Internetworking Terms

Wide Area Information Server. Distributed database protocol developed to search for information over a network. WAIS supports full-text databases, which allow an entire document to be searched for a match (as opposed to other technologies that allow only an index of key words to be searched).

wide-area network. Data communications network that serves users across a broad geographic area and often uses transmission devices provided by common carriers. Frame Relay, SMDS, and X.25 are examples of WANs. Compare with LAN and MAN.

See WIC.

See wireless application protocol.

Used to ensure that a client is still connected to a NetWare server. If the server has not received a packet from a client for a certain period of time, it sends that client a series of watchdog packets. If the station fails to respond to a predefined number of watchdog packets, the server concludes that the station is no longer connected and clears the connection for that station.

Subset of spoofing that refers specifically to a router acting for a NetWare client by sending watchdog packets to a NetWare server to keep the session between client and server active. See also spoofing.

1. Hardware or software mechanism that is used to trigger an event or an escape from a process unless the timer is periodically reset.

2. In NetWare, a timer that indicates the maximum period of time that a server will wait for a client to respond to a watchdog packet. If the timer expires, the server sends another watchdog packet (up to a set maximum). See also watchdog packet.

Electrical techniques used to convey binary signals.

The length of one complete wave of an alternating or vibrating phenomenon, generally measured from crest to crest or from trough to trough of successive waves.

Web Cache Communication Protocol. WCCP is a protocol for communication between routers and Web caches. Two versions exist: WCCP Version 1 (WCCPv1) and WCCP Version2 (WCCPv2). The two versions are incompatible. Cisco IOS images can support either of the two versions or both.

Wideband Digital Crossconnect System. SONET DCS capable of crossconnecting DS-1 and VT1.5 signals. See also DCS, DS-1, SONET, and VT-n.

wavelength division multiplexing. Multiple optical wavelengths can share the same transmission fiber. The spectrum occupied by each channel must be adequately separated from the others.

World Wide Web (also called WWW). A client/server system based on HTML and HTTP.

See browser.

A graphical user interface (GUI) application that communicates with the system by translating HTML pages into Cisco IOS commands.

Weighted Early Packet Discard. A variant of EPD used by some ATM switches for discarding a complete AAL5 frame when a threshold condition, such as imminent congestion, is met. EPD prevents congestion that would otherwise jeopardize the capability of the switch to properly support existing connections with a guaranteed service.

weighted fair queuing. Congestion management algorithm that identifies conversa-
tions (in the form of traffic streams), separates packets that belong to each conversation, and ensures that capacity is shared fairly between these individual conversations. WFQ is an automatic way of stabilizing network behavior during congestion and results in increased performance and reduced retransmission.

WAN interface card. Connects the system to the WAN link service provider. See also WAN. Compare with VIC.

See WAN.

See broadband.

Wildcard is an unknown, unpredictable factor. The wildcard pre-shared key allows for a local router to authenticate remote peers using the pre-shared key, and not using the remote peer's IP address. The IP address of the remote peer is the unknown, unpredictable factor.

A 32-bit quantity used in conjunction with an IP address to determine which bits in an IP address should be ignored when comparing that address with another IP address. A wildcard mask is specified when setting up access lists.

A method of E&M signaling. When the signaling leads indicate a change to an off-hook state, the other side must send a momentary wink (on-hook to off-hook to on-hook transition) on the correct signaling lead before the call signaling information can be sent by the sending side. After the call signaling information is received, the side that sent wink goes off-hook again and stays that way for the duration of the call.

Windows Socket Interface. Software interface that allows a wide variety of applications to use and share an Internet connection. WinSock is implemented as dynamic link library (DLL) with some supporting programs, such as a dialer program that initiates the connection.

A language used for writing Web pages that uses far less overhead, which makes it more preferable for wireless access to the internet. WAP's corresponding OS is that created by 3Com in its Palm Pilot. Nokia has recently adopted the Palm OS for its Web-capable cellular phone.

Specially designed room used for wiring a data or voice network. Wiring closets serve as a central junction point for the wiring and the wiring equipment that is used for interconnecting devices.

TCP/IP network in Wisconsin (United States) connecting University of Wisconsin campuses and a number of private colleges. Links are 56 kbps and T1.

Collection of workstations and servers on a LAN that are designed to communicate and exchange data with one another.

See VSC in the "Cisco Systems Terms and Acronyms" section.

Method of switching that provides high-speed (100-Mbps) transparent bridging between Ethernet networks, and high-speed translational bridging between Ethernet and CDDI or FDDI.

See WWW.

A computer program that can run independently, can propagate a complete working version of itself onto other hosts on a network, and can consume computer resources destructively.

Action taken by an FDDI or CDDI network to recover in the event of a failure. The stations on each side of the failure reconfigure themselves, creating a single logical ring out of the primary and secondary rings.

weighted random early detection. Queueing method that ensures that high-precedence traffic has lower loss rates than other traffic during times of congestion.

The Wavelength Router Manager™ is the trademarked EMS for the Cisco ONS 15900 Series Wavelength Router, both designed by Cisco Systems.

See Cisco WW TAC in the "Cisco Systems Terms and Acronyms" section.

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.