an
authentication scheme it will use a commonly known key value, such
as a password, to create a hash value and compare the generated
hash value with the one it received. If they are identical,
authentication is accepted. See also replication.
heap (Windows heap)
An area of working memory provided by Windows that applications can
use to store data.
hit
A successful retrieval of data from a cache rather than from the
slower hard disk or RAM; a successful retrieval of a record
matching a query in a database; or the retrieval of a document,
such as a home page, from a Web site. See also usage
data.
home directory
The root directory for a Web site, where the content files are
stored. Also called a document root or Web root. In Internet
Information Services, the home directory and all its subdirectories
are available to users by default. Also the root directory for an
IIS service. Typically the home directory for a site contains the
home page. See also home page.
home page
The initial page of information for a collection of pages, a Web
site or section of a Web site. See also default
document.
host
The main computer in a system of computers or terminals connected
by communications links.
host name
The name of a specific server on a specific network within the
Internet, leftmost in the complete host specifications. For
example, www.microsoft.com indicates the server called "www" within
the network at the Microsoft Corporation.
HTML
SeeHypertext Markup Language.
HTTP
SeeHypertext Transfer Protocol.
HTTPD
HTTP Daemon; a Web server.
HTTP header
An informational listing at the top of an HTTP request or
response.
hyperlink
A connection between an element in a hyptertext document, such as
a word, phrase, symbol, or image, and a different element in the
document, another hypertext document, a file, or a script. The user
activates the link by clicking on the linked element, which is
usually underlined or in a color different from the rest of the
document. Hyperlinks are indicated in a hypertext document by the
use of tags in markup languages such as SGML and HTML. These tags
are generally not visible to the user. Also called hot links and
hypertext links.
hypertext
Text linked together in a complex, nonsequential web of
associations in which the user can browse through related topics.
The term hypertext was coined in 1965 to describe documents
presented by a computer that express the nonlinear structure of
ideas as opposed to the linear format of books, film, and
speech.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
A simple markup language used to create hypertext documents that
are portable from one platform to another. HTML files are simple
ASCII text files with codes embedded (indicated by markup tags) to
indicate formatting and hypertext links. The formatting language
used for documents on the World Wide Web. See also Dynamic
HTML; eXtensible Markup Language; Standard
Generalized Markup Language.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
The client/server protocol used to access information on the World
Wide Web.
Iidentities, multiple
A term sometimes used for multiple Web sites hosted on one
computer; also called virtual servers.
IETF
SeeInternet Engineering Task Force.
IIS Admin Base Object
A DCOM object that implements the IMSAdminBase interface, using
methods that enable a Web application to manipulate IIS
configuration keys and data in the memory-resident metabase.
IIS Admin Objects
A set of methods provided by IIS that allow applications to access
and modify configuration settings in the metabase.
image map
An image that contains more than one hyperlink on a Web page.
Clicking on different parts of the image links the user to other
resources on another part of the Web page, a different Web page, or
a file. Often an image map, which can be a photograph, drawing, or
a composite of several different drawings or photographs, is used
as a map to the resources found on a particular Web site. Image
maps are created with CGI scripts. Image maps can be server-side or
client-side. Server-side image maps map each URL on the server.
Client-side image maps, on the other hand, do not require mediating
server-side scripts because the URL mapping is contained in an HTML
file. See also Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script;
hyperlink.
index file
Seedefault document.
inheritance
Generally, the ability of a newly-created object to automatically
have, or inherit, properties of an existing object. For example, a
newly created child directory can inherit the access-control
settings of the parent directory.
in-process component
A component that runs in a client's process space. This component
is typically a dynamic-link library (DLL).
instance
An object of a particular component class. Each instance has its
own private data elements or member variables. Component instance
is synonymous with object.
instantiate
To create an instance of an object.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
Combines voice and digital network services in a single medium,
making it possible to offer telephone customers digital data
service and voice connection through a single "wire." A dial-up
ISDN line can offer speeds of up to 128,000 bps. A type of phone
line used to enhance wide area network (WAN) speeds, an ISDN line
can transmit at speeds of 64 kilobits or 128 kilobits per second.
An ISDN line must be installed by the phone company at both the
server site and the remote site.
integrated Windows authentication
A method of authentication in which a server verifies user account
information by means of a cryptographic exchange; actual passwords
are never transmitted. Formerly known as NTLM and
Challenge/Response authentication.
interface
A group of logically related operations or methods that provides
access to a component object.
internal Web
An intranet; also sometimes called an internal network, private
network, local area network (LAN), or wide area network (WAN). See
also intranet; local area network; wide area
network.
International Organization for Standardization
(ISO)
A voluntary, nontreaty organization founded in 1946 which is
responsible for creating international standards in many areas,
including computers and communications. Its members are the
national standards organizations of the 89 member countries/regions,
including ANSI for the U.S. See also American National Standards
Institute.
International Organization for Standardization Open Systems Interconnection model (ISO/OSI model) A layered architecture (plan) that standardizes levels of service and types of interaction for computers exchanging information through a communications network. The ISO/OSI model separates computer-to-computer communications into seven layers, or levels, each building upon the standards contained in the levels below it. The lowest of the seven layers deals solely with hardware links; the highest deals with software interactions at the application-program level.
Internet
Abbreviation for internetwork. A set of dissimilar computer
networks joined together by means of gateways that handle data
transfer and the conversion of messages from the sending network to
the protocols used by the receiving networks. These networks and
gateways use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) suite of protocols. Originally part of the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), operated by the U.S.
Department of Defense.
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
An extension to Internet Protocol (IP), ICMP allows for the
generation of error messages, test packets, and informational
messages related to IP. See also Packet INternet Groper
(PING).
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
A protocol engineering and development organization focused on the
Internet. The IETF is a large, open international community of
network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned
with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth
operation of the Internet. It is now under the auspices of the
Internet Society, a non-governmental international organization for
global cooperation and coordination for the Internet and its
internetworking technologies and applications. For more
information, see the Internet
Society Web site.
Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC)
Former coordinator for DNS registration of names in the .com,
.net, .org, .edu, .gov, and .mil top-level domains. InterNIC has
been replaced by Network Solutions. For more information, see the
Network Solutions Web site.
Internet Protocol (IP)
The part of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) that routes messages from one Internet location to
another. IP is responsible for addressing and sending Transmission
Control Protocol (TCP) packets over the network. IP provides a
best-effort, connectionless delivery system that does not guarantee
that packets arrive at their destination or that they are received
in the sequence in which they were sent. See also
packet.
Internet Protocol address (IP address)
A unique address that identifies a host on a network. It
identifies a computer as a 32-bit address that is unique across a
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network.
An IP address is usually represented in dotted-decimal notation,
which depicts each octet (eight bits, or one byte) of an IP address
as its decimal value and separates each octet with a period. For
example: 172.16.255.255.
Internet Server Application Program Interface
(ISAPI)
An application program interface that resides on a server computer
for initiating software services tuned for the Microsoft Windows
operating system. It is an API for developing extensions to IIS and
other HTTP services that support the ISAPI interface. See also
Application Programming Interface; Common Gateway
Interface.
Internet service
Any protocol for transferring information over the Internet,
except HTTP. The protocol is the first part of the full URL for a
resource. Internet service types include Gopher, telnet, WAIS,
NNTP, HTTP, and FTP. See also Hypertext Transfer Protocol;
protocol.
Internet service provider (ISP)
Public provider of remote connections to the Internet. A company
or educational institution that enables remote users to access the
Internet by providing dial-up connections or installing leased
lines.
interoperability
The ability of software and hardware on multiple computers from
multiple vendors to communicate meaningfully.
intranet
A network designed for information processing within a company or
organization. Its uses include such services as document
distribution, software distribution, access to databases, and
training. An intranet is so called because it usually employs
applications associated with the Internet, such as Web pages, Web
browsers, FTP sites, e-mail, newsgroups, and mailing lists, in this
case accessible only to those within the company or
organization.
IP
SeeInternet Protocol.
ISAPI
SeeInternet Server Application Programming Interface
(ISAPI).
ISDN
SeeIntegrated Services Digital Network.
ISO/OSI model
SeeInternational Organization for Standardization Open
Systems Interconnection model.
ISP
SeeInternet service provider.
JJavaBeans
An object model being developed by SunSoft that is targeted to
interoperate with a variety of other object models, including COM
and CORBA. See also Common Object Request Broker
Architecture; Component Object Model.
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC)
Data access interfaces based on ODBC for use with the Java
language.
JavaScript
A scripting language developed by Netscape Communications that is
syntactically similar to Java. JavaScript, however, is not a true
object-oriented language, and it is limited in performance compared
with Java because it is not compiled. A JavaScript-client Web
browser is necessary to run JavaScript code. Now an open standard
known as the ECMA 262 language specification. See also
JScript.
Java virtual machine
Software on a computer that runs Java applets.
JDBC
SeeJava Database Connectivity.
JIT
Seejust-in-time activation.
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
An ISO/ITO standard for storing images in compressed form using a
discrete cosine transform. JPEG trades off compression against
loss; it can achieve a compression ratio of 100:1 with significant
loss and up to 20:1 with little noticeable loss.
JPEG
SeeJoint Photographic Experts Group.
JScript
The Microsoft open implementation of JavaScript. JScript complies
with the ECMA 262 language specification.
just-in-time activation (JIT)
The ability of a COM object to be activated only as needed for
executing requests from its client. Objects can be deactivated even
while clients hold references to them, allowing otherwise idle
server resources to be used more productively.
KKerberos protocol
The basis of Windows security, for both internal and intranet
logon. The Kerberos protocol provides for the secure use of
distributed software components. See also cryptography;
encryption.
key
A node in the Windows registry or IIS metabase. A key can contain
subkeys and value entries. For example: Environment is a key of
HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
key pair
The combination of private and public encryption keys that
provides verification of the source of data sent across a network.
See also certificate, client; digital signature;
session key.
keyword
In search-engine technology, a significant word, which is used for
content indexing; see also noise word. In programming, a
word reserved for a command or other program instruction.
keyword index
A file of significant words appearing in documents; used for
keyword searches.
Llate binding
Seedynamic binding.
LCID
SeeLocale Identifier.
LDAP
SeeLightweight Directory Access Protocol.
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
A network protocol designed to work on Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stacks to extract information
from a hierarchical directory. This gives users a single tool to
search through data to find a particular piece of information, such
as a user name, e-mail address, security certificate, or other
contact information.
link
Seehyperlink.
load balancing
When a server cluster shares the information requests equally over
all of its active nodes. This can be done either statically, by
tying clients directly to different back-end servers, or
dynamically by having each client tied to a different back-end
server controlled by software or a hardware device. The Network
Load Balancing feature of Windows 2000 Advanced Server provides
load balancing for HTTP services.
local area network (LAN)
A group of computers and other devices intended to serve an area
of only a few square kilometers or less and connected by a
communications link that enables any device to interact with any
other on the network. Because the network is known to cover only a
small area, optimizations can be made in the network signal
protocols that permit data rates of up to 100 Mbps. See also
Ethernet; token ring; wide area network.
local group
A group that can be granted permissions and rights only for its
own workstation. However, it can contain user accounts from its own
computer and (if the workstation participates in a domain) user
accounts and global groups both from its own domain and from
trusted domains.
Locale Identifier (LCID)
The locale refers to the formatting style of dates, times,
currencies and other values, which is different for each
geographical location. Each locale is represented by a unique
integer. In IIS, the default LCID is the same as the system locale.
See also LOCALE_SYSTEM_DEFAULT.
LOCALE_SYSTEM_DEFAULT
The default system locale. There is also a default user locale.
SeeLocale Identifier.
localhost
A placeholder for the name of the computer on which a program is
running; localhost uses the reserved loopback IP address
127.0.0.1.
log file
The file in which logging records are stored. This file can be
either a text file or a database file.
logging
Storing information about events that occurred on a firewall or
network.
logical drive
A subpartition of an extended partition on a hard disk. See also
extended partition.
MMail or Messaging Applications Programming Interface
(MAPI)
An open and comprehensive messaging interface used by developers to
create messaging and workgroup applications-such as e-mail,
scheduling, calendaring, and document management. In a distributed
client/server environment, MAPI provides enterprise messaging
services within Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA).
Management Information Base (MIB)
Information about aspects of a network that can be managed by
using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). This
information is formatted in MIB files that are provided for each
service that can be monitored. Most third-party monitors (clients)
use SNMP and MIB files to monitor Web, FTP, and other Windows
services. Using the SNMP protocol, a developer or system
administrator can write their own custom monitoring
applications.
MAPI
SeeMail or Messaging Applications Programming
Interface.
marshaling
The process of packaging and sending interface method parameters
across thread or process boundaries.
master properties
In IIS, properties that are set at the computer level that become
default settings for all Web or FTP sites on that computer. See
also inheritance.
MDAC
SeeMicrosoft Data Access Components.
Message Digest 5 (MD5)
An encryption method used on the Internet.
message passing
A method for processes running in parallel to interact with one
another.
Message Queuing
A server technology that developers can use to build large-scale
distributed systems with reliable communications between
applications that can continue to operate even when networked
systems are unavailable.
meta-authoring environment
A term sometimes used for the process of both authoring Web pages
and setting up a Web site.
metabase
A structure for storing IIS configuration settings; the metabase
performs some of the same functions as the system registry, but
uses less disk space.
metadata
Data used to describe other data. For example, Indexing Service
must maintain data that describes the data in the content
index.
method
A procedure (function) that acts on an object.
MIB
SeeManagement Information Base.
Microsoft Cryptographic API
An application programming interface providing services for
authentication, encoding, and encryption in Win32-based
applications. See also Cryptographic Service Provider,
encryption.
Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC)
Consists of ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), the Remote Data Service
(RDS), Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC, Open Database
Connectivity (ODBC), ODBC drivers for Microsoft SQL Server,
Microsoft Access and other desktop databases, as well as Oracle
databases.
Microsoft Visual Basic (VB)
A high-level, visual-programming version of Basic. Visual Basic
was designed for building Windows-based applications.
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
The development environment and language found in Visual Basic
that can be hosted by applications.
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript)
A subset of the Microsoft Visual Basic language, VBScript is
implemented as a fast, portable, lightweight interpreter for use in
World Wide Web browsers and other applications that use ActiveX
Controls and Java applets.
middle tier
Also known as application server tier. The logical layer between a
user interface or Web client and the database. This is typically
where the Web server resides, and where business objects are
instantiated. See also client tier; data source
tier.
middleware
The network-aware system software, layered between an application,
the operating system, and the network transport layers, whose
purpose is to facilitate some aspect of cooperative processing.
Examples of middleware include directory services, message-passing
mechanisms, distributed transaction processing (TP) monitors,
object request brokers, remote procedure call (RPC) services, and
database gateways.
mirror set
A fully redundant or shadow copy of data. Mirror sets provide an
identical twin for a selected disk; all data written to the primary
disk is also written to the shadow or mirror disk. The user can
then have instant access to another disk with a redundant copy of
the information on the failed disk. Mirror sets provide fault
tolerance. See also fault tolerance.
modem
Modulator/demodulator. A communications device that enables a
computer to transmit information over a standard telephone
line.
MSMQ
SeeMessage Queuing.
multihomed host
A host which has a connection to more than one physical network.
The host may send and receive data over any of the links but will
not route traffic for other nodes. See also host;
router.
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions mapping (MIME
mapping)
A way of configuring browsers to view files that are in multiple
formats. An extension of the Internet mail protocol that enables
sending 8-bit based e-mail messages, which are used to support
extended character sets, voice mail, facsimile images, and so
on.
multithreading
Running several processes in rapid sequence within a single
program, regardless of which logical method of multitasking is
being used by the operating system. Because the user's sense of
time is much slower than the processing speed of a computer,
multitasking appears to be simultaneous, even though only one task
at a time can use a computer processing cycle.
multitier architecture
Also known as three-tier architecture, multitier architecture is a
technique for building applications generally split into user,
business, and data services tiers. These applications are built of
component services that are based on an object model such as COM.
See also three-tier architecture.
Nnatural language query
A query to a database system that is composed in a subset of
natural language, such as English or Japanese. The query must
conform to some restrictive syntax rules in order to be parsed.
Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)
The protocol used to distribute network news messages to NNTP
servers and to NNTP clients (news readers) on the Internet. NNTP
provides for the distribution, inquiry, retrieval, and posting of
news articles by using a reliable stream-based transmission of news
on the Internet. NNTP is designed so that news articles are stored
on a server in a central database, thus users can select specific
items to read. Indexing, cross-referencing, and expiration of aged
messages are also provided. Defined in RFC 977.
network sniffer
A hardware and software diagnostic tool that can also be used to
decipher passwords, which may result in unauthorized access to
network accounts. Clear-text passwords are susceptible to network
sniffers.
NNTP
SeeNetwork News Transfer Protocol.
node
A computer that is attached to a network; also called a host. A
node is also a junction of some kind. On a local area network, a
node is a device that is connected to the network and is capable of
communicating with other network devices.
noise word
An insignificant word, such as the, and, or be which
is ignored during indexing; also called an ignored word.
NTFS
A file system designed for use specifically with the Windows
operating system. It supports long file names, full security access
control, file system recovery, extremely large storage media, and
various features for the Windows POSIX subsystem. It also supports
object-oriented applications by treating all files as objects with
user-defined and system-defined attributes. See also file
allocation table (FAT) file system.
Oobject-cache scavenger
The code that periodically scans the cache for objects to be
discarded. It deletes from the cache files that have not been used
recently and therefore are unlikely to be used again in the near
future.
Object Identifiers
Extensible, unique, identification numbers for attributes and
classes. Performance counter names have their own OIDs, listed in
MIB files, to provide performance monitoring applications with
access to the counters. See also SNMP, MIB.
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
A set of integration standards to transfer and share information
among client applications. A protocol that enables creation of
compound documents with embedded links to applications so that a
user does not have to switch among applications in order to make
revisions. OLE is based on the Component Object Model (COM) and
allows for the development of reusable objects that are
interoperable across multiple applications. The technology has been
broadly used in business, where spreadsheets, word processors,
financial packages, and other applications can share and link
disparate information across client/server architectures.
Object Linking and Embedding Database (OLE DB)
Data-access interfaces providing consistent access to SQL and
non-SQL data sources across the enterprise and the Internet. See
also Structured Query Language.
object orientation
Representing the latest approach to accurately model the real world
in computer applications, object orientation is an umbrella concept
used to describe a suite of technologies that enable software
products that are highly modular and reusable. Applications, data,
networks, and computing systems are treated as objects that can be
mixed and matched flexibly rather than as components of a system
with built-in relationships. As a result, an application need not
be tied to a specific system or data to a specific application. The
four central object-oriented concepts are encapsulation, message
passing, inheritance, and late binding.
Object Management Group (OMG)
A vendor alliance formed to define and promote CORBA object
specifications.
Object Request Broker (ORB)
In client/server applications, an interface to which the client
makes a request for an object. The ORB directs the request to the
server containing the object and then returns the resulting values
to the client.
octet
Eight contiguous bits, or a byte. The term was created because
some computer systems attached to the Internet used a byte with
more than eight bits.
ODBC
SeeOpen Database Connectivity.
OID
SeeObject Identifiers.
OLE
SeeObject Linking and Embedding.
OLE DB
SeeObject Linking and Embedding Database.
OMG
SeeObject Management Group.
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
An application programming interface that enables applications to
access data from a variety of existing data sources. A standard
specification for cross-platform database access.
Open Group, The
The parent company of a number of standards organizations
including The Active Group. The Open Group now manages the core
ActiveX technology, X/Open, and the Open Software Foundation
(OSF).
ORB
SeeObject Request Broker.
out-of-process component
A COM component that runs in a separate process space from its
client.
PPacket INternet Groper (PING)
A command used to verify connections to one or more remote hosts.
The ping utility uses the ICMP echo request and echo reply packets
to determine whether a particular IP system on a network is
functional. The ping utility is useful for diagnosing IP network or
router failures. The term is also used as a verb. See also
Internet Control Message Protocol; router.
page
SeeWeb page.
parameter
A value passed in a function call.
parity
The quality of sameness or equivalence, in the case of computers
usually referring to an error-checking procedure in which the
number of ones must always be the same-either even or odd-for each
group of bits transmitted without error. If parity is checked on a
per-character basis, the method is called vertical redundancy
checking, or VRC; if its checked on a block-by-block basis, the
method is called longitudinal redundancy checking, or LRC. In
typical modem-to-modem communications, parity is one of the
parameters that must be agreed upon by sending and receiving
parties before transmission can take place. See also fault
tolerance; stripe set; stripe sets with
parity.
partition
A portion of a physical disk that functions as though it were a
physically separate unit.
password authentication
Seeauthentication.
path, physical
A universal naming convention (UNC) directory path. See also
path, relative.
path, relative
A UNC directory path with placeholders, or wildcards, at some
levels. The term relative path is also sometimes used to mean the
physical path that corresponds to a URL. See also Uniform
Resource Locator.
path, URL
A term sometimes used for the full URL submitted to the server; a
URL path may or may not include a specific file name. See also
Uniform Resource Locator.
PDH
SeePerformance Data Helper.
Perfmon
SeePerformance Monitor.
Performance Counters
Counters are references that measure the performance of
applications, services, or drivers. Counters can be monitored using
protocol interfaces such as PDH or SNMP, or by using the
Performance Monitor MMC snap-in (Perfmon).
Performance Data Helper
A network monitoring protocol in Windows. Performance monitoring is
the process of capturing and analyzing the performance data that
applications, services, and drivers provide. The data can be used
to determine the cause of system bottlenecks and to fine-tune
system and application performance. PDH is an interface for
accessing this data. The Windows Performance Monitor (Perfmon) uses
PDH. See also Simple Network Management Protocol.
Performance Monitor
An MMC snap-in that shows real-time data and logs from Performance
Counters. The data can be used to determine the cause of system
bottlenecks and to fine-tune system and application performance.
Counters can be added and removed from the display, or configured
to log in a certain way. See also Performance Counters,
Performance Data Helper.
Perl
Practical Extraction and Report Language. An interpreted language,
based on C and several UNIX utilities. Perl has powerful
string-handling features for extracting information from text
files. Perl can assemble a string and send it to the shell as a
command; hence, it is often used for system administration tasks. A
program in Perl is known as a script. Perl was devised by Larry
Wall at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. See also
script.
PGP
SeePretty Good Privacy.
physical transaction
The actual updating of the data resources that are used to record a
logical transaction.
PING
SeePacket INternet Groper.
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
A set of industry-standard framing and authentication protocols
included with Windows Remote Access Service (RAS) to ensure
interoperability with third-party remote access software. PPP
negotiates configuration parameters for multiple layers of the OSI
(Open Systems Interconnection) model. The Internet standard for
serial communications, PPP defines how data packets are exchanged
with other Internet-based systems using a modem connection.
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
A specification for virtual private networks in which some nodes
of a local area network are connected through the Internet. PPTP is
an open industry standard that supports the most prevalent
networking protocols-IP, IPX, and Microsoft Networking (NetBEUI).
Companies can use PPTP to outsource their remote dial-up needs to
an Internet service provider or other carrier to reduce cost and
complexity.
policies
Conditions set by the system administrator such as how quickly
account passwords expire and how many unsuccessful logon attempts
are allowed before a user is locked out. These policies manage
accounts to prevent exhaustive or random password attacks.
port number
A number identifying a certain Internet application. For example,
the default port number for the WWW service is 80.
PPP
SeePoint-to-Point Protocol.
PPTP
SeePoint-to-Point Tunneling Protocol.
Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
A security application that uses public-key encryption. See also
public-key encryption.
process
In Windows, an object consisting of an executable program, a set
of virtual memory addresses, and a thread; in UNIX, a synonym for
thread. See also thread.
process accounting
A feature of IIS that allows administrators to monitor and log
resource consumption of CGI scripts and out-of-process
applications.
process isolation
Running an application or component out-of-process. See also
out-of-process component.
program file
A file that starts an application or program. A program file has
an .exe, .pif, .com, .cmd, or .bat file name extension.
programmatic security
Procedural logic provided by a component to determine if a client
is authorized to perform the requested operation.
properties, document
Information about a document and its physical location on a hard
disk.
properties, link
Information about an HTML document and the full URL associated
with it.
protocol
The method by which computers communicate on the Internet. The
most common protocol for the World Wide Web is HTTP. Other Internet
protocols include FTP, Gopher, and telnet. The protocol is part of
the full URL for a resource.
proxy
A software program that connects a user to a remote destination
through an intermediary gateway.
proxy server
A firewall component that manages Internet traffic to and from a
local area network and can provide other features, such as document
caching and access control. A proxy server can improve performance
by caching and directly supplying frequently requested data, such
as a popular Web page, and can filter and discard requests that the
owner does not consider appropriate, such as requests for
unauthorized access to proprietary files. See also
firewall.
public-key encryption
An asymmetric scheme that uses a pair of keys for encryption: The
public key encrypts data, and a corresponding secret key decrypts
it. For digital signatures, the process is reversed: The sender
uses the secret key to create a unique electronic number that can
be read by anyone possessing the corresponding public key, which
verifies that the message is truly from the sender. See also
RSA; session key.
Qquery restriction
What to look for in a search; a query restriction narrows the
focus of a search. Also called a search expression or search
string.
RRAM
Seerandom access memory.
random access memory (RAM)
Semiconductor-based memory that can be read and written by the
central processing unit (CPU) or other hardware devices. The
storage locations can be accessed in any order. Note that various
types of ROM memory are capable of random access but cannot be
written to. The term RAM is generally understood to refer to
volatile memory that can be written to as well as read. Information
stored in RAM is lost when the user turns off the computer.
RARP
SeeReverse Address Resolution Protocol.
RAS
SeeRemote Access Service.
realm
A term sometimes used for domain, in this case to refer to user
domains established for security reasons, not Internet domains. For
password-protected files, the name of the protected resource or
area on the server. If the user tries to access the protected
resource while browsing, the name of the realm usually appears in
the dialog box that asks for a user name and password.
redirection
The process of writing to or reading from a file or device
different from the one that would normally be the target or the
source. Can be used to automatically send a user from an outdated
URL to a new one.
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)
A data storage method in which data, along with information used
for error correction, such as parity bits, is distributed among two
or more hard disk drives in order to improve performance and
reliability. The hard disk array is governed by array management
software and a disk controller, which handles the error correction.
RAID is generally used on network servers. Several defined levels
of RAID offer differing trade-offs among access speed, reliability,
and cost. Windows includes three of the RAID levels: Level 0, Level
1, and Level 5.
registry
A central hierarchical database in Windows used to store
information necessary to configure the system for one or more
users, applications, and hardware devices. The registry contains
information that is constantly referenced during operation, such as
profiles for each user, the applications installed on the computer;
and the types of documents each can create, property sheet settings
for folders and application icons, what hardware exists on the
system; and which ports are being used.
Remote Access Service (RAS)
A service that allows remote clients running Microsoft Windows to
dial-in to a network. See also dial-up.
Remote Data Services
A Web-based technology that brings database connectivity and
corporate data publishing capabilities to Internet and intranet
applications.
remote procedure call (RPC)
In programming, a call by one program to a second program on a
remote system. The second program usually performs a task and
returns the results of that task to the first program.
replication
Copying from one server node to another of either content or the
configuration metabase, or both. This copying can either be done
manually or automatically by using replication software.
Replication is a necessary function of clustering to ensure fault
tolerance. See also fault tolerance; clustering.
Request for Comments (RFC)
The document series, begun in 1969, which describes the Internet
suite of protocols and related experiments. Not all (in fact very
few) RFCs describe Internet standards, but all Internet standards
are written up as RFCs. The RFC series of documents is unusual in
that the proposed protocols are forwarded by the Internet research
and development community, acting on their own behalf, as opposed
to the formally reviewed and standardized protocols that are
promoted by organizations such as ANSI. See also American
National Standards Institute.
resource dispenser
A service that provides the synchronization and management of
nondurable resources within a process, providing for simple and
efficient sharing by COM objects. For example, the ODBC resource
dispenser manages pools of database connections. See also Open
Database Connectivity.
resource manager
A system service that manages durable data. Server applications
use resource managers to maintain the durable state of the
application, such as the record of inventory on hand, pending
orders, and accounts receivable. The resource managers work in
cooperation with the transaction manager to provide the application
with a guarantee of atomicity and isolation (using the two-phase
commit protocol). Microsoft SQL Server is an example of a resource
manager.
Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)
A TCP/IP protocol for determining the IP address (or logical
address) of a node on a local area network connected to the
Internet, when only the hardware address (or physical address) is
known. Although the acronym RARP refers only to finding the IP
address, and Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) technically refers
to the opposite procedure, the acronym ARP is commonly used to
describe both procedures.
RFC
SeeRequest For Comments.
robot
An automated program such as a search engine, indexing program, or
cataloging software, that requests Web pages much faster than human
beings can. Other commonly used terms for robot include crawler and
spider.
router
An intermediary device on a communications network that expedites
message delivery. On a single network linking many computers
through a mesh of possible connections, a router receives
transmitted messages and forwards them to their correct
destinations over the most efficient available route. On an
interconnected set of local area networks (LANs) using the same
communications protocols, a router serves the somewhat different
function of acting as a link between LANs, enabling messages to be
sent from one to another.
RPC
Seeremote procedure call.
RSA
A public-key encryption standard for Internet security. This
acronym derives from the last names of the inventors of the
technology: Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman.
run time
The time during which a program actually runs. See also design
time.
Sscope
In programming, the extent to which an identifier, such as a
constant, data type, variable, or routine, can be referenced within
a program. Scope can be global or local. Scope can also be affected
by redefining identifiers, such as by giving the same name to both
a global variable and a local variable.
script
A kind of program that consists of a set of instructions for an
application or utility program. A script can be embedded in a Web
page. See also ActiveX; Common Gateway Interface.
scripting engine
A program that interprets and executes a script. See also
script.
search expression
Seequery restriction.
search interface
Seequery form.
search string
Seequery restriction.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
A protocol that supplies secure data communication through data
encryption and decryption. SSL uses RSA public-key encryption for
specific TCP/IP ports. It is intended for handling commerce
payments. An alternative method is Secure-HTTP (S-HTTP), which is
used to encrypt specific Web documents rather than the entire
session. SSL is a general-purpose encryption standard. SSL can also
be used for Web applications requiring a secure link, such as
e-commerce applications, or for controlling access to Web-based
subscription services.
security log
A log, generated by a firewall or other security device, that lists
events that could affect security, such as access attempts or
commands, and the information about the users involved.
Selectable Cryptographic Service Provider
SeeCryptographic Service Provider.
semaphore
A locking mechanism used inside resource managers or resource
dispensers. Semaphores have no symbolic names-only shared and
exclusive mode access-no deadlock detection, and no automatic
release or commit.
server
A term used for any of the following: a computer on a network that
sends files to, or runs applications for, other computers on the
network; the software that runs on the server computer and performs
the work of serving files or running applications; or, in
object-oriented programming, a piece of code that exchanges
information with another piece of code upon request.
server certificate
A unique digital identification that forms the basis of a Web
server's SSL security features. Server certificates are obtained
from a mutually trusted, third-party organization, and provide a
way for users to authenticate the identity of a Web site.
server cluster
A group of server computers that are networked together both
physically and with software, in order to provide cluster features
such as fault tolerance or load balancing. See also fault
tolerance; load balancing.
server node
An individual computer in a server cluster.
server process
A process that hosts COM components. A COM component can be loaded
into a surrogate server process, either on the client computer
(local) or on another computer (remote). It can also be loaded into
a client application process (in-process).
server scriptlet
A COM object that is created with Microsoft Server Scriptlet
technology.
server-side include
A mechanism for including dynamic text in World Wide Web
documents. Server-side includes are special command codes that are
recognized and interpreted by the server; their output is placed in
the document body before the document is sent to the browser.
Server-side includes can be used, for example, to include the
date/time stamp in the text of the file.
session key
A digital key that is created by the client, encrypted, and sent
to the server. This key is used to encrypt data sent by the client.
See also certificate, client; digital
signature; key pair.
SGML
SeeStandard Generalized Markup Language.
shared property
In Component Services, a variable that is available to all objects
in the same server process through the Shared Property Manager. The
value of the property can be any type that can be represented by a
variant.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
A TCP/IP protocol for sending messages from one computer to
another on a network. This protocol is used on the Internet to
route e-mail.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
The network management protocol of TCP/IP. In SNMP, agents or
clients monitor the activity of various devices on the network and
report to the network console workstation. The agents or clients
can be hardware as well as software. Control information about each
device/service is maintained in a structure known as a management
information block. One way to access this information is with
Performance Counters. See also Management Information
Base.
single-threaded control
A model in which all objects are executed on a single thread.
sitename
Seehost name.
slow link
A modem connection, usually from 14,400 bps to 56,000 bps.
SMTP
SeeSimple Mail Transfer Protocol.
SNA
SeeSystems Network Architecture.
snap-in
Snap-ins are programs hosted within Microsoft Management Console
(MMC) that administrators use to manage network services. The MMC
provides the environment in which management tools (snap-ins) are
hosted; snap-ins provide the actual management behavior necessary
to administer network services such as IIS.
sniffer
Seenetwork sniffer.
SNMP
SeeSimple Network Management Protocol.
socket
An identifier for a particular service on a particular node on a
network. The socket consists of a node address and a port number,
which identifies the service. For example, port 80 on an Internet
node indicates a Web server.
spider
A fast, automated program-such as a search engine, indexing
program, or cataloging software-that requests Web pages much faster
than human beings can. Other commonly used terms for spider are
crawler and robot.
spoofing
Impersonating another person or computer, usually by providing a
false e-mail name, URL, or IP address.
SQL
SeeStructured Query Language
SQL Access Group (SAG)
A consortium of vendors established in November 1989 to accelerate
the Remote Data Access standard and to deliver protocols for
interconnectivity among multiple SQL-based software products.
SSL
SeeSecure Sockets Layer.
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML)
An ISO standard (ISO 8879:1986) which supplies a formal notation
for the definition of generalized markup languages. It is an
international standard for the definition of device-independent,
system-independent methods of representing texts in an electronic
form. SGML is a metalanguage-that is, a means of formally
describing a language, in this case, a markup language. See also
Hypertext Markup Language; International Organization for
Standardization; eXtensible Markup Language.
stateful object
An object that holds private state accumulated from the execution
of one or more client calls.
stateless object
An object that does not hold private state accumulated from the
execution of one or more client calls.
static binding
Binding (converting symbolic addresses in the program to
storage-related addresses) that occurs during program compilation
or linkage.
static page
HTML pages prepared in advance of the request and sent to the
client upon request. This page takes no special action when
requested. See also dynamic page.
stripe set
Refers to the saving of data across identical partitions on
different drives. A stripe set does not provide fault tolerance;
however, stripe sets with parity do provide fault tolerance. See
also fault tolerance; partition; stripe sets with
parity.
stripe sets with parity
A method of data protection in which data is striped in large
blocks across all the disks in an array. Data redundancy is
provided by the parity information. This method provides fault
tolerance. See also fault tolerance; stripe set.
Structured Query Language (SQL)
The international standard language for defining and accessing
relational databases.
stub
A routine that contains no executable code and that generally
consists of comments describing what will eventually be there; it
is used as a placeholder for a routine to be written later.
subnet mask
A TCP/IP configuration parameter that extracts network and host
configuration from an IP address.
System Data Source Name (DSN)
A name that can be used by any process on the computer. IIS uses
system DSNs to access ODBC data sources.
System Monitor
SeePerformance Monitor.
Systems Network Architecture (SNA)
A widely used communications framework developed by IBM to define
network functions and to establish standards for enabling its
different models of computers to exchange and process data. SNA
contains separate layers. As changes occur in one layer, no other
layer need be changed.
TT3
A U.S. telephone standard for a transmission facility at digital
signal level 3 (DS3). Equivalent in bandwidth to 28 T1s. The bit
rate is 44.736 Mbps. T3 is sometimes called a 45-meg circuit.
TCP/IP
SeeTransmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol.
telnet
A protocol that enables an Internet user to log onto and enter
commands on a remote computer linked to the Internet, as if the
user were using a text-based terminal directly attached to that
computer. Telnet is part of the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
10BaseT
A variant of Ethernet which allows stations to be attached by a
twisted-pair cable.
thin server
A client/server architecture in which most of an application is run
on the client computer, which is called a fat client, with
occasional data operations on a remote server. Such a configuration
yields good client performance but complicates administrative tasks
such as software upgrades. See also fat server.
thread
The basic entity to which the operating system allocates CPU time.
A thread can execute any part of the application's code, including
a part currently being executed by another thread. All threads of a
process share the virtual address space, global variables, and
operating-system resources of the process.
three-tier architecture
Divides a networked application into three logical areas: the user
interface layer, the business logic layer, and the database layer.
Layers may have one or more components. For example, there can be
one or more user interfaces in the top tier, each user interface
may communicate with more than one application in the middle tier
at the same time, and the applications in the middle tier may use
more than one database at a time. Components in a tier may run on a
computer that is separate from the other tiers, communicating with
the other components over a network.
throttling
Controlling the maximum amount of bandwidth dedicated to Internet
traffic on a server. This feature is useful if there are other
services (such as e-mail) sharing the server over a busy link.
thumbnail
A small version of a graphic with a hyperlink to a larger version
of the same graphic.
time-out
A setting that automatically cancels an unanswered client request
after a certain period of time.
token ring
A type of network with nodes wired into a ring. Each node
constantly passes a control message (token) on to the next;
whichever node has the token can send a message. Often, "token
ring" is used to refer to the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.5 token ring standard, which is
the most common type of token ring. See also local area
network.
TP
Seetransaction processing.
transaction context object
An object used to allow a client to dynamically include one or more
objects in one transaction.
transaction manager
A system service responsible for coordinating the outcome of
transactions in order to achieve atomicity. The transaction manager
ensures that the resource managers reach a consistent decision on
whether the transaction should commit or fail.
transaction processing (TP)
The real-time handling of computerized business transactions as
they are received by the system. Also called online transaction
processing (OLTP).
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP)
A communications standard for all computers on the Internet. On
the sending end, TCP breaks the data to be sent into data segments.
IP assembles segments into packets that contain data segments, as
well as sender and destination addresses. IP then sends packets to
the router for delivery. On the receiving end, IP receives the
packets and breaks them down into data segments. TCP assembles the
data segments into the original data set. See also
packet.
tree, directory
A conceptual model used to describe the directory structure of a
file directory or a Web site.
two-phase commit
A protocol that ensures that transactions that apply to more than
one server are completed on all servers or none at all. Two-phase
commit is coordinated by the transaction manager and supported by
resource managers.
two-tier architecture
Seeclient/server architecture.
type library
A binary file that describes a component's methods, properties, and
data structure.
UUniform Resource Locator (URL)
A naming convention that uniquely identifies the location of a
computer, directory, or file on the Internet. The URL also
specifies the appropriate Internet protocol, such as HTTP or FTP.
For example: http://www.microsoft.com.
universal naming convention (UNC)
The naming convention used for physical directories.
upload
In communications, the process of transferring a copy of a file
from a local computer to a remote computer by means of a modem or
network. With a modem-based communications link, the process
generally involves instructing the remote computer to prepare to
receive the file on its disk and then wait for the transmission to
begin.
URL
SeeUniform Resource Locator.
URL directory
Seevirtual directory.
URL mapping
A term sometimes used for the process of associating a URL with a
physical directory. Seevirtual directory.
usage data
Information the administrator can use to learn how other people
are accessing and using a site. Analyzing this data helps an
administrator identify a site's most popular (or unpopular) areas
and clarifies the most common navigational paths through the
site.
Usenet
The most popular news group hierarchy on the Internet.
user type
Assigned to an identifier in the metabase, a DWORD that specifies
how data is used.
UTF-8
UTF-8 is a method of character encoding that allows for both single
and multi-byte characters in one string, but UTF-8 files take up
more space than files stored in an ANSI format. IIS supports Web
files saved in UTF-8 format or ANSI format. See also
codepage.
VVBA
SeeMicrosoft Visual Basic for Applications.
VBScript
SeeMicrosoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition.
virtual directory
A directory name, used in an address, which corresponds to a
physical directory on the server; sometimes called URL mapping.
virtual document
A term sometimes used for a document created automatically in
response to information provided by the user; also called a dynamic
document. A virtual document is created only in answer to a browser
request, and is not permanently stored in a physical directory. An
ASP page is an example of a virtual document.
virtual machine
Software that mimics the performance of a hardware device, such as
a program that allows applications written for an Intel processor
to be run on a Motorola processor.
Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)
A language for coding three-dimensional HTML applications.
virtual server
Also called a Web site. A virtual computer that resides on an HTTP
server but appears to the user as a separate HTTP server. Several
virtual servers can reside on one computer, each capable of running
its own programs and each with individualized access to input and
peripheral devices. Each virtual server has its own domain name and
IP address and appears to the user as an individual Web site or FTP
site. Some Internet service providers use virtual servers for those
clients who want to use their own domain names.
volatile objects
Typically, files that the Web site administrator updates
frequently.
volume set
A combination of partitions on a physical disk that appear as one
logical drive. See also logical drive.
VRML
SeeVirtual Reality Modeling Language.
WW3C
SeeWorld Wide Web Consortium.
WAN
Seewide area network.
Web application
A software program that uses HTTP for its core communication
protocol and delivers Web-based information to the user in the HTML
language. Also called a Web-based application.
WebDAV
SeeDistributed Authoring and Versioning.
Web page
A World Wide Web document. A Web page typically consists of an
HTML file, with associated files for graphics and scripts, in a
particular directory on a particular computer (and thus
identifiable by a URL).
Web server
In general terms, a computer equipped with the server software
that uses Internet protocols such as HTTP and FTP to respond to Web
client requests on a TCP/IP network.
wide area network (WAN)
A communications network that connects geographically separated
areas.
Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) server
A server that uses the WINS protocol to map Internet Protocol (IP)
addresses to user-friendly names. See also Domain Name
System.
Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA)
Standards for creating cross-platform applications that utilize
Windows services.
Windows Script Host (WSH)
A language-independent scripting host for ActiveX scripting engines
on 32-bit Windows platforms.
worker thread
A thread that is created by a component or ISAPI extension or
filter to perform asynchronous processing. Using worker threads
frees up IIS I/O threads to process additional requests.
working directory
A term sometimes used to describe the directory in which the Web
server software is installed.
working set
The RAM allocated to a process in the Windows operating
system.
World Wide Web (WWW)
The most graphical service on the Internet, the Web also has the
most sophisticated linking abilities. It is a set of services that
run on top of the Internet providing a cost-effective way of
publishing information, supporting collaboration and workflow, and
delivering business applications to connected users all over the
world. The Web is a collection of Internet host systems that make
these services available on the Internet using the HTTP protocol.
Web-based information is usually delivered in the form of hypertext
and hypermedia using HTML.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Founded in 1994 to develop common standards for the World Wide
Web, the W3C is an international industry consortium jointly hosted
by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory for
Computer Science (MIT/LCS) in North America, by the Institut
National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA) in
Europe, and by the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus in Asia.
Initially, the W3C was established in collaboration with CERN,
where the Web originated, with support from DARPA and the European
Commission. For more information, see World Wide Web
Consortium
WOSA
SeeWindows Open Services Architecture.
WSH
SeeWindows Script Host.
WWW
SeeWorld Wide Web.
XXSL
SeeeXtensible Stylesheet Language.