Glossary

A

access link

A port on a switch that is used to link to an individual device. Most ports on switches are access links.

ad hoc wireless network

Offers equal sharing between devices without the use of a wireless access point (WAP).

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

Resolves IP addresses to Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. MAC addressees are also known as physical addresses. The arp -a command (issued at the command prompt) can retrieve the contents of the ARP cache.

Application layer

Layer 7 of the OSI Model and the top layer of the TCP/IP Model. Protocols such as DNS, DHCP, and SMTP operate on the Application layer. Proxy servers and advanced firewalls operate on the Application layer.

Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing (APIPA)