XBOX MN-740 User Manual - page 30
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Microsoft Broadband Networking Xbox Wireless Adapter User’s Guide
MAC address
Acronym for “media access control” address. Each
network adapter and other network hardware device
is manufactured with its own unique MAC address.
Networking standards and technologies use MAC
addresses to pass information between network
devices.
Mbps
Acronym for “media access control” address. See
BSSID.
NAT
Acronym for “network address translation.” NAT is a
router feature and software feature that allows all of the
computers on a network to access the Internet through
one Internet Protocol (IP) address, and helps ensure
the computers’ security by hiding their individual IP
addresses.
network
A group of computers and associated devices that are
connected by communications paths. Networks can
interconnect with other networks and contain sub-
networks. A network can be permanent or temporary,
small or large, and connect with cables and/or
wirelessly.
network adapter
A computer circuit board, card, or other device used to
provide network access from a computer to other parts
of the network – for example, to another computer, a
printer, or a base station (gateway or router). Adapters
can be installed inside a computer, inserted into
a computer’s expansion slots, or connected to a
computer’s ports.
NIC
Acronym for “Network Interface Card.” A circuit board,
expansion card, or other device used to provide network
access to a computer or other network component,
such as a printer. Network interface cards do the actual
sending and receiving of data.
port
This term has several meanings: (1) A physical
connection through which data is transferred between a
computer and another computer, a network, and other
devices (such as a monitor, modem, or printer). (2) A
software channel for network communications. When a
client computer communicates through a network with
a server, it sends its request over a certain numbered
channel, called a “port.”