P

packet switching

A technology whereby each packet of a data communication can take a separate route to its destination.

packets

Communication that is delivered and guaranteed using acknowledgments at the Transport layer of the TCP/IP protocol.

page file

The area of a hard disk that is set aside for virtual memory.

paging

The process of moving memory from a hard disk into RAM to be used by an application. Memory on the hard disk is referred to as virtual memory.

parallel communication

The exchange of information between computers and peripherals using multiple data bits and control bits simultaneously over parallel wires.

parent folder

The folder above another folder in a folder hierarchy. The parent folder is said to "contain" the child folder.

parity data

Fault-tolerant records that are spread across all of the disks in a RAID configuration.

partition

A specific portion of a disk that is set aside from the rest of the disk and can then be formatted with a file system. You can also treat an entire disk as one partition.

Password Authentication Protocol (PAP)

A remote access authentication protocol that uses a two-way handshake and is therefore not considered secure by today's standards.

permissions

Rules and settings that define a user's access to files, folders, printers, computers, and other components in a network. The two most common permissions in Windows-based networks are share permissions and NTFS file and folder permissions.

ping

A tool used by network administrators and designers to establish connectivity between two computers. The ping tool uses ICMP echo request and echo reply packets.

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)

The term coined by employees of the telephone companies that is used to refer to the normal telephone lines that provide voice communications to millions of people all over the world.

Plug and Play

The capability of the Windows operating system to recognize a new device and automatically assign it the resources that it needs to operate within the computer.

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)

The standard remote access protocol used today to enable computers to communicate over regular telephone lines.

Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE)

A protocol that allows people using cable modems and DSL to connect multiple users to the Internet through a single common broadband medium. Ethernet and PPP standards both apply to the connection.

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)

A protocol that is used to create a secure tunnel between two points on a network (such as the Internet) over which other protocols such as PPP can be used.

Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3)

A protocol used to store messages in a user's mailbox and to assist the user in retrieving the messages when the user is logged on.

power scheme

A collection of settings that can be configured in the Power Options properties of Control Panel. These include the ability to turn off the monitor, hard drives, and other components after a set period of time. Power schemes are part of the Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI).

Primary Rate Interface (PRI)

An ISDN standard that offers 23 separate 64Kbps B (bearer) channels and one 64Kbps D (delta) channel.

print device

A hardware peripheral device that attaches to a computer or a network cable for the purpose of creating a hard copy of documents and graphics, generally on paper.

print job

The data that is transferred to the print spool that will be used to create the hard copy of a document, picture, and so on.

printer driver

Software that is specifically designed to allow a printer to communicate with the operating system.

printer permissions

Rules and settings that control a user's ability to use and manage a printer and the print device(s) to which it is attached. These include print, manage documents, and manage printers.

printer priorities

The approach of using multiple printers assigned to the same print device so that a group of users can jump over all of the documents in the queue except for the one that is currently printing. This is useful when a print device is shared between multiple users and multiple user groups in an organization.

printers

Software that is used to control a print device.

private key

Half of the public-private key pair issued with most certificates. The private key is held and protected by the user of the key. It is not published or made available to others.

private IP address ranges

IP address ranges defined by RFC 1918 that are filtered on the backbone routers to the Internet. These ranges of addresses can be used by multiple private entities without fear that addresses will be duplicated on the Internet.

profile

A storage location for many configuration settings for a user account. It contains many folders and files specifying how the computer desktop should be configured on a client computer.

Protected EAP

A protocol that uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) to enhance security of other authentication methods such as CHAP. It can be used without certificates unless it is being used in conjunction with MS-CHAPv2 to provide mutual authentication.

protocols

Rules of expected behavior in communication between computers. Computers must share a protocol in order to communicate with each other.

proxy service

A service that makes a connection to the Internet on behalf of a user. The proxy service provides such benefits as increased performance and control and a cache that can be used for auditing purposes.

public addresses

IP addresses that are registered and assured to be unique addresses when used on the Internet.

public key

Half of the public-private key pair issued with most certificates. The public key is made available to everyone to verify the user or computer.

public key cryptography

The use of private-public key pairs to provide encryption and decryption as well as authentication by breaking the key into two pieces that work together. The public key is published and made available to everyone while the private key is held and kept secret. Actions taken with the public key require other actions to be taken with the private key.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

A security configuration that consists of protocols, services, and standards that support public key cryptography. A PKI consists of applications and services that use public-private key pairs provided by certificates issued by either public or private certificate authorities.

Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

The technical term used by the telephone companies to refer to the normal telephone lines that are used to provide voice telephone service to millions of people all over the world.

punch-down tool

A special tool that is used to secure wires to a patch panel as part of a network design.