Glossary

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Ethernet

Ethernet is a frame-based computer networking technology for local area networks (LANs). It defines wiring and 
signaling for the physical layer, and frame formats and protocols for the media access control (MAC)/data link layer of 
the OSI model. Ethernet is mostly standardized as IEEE 802.3. It has become the most widespread LAN technology in 
use during the 1990s to the present.

EtherTalk

A suite of protocols developed by Apple Computer for computer networking. It was included in the original Macintosh 
(1984) and is now deprecated by Apple in favor of TCP/IP networking. 

FDI

Foreign Device Interface (FDI) is a card installed inside the machine to allow a third party device such as a coin 
operated device or a card reader. Those devices allow the pay-for-print service on your machine.

FTP

A File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a commonly used protocol for exchanging files over any network that supports the 
TCP/IP protocol (such as the Internet or an intranet).

Fuser Unit 

The part of a laser printer that melts the toner onto the print media. It consists of a hot roller and a back-up roller. After 
toner is transferred onto the paper, the fuser unit applies heat and pressure to ensure that the toner stays on the paper 
permanently, which is why paper is warm when it comes out of a laser printer.

Gateway

A connection between computer networks, or between a computer network and a telephone line. It is very popular, as 
it is a computer or a network that allows access to another computer or network.

Grayscale

A shades of gray that represent light and dark portions of an image when color images are converted to grayscale; 
colors are represented by various shades of gray.

Halftone

An image type that simulates grayscale by varying the number of dots. Highly colored areas consist of a large number 
of dots, while lighter areas consist of a smaller number of dots.

HDD

Hard Disk Drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive or hard disk, is a non-volatile storage device which stores 
digitally-encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces.

IEEE

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an international non-profit, professional organization for 
the advancement of technology related to electricity.

IEEE 1284

The 1284 parallel port standard was developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The 
term "1284-B" refers to a specific connector type on the end of the parallel cable that attaches to the peripheral (for 
example, a printer). 

Intranet

A private network that uses Internet Protocols, network connectivity, and possibly the public telecommunication system 
to securely share part of an organization's information or operations with its employees. Sometimes the term refers 
only to the most visible service, the internal website.

IP address

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique number that devices use in order to identify and communicate with each 
other on a network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard.