Glossary

From IP3 TAC

• 2-Way PMS Billing
  • A method of posting a record (string) via the COM-2 port or Ethernet interface on the NetAccess unit to a property management system supporting 2 way communications. 2-way PMS systems allows for the device to communicate with the property management system (PMS) in a bidirectional fashion. Depending on the PMS configuration, several elements must be configured on the NetAccess.
• 802.1Q VLAN Support
  • 802.1q tagged VLANs are supported for traffic segmentation as well as client identification. Individual device ports mapped into VLANs can be used as method for identification for portal segmentation and billing purposes. All 4096 VLAN IDs are supported in the implementation, and they use VLAN types to determine traffic handling.
• Access Code Pop-Up
  • Pop-ups are displayed on clients when using the access code authentication billing method. Post-authentication of a pop-up is displayed with a running timer of time remaining.
• Access Point
  • A device that allows users with wireless access to connect to a wireless network.
• Account Expiration
  • The specific date and time to disable a given account.
• Account Status
  • A mechanism that enables/disables accounts without removing them from the configuration.
• ACK/NAK
  • A method of error checking in which the device can verify with the PMS that the string being posted was properly received in its entirety by the PMS.
• Active Billing
  • A table that displays information regarding active clients on the device. Clients displayed in this table are currently authenticated for access and can access services through the device.
• ARP Exclusions
  • A list of valid devices IP addresses present on the network(s). When NetAccess sees an ARP (known IP address, unknown MAC address) for one of the devices that do not respond because there is a device on the network, it will legitimately respond. Add to the ARP exclusion list non-client, IP-based network devices that share a common layer 2 environment with the NetAccess. The IP addressing used by these devices should not be part of the Subscriber Network or DCHP scope.
• ARP Table
  • Table that displays current active ARP entries on the device.
• Authentication Codes(Access Codes)
  • Six digit codes used for the purposes of authentication by subscribers on NetAccess. There are many configurable elements regarding access codes, including the duration the code is valid for, idle timeout properties, and the number of simultaneous users.
• Bandwidth
  • The maximum amount of data that can travel a communications path in a given time, usually measured in seconds.
• Billing Table(All)
  • A table that displays information regarding all clients on the device regardless of their status. Clients displayed in this table can be past or present clients. Active clients can be manually expired from this table.
• Blonder Tongue Megaport Port Mapping
  • Identical in function to SNMP RFC 1493 Port mapping except for the SNMP query sent to the network device. Instead of RFC 1493 based implementation, a proprietary enterprise MIB is queried to extract the port information.
• Boingo Authentication
  • NetAccess acts as a radius proxy for subscribers of the Boingo system. User authentication attempts are handled by the device and verified via Radius against the Boingo authentication servers.
• Broadcast Domain
  • A logical area in a computer network where any computer connected to the computer network can directly transmit to any other in the domain without having to go through a routing device.
• CLI
  • A command line interface.
• CMTS DHCP
  • CMTS DHCP Scope configuration is specifically for configuring DHCP services for cable modems.
• Collision Domain
  • Logical area in a computer network where data packets can “collide” with one another.
• Configuration Backup
  • A utility that allows for retrieval of the entire device’s configuration via a text file. The text file can be copied out of the device for purposes of backup or configuration automation.
• Configuration Restore
  • A utility that allows for uploading an entire device’s configuration via a text file. The text file can be imported in whole or specific lines can be manipulated.
• Control Panel Users
  • Users of the Web Administration area of the NetAccess configuration.
• CPU/Memory Usage
  • Displays current CPU and memory load on the device.
• CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
  • A file format that has fields separated by a comma.
• Denied Billing Table
  • Displays information regarding all clients that have had their billing method denied.
• Destination IP
  • The target IP address or network where the data is moving towards.
• Devices
  • Managed or unmanaged network devices (routers, switches, modems, etc.).
• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
  • Communications protocol that lets network administrators manage centrally and automate the assignment of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in an organization’s network.
• DHCP Lease Table
  • Displays the current active DHCP leases.
• DHCP Leases
  • Leases based upon product or account duration.
• DHCP Server
  • A server in a network or Internet service that assigns IP addresses to the multiple stations on the network.
• DHCP Temp Lease
  • Temporary DHCP Leases that are used to modify DHCP assignments to subscribers as needed for product based functionality. The temporary lease time is configurable and only applicable to non-active subscribers. (Users not listed as active in the billing table.)
• Disable NAT
  • Global NAT disablement allows for configuring routable IP addresses into the DHCP scope and overriding any NAT product type to route the client IP addresses with no translation.
• DNS Server (Domain Name Service)
  • A server used to translate between domain names and IP addresses. DNS servers translate names, such as xyz.com, into the numeric IP address that the Internet uses to send and receive information.
• Dynamic DNS
  • A process of performing a DNS Update to add, modify, or delete DNS resource records on the dynamically without reloading the entire DNS zone master file.
• Expired Billing Table
  • A table that displays information regarding all clients that have been active on the system previously. Expired records can be removed from the system in this table.
• Export Billing Data to CSV
  • Data in the billing table can be downloaded from the device in the form of a comma separated values (CSV) file for purposes of integration into an external system or application.
• External Proxy
  • Support users configure to redirect all HTTP based traffic to an upstream proxy server IP address and port. Used in situations where all Internet access is forced through proxy servers.
• External Redirect
  • A configuration to redirect (via HTTP) a client’s post authentication to a desired URL.
• Firewall Access List
  • Provides a traffic filter on the inside, outside, specific VLAN(s) or all VLANS (VLAN+) interfaces.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
  • A very common method of transferring one or more files.
• Generic Redirect Method
  • A generic XML connector for pre and post redirect options.
• Guest Room
  • Denotes default subscriber based connections.
• Hilton Redirect Method
  • Hilton portal redirection configures redirecting clients to the Hilton central servers for authentication. The central servers then post an XML string back to the device for purposes of authenticating the subscribers. Walled Garden entries must be present in order to allow for the client accessing the central server prior to authentication.
• Host Name
  • Textual name given to the NetAccess device.
• HTTP (hyper text transport protocol)
  • Underlying protocol that defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers would take in response to various commands.
• HTTPS (hyper text transport protocol, secure)
  • Underlying protocol designed to transmit individual messages securely over the www.
• Hub
  • A commonly used device for connecting multiple computers or segments of a LAN together.
• ICMP (Internet control message protocol)
  • Extension to the IP defined by RFC 792. Supports packets containing error, control, and informational messages.
• ICMP Utilities
  • Utility to provide ICMP ping and trace route functionality. This functionality is applicable both upstream and downstream of the device.
• Idle-Timeout
  • Determines if an access account/code can be utilized more than one time. When the idle timeout is disabled, the account/code until the duration expires. If the idle timeout is enabled and a user is idled out of the system, the remaining (unused) time attributed to the account/code will be available for re-use by the subscriber. The account/code will be able to be used for sign up purposes until it is such that all available time on the account/code has been used. Once an account/code has no duration available to it the account/code cannot be used for sign up purposes again.
• Inbound
  • The traffic direction with respect to the selected interface. Any traffic moving towards the respective Interface.
• Inside Interface
  • The destination interface for all Subscriber LAN traffic. Subscriber LAN traffic is routed via the inside interface before reaching its targeted destination on the WAN or Subscriber LAN.
• Interface Display
  • A utility that shows all interfaces to a device (both physical and virtual). Displays packet and error counters for each listed interface.
• Internal Redirect
  • Internal redirection is configured to redirect (via HTTP) a client’s post authentication to a desired HTML file internal to the NetAccess network.
• iPass Billing Method
  • A radius proxy for subscribers of the iPass system. Users’ authentication attempts are handled by the device and verified via Radius against the iPass authentication servers.
• LDAP Authentication
  • LDAP Authentication will allow for authorization of clients by the device via an external LDAP server.
• Local Authentication
  • Local Authentication is a local list of usernames and passwords used for the purposes of authentication. There is no limit to the number of local authentication accounts that can be created.
• Local Authentication Pop-Up
  • The pop-up that displays to clients when they use the local authentication billing method. Post authentication of a pop-up displays with a running timer of time remaining. A logout button is also provided for the purposes of immediately logging the client out of the device.
• Local Redirect Method
  • Local redirection configures redirection to local portal pages on NetAccess.
• Login Redirect Method
  • Unauthenticated clients opening their Web browser downstream of the device are redirected to a web site (portal) for the purposes of authentication. This portal can be local to the device or an upstream server designed to authenticate clients externally and post (via HTTP or XML) authentication information back to the device.
• MAC Address
  • A hardware address of a device.
• MAC Filter
  • A configurable list of MAC addresses that specifically allows or denies access through the unit.
• Management Interface
  • A default VLAN which encompasses non-subscriber traffic such as managed network devices. Non-Subscriber devices must be configured on a management IP subnet, with the configured gateway and subnet listed as the secondary inside interface, to allow for layer 3 route propagation.
• Manual Billing Authentication
  • A mechanism for handling billing external to the device. Clients who use the Manual Billing method are placed into the manual billing table. This table lists these subscribers as pending until they are manually marked as paid or expired. Clients that use this billing method are allowed access immediately even though there billing status is pending.
• Manual Billing Table
  • A table that displays information regarding all clients that use the manual billing method. Clients in this table can be manually marked as paid or expired from this table.
• Maximum Simultaneous Logins
  • An attribute to determine if (and how many) instances of an identical code can be active at the same time.
• Meeting Port Type
  • The type of device selected when the device port is connected to a meeting room and is made available for use by the Meeting Room Scheduler.
• Meeting Room Scheduler
  • A utility to schedule access to given VLANs for a specified duration with a specific service offering. There is no limit to the number of meetings that can be scheduled and the only requirement is that they occur some time in the future. Identical in function to SNMP RFC 1493 Port mapping except for the SNMP query sent to the network device. Instead of RFC 1493 based implementation, a proprietary enterprise MIB is queried to extract the port information.
• NAT (Network Address Translation)
• Netronix VE8000 Port Mapping.
  • Identical in function to SNMP RFC 1493 Port mapping except for the SNMP query sent to the network device. Instead of RFC 1493 based implementation, a proprietary enterprise MIB is queried to extract the port information.
• Not Applicable Billing Method
  • The billing method used when no actual charges or authentication is necessary. It is used in conjunction with free products and does not require any user input.
• Oceanic Port Inventory
  • Identical in function to SNMP RFC 1493 Port mapping except for the SNMP query sent to the network device. Instead of RFC 1493 based implementation, a proprietary enterprise MIB is queried to extract the port information.
• Outbound
  • The traffic direction with respect to the selected interface. Any traffic moving away from the respective interface.
• Outside Interface
  • A destination interface for all WAN traffic targeted for the NetAccess. WAN traffic must route via the outside interface before reaching its target destination.
• Outside IP Type DHCP
  • NetAccess obtains its public (outside) IP address via a DHCP server.
• Outside IP Type Static
  • A Static WAN IP Address that is the public (outside) interface of the NetAccess unit. This IP address is used for all routing on the outside interface, as well as the public IP address that clients are port address translated to.
• PAT (Port Address Translation)
  • A type of network address translation which allows LAN users to keep their IP address private when communicating via the internet.
• Pending Billing Table
  • A table that displays information regarding clients whose current authentication/payment status is pending. Clients in this table can be marked as paid or expired from the system. Pending entries can be created as a result of incomplete portal interaction or failure to communicate to external billing systems (e.g. PMS, Credit Card, and Radius).
• Ping (packet Internet groper)
  • Program used to test reachability of destinations by sending them an ICMP echo request and waiting for a reply.
• PMS Billing
  • PMS Billing is a method of posting a record (string) via the COM-2 port on the NetAccess unit to a property management system. Depending on the PMS configuration, several elements need to be configured on the NetAccess.
• PMS Billing(Serial Printer)
  • Serial Printer PMS option is used when connecting a serial printer to the PMS port instead of an actual PMS system. In this scenario the device posts the PMS record in a human readable format.
• PMS Gateway IP
  • An ethernet address of the lone NetAccess peer that has the single serial interconnect to the PMS (Property Management System). Any PMS logging and/or authentication requests directed to the PMS is forwarded and relayed from this peer.
• PMS Test
  • A PMS test post is used to generate a PMS post using the configured PMS method. A room number and price are required elements for the post to be processed.
• Port Bindings
  • IP Port Bindings are used for managing devices on the internal (inside) network of the NetAccess from the external (outside) network. TCP or UDP ports can be exported from the public IP address and mapped to any internal IP address and port.
• Port Name
  • Descriptive fields used for display purposes in the billing table. Any information configured in this field is displayed in the port column in all billing tables.
• Port(s)
  • Port numbers represent an endpoint, or channel, for network communications. Port numbers allow different applications on the same computer to utilize network resources without interfering with each other. They are also a conduit for internet viruses to propagate from one device to another. In IP networking, port numbers can theoretically range from 0 to 65535.
• Portal Groups
  • Portal Groups associate various configuration elements for the purposes of presentation and limitation to what clients of the system can see or use.
• Prefix Code
  • A 3 character (alpha only) prefix to the 6 digit authentication code that is generated. This allows administrators of the system to identify the type of code by the prefix.
• Private Interface
  • An interface available for PMS and N+1 architecture (available on select hardware).
• Process List
  • A table that lists main device applications and their current operational status.
• Products
  • Products configured in the device are used to determine a specific service offering to assign to the client at the time of authentication. There is no limit to the number of product s that can be created. Products are not active until such time they are assigned to a portal for use.
• Property ID
  • A unique ID specific for Starwood or Hampton Inn Hotels ONLY. It is used in conjunction with Starwood or Hilton Redirect Options.
• Property ZIP
  • A unique Property ZIP for Starwood or Hampton Inn Hotels ONLY. It is used in conjunction with Starwood or Hilton redirect options.
• Public IP
  • A WAN IP required to be configured on the NetAccess for routed IP layer access
• Radius Billing
  • Radius authentication for subscribers can be handled by the device with up to 3 configurable external radius servers. Radius authentication and accounting services are both supported.
• Radius Pop-Up
  • A pop-up displayed to clients when using the radius authentication billing method. Post authentication a pop-up will be displayed with a running timer of time remaining. A logout button is also provided for the purposes of immediately logging the client out of the device.
• Reboot
  • Utility to reboot NetAccess.
• Reload Configuration
  • Utility to restart all device (NetAccess) specific applications.
• Room Diagnostics
  • Utility to lookup client information based on port mapping information from the active billing table. A given port or VLAN description can be entered and the corresponding record in billing will be displayed.
• Room Management
  • Utility to allow for administrators of the NetAccess to select specific SNMP ports or VLANs to disable services.
• Room-to-Mac Mapping
  • Mapping that allows mapping port information to a room based on the source MAC address. This mapping is used for any device that spoofs the source MAC address and consistently presents the same MAC address for individual ports. This mapping is used for billing purposes only and does not support portal segmentation. MAC addresses are associated to description information and billing can occur when the source MAC address matches one of the entries in the room to MAC configuration.
• Room-to-Port Mapping
• Mapping that allows for the verification and/or modification of SNMP port mapping or 802.1q VLAN information based on the detected information for the connecting computer.
• Routable IP
  • A product type that assigns public (non-NAT'd) IP addresses to those clients that select a product with this IP type. The assignment happens via DHCP and requires the use of a temporary DHCP lease.
• Router
  • A device that forwards packets from one network to another based on addressing information.
• Routing Table
  • Displays the current routing table of the device with a mechanism to delete non-critical system routes.
• Save
  • Utility that saves running configuration to memory.
• Save Configuration
  • Utility that saves the running configuration from memory to the flash in the device.
• SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
  • A format for sending e-mail messages between servers.
• SMTP Filter
  • SMTP filter is configured to limit the number of messages a particular client can send over the specified duration of time.
• SMTP Mail Relay
  • A process of a system contacting a Mail Host to send mail to other systems using the standard mail protocols.
• SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
  • A set of protocols used to manage networks.
• SNMP Allowed Networks
  • Allowed SNMP based network source.
• SNMP Contact
  • The NetAccess administrator responsible for managing SNMP.
• SNMP Location
  • Location of NetAccess.
• SNMP Read Only Community
  • Read only based SNMP community string.
• SNMP RFC 1493 Port Mapping
  • SNMP Port Mapping functionality exists to have a mechanism to query network devices in a standard method with the MAC address of a client for the purposes of determining their location on the network.
• Source IP
  • The IP address or node on a network from where the data originates from.
• Standard NAT
  • PAT (Port Address Translation) mapping from the client’s IP address to the public (Outside) IP address of the device.
• Standard Port Type
  • This type is used for device ports that have clients directly connected.
• Starwood Redirect Method
  • Configures redirecting clients to the Starwood central servers for authentication. The central servers then post an XML string back to the device for purposes of authenticating the subscribers. Walled Garden entries must be present in order to allow for the client accessing the central server prior to authentication.
• Static IP
  • The IP address remains fixed and unique after each login.
• Static IP Mappings
  • Static IP mapping is a one to one mapping from the client’s IP address to a public IP address configured in the Static IP table. Also applicable to local static IP assignments on network devices.
• Subnet Mask prefix
  • Used to determine what subnet an IP address resides within. The mask is the specified network hosts corresponding to the IP address.
• Subscriber Background Color
  • Denotes the HTML background color to utilize on all device configured authentication screens viewed by clients. The configuration is entered with a six digit hexadecimal reference to the desired color.
• Subscriber Font Color
  • Denotes the HTML font color to utilize on all device configured authentication screens viewed by clients. The configuration is entered with a six digit hexadecimal reference to the desired color.
• Switch
  • A device that filters and forwards packets through the network.
• Syslog
  • De-facto standard for logging system events.
• System Information
  • A table shows the current hardware and software as relating to the device. It shows optional modules in the device and their current status (if enabled). Also displayed here are the MAC addresses of physical interfaces and serial number information.
• TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
  • Protocol designed to interconnect a variety of computer equipment.
• TFTP File Manager
  • Utility allows for uploading files that will be available for retrieval via the device’s TFTP server. Files can be deleted from this manager as well.
• Trace route
  • A utility that enables users to send and trace a packet to an Internet host to determine the route the packet takes.
• Transparent Proxy
  • Transparent proxy support is implemented to provide HTTP based proxy services for those clients configured for proxy.
• Tut Systems Expresso GS Port Mapping
  • Identical in function to SNMP RFC 1493 Port mapping except for the SNMP query sent to the network device. Instead of RFC 1493 based implementation, a proprietary enterprise MIB is queried to extract the port information.
• UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
  • Connectionless transport protocol that runs on top of TCP.
• Update Firmware
  • Utility allows for updating the firmware on the device. The firmware is downloaded via a FTP server into the device. The md5sum for the file must be supplied at the time of the download. The downloaded file will have an md5sum generated locally on the device and then compared to the supplied md5sum for verification of file validity.
• Upgrade Service Pop-Up
  • Pop-up displayed to clients when a specific configuration of the portal is encountered. This configuration is when there are multiple products assigned to a portal with different product price values. A client choosing a free product is displayed a pop-up with the option of upgrading to higher priced product.
• Uplink Port Type
  • A port used for any inter-device or device-NetAccess connection. These ports will have learned MAC Addresses for all subscribers connecting on the switch. NetAccess must be configured to ignore these ports when isolating user location on the network.
• Use Product Duration
  • Specifications for the account to use the duration configured with the product the client is utilizing.
• User Duration
  • Static duration for the username can be configured. This configuration can be set for minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months. Alternatively it can be configured for a specific time (AM/PM) to expire the username and password. Accounts configured with this duration will be enabled until such time they are disabled or removed from the configuration.
• VLAN Interface
  • Destination interface for all Subscriber LAN traffic originating from that specific VLAN.
• VLAN Security
  • Allows or disallows communications between users on different VLANs. When this feature is disabled clients are able to pass traffic with one another as if it was a flat network. When enabled no VLAN to VLAN routing of traffic is allowed, preventing any client in a VLAN communicating with a client in a different VLAN.
• VLAN+
  • Selection to denote all configured VLANs.
• VLAN
  • A Logical representation of a traditional LAN sharing all of the characteristics of a LAN without the physical restrictions. It allows having hosts in disparate physical locations to be in the same VLAN segment and share their broadcast domain and provide direct IP connectivity.
• Walled Garden
  • A list of IP Address and/or domains that clients of the device have access without any authorization or redirection required. These entries can be in IP address form or fully qualified domain name form. A subnet field is configurable for denoting whether access to a single IP address or a subnet is allowed.
• WebAdmin
  • NetAccess Web Administration interface.
• Wireless Cookie Roaming
  • Allows for the storage of a cookie on the client machine’s browser for the purposes of identification in the event of a MAC address change. This identification allows for allowing the client access without re-authenticating through the portal.
• WWW (World Wide Web)
  • A collection of Internet servers consisting of billions of documents with hyperlinks to other documents.
• XML Billing Data
  • A table that displays all client information in billing in XML format