|
A |
|
| ADSL |
(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber
Line) A technology that provides high transmission
speeds for data over ordinary copper telephone wire. |
| APACS |
The UK payments association
for institutions delivering payments services to
end customers. It provides the forum to address
co-operative aspects of payments and their development.
It is also the main industry voice on issues such
as plastic cards, card fraud, cheque's, electronic
payments and cash. |
| ASYNC |
Refers to events that are
not synchronized, or coordinated, in time. The following
are considered asynchronous operations. The interval
between transmitting A and B is not the same as
between B and C. The ability to initiate a transmission
at either end. The ability to store and forward
messages. Starting the next operation before the
current one is completed. |
| B |
|
B-Channel |
B channel (bearer) is a
telecommunications term which refers to the ISDN
channel in which the primary data or voice communication
is carried. It has a bit rate of 64 kbit/s. |
BT
Totalcare |
BT 24hr cover option offering
4 hour response time 24/7 with a fault resolution
time of 20 hours. |
| C |
|
CCA |
Credit Card Authorisation. |
CCTV |
Closed Circuit Television.
(e.g.. Security Cameras) |
Cease
& Re-provide
|
BT charges associated with
the changeover from one technology to another (i.e.
ISDN to ADSL). This is overcome by the 1st Network
upgrade plan that avoids these charges. |
| Central Pipe |
Backbone Connection at 1st
Network Centre. |
CPE |
Customer Premises Equipment. |
| D |
|
D-Channel |
D channel (delta) is a telecommunications
term which refers to the ISDN channel in which the
control and signaling information is carried. |
| E |
|
Eco
System |
BT’s secure database
for reporting faults, arranging installations etc. |
EPOS |
Electronic Point of Sale.(Tills) |
| F |
|
Fail
Over |
The ability to automatically
recognise a fault on a used connection path and
to switch to an alternative connection, avoiding
downtime. |
File
Transfer |
To send data over a computer
channel or bus. "Transfer" generally applies
to transmission within the computer system, and
"transmit" refers to transmission outside
the computer over a line or network. Transfers are
actually copies, since the data are in both locations
at the end of the transfer. Input, output and move
instructions activate data transfers in the computer. |
| H |
|
HQ |
Headquarters – Generally
the customers Head Office. |
| I |
|
Intranet |
A privately maintained computer
network that can be accessed only by authorised
persons, especially members or employees of the
organization that owns it. |
IP |
(Internet Protocol) The
network layer protocol in the TCP/IP communications
protocol suite (the "IP" in TCP/IP). The
terms "IP network" and "TCP/IP network"
are synonymous. "IP" is generally heard
more frequently than "TCP," primarily
because it is faster to say IP and also because
some data are sent over the unreliable UDP/IP, rather
than the reliable TCP/IP. Streaming media, VOIP
and videoconferencing use UDP/IP because there is
no time or need to check for dropped packets and
retransmit them. |
ISDN |
(Integrated Services Digital
Network) An international standard for switched,
digital dial-up telephone service for voice and
data. Analogue telephones and fax machines are used
over ISDN lines, but their signals are converted
into digital by the ISDN terminal adapter. |
ISP |
Internet Service Provider. |
| L |
|
LAN |
(Local Area Network) A system
that links together electronic office equipment,
such as computers and word processors, and forms
a network within an office or building. |
Latency |
The time between initiating
a request for data and the beginning of the actual
data transfer. Network latency is the delay introduced
when a packet is momentarily stored, analysed and
then forwarded. |
| M |
|
Merchant
Acquirer |
The bank with which the
customer contracts to handle its credit card activity/monies. |
Multi
Threading |
Multi Threading allows multiple
streams of execution to take place concurrently
within the same program, each stream processing
a different transaction or message. |
| P |
|
PABX |
A private automatic branch
exchange (PABX) is an automatic telephone switching
system within a private enterprise. Originally,
such systems - called private branch exchanges (PBX)
- required the use of a live operator. Since almost
all private branch exchanges today are automatic,
the abbreviation "PBX" usually implies
a "PABX." |
Polling |
A communications technique
that determines when a terminal is ready to send
data. The computer continually interrogates its
connected terminals in a round robin sequence. If
a terminal has data to send, it sends back an acknowledgment
and the transmission begins. |
Portal
Page |
A web site that provides
a starting point, a gateway, or portal, to other
resources on the Internet or an intranet. Portals
typically provide personalised capabilities to their
users. |
PSTN |
(Public Switched Telephone
Network) The worldwide voice telephone network.
Once only an analogue system, the heart of most
telephone networks today is all digital. |
| Q |
|
QoS |
(Quality Of Service) A defined
level of performance in a data communications system.
For example, to ensure that real-time voice and
video are delivered without annoying blips, a guarantee
of bandwidth is required. |
| R |
|
Radius
Server |
(Remote Authentication Dial-In
User Service) The de facto standard protocol for
authentication servers (AAA servers). Developed
by Livingston Enterprises (later acquired by Lucent),
RADIUS uses a challenge/response method for authentication. |
REN |
A ringer equivalency number
(REN) is the number which denotes the loading a
telephone ringer has on the line. A ringer equivalency
number of 1 represents the loading effect of a single
"traditional" telephone ringing circuit.
The total REN for a subscriber's line is simply
the sum of the RENs of all devices connected to
the line; this number expresses the overall loading
effect of the subscriber's equipment. The local
telephone company usually sets a limit on the total
REN, typically 5 or less.
|
| S |
|
SDSL |
Symmetric digital subscriber
line (SDSL) is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) variant
with E1-like data rates (72 to 2320 kbit/s). It
runs over one pair of copper wires, with a maximum
range of about 3 kilometres. |
Single
point of failure |
Using one device or communications
line to perform a function. In order to ensure continuous
operation, two or more devices or lines are used.
Any computer or communications system that contains
only one component to do a job creates a single
point of failure. If that single component fails,
there is no alternate one to take its place. |
SymRelay |
Router with credit card
authorisation facilities and automatic fail over. |
SymTran |
Integral hub used for large
estates to connect multiple stores. |
| T |
|
Telemetry |
The science and technology
of automatic measurement and transmission of data
by wire, radio, or other means from remote sources. |
| V |
|
VASS |
Value Added Service Supplier. |
VOIP |
(Voice Over IP) A telephone
service that uses the Internet as a global telephone
network. |
