Table Of Contents

Glossary

This glossary contains Cisco Prime Performance Manager specific terms. For an online listing of other internetworking terms and acronyms, see this URL:

http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Category:Internetworking_Terms_and_Acronyms_(ITA)

A
access list	A list kept by routers to control access to or from the router for a number of services (for example, to prevent packets with a certain IP address from leaving a particular interface on the router).
alarm	An alarm is a sequence of events, each representing a specific occurrence in the alarm lifecycle. The lifecycle of an alarm can include any number of related events that are triggered by changes in severity, updates to services, and so on. See event.
ANSI	American National Standards Institute.
API	Application Programming Interface. A source code interface that a computer system or program library provides to support requests for services by a computer program.
auto start	Setting that enables Prime Performance Manager to start a process automatically when the Process Manager is started. See Message Log Server, Process Manager.

B
browser	GUI-based hypertext client application, such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla, used to access hypertext documents and other services located on innumerable remote servers throughout the World Wide Web (WWW) and Internet.

C
Cisco IOS software	Cisco Internetwork Operating System software. Cisco system software that provides common functionality, scalability, and security for many Cisco products. The Cisco IOS software allows centralized, integrated, and automated installation and management of internetworks, while ensuring support for a wide variety of protocols, media, services, and platforms.
CLI	Command line interface. An interface that allows the user to interact with the Cisco IOS software operating system by entering commands and optional arguments.
client	Node or software program that requests services from a server. Prime Performance Manager user interface is an example of a client. See also server.
command line interface	See CLI.
community name	See community string.
community string	Text string that acts as a password and is used to authenticate messages sent between a management station and a node containing an SNMP agent. The community string is sent in every packet between the manager and the agent. Also called community name, read community.
console log	Log containing unexpected error and warning messages from Prime Performance Manager server, such as those that might occur if Prime Performance Manager server cannot start.
CSV	Comma-separated values. A widely-used file format for storing tabular data.

D
demand polling	User-initiated poll of selected nodes. Contrast with status polling.
device	See node.
device type	In Prime Performance Manager, the type of a discovered device. Also called system object ID.
discovered	Object that has been discovered by Prime Performance Manager. Also called known. Contrast with unknown.
Discovery	Process by which Prime Performance Manager discovers objects in your network. See also recursive Discovery.
display name	User-specified name for a node. Contrast with DNS name. See also node name.
domain name	The style of identifier—a sequence of case-insensitive ASCII labels separated by dots ("bbn.com.")—defined for subtrees in the Internet Domain Name System [R1034] and used in other Internet identifiers, such as host names, mailbox names, and URLs.
Domain Name System	See DNS.
DNS	Domain Name System. System used on the Internet for translating names of network nodes into addresses.
DNS name	Initial name of a node, as discovered by Prime Performance Manager. Contrast with display name. See also node name.

E
Erlang (E)	The international (dimensionless) unit of the average traffic intensity (occupancy) of a facility during a period of time, normally, a busy hour. The number of Erlangs is the ratio of the time during which a facility is occupied (continuously or cumulatively) to the time this facility is available for occupancy. Another definition is the ratio of the average call arrival rate into the system, to the average call duration. One Erlang is equivalent to 36 ccs (completed call seconds), which is another traffic intensity unit.
event	An event is a singular occurrence in time. Events are derived from incoming traps and notifications, and from detected status changes. Prime Performance Manager can detect events that are triggered by SNMP traps or notifications, status changes, and user actions. See alarm.
exclude	Removing a network object from a view, while retaining the object in Prime Performance Manager database.

F
Field Replaceable Units	See FRU.
FRU	Assemblies such as power supplies, fans, processor modules, interface modules, and so forth.

G
graphical user interface	See GUI.
GUI	Graphical user interface. User environment that uses pictorial as well as textual representations of the input and output of applications and the hierarchical or other data structure in which information is stored. Conventions such as buttons, icons, and windows are typical, and many actions are performed using a pointing device (such as a mouse). Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh are prominent examples of platforms utilizing a GUI.

H
host	Computer system on a network. Similar to the term node except that host usually implies a computer system, whereas node generally applies to any network system.
host address	See host number.
host number	Part of an IP address that designates which node on the subnetwork is being addressed. Also called a host address.
HTML	Hypertext Markup Language. Simple hypertext document formatting language that uses tags to indicate how a given part of a document should be interpreted by a viewing application, such as a web browser. See also hypertext and browser.
hypertext	Electronically-stored text that allows direct access to other texts by way of encoded links. Hypertext documents can be created using HTML, and often integrate images, sound, and other media that are commonly viewed using a browser. See also HTML and browser.
Hypertext Markup Language	See HTML.

I
ignore	Exclude an object when aggregating and displaying Prime Performance Manager status information. See also unignore.
installation log	Log containing messages and other information recorded during installation.
interface	Connection between two systems or devices.
internal ID	Unique identifier assigned by Prime Performance Manager, for its own internal use.
Internet Protocol	See IP.
IP	Internet Protocol. Network layer protocol in the TCP/IP stack offering a connectionless internetwork service. IP provides features for addressing, type-of-service specification, fragmentation and reassembly, and security. Documented in RFC 791.
IP address	32-bit address assigned to hosts using TCP/IP. An IP address belongs to one of five classes (A, B, C, D, or E) and is written as 4 octets separated by periods (dotted decimal format). Each address consists of a network number, an optional subnetwork number, and a host number. The network and subnetwork numbers together are used for routing, while the host number is used to address an individual host within the network or subnetwork. A subnet mask is used to extract network and subnetwork information from the IP address. CIDR provides a new way of representing IP addresses and subnet masks. See also IP.
IPC	Inter Processor Communication.
ITU	International Telecommunication Union.

K
known	See discovered.

L
LAN	Local Area Network.
local authentication	Type of Prime Performance Manager security authentication that allows the creation of user accounts and passwords local to Prime Performance Manager system. When using this method, usernames, passwords, and access levels are managed using Prime Performance Manager commands. For more information on Solaris authentication, see the "Implementing Secure User Access" section.
local IP address	IP address used by Prime Performance Manager client to connect to Prime Performance Manager server.

M
Management Information Base	See MIB.
mask	Bit combination used in Prime Performance Manager to indicate the significant bits of the point code. For ANSI and China standard networks using the default 24-bit point code format, the default mask is 255.255.255. For ITU networks using the default 14-bit point code format, the default mask is 7.255.7. For NTT and TTC networks using the default 16-bit point code format, the default mask is 31.15.127.
Message Log Server	Multi-threaded processes that logs messages from the Process Manager and Prime Performance Manager client. See also Process Manager.
MIB	Management Information Base. Database of network management information that is used and maintained by a network management protocol such as SNMP. The value of a MIB object can be changed or retrieved using SNMP commands, usually through a GUI network management system. MIB objects are organized in a tree structure that includes public (standard) and private (proprietary) branches.

N
name server	Server connected to a network that resolves network names into network addresses.
NAT	Network Address Translation. Internet standard that enables a LAN to use one set of IP addresses for internal traffic and a second set of addresses for external traffic.
Network Address Translation	See NAT.
network management system	See NMS.
Network Time Protocol	See NTP.
new node	Node that Prime Performance Manager has newly discovered, and that has not yet been added to the current view.
NMS	Network management system. System responsible for managing at least part of a network. An NMS is generally a reasonably powerful and well-equipped computer such as an engineering workstation. NMSes communicate with agents to help keep track of network statistics and resources.
node	Endpoint of a network connection or a junction common to two or more lines in a network. Nodes can be processors, controllers, or workstations.
node name	Name of a node. This is either the DNS name of the node, or a user-specified name. See display name, DNS name.
note	User-defined descriptive string attached to an object.
NTP	Network Time Protocol. Timing protocol that maintains a common time among Internet hosts in a network.

P
PDU	Protocol Data Unit. OSI term for packet.
ping	Packet internet groper. ICMP echo message and its reply. Often used in IP networks to test the reachability of a network device.
polling	Access method in which a primary network device inquires, in an orderly fashion, whether secondaries have data to transmit. The inquiry occurs in the form of a message to each secondary that gives the secondary the right to transmit.
poll interval	Time between polls.
poll response	Time taken by a node to respond to Prime Performance Manager poll requests.
port	In IP terminology, an upper-layer process that receives information from lower layers. Ports are numbered, and each numbered port is associated with a specific process. For example, SMTP is associated with port 25. A port number is also called a well-known address.
preferences	Settings that enable a user to change the way Prime Performance Manager presents information.
primary SNMP address	IP address used by SNMP to poll the node. (There might be other IP addresses on the node that are not the primary SNMP address.) Contrast with secondary IP address.
process	Internal execution component of Prime Performance Manager. See Message Log Server, Process Manager.
Process Manager	Multi-threaded process that handles the management of registered Prime Performance Manager processes.

Q
QoS	Quality of service. Measure of performance for a transmission system that reflects its transmission quality and service availability.
Quality of Service	See QoS.

R
RAN	Radio Access Network.
RAN backhaul	The end-to-end RAN connections between the BTS or Node B at the cell site and the BSC or RNC.
RAN shorthaul	An interface that transports GSM or UMTS voice and data traffic between the BTS or Node-B and the RAN-O node at the cell site. At the aggregation site, RAN shorthauls exist between the RAN-O node and the BSC or RNC.
RAN-O	RAN optimization. Standard-based, end-to-end, IP connectivity for GSM and UMTS RAN transport. The Cisco solution puts RAN voice and data frames into IP packets at the cell-site, and transports them seamlessly over an optimized backhaul network. At the central site, the RAN frames are extracted from IP packets, and the GSM or UMTS data streams are rebuilt.
read community	See community string.
recursive Discovery	Discovery of the entire network. Prime Performance Manager discovers all seed nodes and attempts to manage them; then attempts to discover and manage all ITP nodes that are adjacent to those seed nodes (unless the nodes are connected by serial links only); then attempts to discover and manage all ITP nodes that are adjacent to those nodes; and so on, until Prime Performance Manager has discovered the entire network.
route	Path through an internetwork.

S
secondary IP address	Alternate or backup IP address used by a node. Contrast with primary SNMP address.
seed file	List of seed nodes. See seed node.
seed node	Node used by Prime Performance Manager to discover the other objects in your network.
server	Node or software program that provides services to clients. See client.
Simple Network Management Protocol	See SNMP.
SNMP	Simple Network Management Protocol. Network management protocol used almost exclusively in TCP/IP networks. SNMP provides a means to monitor and control network devices, and to manage configurations, statistics collection, performance, and security.
SOAP	Simple Object Access Protocol. A protocol for exchanging XML-based messages over computer networks. See XML.
SSL	Secure Sockets Layer. A protocol for transmitting private documents via the Internet.
status	Current condition, such as Active or Unknown, of a network object.
status polling	Regularly scheduled polling of nodes performed by Prime Performance Manager. Contrast with demand polling.
system object ID	See device type.

T
TCP	Transmission Control Protocol. Connection-oriented transport layer protocol that provides reliable full-duplex data transmission. TCP is part of the TCP/IP protocol stack. See also TCP/IP.
TCP/IP	Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. Common name for the suite of protocols developed by the U.S. DoD in the 1970s to support the construction of worldwide internetworks. TCP and IP are the two best-known protocols in the suite. See also IP and TCP.
TFTP	Trivial File Transfer Protocol. A protocol that is used to transfer small files between hosts of a network. See also host.
thread name	Task name.
timeout	Event that occurs when one network device expects to hear from another network device within a specified period of time, but does not. The resulting timeout usually results in a retransmission of information or the dissolving of the session between the two devices.
tooltip	Popups that display information about objects and table entries.
Transmission Control Protocol	See TCP.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol	See TCP/IP.
Trivial File Transfer Protocol	See TFTP.

U
UDP	User Datagram Protocol. Connectionless transport layer protocol in the TCP/IP protocol stack. UDP is a simple protocol that exchanges datagrams without acknowledgments or guaranteed delivery, requiring that error processing and retransmission be handled by other protocols. UDP is defined in RFC 768.
unignore	Stop ignoring the selected object at the next polling cycle. See also ignore.
unknown	Device type for which Prime Performance Manager is unable to determine the device type. If a node, the node failed to respond to an SNMP request. If a linkset or link, either the associated node failed to respond to an SNMP request, or Prime Performance Manager found that the linkset or link no longer exists. Contrast with discovered.
unmanaged	Node status in which the node is known indirectly by Prime Performance Manager (Prime Performance Manager knows the device exists but no known SNMP stack exists on the device for Prime Performance Manager to query), or a user has set the node to this status to prevent Prime Performance Manager from polling the node.
User-Based Access	Prime Performance Manager security scheme that provides multi-level password-protected access to Prime Performance Manager features. Each user can have a unique username and password. Each user can also be assigned to one of five levels of access, which control the list of Prime Performance Manager features accessible by that user. For more information, see the "Setting User Access" section in Chapter 6 "Setting Up and Managing Users."
User Datagram Protocol	See UDP.
	Amount of an object's send or receive capacity that is being used, expressed as a percentage or in Erlangs.

W
World Wide Web	See WWW.
WWW	World Wide Web. Large network of Internet servers providing hypertext and other services to terminals running client applications such as a browser. See also browser.

X
XML	Extended Markup Language. A general-purpose markup language for to facilitating the sharing of data across different information systems connected through the Internet. See SOAP.