Back-end Processor:-

A secondary processor that performs one specialized task very effectively, freeing the main processor for other, more important work.

Backup:-

An up-to-date copy of all your files. There are several reasons to make a backup:

1. Insurance against possible hard-disk or file-server failure, hard disks often fail completely, taking all your work with them. If this failure occurs, you can reload your files and directories from the backup copy. A backup is your insurance against disk failure affecting the thousands or possibly tens of thousands of files you might have on your file server.

2. Protection against accidental deletion of files or directories. Again, if you mistakenly delete a file or directory, you can retrieve a copy from your last backup.

3. As an archive at the end of a project, when a person leaves your company, or at the end of a financial period such as year-end close. Your decision when or how often to make a backup depends on how frequently important data on your system changes. If you rely on certain files always being available on your system, it is crucial that you make regular, consistent backups. Here are some backup tips:

4. Keep multiple copies - redundancy should be a part of your backup plan.

5. Test your backups to make sure they are what you think they are, and you can reload the information you need.

6. Store your backups in a secure off-site location; do not leave them right next to the computer (if the computer is damaged by an accident, the backup may be damaged as well).

7. Replace your backup media on a regular basis.

8. Consider making incremental backups of critical data at more frequent intervals.

Bandwidth:-

1. In communications, the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies available for transmission in any given range.

2. In networking, the transmission capacity of a computer or a communications channel, stated in megabits per second (Mbps).

For example Ethernet has a bandwidth of 10 Mbps, and fiber-distributed data interface (FDDI) has a bandwidth of 100 Mbps.

Band:-

A name given in the UNIX and Internet words to the exclamation point (!) character.

Banyan VINES:-

A network operating system from Banyan Systems. VINES (a contraction of Virtual Networking Software) is based on a special version of the UNIX System V operating system. The accompanying illustration shows the VINES architecture. This UNIX layer is hidden from view by VINES and is not available for other applications. VINES provides all server functions, including those of a communications/modem server, and offers many options for connecting to minicomputers, main-frames, and other network file servers. VINES supports up to four network interface cards per server for any topology and automatically manages protocol binding and translations required between the network interface cards for routing to different local-area network (LAN) segments. A complete set of network management tools is built into the console. Workstations can run DOS,

Microsoft Windows, UNIX, or OS/2, and they can store native form files on the server. Macintosh computers can also attach to the network. VINES offers special support for very large LANs and wide-area networks (WANs) with multiple file servers. VINES also allow PGs that support multiple processors, such as the Compaq System Pro, to use multiprocessing to divide the file server processing load.

BaseBand Network:-

A technique for transmitting signals as direct-current pulses rather than as modulated signals. The entire bandwidth of the transmission medium is used by a single digital signal, so computers in a baseband network can transmit only when the channel is not busy. However, the network can use techniques such as time-division multiplexing to allow channel sharing. A baseband network can operate over relatively short distances (up to 2 miles if network traffic is light) at speeds from 50 kilobits per second up to 100 megabits per second. Ethernet, AppleTalk and most PC local-area networks (LANs) use baseband techniques.

Baud Rate:-

In communications equipment, a measurement of the number of state changes (from 0 to 1 or vice versa) per second on an asynchronous communications channel. Baud rate is often assumed to correspond to the number of bits transmitted per second, but baud rate and bits per second (bps) are not always the same. In modern high-speed digital communications systems, one state change can be made to represent more than one data bit. A rate of 300 baud is likely to correspond to 300 bps; however, at higher baud rates, the number of bits per second transmitted can be higher than the baud rate. Bits per second are a more accurate statement of modem capability. For example, 2400 bps can be sent at 1200 Kbaud if each state change represents two bits of information.

In the past, mismatched baud rates were one of the most common reasons for communications failures. However, modern modems can detect and lock onto one of a range of rates. Some modems can even change rates in response to changing line conditions during the course of a transmission.

Benchmark Program:-

A program that attempts to provide a consistent measurement of system performance. Some examples are Dhrystone, which measures microprocessor and memory performance; Whetstone, which measures speed of arithmetic operations; and Khomerstone; which measures overall system performance, including disk drive access speed, memory access speed, and processor performance.

The Systems Performance Evaluation Cooperative (SPEC) developed a set of ten tests to measure performance in actual application environments. The results of these tests are known as SPEC marks. Some popular PC benchmark programs have been shown to provide wildly overoptimistic results, particularly when run on processors other than the one for which they are originally written.

Bind:-

A Novell NetWare server utility used to bind a protocol to a network interface card or device driver. The default when you install NetWare or add board or drivers using INSTALL is to bind the IPX protocol.

BISDN:-

Abbreviation for Broadband Integrated Service Digital Network. A high-speed communications standard for wide-area networks (WANs) that handles high-bandwidth applications, such as video, voice, data and graphics. SMDS (Switched Multimegabit Data Services) and ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) are two BISDN services that can provide a huge bandwidth for WANs.

Bit-Oriented Protocol:-

A communications protocol in which data is transmitted as a stream of bits rather than a stream of byte. A bit-oriented protocol uses specific sequences of bits as control codes, unlike a byte-oriented protocol, which uses reserved characters. HDLC (High-level Data Link Control) and IBM's SDLC (Synchronous Data Link Control) are both bit-oriented protocols.

Bit per Second:-

Abbreviated bps. The number of binary digits, or bits, transmitted every second during a data-transfer procedure. Bits per second is a measurement of the speed of operation of equipment, such as a computer's data bus or a modem that connects a computer to a transmission line. Speed in bits per second is not the same as baud rate.

BNC connector:-

A small connector with a half-turn locking shell for coaxial cable, used with thin Ethernet and RG-62 cabling. The accompanying illustration show both male and female connectors.

Bridge:-

A hardware device used to connect local-area networks (LANs) so that they can exchange data. Bridges can work with networks that use different wiring or network protocols; see the illustration at the top of the following page.

A bridge operates at the data link layer of the ISO/ OSI model for computer-to-computer communications. It manages the flow of traffic between the two LANs by reading the address of every packet of data that it receives.

Broadband Network:-

A technique for transmitting a large amount of information, including voice, data, and video, over long distances using the same cable. Sometimes called wideband transmission, it is based on the same technology used by cable television.

The transmission capacity is divided into several distinct channels that can be used concurrently by different networks, normally by frequency-division multiplexing (FDM). The individual channels are protected from each other by guard channels of unused frequencies. A broadband network can operate at speeds of up to 20 megabits per second.

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