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| GlossaryThis glossary covers terminology that may be helpful to you when setting up your connection to Xbox Live. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Asynchronous Transfer Mode: See ATM. ATM: Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A network technology that provides high-speed data transfer—voice, audio, or video, for example—in real time. bandwidth: The maximum rate at which data can be transmitted from your computer over a set period of time. broadband: cable : Length of wires connecting network devices. See crossover cable; Ethernet cable; straight-through cable; USB cable. cable/DSL modem: A data device that enables a computer to transmit data at a high speed over cable TV or digital subscriber lines. cable/DSL router: Also known as a broadband gateway, these devices share a single broadband Internet protocol (IP) address with multiple devices. For many people, using a router is an ideal solution for sharing your high speed Internet connection with an Xbox console and one or more PCs. See router connection for more information. connection : All of the devices and cables between the Xbox console and the Xbox Live service. For example, an Ethernet cable from your Xbox console to your high speed modem and another Ethernet cable from your modem to your Internet wall jack is a direct connection. crossover cable: A type of networking cable in which some wires are reversed from one end to the other to join two computers. Use a crossover cable with a Windows ICS connection. See Xbox System Link cable, straight-through cable. Demilitarized Zone: See DMZ. DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices that assigns an identifier (known as an IP Address) to a computer or device on a network. dial-up : Refers to connecting a device to a network or the Internet through a modem and a public telephone network. Dial-up access is a phone connection, except that the parties at the two ends are computer devices rather than people. See also ISDN. DMZ: Demilitarized Zone. A buffer between the Internet and your Local Area Network (LAN) that provides protection but still allows access to and from the Web. DNS: Domain Name Service. An Internet service that translates domain names into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. domain name: An easy-to-remember name that identifies a particular Internet host, as opposed to a difficult-to-remember numeric IP address. DSL: Digital Subscriber Line. A broad class of technologies that allow broadband Internet access at much higher speeds than dial-up. Most DSL used by consumers is ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), so you will often see that term used instead of DSL. dynamic IP address: Allows the customer to obtain a new IP address every time they access the Internet. Ethernet : A popular network technology that transmits information between computers at speeds of 10–100 million bits per second (mbps). Ethernet in: The port on a device for Ethernet input. For example, on a router, the Ethernet in connects the router to the modem. Ethernet out: The port on a device for Ethernet output. On a DSL router, these are the ports that connect to the shared devices (the Xbox console, the PC). Ethernet cable: Cable used to transmit data at high speeds over a local area network (LAN). Types of cables include fiber optic, coaxial, and twisted pair. The most common type of Ethernet cable, which is used by the Xbox console, is CAT5e (category 5e) twisted pair. Ethernet port: The connector to which an Ethernet cable can be attached. The most common type of Ethernet port, the RJ-45, is the port used on the back of the Xbox console. external modem: A device that is separate from the computer and connects the Xbox console to your PC, usually with a network adapter. The two most common types of high-speed modems are cable and USB. See also modem. firewall : A security system that acts as a protective boundary between a network and the outside world by blocking network traffic on certain ports. Firewalls can be installed as software in Microsoft Windows (ISA (Internet Security and Acceleration) ), or they can be built into NAT (network address translation) routers. Some firewalls may prevent the Xbox console from communicating properly with the Xbox Live servers or other Xbox consoles. high-speed Internet service: Provides Internet service at speeds much faster than dial-up modems. See broadband. home network: A local area network (LAN) at home consisting of two or more computers connected through a router. host name: A human-readable name assigned to a computer or device. In some cases, networking software will display these names to users so that they can access resources on remote computers. hub: A common connection point that provides multiple Ethernet ports for devices in a network. For example, an Ethernet hub that has four ports will allow you to connect four Xbox consoles together using four CAT5e Ethernet cables. ICS: Internet Connection Sharing. A feature included in recent versions of Microsoft Windows that allows multiple computers and other devices to share an Internet connection without the use of a router. Used with a Windows ICS connection to connect to Xbox Live. Integrated Services Digital Network: See ISDN. Internet Protocol: See IP. Internet Service Provider: See ISP. IP: Internet Protocol. Several sets of rules that computers use to communicate with each other over the Internet. IP address: The identity of a PC or other device connected to the Internet. It is to the Internet what a telephone number is to the telephone network. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be between 0–255. (For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.) A static IP address is a number assigned to a computer by an Internet service provider (ISP) as its permanent address on the Internet. The user must configure a computer manually to use a static IP address, in contrast to a dynamic IP address, which is assigned to a computer automatically by the ISP via DHCP with no user intervention. ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network. Also known as dial-up. An international communications standard that allows access to a network or the Internet through both digital and regular telephone lines. Note ISDN is a slower speed connection and cannot be used to access Xbox Live. ISP: Internet Service Provider. A company that provides access to the Internet. Xbox Live works with a set of partnered high-speed ISPs. LAN: Local Area Network. A computer network connecting personal computers that are geographically close together (for example, in the same building). A network you set up in your house to connect your PC in the den and your Xbox console in the living room is a LAN. Local Area Network: See LAN. MAC, MAC address: Media Access Control. A hardware address that uniquely identifies each device of on network, such as an Xbox console, a PC, and a printer. While this sounds similar to an IP address, it's not the same thing. A MAC address applies only to Ethernet-based networks and is set when a device is manufactured. IP addresses are assigned by an ISP. Every Ethernet device in the world has a MAC address, and they are all different. Media Access Control: See MAC. modem : Modulator-demodulator. A device that enables a computer to transmit data at a high speed over copper wires, including existing phone lines. See also external modem. Narrowband: Bandwidth for voice communications that operates at less than 64 KB. See also dial-up. Note Narrowband is a slower speed connection and cannot be used by Xbox Live. NAT: Network Address Translation. Also known as Network Address and Port Translation (NAPT). A method used by many home routers and Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) that allows a local area network (LAN) to share a single "public" or "global" IP address between multiple devices in the home. Network Address Translation: See NAT. Network Interface Card: See NIC. NIC: Network Interface Card. The Ethernet adapter installed on a computer or other network device used for connecting to a LAN. The NIC is one of the pieces in your computer that sends and receives information over the network. password : A secret series of characters (or button/trigger/directional pad presses on the Xbox controller) that enables a user to access a file, computer, program, or service. PCI card: Peripheral Component Interconnect (card). An expansion card that adds functionality to the computer. The card plugs into a PCI slot found inside the computer. PCI modem, internal PCI modem: An expansion card that provides analog (dial-up) modem, cable modem, or DSL modem functionality. PCI slot: Slot on the main board inside the computer specifically for PCI cards. PCI NIC: A network interface card that installs into a PCI slot. Peripheral Component Interconnect card: See PCI card. Point-to-Point Protocol: See PPP. port: The jack or connection point for a cable. PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol. The protocol used for transmitting data between your computer and the Internet. PPPoA : Point-to-Point Protocol over ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode). Similar to PPPoE. A protocol used by an internal modem rather than an Ethernet cable to access the DSL network. PPPoE : Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet. The name of a protocol used by many DSL providers to accept a username and password from a computer that allow it to access the DSL network. See also PPPoA. protocol : A set of rules created to enable computers to connect and exchange information with each other with little error. See also PPPoE, PPPoA. residential gateway: Hardware and software for connecting networks using different technologies. At home, the Internet service provider (ISP) that connects you to the Internet. See Cable/DSL router. RJ-11 connector: A standard telephone cable modular connector. On a local area network (LAN), you can have cables with RJ-11 connectors that connect to the routers. RJ-45 connector: A standard modular connector that is often used on Ethernet networks. It looks similar to the RJ-11 connector used for telephones, but is a bit larger. If you are connected to a local area network (LAN), most likely the cable running out of the back of your PC is an Ethernet cable with RJ-45 connectors. router : A device that connects any number of local area networks (LANs). Used with a router connection to connect to Xbox Live. server: A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, you connect to Xbox Live servers when you sign in to Xbox Live. straight-through (standard) cable: An Ethernet cable that does not have any wires crossed. See: crossover cable. The cables used to connect from a cable or DSL router to a computer or Xbox console should be straight-through Ethernet cables. subnet mask: A 32-bit number used to separate the network and host sections of an IP address. The subnet mask tells your computer or Xbox console what other IP addresses are "close" to it compared to the IP addresses that are on a network further away. switch: A network device that chooses paths for forwarding data.
T1: A dedicated phone connection to the Internet that provides a high-speed bandwidth of 1.544 MB per second. See also T3.
T3: A dedicated phone connection to the Internet that provides a high-speed bandwidth of 44.746 MB per second. See also T1. TCP/IP : Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. See also IP. Universal Serial Bus: See USB. USB: Universal Serial Bus. An external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of 12 megabits per second (mbps). USB cable: A cable with a USB connector, for USB-based devices such as a high-speed modem. USB port: A port on your computer that can be used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices, such as mice, modems, and keyboards. username : A name you've chosen that is used to gain access to a computer system. Players on Xbox Live may need usernames and passwords for their ISP. Your Xbox Live Gamertag is your username while on Xbox Live, but is not the same username that your ISP may require. WAN: Wide Area Network. A network that covers a large area by interconnecting multiple LANs. Wide Area Network: See WAN. wireless : High-frequency radio waves used instead of wires to communicate between devices. Wireless transmission is possible using a variety of methods, including infrared, cellular, microwave, and satellite. Currently, wireless is not supported for connections to Xbox Live. Xbox System Link cable: An Xbox cable used for system link play (console-to-console, head-to-head gameplay). It can be used to connect to Xbox Live for connections that require a crossover cable. See Windows ICS connection. |
