Glossary

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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

This glossary defines terms that are used in the HP Media Vault.

- A -

all-in-one-gateway

A device that provides multiple network features such as a router, modem, local area network (LAN) switch, firewall, and/or a wireless access point. Also see Local area network (LAN).

anti-virus software

Software that checks a hard drive for viruses (harmful computer code) that may infect a computer.

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- B -

browser window

A browser window is used to display web pages either on a web site or stored locally such as the HP Media Vault User's Guide.

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- C -

client computers

A client computer is a personal computer (PC) that accesses the HP Media Vault by the home network. This term also applies to computers using remote access to the server. Also known as the user’s computer.

Common Internet File System (CIFS)

A protocol for how a computer requests files from other computers on the network. This is the public version of the Server Message Block Protocol by IBM and modified by Microsoft. Also see protocol.

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- D -

Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)

An alliance of leading companies in consumer electronics. Its purpose is to create industry standards that will allow products from all companies to be compatible with each other and to enable a network of electronic devices in the home.

Digital Media Adapter (DMA), Digital Media Receiver (DMR), Digital Media Player (DMP)

A consumer electronic device that communicates with the HP Media Vault and brings digital media streams—such as photos, music, or video—to your entertainment center.

digital rights management

Technology built into digital media, such as music and movies, that allows companies in charge of their copyrights to decide how and where media can be used.

domain name

A unique name combined with a top level domain (TLD), such as .com or .org, also called a "domain extension," makes up the Internet domain name. For example, hp.com is the Internet domain name for Hewlett-Packard.

Domain Name System (DNS)

A server that associates network names with IP addresses. Also see IP address.

domain extension

A domain extension is an optional part of a network name used to logically divide a large network into smaller networks.

drive partition

A logical division of a hard disk that create the appearance of having separate hard drives for file management, multiple users, or other purposes.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

The protocol used to assign IP addresses to network devices, such as computers. DHCP automatically assigns IP addresses to network devices; the assigned address can change over time. Also see IP address, protocol, and static IP address.

Dynamic IP address

A temporary numeric identification assigned to a node in a TCP/IP network. When computers and devices in the network are turned on, they are assigned an IP address by a DHCP server. Internet service providers typically assign dynamic IP addresses to the Internet connections of their residential and small business customers. Consequently, the IP address to the outside world in a cable or DSL modem may change every month, every day, or even every hour.

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- E -

Ethernet

The standard local area network (LAN) access method for connecting devices to a company or home network as well as to a cable modem or DSL modem for Internet access.

Ethernet Switch

A networking device that connects multiple computers within a Local Area Network (LAN). Switches are similar to hubs, but are more intelligent. Unlike hubs, switches are capable of inspecting data packets as they are received, determining the source and destination computer of that packet, and forwarding it appropriately. By delivering each message only to the computer it was intended for, a switch conserves network bandwidth and generally offers better performance than a hub. Also called a network switch.

Expansion Bay

A slot for adding hard drive storage space to your HP Media Vault.

ext3

A computer file system used in the Linux operating system. HP Media Vault uses the ext3 file system.

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- F -

FAT32

The 32-bit version of the "File Allocation Table" file system developed by Microsoft, common to older versions of the Windows operating systems. Also see NTFS (New Technology File System).

file system

A way for files to be organized and stored in a computer. Some examples of file systems are FAT32, and NTFS (New Technology File System).

files and settings transfer wizard

A feature in the Windows XP. The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard can transfer files, folders, and settings for Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in addition to desktop and display settings, dial-up connections, and other types of settings to a file on your server. On the new computer, you access this file stored on your server and transfer the settings and files to your new computer.

firewall

The primary method for securing computers from intruders by allowing or blocking traffic into and out of a private network or the user's computer.

full access

Users have access to all shared folders and drives on a network.

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- G -

gateway server

A network device that connects one network to another network.

Gigabytes (GB)

Equal to 1,000 Megabytes.

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- H -

HTTP Access

Allows you to access folders and files on your server in a browser window.

HTTPS

A secure HTTP connection. HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) is the format used to transfer and send web page information across networks, on the Internet, and in help systems. HTTPS is an HTTP connection over encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) transport mechanism. Also see protocol.

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

The format used to transfer and send web page information across networks, on the internet, and in help systems. Also see protocol.

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- I -

IP address

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a number that uniquely identifies devices, such as computers, on a network.

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- J -

No terms begin with the letter J.

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- K -

No terms begin with the letter K.

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- L -

Linux

An operating system based on UNIX.

Local area network (LAN)

A small number of computers that are connected together in a small area, usually in the same building.

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- M -

map

Assigning a drive letter to the connection on a computer to access a shared folder on the server.

Mbps

Megabits per second.

Media Access Control (MAC) Address

A unique number assigned by the manufacturer to all devices, such as computers, that can connect to a network. Also known as a physical address.

media streaming

Media streaming sends media—music, photos and video files—from the server to other devices that can play the media. The HP Media Vault includes functionality that allows media to stream to a Digital Media Adapter (DMA). Also see Digital Media Adapter (DMA), Digital Media Receiver (DMR), Digital Media Player (DMP).

mirror, mirrored

The automatic copying of data on two separate physical disks that creates two separate copies of the same material. If one disk fails, a copy of the material will be available on the other disk.

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- N -

NAT (Network Address Translation)

Broadband routers use NAT technology to allow network components to share Internet access over a single IP address. Additionally, NAT acts like a firewall because the computers and other devices—including the HP Media Vault—on the network are given IP address that are non-routable (non-internet addresses). This masks the real IP addresses of your network components and keeps them from being seen outside the home. Also see IP address.

network address

A numeric value that uniquely identifies a device on a network.

network computer

A computer that is connected to other computers, creating a network.

no access

A setting that does not allow a user to access files and folders on the shared network.

non-mirrored

A non-mirrored share is stored on a single hard drive. The HP Media Vault does not automatically maintain a copy of these files on a second hard drive.

NTFS (New Technology File System)

Current standard file system for Windows. NTFS replaced Microsoft's previous FAT32 file system, and improves performance, reliability, disk space, and security. Also see FAT32.

NTP server

NTP stands for Network Time Protocol, which allows the server to update its internal date and time automatically.

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- 0 -

No terms begin with the letter O.

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-  P -

partition

A logical division of a physical hard disk. A partition divides a physical disk into separate units, which can be formatted independently.

personal domain

A personal domain is a Web address. It allows you to access your HP Media Vault and HP Photo Webshare from the Internet. For instance, if you registered MyFamily.hpshare.net for your HP Media Vault, you would use this address to connect to your server using remote access. Additionally, this address is part of the URL for accessing an album on your Photo Webshare.

physical hard disk

The actual hard disk (hard drive) located in a device that stores files and data.

port 443

A secure port number required for HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer, or HTTP over SSL). SSL uses a 40-bit key size for the encryption algorithm, which is considered an adequate degree of encryption for commercial exchange such as banking transactions and retail commerce.

port forwarding

privilege level

A level assigned by the user that decides what access levels are available to other users.

protocol

The standard(s) of how computers communicate data with each other.

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- Q -

No terms begin with the letter Q.

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- R -

RAID, RAID-1

RAID stands for redundant array of independent disks. RAID is a system which uses multiple hard drives to share or replicate data among the drives. RAID-1 creates an exact copy or mirror of a set of data on two or more disks. Also see mirror, mirrored.

read only

A setting that does not allow the user to write data. The user is only able to read information.

redundant

Duplication of files on a mirrored system. Also see mirror, mirrored.

router

A device connected to your computer that joins two or more networks. For example, a router connects your local network to the internet.

Run Box

In Windows Vista and Windows XP, press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Alternately, go to the Windows Start menu and select Run. The Run box provides a place to type the location and file name of a program you want to run. Click Browse if you are not sure of the program's location or file name.

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- S -

Serial ATA (SATA)

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment is an interface standard that moves information to and from a storage device, such as a hard disk.

shared folders

A “shared folder” means the same as a “share,” and you can use these terms interchangeably: A shared folder is a top-level folder that is shared on the network and can store other folders within it. For example, the Music shared folder can store other folders (called sub-folders). A subfolder might be named for a musician, such as Mark Knopfler. Shared folders are sometimes called Shares.

static IP address

A number assigned to a device, such as a computer, on a network to be its permanent IP address. Also see IP address and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

sub-folders

A folder within a folder or a shared folder.

subnet mask

Identifies the portion of the network IP address that can be used for subnetworks. Also see IP address.

switch

See Ethernet Switch.

system drive

The hard drive (or drive partition) containing the operating system.

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- T -

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

A set of communications protocols used to transmit data over networks. TCP provides for the establishment of connections and exchanges streams of data. IP specifies the format of the data. Also see IP Address. TCP/IPv4 is the standard protocol in use today. TCP/IPv6 is the standard protocol used by Windows Vista. IPv6 main advantage is the increase in number of available addresses. Also see IP address.

TCP/IPv4

TCP/IPv4 is the standard TCP/IP protocol in use today.

terabyte (TB)

Refers to a data storage capacity equal to approximately 1000 gigabytes.

tray

The plastic support for a hard drive in the HP Media Vault. The tray fits into the expansion bay. Also see Expansion Bay.

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- U -

Uniform Naming Convention (UNC)

UNC identifies shared network devices, such as the HP Media Vault Premier. It is a format for specifying the location of resources on a local-area network (LAN). It identifies each shared resource with a unique address in the following format: \\server-name\sharedfolder-name. For example, \\HPMediaVault\Documents. Also see Local area network (LAN).

UPnP (Universal Plug and Play)

makes home networking simple by providing compatibility among networking equipment, software, and peripheral devices. UPnP works with wired and wireless networks, on any operating system, to minimize network configuration. UPnP is the protocol used by media streaming. Also see protocol.

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- V -

version

One copy of a file. A version is created when a file is modified and the original copy is kept. When configuring the backup option, the NTI Shadow software allows you to save multiple versions of a file. The backup versions would be named as follows: mydocument(00).doc (the initial version), mydocument(01).doc (the first version), and so on.

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- W -

web browser

An application used to access information on networks, on the internet, and in help systems. Common web browsers include Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, and Safari.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

A technology that allows for increased security with wireless networks.

WINS server

WINS (Windows Internet Naming Service) is a server that converts NetBIOS network names to IP addresses. Also see IP address.

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

A device, such as a wireless router, that connects wireless communication devices together to form a wireless network. A WAP often connects to a wired network, and can relay data between wireless devices and wired devices.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

A protocol that encrypts data on a wireless system for security.

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- X -

No terms begin with the letter X.

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- Y -

No terms begin with the letter Y.

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- Z -

No terms begin with the letter Z.