Technologies Cheat Sheet

for Recruiters
Area of Expertise: Front End and UX

Technical Role Skills Needed

.NET Developer ASP, ASP .NET, C#, VB.NET

Cocoa Apple, Apple script, Cocoa, Cocoa Touch, iOS, Objective-C,

Developer/OSX Objective C++, OS X, Xcode
Developer

Flash Developer ActionScript, Flash

ActionScript, Ajax, ASP, CoffeeScript, CSS, Flash, HTML,

Front End Developer
HTML5, JavaScript, JQuery

Interactive Developer Ajax, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, PHP, XHTML

Rails Developer Ruby, Ruby-HTML, Ruby on Rails

Ajax, ASP .NET, C# , CSS, HTML, JavaScript, SharePoint, SQL,

Windows Server, VB.NET,
SharePoint Developer
XML, XSL

Windows Developer ASP, C, C#, C++, .NET, Windows

Area of Expertise: Back End

Technical Role Skills Needed

Back End Developer C#, Java, PHP, Python, Ruby
Business-intelligence, BI, C, C++, C#, Cognos, ETL, Java,
jQuery, Objective-C, R, SQL,
Business Intelligence
SAS, SSAS, SSIS, SSRS, Visual Basic, SAPUI5 - CSS, CSS3,
Analyst
HTML5, Javascript, OData

Dynpro - ABAP, Dynpro

Data Engineer C, C++, Cassandra, HBase, HDFS, Java, Puppet, Ruby, Scala
Data Mining Perl, Python
AWK, Debian, Emacs Fedora, Linux, Linux-kernel, RHEL,
Unix, vi, vim
Linux/Unix Proficient
Developers Shell Scripting: Bourne Shell, Bash, Korn, C Shell

Scripting: PHP, Python, Perl

Machine Learning/
Java, Perl, Python, R, Weka
Recommender Engines
ASP, .NET, SQL
Oracle Developer
Databases: MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, RDBMS
SAP Developer ABAP, C++, COBOL, ERP, mySAP, Netweaver, Java, SAP
Authentication/Authorization, Cloud, HTTP, Linux/Unix, SQL,
Site Reliability Engineer Network Design, Security, performance, and disaster
recovery, SSL, TCP/IP

(languages will vary by company)

 .NET, Agile, Ant, API, C++, Cassandra, CORS, CouchDB, Git,
HTTP, Java, Maven, Mongo, MySQL, MVC, Oracle, Perl, PHP,
Python, Redis, Ruby, SOA, SDK, Teradata, Unit-testing,
Software Architect Websocket

(Vary by company, search on languages,

frameworks, APIs, tools, databases, etc.)

Area of Expertise: Big Data

Technical Role Skills Needed

Cassandra, Cloud Computing, Hadoop, HBase, MapReduce,
Big Data Engineers
Mongo
Data Engineer C, C++, Cassandra, HBase, HDFS, Java, Puppet, Ruby, Scala
Data Mining Perl, Python
Machine Learning/
Java, Perl, Python, R, Weka
Recommender Engines
ASP, .NET, SQL
Oracle Developer
Databases: MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, RDBMS
Platforms Infrastructure C, C++, Cassandra, HDFS, Go, HTTP, Java, MySQL

Area of Expertise: Mobile

Technical Role Skills Needed

All Mobile Development Multithreading, Event-handling, Memory-management
Android Developer C, C++, HTML5, Java, Linux
Blackberry Developer C, C++, Cascades, HTML5, Java, QT
iOS Developer C, Cocoa, HTML5, LUA, Objective-C
OS X Developer Cocoa, Cocoa Touch, Objective-C, Objective-C++, OS X,

Xcode
 Ajax, ASP, CoffeeScript, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, JQuery,
Web Developer
JRuby, PHP, Ruby, Ruby on Rails
Ruby on Rails Developer Ruby, Ruby-HTML, Ruby on Rails
Interactive Developer Ajax, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, PHP, XHTML
.NET Developer ASP, ASP .NET, C#, VB.NET

Area of Expertise: Quality Assurance

Technical Role Skills Needed

Scripts: Maven, Perl, Python, Shell, TCL
Build Release
Repository Tools: ClearCase, Git, Perforce, SVN
Engineer/Software
(Subversion) Languages: C++, OO languages
Release
Engineer/Gatekeeper Build tools: Aardvark, Ant, Gradle, Hudson, Jenkins, Make,
Mave

Frontend Languages, Backend Languages

Frameworks, and skills mentioned below in a
tabular format

↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
Front-end developers

A front-end developer is responsible for the client-facing side of the product, whether that be a
website, a mobile app, or the user interface of non-public software. They have to be able to
communicate with both technical and non-technical departments within their organization,
particularly product and design. Their titles will typically be something like Front End
Software Engineer or Developer, UI/UX Engineer, or JavaScript Developer.

Soft skills to look for in front-end developers include:

  The ability to translate technical info into non-technical language
 Sensitivity to the needs of the end-user
 Good attention to detail
 Committed to professional development
 The ability to work as part of a team
Back-end developers

A back-end developer creates the foundation for software and web applications that is
invisible to the end user. They’re responsible for the essential background operations of a
product like storage and retrieval of data, application architecture and infrastructure, and the
scalability of the product. Their titles will typically be something like
Python/C/C++/C#/Java Developer, Member of Technical Staff, or Machine
Learning Engineer.

So what soft skills do these developers need?

 Problem-solving
 Adaptability
 Good communication
 Accountability
 Good team player
 A fast learner, particularly when it comes to new tech

Full-stack developers

A full-stack developer performs both front-end and back-end functions and tends to specialize
in a few specific technologies. They will usually have more general titles to reflect their
broader skill set; if they aren’t referred to as a Full Stack Developer, then they’ll probably just
be called a Software Engineer or Developer.

They need soft skills like:

 Creative problem-solving
 Initiative
 Both tech and non-tech communication
 Good team working and collaboration
 A great multi-tasker with an all-round perspective
DevOps developers

DevOps specialists combine both development and operations. They’re responsible for
ensuring that products and updates are released quickly and efficiently by taking care of
things like cloud infrastructure, security, and continuous integration & deployment. Their
title might just be DevOps engineer, or it might be something more specialized like
Cloud Engineer or DevSecOps Engineer.

Soft skills they need include:

 Strong leadership
 The ability to collaborate
 Problem-solving
 Excellent communication
 A track record of strategic decision-making
 Driven and proactive
Web Technologies – Java

Java, EJB, RMI, Swing, CORBA, Serve lets, JSP, JDBC, Core Java, Struts
framework,Web sphere, Web logic, HTML, XML, Java script, J2EE, J2ME, DOT NET,
framework, LDAP, Internet Security, JVM, Pjava, MIPS, Tibco, Board Design, Ematrix,
XSL, XSLT

Web Technologies – Microsoft

VB.NET, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, VC++.NET, C#, COM, DCOM

Testing

Win runner, Load runner, Telecom Testing, White box testing, AIX testing ‘ Testcases,
Test director, Test Suite, Silk Test, Mercury Testing, rational Robo,

Quality

Professionals with knowledge of ISO9000, SEICMM Systems

Software

C/C++ on Unix/Linux, DSP, Chip level designing, Unix kernel architecture, file system,
memory management,RTOS,L2 support etc

Client Server
VB, VC++, COM, DCOM with RDBMS – Oracle, SQL, Sybase

Embedded Systems

RTOS, C on UNIX, Networking, Vx works, design and code reviews, QNX, Net
kernel,Psos, IRMK, Firmware, BIOS, Assembly, MPEG DVD, MP3, JPEG, Set Top
Box,DVB, Microprocessors, Microcontrollers, ADA, AVIONICS, D0178B, Industrial
Automation,

Mainframes

IBM Mainframe, AS/400, 0s/390, z/OS, OS/400,VAX/VMS’ Mainframe, COBOL, CICS,

MVS, DB2, IDMSX, IMS, Tandem, Natural ADABAS, Xpeditor, RPG, JCL
Networking

Networking S/W, UNIX System Admin., Windows NT Admin, TCP/IP, SPX, X25,
Network Management – SNMP, CMIP, NMS, LAN/WAN , ATM, MPLS, FR, ISDN,
Routing Protocols – BGP OSPF, RTP, RIP, IPV6, SONET, SDH

ERP / SAP

ERP and SAP Implementations of all modules, SAP-SD/MM/PP, FICO, ABAP4, Basis,
People Soft-HRM, finance Module, BAN, Oracle Manufacturing, CRM- Siebel /Clarify

TELECOM

Switching, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, 3G, Layer-C, RLC, RRC, NodeB, DSP, TDMA,
CDMA,WAP, SS7, ATM. FR, VOIP-SIGTRAN, MGCP, MEGACO, SIP, H.323, 245, TMN,
Signalling,
Bluetooth, GPS, Home Networking-JINI, HAVI. C,

UNIX

Device Drivers, X-Motif, Linux, Linux, /NT/VMS, Internalls, kernels, TCL/TK,

Multithreading, Socket programming, Storage Device (Iscsi, SCSI, SAN, Veritas, Volume
Manager, RAID, Fiber Channel, NAS)

VC++

DCOM, ATL, OOAD, XML, WDM, Vxd, WinSDK, WINCE, Palm OS, EPOC, WIN 32,API,
Device Drivers, X-Windows, Direct X, Active X, NET, C#.

HARDWARE

ASIC, VLSI, FPGA, Verilog, VHDL, XiLINK, Physical Design, CMOS, Design, IC Design,
Place & Route, Synthesis, EDA Tools, FPGA Design, Board Design, PCB Design,Circuit
Design, Mixed Signal, Analog Design

APPLICATION
Oracle 8i, 11i, Oracle DBA, SQL-DBA, PB, Delphi, Data Modeling, Data warehousing –
OLAP, ROLAP, Oracle DBA, VB, ASP, COM, DCOM, NET, C#, Oracle , PL/SQL,
Pro*C, D2K

CAD/CAM
CAD, CAE, CAM, Catia V4,V5, Pro-E, Uni graphics, Hyper mesh, IDEAS,
NASTRAN,ANSYS, Auto cad Tools, SQA, Quality, Testing / Implementation, Level
4 / Level 5 / ISO / Six Sigma /Technical writers, architects , Lotus Notes, System
Administrator, System Administrator, UNIX / LINUX, SUN SOLARIS

Brief Information about Technologies and

Abbreviations Web Technologies
Java
An object-oriented programming language that is platform independent
(thesame Java program runs on all hardware platforms without modification).
Developed by Sun, Java iswidely used on the Web for both client and
serverprocessing. Modeled after C++, Java added programming enhancements
such as "garbage collection," which automatically frees unused memory. It
was also designed to run in small amounts of memory. The first Web browsers
to run Java were Sun's HotJava and Netscape Navigator 2.0.

EJB

(Enterprise JavaBeans) A software component in Sun's J2EE platform, which

provides a pure Java environment for developing and running distributed
applications. EJBs are written as software modules that contain the business
logicof the application. They reside in and are executed in a runtime engine called an
"EJB Container," which provides a host of common interfaces and services to the
EJB, including security and transaction support. At the wire level, EJBs look like
CORBA components.

RMI

(Remote Method Invocation) A standard from Sun for distributed objects written inJava.
RMI is a remote procedure call (RPC), which allows Java objects (software components)
stored in the network to be run remotely. Unlike CORBA and DCOM objects, which can
be developed in different languages, RMI is designed for objectswritten only in Java.

SWING

A Java toolkit for developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It includes elements
such as menus, toolbars and dialog boxes. Swing is written in Java and is thus
platform independent, unlike the Java Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT), which
provides platform- specific code. Swing also has more sophisticated interface
capabilities than AWT and offers such features as
tabbed panes and the ability to change images on buttons. Swing is included in the
Java Foundation Classes (JFC)which are provided in the Java Developers Toolkit
(JDK).

COBRA

Common Object Request Broker Architecture) A software-based interface from

theObject Management Group (OMG) that allows software modules (objects) to
communicate with each other no matter where they are located on a private
networkor the global Internet. CORBA is a "distributed objects" system designed for
multi-tier, client/server applications, where processing data in one computer requires
additional processing by some other service in another computer in order to complete
the transaction. CORBA is also described as an "object bus" or "softwarebus."

SERVELETS

A Java application that runs in a Web server or application server and provides server-
side processing such as accessing a database and e-commerce transactions. Widely
used for Web processing, servlets are designed to handle HTTP requests (get, post,
etc.) and are the standard Java replacement for a variety of other methods, including
CGI scripts, Active Server Pages (ASPs) and proprietary C/C++ plug-ins for specific
Web servers (ISAPI, NSAPI).

JSP

(JavaServer Page) An extension to the Java servlet technology from Sunthat

allowsHTML to be combined with Java on the same page. The Java provides the
processing, and the HTML provides the page layout that will be rendered in the
Web browser

JDBC

(Java DataBase Connectivity) A programming interface that lets Java

applicationsaccess a database via the SQL language. Since Java interpreters (Java
Virtual Machines) are available for all major client platforms, this allows a
platform- independent database application to be written. In 1996, JDBC was the
first extension to the Java platform.

STRUTS

A framework for writing Web-based applications in Java that supports the Model-
View- Controller (MVC) architecture. Struts is deployed as JSP pages using
specialtags from the Struts tag library, which includes routines for building forms,
HTML rendering, storing and retrieving data and business
logic

WEB LOGIC

A software suite from BEA Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA (www.beasys.com) that is
used to deploy Web and SOA applications. The core product is BEA WebLogic
Server, a J2EE application server. BEA WebLogic Portal is an an enterprise portal
that offers advanced searching, and BEA WebLogic Integration provides tools for
transforming and routing data from multiple sources. BEA WebLogic Enterprise
isthe integrated development environment (IDE) for the WebLogic family

HTML

HyperText Markup Language) The document format used on the Web. Web pages
arebuilt with HTML tags (codes) embedded in the text. HTML defines the page layout,
fonts and graphic elements as well as the hypertext links to other documents on the Web.
Each link contains the URL, or address, of a Web page residing on the sameserver or
any server worldwide, hence "World Wide" Web.

XML

(EXtensible Markup Language) An open standard for describing data from the W3C.
It is used for defining data elements on a Web page and business- to-
businessdocuments. XML uses a similar tag structure as HTML;however, whereas
HTML defines how elements are displayed, XML defines what those elements
contain.
While HTML uses predefined tags, XML allows tags to be defined by the
developerof the page. Thus, virtually any data items, such as "product," "sales rep"
and "amount due," can be identified, allowing Web pages to function like database
records. By providing a common method for identifying data, XML supports
business-to-business transactions and has become "the" format for electronic data
interchange and Web services

J2EE

(Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) A platform from Sun for building distributed
enterprise applications. J2EE services are performed in the middle tier between the
user's machine and the enterprise's databases and legacy information systems. J2EE
comprises a specification, reference implementation and set of testing suites. Its core
component is Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), followed by JavaServer Pages (JSPs)
andJava servlets and a variety of interfaces for linking to the information resources in
theenterprise.
J2ME
(Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition) A version of Java 2 for cellphones, PDAs and
consumer appliances. J2ME uses the K Virtual Machine (KVM), a specialized Java
interpreter for devices with limited memory. The Connected Limited Device
Configuration (CLDC) provides the programming interface for wireless
applications.The Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) provides support for a
graphical interface, networking and storage.

DOT NET

(.NET) A comprehensive software development platform from Microsoft that was introduced
in 2000 as the company's next generation programming environment. Pronounced "dot- net,"
and widely known as the ".NET Framework," it was designedto compete with the Java J2EE
platform

LDAP

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) A protocol used to access a directory

listing.LDAP support is being implemented in Web browsers and e-mail
programs, which can query an LDAP-compliant directory. It is expected that LDAP
will provide a common method for searching e-mail addresses on the Internet,
eventually leadingto a global white pages. LDAP is a sibling protocol to HTTP and
FTP and uses the ldap:// prefix in its URL.

JVM

A Java interpreter. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is software that converts the
Java intermediate language (bytecode) into machine language and executes it. The
original JVM came from the JavaSoft division of Sun.
Subsequently, other vendors developed their own; for example, the Microsoft Virtual
Machine is Microsoft's Javainterpreter. A JVM is incorporated into a Web browser
in order to execute Java applets. A JVM is also installed in a Web server to execute
server-side Java programs. A JVM can also be installed in a client machine to run
stand-alone Java applications

PJAVA

A version of Java from Sun intended for PDAs and other handheld devices.
EmbeddedJava (EJava) is a counterpart set of technologies that provide support for
character-based displays or devices without displays rather than graphical
interfaces. PersonalJava (PJava) is intended for open systems that require Web
browsing, and PJava includes applet support. EJava is intended
for closed systemsthat have severe restrictions on memory.

MIPS
(Million Instructions Per Second) The execution speed of a computer. For
example, .5MIPS is 500,000 instructions per second; 100 MIPS is a hundred million
instructionsper second. MIPS was a popular rating before computers reached
gigahertz speeds, but MIPS rates were never uniform. Some were best-case mixes
while others wereaverages. In addition, it takes more instructions in one machine to
do the same thing as another (RISC vs. CISC, mainframe vs. PC). As a result, MIPS
has been called "MisInformation to Promote Sales" as well as "Meaningless
Interpretation of Processor Speed."
XSL

(eXtensible Stylesheet Language) A standard from the W3C for describing a style
sheet for XML documents. It is the XML counterpart to the Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS) in HTML and is compatible with CSS2. XSL is made up of three
components:
(1) XSL Transformations (XSLT) is the processing language for XSL. It is used to
convert XML documents into HTML or other document types and may be used
independently of XSL. (2) XML Path Language (Xpath) is used to identify and
selecttagged elements within an XML document, and (3) XSL Formatting Objects
(XSL FO) provides the format vocabulary

XSLT

(eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation) Software that converts an XML

document into another format such as HTML, PDF or text. It may also be used to
convert one XML document to another XML document with a different set of
XMLtags (different schema).

VB.NET

(Visual Basic .NET) An object-oriented programming language from Microsoft. It is

the .NET version of the Visual Basic (VB) programming language. Like all
.NET languages, VB.NET uses the Common Language Runtime (CLR) for
program execution. VB.NET is substantially different from traditional Visual
Basic, which hasbeen the most popular language for developing Windows
applications

ASP

Application Service Provider) An organization that hosts software applications

onits own servers within its own facilities. Customers rent the use of the
application and access it over the Internet or via a private line connection. Also
called a "commercial service provider." The Web browser, acting as a universal
client interface, has fueled this "on- demand software" market.
 ASP.NET

ASP.NET, also known as ASP+, is an enhanced version of ASP for the .NET platform. It
supports executable programs compiled from C#, C++ and other languages and is not
backward compatible with regular ASP code.
ASP.NET pagesare always compiled rather than interpreted as are ASP pages

ADO

(ActiveX Data Objects) A programming interface from Microsoft that is designed

as"the" Microsoft standard for data access. First used with Internet Information
Server,ADO is a set of COM objects that provides an
interface to OLE DB. The three primary objects are Connection, Command and
Recordset. The Connection object establishes a connection with a particular database
management system (DBMS) or other data source. It can also send a query to the
database. The Command object is an alternate way of sending a query to the
database, and the Recordset object contains the resulting answer,
which is a group of records

ADO.NET

ADO.NET is the .NET version of ADO, which is substantially different from ADO.
It
supports XML documents and relies on .NET Data Providers as an interface layerbetween the
application and the databases.

TESTING WINRUNNER

Comprehensive automated application testing software for Windows from

MercuryInteractive Corporation, Mountain View, CA (www.mercury.com/us). It lets
users compare expected and actual outcomes and provides wizards for automatically
setting up tests.
WinRunner also records user interactions and turns them into a script.

LOADRUNNER
A load testing tool from Mercury Interactive Corporation, Mountain View, CA
(www.merc- int.com). It simulates thousands of users interacting online in order
totest how well a system stands up under a heavy load.

C#
(C Sharp) An object-oriented programming language from Microsoft and ECMA
thatis based on C++ with elements from Visual Basic and Java. Like Java, C#
provides automatic garbage collection, whereas traditional C and C++ do not. C#
was created by Microsoft and also standardized by the European Computer
Manufacturers Association (ECMA). Microsoft designed C# as its flagship
programming language for the .NET environment.

SYSTEMS SOFTWARE C++

An object-oriented version of C that has been widely used to develop enterprise and
commercial applications. Created by Bjarne Stroustrup, C++ became popular becauseit
combined traditional C programming with object-oriented programming (OOP) features.
Smalltalk and other OOP languages did not provide the familiar structures of
conventional languages such as C and Pascal. Microsoft's Visual C++ is the most widely
used C++ language

UNIX

A multiuser, multitasking operating system that is widely used as the master

controlprogram in workstations and servers. The Open Group holds the trademark for
the UNIX name (spelled in upper case) on behalf of the industry and provides
compliancecertification to the UNIX standard

LINUX

Linux is the most popular open source operating system. Its source code is available
free of charge; however, for a fee, Linux is distributed with technical support and
training from commercial vendors such as Red Hat Software (www.redhat.com) and
Novell (www.novell.com). A Linux "distribution" is available as a download or on
CDor DVD media, which may comprise from a handful to several hundred
applications,tools and utilities. Source code for the Linux kernel as well as the auxiliary
programs may also be included
DSP

Digital Signal Processing) A category of techniques that analyze signals from

sources such as sound, weather satellites and earthquake monitors. Signals
areconverted into digital data and analyzed using various algorithms such as
FastFourier Transform.

(Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal

processingapplications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction
sequences,such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in
math- intensive signal processing. DSP chips are widely used in a myriad of devices,
including cellphones, sound cards, fax machines, modems, hard disks and digital
TVs. The first DSP chip used in a commercial product was believed to be in the verypopular
Speak & Spell game, introduced by TI in the late 1970s

CLIIENT SERVER COM

Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer.

ACOM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via
tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. The leading vendor of COM
machines is Anacomp, Inc., San Diego, CA (www.anacomp.com).
Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer.
ACOM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via
tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. The leading vendor of COM
machines is Anacomp, Inc., San Diego, CA (www.anacomp.com).

DCOM

Distributed Component Object Model) Formerly Network OLE, it is Microsoft's

technology for distributed objects. DCOM is based on COM, Microsoft's
componentsoftware architecture, which defines the object interfaces. DCOM defines
the remoteprocedure call that allows those objects to be run remotely over the
network. DCOM began shipping with Windows NT 4.0 and is Microsoft's counterpart
to CORBA.

DBMS

(DataBase Management System) Software that controls the organization,

storage,retrieval, security and integrity of data in a database. It accepts requests
from the application and instructs the operating system to transfer the appropriate
data. Themajor DBMS vendors are Oracle, IBM, Microsoft and Sybase. MySQL is
a very popular open source product

ORACLE

(Oracle Corporation, Redwood Shores, CA, www.oracle.com) The world's

largestdatabase and application software vendor founded in 1977 by Larry Ellison. The
Oracle database was the first DBMS to incorporate the SQL language and to be ported to
a wide variety of platforms. Oracle also offers a variety of development tools.

In the mid-1990s, Oracle was a major promoter of the network computer, forming subsidiary
Network Computer, Inc. to define the specifications for the platform.
After the turn of the century, the company greatly enhanced its application offeringsby
acquiring PeopleSoft in 2004 and Siebel Systems in 2005
 SQL

Structured Query Language) Pronounced "S-Q-L" or "see-quill," a language

usedto interrogate and process data in a relational database. Originally developed
byIBM for its mainframes, all database systems designed for client/server
environments support SQL. SQL commands can be used to interactively work witha
database or can be embedded within a programming language to interface to a
database. Programming extensions to SQL have turned it into a full-blown database
programming language, and all major database management systems(DBMSs)
support the language.

SYBASE

Sybase Inc., Dublin, CA, www.sybase.com) A software company founded in 1984

that specializes in enterprise infrastructure and integration of platforms, databases
andapplications. It was originally known for its SQL Server relational DBMS, but
expanded its line in 1995 when it acquired Powersoft, makers of the PowerBuilder
application development software. Sybase product families include databases,
development tools, integration middleware, enterprise portals and mobile and
wireless servers.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

RTOS

(RealTime Operating System) An operating system designed for use in a realtimecomputer

system

(RTOs) (RealTime Operations) Procedures within an organization that enable

information to be distributed to all parties in realtime. It implies that day-to- day
activities are integrated with existing information systems so that vital up- to-
dateinformation is always available to management, employees and the public as
required.

Vx WORKS

A popular realtime operating system for embedded systems from Wind River, Alameda,
CA (www.windriver.com). It is used to control a wide variety of products, including
network and telecom devices, test and measurement equipment, computerperipherals
and consumer products. It is also used in the automotive and aerospace industries for
engine control and avionics. Available for a large number of CPU types,applications are
created in Wind River's Tornado development environment.
 FIRMWARE

A category of memory chips that hold their content without electrical power.
Firmwareincludes flash, ROM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM technologies. When
holding program instructions, firmware can be thought of as "hard software."

BIOS

Basic Input Output System) An essential set of routines stored in a chip that
provides an interface between the operating system and the hardware in a PC. The
BIOS supports all peripheral technologies including drives as well as internal
services such as the realtime clock (time and date). BIOS settings are maintained
ina tiny battery-backed memory

QNX

A multiuser, multitasking, realtime operating system for PCs from QNX Software
Systems, Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario (www.qnx.com), that is noted for its low-memory
requirement and rapid response. Similar to Unix, it has been in use since the early
1980s

MPEG

Moving Pictures Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing digital video.
Pronounced "em-peg," it is the universal standard for digital terrestrial, cable and
satellite TV, DVDs and digital video recorders (DVRs).

MPEG uses lossy compression within each frame similar to JPEG, which means
pixels from the original images are permanently discarded. It also uses
interframecoding, which further compresses the data by encoding only the
differences between periodic frames.
MPEG performs the actual compression using the discrete cosine transform (DCT)method.

MPEG is an asymmetrical system. It takes longer to compress the video than it does
to decompress it in the DVD player, PC, set-top box or digital TV set. As a result, in
the early days, compression was perfomed only in the studio. As chips advanced
andbecame less costly, they enabled digital video recorders, such as Tivos, to convert
analog TV to MPEG and record it on disk in realtime.

JPEG

(Joint Photographic Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing still images.
Pronounced "jay-peg," the JPEG format is very popular due to its
variable compression range. JPEGs are saved on a sliding resolution scale based on
the quality desired. For example, an image can be saved in high quality for photo
printing, in medium quality for the Web and in low quality
for attaching to e-mails,the latter providing the smallest file size for fastest
transmission over dial-up connections.

SET TOP BOX

The cable TV box that "sits on top" of the TV set. It descrambles the premium channels
and provides a tuner for the higher cable numbers that very old TVs did notsupport.
Originally only analog, digital set-top boxes have become widely used for digital
services that offer an on-screen program guide. Digital set-top boxes that provide high-
definition TV (HDTV) are the latest version.

With satellite TV, a device similar to the set-top box decodes signals for viewing.
However, although some call it a "satellite set-top box," it is officially known as a
"satellite TV receiver."
DVB

(Digital Video Broadcasting) An international digital television (DTV) standard that

isthe European and Far Eastern counterpart of the North American ATSC standard.
Administered by the DVB Project within the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI), DVB uses MPEG-2 for video compression and MPEG-
2and Dolby Digital for audio.

MICROPROCESSORS

A central processing unit (CPU) contained within a single chip. Today, all
computerCPUs are microprocessors. The term originated in the 1970s when CPUs up
until that time were all comprised of several chips. Thus, when the
entire CPU (processor) was miniaturizedonto a single chip, the term "micro"
processor was coined. Since the turn of the century, the semiconductor manufacturing
process has become so sophisticated that not only one, but two or more CPUs, are
built on a single chip

MICROCONTROLLER

A single chip that contains the processor (the CPU), non-volatile memory for
theprogram (ROM or flash), volatile memory for input and output (RAM), a clock
andan I/O control unit. Also called a "computer on a chip," billions of microcontroller
units (MCUs) are embedded each year in a myriad of products from toys to
appliances to automobiles. For example, a single vehicle can use 70 or more
microcontrollers.

Microcontrollers come in all sizes and architectures, with the smaller,

commoditychips costing as little as 50 cents in quantities of 10,000.

ADA

A high-level programming language developed by the U.S. Department of

Defensealong with the European Economic Community and many other
organizations. It was designed for embedded applications and process control but is
also used for logistics applications. Ada is a Pascal-based language that is very
comprehensive.

Ada was named after Augusta Ada Byron (1815-1852), Countess of Lovelace and
daughter of the poet Lord Byron and mathematician Annabella Milbanke Byron. Ada
also became a mathematician and was the colleague of Charles Babbage, who was
developing his Analytical Engine. Some of her programming notes for the machine
have survived, giving her the distinction of being the first documented programmer
inthe world

MAINFRAMES

AS/400
(Application System/400) The earlier generation and original name of IBM's iSeries and
i5
families of midrange business computers. Introduced in 1988, the AS/400 evolved
intothe iSeries in 2000 and the i5 in 2004. When first introduced, the AS/400 was
considered a "minicomputer."

OS/390
The primary operating system used in IBM mainframes. OS/390 was originally the
MVS/ESA operating system renamed and repackaged in 1996 with an extensiveset
of utilities. Although the name MVS is still used to refer to the base control program
of OS/390, enhancements in usability and workload balancing have made OS/390
stand apart from its MVS heritage.
OS/390 is upward compatible from MVS/ESA 5.2.2, but downward compatibility is
not ensured.

z/OS

A mission critical mainframe operating system that extends OS/390 to IBM's

zSerieseServers. Although in its first release there are few functional enhancements
compared to OS/390 Version 2 Release 10, many more are
expected. z/OS, Version 1 Release 1 runs on G5 and G6 Parallel Enterprise Servers,
Multiprise 3000 Servers and supports 64-bit real memory addressing on the z900 (64-
bit virtual storage is expected). On the G5 and G6, z/OS uses 31-bit addressing and
is somewhat restricted. When IBM introduced its zSeries 800 in 2002 for the mid-size
market, it introduced a lower-priced
version of z/OS known as "z/OS.e."

OS/400

The operating system for the iSeries family of midrange computers from IBM.
Introduced in 1988 for the AS/400 (renamed iSeries in 2000), the OS/400
communicates with the hardware through the Licensed Internal Code (LIC) layer,
which includes the device drivers. In 2004, OS/400 was renamed i5/OS to coincide
with the eServer i5 models introduced in that same year

VAX

(Virtual Address eXtension) A venerable family of 32-bit computers from HP (via Digital
and Compaq) introduced in 1977 with the VAX-11/780. VAX models ranged from
desktop units to mainframes all running the same VMS operating system, and VAXes
could emulate PDP models (Digital's first computers). Large VAX multiprocessing
clusters served thousands of users.

COBOL

(COmmon Business Oriented Language) A high-level programming language that

has been the primary business application language on mainframes and minis. It is
acompiled language and was one of the first
high-level languages developed. Officially adopted in 1960, COBOL stemmed from
FLOWMATIC, a language developed in the mid-1950s by Grace Murray Hopper (later
Rear Admiral Hopper)for the UNIVAC I.

COBOL is a very wordy language. Although mathematical expressions can also be

written like other programming languages (see example below), its verbose mode is very
readable for a novice. For example, multiply hourly-rate by hours- worked giving
gross- pay is self- explanatory

CICS

(Customer Information Control System) A TP monitor from IBM that was

originallydeveloped to provide transaction processing for IBM mainframes. It controls
the interaction between applications and users and lets programmers develop screen
displays without detailed knowledge of the terminals used. It provides terminal routing,
password security, transaction logging for error recovery and activity journals for
performance analysis.

CICS has also been made available on non-mainframe platforms including the RS/6000,
AS/400 and OS/2-based PCs.

CICS commands are written along with and into the source code of the
applications,typically COBOL, although assembly language, PL/I and RPG are also used.
CICS implements SNA layers 4, 5 and 6.

MVS

(Multiple Virtual Storage) Introduced in 1974, the primary operating system used
with IBM mainframes (the others are VM and DOS/VSE). MVS is a batch
processing-oriented operating system that manages large amounts of memory
anddisk space. Online operations are provided with CICS, TSO and other system
software.

DB2

(DATABASE 2) A relational DBMS from IBM that was originally developed for its
mainframes. It is a full-featured SQL language DBMS that has become IBM's major
database product. Known for its industrial strength reliability, IBM has made
DB/2available for all of its own platforms, including OS/2, OS/400, AIX (RS/6000) and
OS/390, as well as for Solaris on Sun systems and HP-UX on HP 9000
workstationsand servers

IDMSX

(Integrated Data Management System EXtended) A database management system

(DBMS) from Fujitsu Services, formerly ICL, that is widely used on its VME
mainframes. It supports journaling, recovery and locking options. A single
IDMSXdatabase can contain up to a terabyte of data

IMS
Information Management System) An early IBM hierarchical DBMS for IBM
mainframes. IMS was widely implemented throughout the 1970s under MVS and
continues to be used under z/OS. IMS/DB (IMS/DataBase) is the back end database
part, and either IMS/TM (IMS/Transaction Manager) or CICS provides the front
endonline interaction.

IMS/TM, formerly IMS/DC (IMS/Data Communications), runs each transaction in

its own address space and allows for more precise tuning than CICS, which runs
alltransactions in a region. IMS/TM is also used to
access DB2 databases, and Java applications can access IMS databases

TANDEM

(Tandem Computers Inc., Cupertino, CA) A former major manufacturer of fault-

tolerant computers founded in 1974 by James Treybig and provider of the early
21stcentury technology for HP's enterprise computing strategy. Tandem was the first
company to address the transaction processing (OLTP) market for online reservations
and financial transfers by providing computers
designed from the ground up for fault-tolerant operation. These computers are used in
all the major banks, stock exchanges, credit card companies and ATM machines in
the world.

Tandem's most significant product was its MIPS-based Himalaya series which ran
theNonStop Kernel operating system, compatible with Tandem's Guardian OS. This
platform lives on in the NonStop S-series servers from HP, which acquired Tandem's
technology via Compaq in 2002. Compaq had purchased Tandem in 1997

Xpeditor

A family of mainframe testing programs from Compuware. It provides the

programmerwith an assortment of debugging tools for TSO, IMS and other mainframe
applications

RPG

Report Program Generator) One of the first program generators designed for
businessreports, introduced in 1964 by IBM. In 1970, RPG II added enhancements that
made it a mainstay programming language for business applications on IBM's
System/3x midrange computers. RPG III and RPG IV added more enhancements and
have beenwidely used on the AS/400. RPGLE added the "Integrated Language
Environment (ILE)," which enables C, Java and other modules to be integrated into
the program.

Until RPGLE, all processing statements were written in strict columnar format.
Thefollowing RPGLE example changes Fahrenheit to Celsius. The A lines are Data
Description Specs (DDS) code. They define a display file and are compiled
separately

NETWORKING
WINDOWSNT

(Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86
CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows).
Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking
andpreemptive multitasking. Windows NT was introduced in 1993 as Version 3.1 withthe
same user interface as Windows 3.1. In 1996, Version 4.0 switched to the Windows 95
desktop and changed some of the dialogs

TCP/IP

(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) A communications protocol

developed under contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to internetwork
dissimilar systems. Invented by Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn, this
de facto Unix standard is the protocol of the Internet and the global standard for
communications.

SPX

(Sequenced Packet EXchange) The transport layer protocol in the NetWare

operatingsystem. Similar to the TCP layer in TCP/IP, it ensures that the entire
message arrives intact. SPX uses NetWare's IPX as its delivery mechanism.
Application programs use SPX to provide client/server and peer-to-peer interaction
between network nodes

SNMP

(Simple Network Management Protocol) A widely used network monitoring and

controlprotocol. Data are passed from SNMP agents, which are hardware and/or software
processes reporting activity in each network device (hub, router, bridge, etc.) to the
workstation console used to oversee the network. The agents return information
contained in a MIB (Management Information Base), which is a data structure that
defines what is obtainable from the device and what can be controlled (turned off,
on, etc.). Originating in the Unix community, SNMP has become widely used on
allmajor platforms.

CMIP

(Common Management Information Protocol) Pronounced "c-mip." A network

monitoring and control standard from ISO. CMOT (CMIP over TCP) is a version
thatruns on TCP/IP networks, and CMOL (CMIP over LLC) runs on IEEE 802 LANs
(Ethernet, Token Ring, etc.).

NMS

Also known as NMS, it is an SNMP-based network management software from

Novellfor monitoring and controlling NetWare networks. NMS was superseded by
ManageWise.

LAN

(Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a

confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically
running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. The "servers"
hold programs and data that are shared by the clients.
Servers come in a wide range
of sizes from Intel-based servers to mainframes. Printers can also be connected tothe
network and shared

WAN

(Wide Area Network) A long-distance communications network that covers a

widegeographic area, such as a state or country. The telephone companies deploy
WANsto service large regional areas or the entire nation. Large enterprises have
their own private WANs to link remote offices, or they use the Internet for
connectivity. The Internet, of course, is the world's largest WAN.

ATM

Asynchronous Transfer Mode) A network technology for both local and wide area
networks (LANs and WANs) that supports realtime voice and video as well as data.
The topology uses switches that establish a logical circuit from end to end, which
guarantees quality of service (QoS). However, unlike telephone switches that
dedicate circuits end to end, unused bandwidth in ATM's logical circuits can be
appropriated when needed. For example, idle bandwidth in a videoconference
circuitcan be used to transfer data.

ATM is widely used as a backbone technology in carrier networks and large enterprises,
but never became popular as a local network (LAN) topology (see below). ATM is highly
scalable and supports transmission speeds of 1.5, 25, 100, 155, 622, 2488 and 9953
Mbps. ATM is also running as slow as 9.6 Kbps
between ships at sea.An ATM switch can be added into the middle of a switch
fabric to enhance total capacity, and the new switch is automatically updated using ATM's
PNNI routing protocol.

MPLS

(MultiProtocol Label Switching) A standard from the IETF for including routing
information in the packets of an IP network. MPLS is used to ensure that all packetsin
a particular flow take the same route over a backbone. Deployed by many telcos and
service providers, MPLS can deliver the quality of service (QoS) required to support
realtime voice and video as well as service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee
bandwidth. Large enterprises may also use MPLS in their national networks.

Similar to Cisco's tag switching, an MPLS router attaches labels (tags) containing
forwarding information to outgoing IP packets. These "label edge routers" (LERs) sit at
the edge of the network and perform the complex packet analysis and
classificationbefore the packet enters the core of the network.
The routers within the core, known as "label switch routers" (LSRs), quickly examine the
label and forward the packet per its directions without having to
look up data in tables and compute the forwarding path each time. The edge
routers at the receiving end remove the labels.

ISDN

(Integrated Services Digital Network) An international standard for switched, digital

dial-up telephone service for voice and data. Analog telephones and fax machines are
used over ISDN lines, but their signals are converted into digital by the ISDN
terminaladapter (see below).

Although announced in the early 1980s, it took more than a decade before ISDN
became widely available. It enjoyed a surge of growth in the early days of the
Internet, because it provided the only higher-speed alternative to analog modems
inmany areas. Still working in many behind-the-scenes applications, ISDN is rarely
used for Internet access.

BGP

Border Gateway Protocol) A routing protocol that is used to span autonomous

systems on the Internet. It is a robust, sophisticated and scalable protocol that
wasdeveloped by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). BGP4 supports the
CIDR addressing scheme, which has increased the number of available IP
addresses on the Internet. BGP was designed to supersede EGP, the original
exterior gateway protocol. It is also known as a path vector protocol

RTP

(Rapid Transport Protocol) The protocol used in IBM's High Performance Routing(HPR)
system.

(Realtime Transport Protocol) An IP protocol that supports realtime transmission of

voice and video. It is widely used for IP telephony and audio and video streaming.
AnRTP packet rides on top of UDP, the non-reliable counterpart of TCP, and includes
timestamping and synchronization information in its header for proper reassembly at
the receiving end.

Secure RTP (SRTP) is a version of RTP that provides confidentiality andmessage

authentication.

RTCP
(Realtime Control Protocol): RTCP is a companion protocol to RTP that is
usedto maintain QoS. RTP nodesanalyze network conditions and
periodically send each other RTCP packets that report on network
congestion.
 RTSP
Realtime Streaming Protocol: RTSP is used to control an RTP session at the
application layer. It enables functions such as pause, rewind and fast
forward to be provided in the user's clientsoftware.

RIP

(Raster Image Processor) The hardware and/or software that rasterizes an image
fordisplay or printing. RIPs are designed to rasterize a specific type of data, such
as PostScript. As desktop computers became more powerful, software RIPs
became more appealing than specialized hardware RIPs.
Software can be upgraded moreeasily, and the operation is always speeded up by
installing a faster CPU.

(Routing Information Protocol) A simple routing protocol that is part of the TCP/IP
protocol suite. It determines a route based on the smallest hop count between
sourceand destination. RIP is a distance vector protocol that routinely broadcasts
routing information to its neighboring routers and is known to waste
bandwidth. It also has alimit of 15 hops. If a route is advertised as
having 16 hops, it is flagged as unreachable. AppleTalk, DECnet, TCP/IP, NetWare
and VINES all use incompatible versions of RIP.

(Remote Imaging Protocol) An earlier graphics format from TeleGrafix

Communications, designed for transmitting graphics over low-speed lines. Using a
communications program that supported RIP enabled graphical interfaces to be
usedon a BBS with respectable performance via modem.

IPv6

(Internet Protocol Version 6) The next generation IP protocol. Started in 1991, the
specification was completed in 1997 by the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF).IPv6 is backward compatible with and is designed to fix the shortcomings of
IPv4, such as data security and maximum number of user addresses.

IPv6 increases the address space from 32 to 128 bits, providing for an unlimited (for
all intents and purposes) number of networks and systems. It also supports quality
ofservice (QoS) parameters for realtime audio and video. Originally called "IP Next
Generation" (IPng), IPv6 is expected to slowly replace IPv4, with the two existing
side by side for many years.

IPv6 was officially deployed in July 2004 when ICANN added IPv6 records to its DNSroot
server for the .jp (Japan) and .kr (Korea) country codes.

SONET
(Synchronous Optical NETwork) A fiber-optic transmission system for high-
speeddigital traffic. Employed by telephone companies and common carriers,
speeds range from 51 Mbps to 40 Gbps.

SONET is an intelligent system that provides advanced network management and

astandard optical interface. Specified in the Broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) standard,
SONET backbones are widely used to aggregate T1 and T3 lines. The European
counterpart to SONET is the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy, and the term "SONET/SDH" is
widely used when referring to SONE

ERP / SAP

Enterprise Resource Planning) An integrated information system that serves all

departments within an enterprise. Evolving out of the manufacturing industry, ERP
implies the use of packaged software rather than proprietary software written by or for
one customer. ERP modules may be able to interface with an organization's own
software with varying degrees of effort, and, depending on the software, ERP modules
may be alterable via the vendor's proprietary tools as well as proprietary orstandard
programming languages.

PeopleSoft HRMS

(PeopleSoft, Inc., Pleasanton, CA, www.peoplesoft.com) A software company that

specializes in enterprise-wide applications for client/server environments. Initially
specializing in human resources, its package offerings today cover the gamut
including financial, distribution, manufacturing and supply chain, plus numerous
vertical markets. All major databases are supported. Its products are known for
theirmodularity as well as their ease
of modification and customization using the PeopleTools
development system.

TELECOM

GSM
(Global System for Mobile Communications) A digital cellular phone technology
based on TDMA that is the predominant system in Europe, but also used
worldwide.Developed in the 1980s, GSM was first deployed in seven European
countries in 1992. It operates in the 900MHz and 1.8GHz bands in Europe and the
1.9GHz PCS band in the U.S. Based on a circuit- switched system that divides each
200 kHz channel into eight 25 kHz time slots, GSM defines the entire cellular
system, not just the TDMA air interface.
 GPRS
General Packet Radio Service) An enhancement to the GSM mobile communications
system that supports data packets. GPRS enables continuous flows of IP data
packetsover the system for such applications as Web browsing and file transfer.
GPRS differs from GSM's short messaging service (GSM-SMS) which is limited
to messages of 160 bytes in length.
See GSM.

3G
(3rd Generation) The current generation of data transmission over a cellular network.In
CDMA networks such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint, EV-DO is the 3G service.
Cingular and other TDMA-based networks support the UMTS technology for 3G, and
GPRS is the 3G data service for Vodaphone and other GSM carriers.

UMTS

(Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) The European implementation of

the 3G wireless phone system. UMTS, which is part of IMT- 2000, provides servicein
the 2GHz band and offers global roaming and personalized features. Designed asan
evolutionary system for GSM network operators, multimedia data rates up to 2 Mbps
are expected using WCDMA. In the interim, GPRS and EDGE are 2.5G technologies
that speed up wireless data for GSM users.
DSP

(Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal

processingapplications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction
sequences,such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in
math- intensive signal processing. DSP chips are widely used in a myriad of devices,
including cellphones, sound cards, fax machines, modems, hard disks and
digitalTVs. The first DSP chip used in a commercial product was believed to be in
the very popular Speak & Spell game

TDMA

(Time Division Multiple Access) A satellite and cellular phone technology that
interleaves multiple digital signals onto a single high-speed channel. For cellular,
TDMA triples the capacity of the original analog method (FDMA). It divides each
channel into three subchannels providing service to three users instead of one. The
GSM cellular system is also based on TDMA, but GSM defines the entire
network,not just the air interface.

CDMA
(Code Division Multiple Access) A method for transmitting simultaneous signals
overa shared portion of the spectrum. The foremost application of CDMA is the digital
cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800MHz band and
1.9GHz PCS band. CDMA phones are noted for their call quality.

WAP

Wireless Application Protocol) A standard for providing cellular phones, pagers

andother handheld devices with secure access to e-mail and text-based Web pages.
Introduced in 1997 by Phone.com (later Openwave Systems), Ericsson, Motorola
andNokia, WAP provides a complete environment for wireless applications that
includes a wireless counterpart of TCP/IP and a framework for telephony
integration such as call control and phone book access.

SS7

(Signaling System 7) The protocol used in the public switched telephone system
(the "intelligent network" or "advanced intelligent network") for setting up calls
and providing services. SS7 is a separate signaling network that is used in Class
4and Class 5 voice switches.

VoIP

(Voice Over IP) A telephone service that uses the Internet as a global telephone network.
Many companies, including Vonage, 8x8 and AT&T (CallVantage), typicallyoffer calling
within the country for a fixed fee and a low per-minute charge for international.
Broadband Internet access (cable or DSL) is required, and regular house phones plug into
an analog telephone adapter (ATA) provided by the company or purchased from a third
party.

SIGTRAN

(SIGnaling TRANsport) An IP telephony protocol from the IETF that is used to

transfer SS7 signals over IP networks. The telco switch sends SS7 signals to a
signaling gateway (SG) that converts them into SIGTRAN packets, which
travelover IP to the next signaling
gateway or to a softswitch if the destination is not another PSTN. SIGTRAN uses the
Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) for reliable transport. See IP
telephonyand SCTP.

MGCP/MEGACO

(Media Gateway Control Protocol/MEdia GAteway COntroller) An IP telephony

signaling protocol from the IETF. MGCP was the original protocol, which evolved
intoMEGACO. Both protocols are designed for implementation in IP phones that
are lower cost than SIP or
H.323 phones. MGCP/MEGACO requires the use of softswitches for call control
and more resembles the telephony model of the circuit-switched PSTN than do SIP
and H.323. The softswitch is aware of the entire call throughout its duration (it
manages state) and enables operator intervention like the PSTN. MCGP/MEGACO
is a combination of the SGCP and IPCD protocols, and many devices that
implement MGCP/MEGACO also support SIP and/or H.323.

SIP

(Session Initiation Protocol) An IP telephony signaling protocol developed by

theIETF. Primarily used for voice over IP (VoIP) calls, SIP can also be used for
video or any media type; for example, SIP has been used to set up multi-player
Quake games. With SIMPLE extensions for IM and presence, SIP is also used
forinstant messaging

H.323

An ITU standard for realtime voice and videoconferencing over packet networks,
including LANs, WANs and the Internet. Although H.323 is a very
comprehensivestandard that supports voice, video, data, application sharing and
whiteboarding,the parts relating to audio protocols have been widely used for IP
telephony applications.

TMN

(Telecommunications Management Network) A set of international standards for

network management from the ITU. It is used by large carriers such as Sprint,
MCIWorldCom and AT&T.

Bluetooth

A wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology from the Bluetooth

SpecialInterest Group (www.bluetooth.com) founded in 1998 by Ericsson, IBM,
Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. Bluetooth is an open standard for short- range
transmission of digital voice and data that supports point-to-point and multipoint
applications. Some of the first Bluetooth applications have been for cellphones,
providing a wireless connection to a headset and to an automobile's audio system for
hands-free operation

Jini

Pronounced "gee-nee." A Java-based distributed computing environment

from Sunin which devices can be plugged into the network and automatically offer
their services and make use of other services on the network. Jini creates a "network
dialtone" allowing, for example, any PDA or laptop to be plugged in and
immediately be able to use printers and other resources. It turns "peripherals into
services," so that when a disk drive is plugged in, it
becomes a storage service rather than just another disk drive

C, UNIX
Linux

A very popular version of the Unix operating system that runs on a variety of
hardware platforms including x86, Itanium, PowerPC and IBM's entire product
line.Linux is widely used as a server OS and is gaining ground in the desktop
market.

Windows NT

(Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86
CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see
Windows).Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in
networking andpreemptive multitasking. Windows NT was introduced in 1993 as
Version 3.1 with the same user interface as Windows 3.1. In 1996, Version
4.0 switched to the Windows 95 desktop and changed some of the dialogs (see
table below).

VMS

(Virtual Memory System) A multiuser, multitasking, virtual memory operating system

for the VAX series from Digital. VMS applications run on any VAX from the
MicroVAX to the largest unit.

kernel

The fundamental part of a program, typically an operating system, that resides in

memory at all times and provides the basic services. It is the part of the
operatingsystem that is closest to the machine and may activate the hardware
directly or interface to another software layer that drives the hardware

Tcl/Tk

(Tool Command Language/ToolKit) Pronounced "tickle" or "ticklet," it is an interpreted

script language that is used to develop a variety of applications, including GUIs,
prototypes and CGI scripts. Created for the Unix platform by
John Ousterhout along with students at the University of California at Berkeley, it
was later ported to PCs and Macs. Safe-Tcl is an enhanced Tcl interpreter that
provides asecure, virus free environment.

Tcl also provides an interface into compiled applications (C, C++, etc.). The
application is compiled with Tcl functions, which provide a bi-directional path
between Tcl scripts and the executable programs. Tcl provides a way to "glue"
program modules together. The Tk part of Tcl/Tk is the GUI toolkit, which is
usedto create graphical user interfaces. Other languages, including Perl, Python and
Scheme, have incorporated Tk as well.

Multithreading

Multitasking within a single program. It allows multiple streams of execution to

takeplace concurrently within the same program, each stream processing a different
transaction or message. In order for a multithreaded program to achieve true
performance gains, it must be run in a multitasking or
multiprocessing environment, which allows multiple operations to take place.

Storage Device

A peripheral unit that holds data such as disk, tape or flash memory card. For asummary of
all storage technologies,

iSCSI

(Internet SCSI) A protocol that serializes SCSI commands and converts them toTCP/IP

SAN

(Storage Area Network) A network of storage disks. In large enterprises, a SAN

connects multiple servers to a centralized pool of disk storage.
Compared to managing hundreds of servers, each with their own disks, SANs
improve system administration. By treating all the company's storage as a single
resource, disk maintenance and routine backups are easier
to schedule and control. In
some SANs, the disks themselves can copy data to other disks for backup
without anyprocessing overhead at the host

RAID

(Redundant Array of Independent Disks) A disk subsystem that is used to increase

performance or provide fault tolerance or both. RAID uses two or more ordinary harddisks
and a RAID disk controller. In the past, RAID has also been
implemented via software only. NAS

(Network Attached Storage) A specialized file server that connects to the network. A
NAS device contains a slimmed-down operating system and a file system and processes
only I/O requests by supporting the popular file sharing protocols, primarilyCIFS for
Windows and NFS for Unix.