Table Of Contents

Glossary

A
access control list	See ACL.
ACL	access control list. A list kept by routers to control access to or from the router for a number of services.
AF	Assured Forwarding. A type of per-hop behavior as defined in Diffserv architecture. It defines four service levels, with each service level having three drop precedence levels.
API	application programming interface. APIs are supplied as XML schema and CORBA IDL files to customers with Cisco VPN Solutions Center products. After compiling these IDL files to produce language-specific implementation files for the target language of your choosing, you can use these APIs to incorporate MPLS-VPN features in third-party client-application source code. The CORBA version is being deprecated form the product and will not be supported in subsequent versions.
Application Programming Interface	See API.
area	Segments and their attached devices. Areas are usually connected to other areas through routers, making up a single autonomous system. See also AS. See also region.
AS	Collection of networks under a common administration sharing a common routing strategy. Autonomous systems are subdivided by areas or regions. An autonomous system must be assigned a unique 16-bit number by the IANA. Specific to BGP for s.
ASN	autonomous system number.
Assured Forwarding	See AF.
ATM	Asynchronous Transfer Mode. The international standard for cell relay in which multiple service types (such as voice, video, or data) are conveyed in fixed-length (53-byte) cells. Fixed-length cells allow cell processing to occur in hardware, thereby reducing transit delays. ATM is designed to take advantage of high-speed transmission media, such as E3, SONET, and T3.
autonomous system	See AS.
autonomous system number	See ASN.

B
baseline	A set of data collected from targets. For example, the latest configuration files for a list of Cisco Routers, or the latest configuration files, IP unnumbered information, and PVC information for a list of Cisco Routers. software automatically maintains baselines that correspond to: 1) the latest PE configuration files in the Provider Administrative Domain (with one baseline per PAD); 2) the latest configuration files of the customer edge routers (CEs) and provider edge routers (PEs) in the virtual private networks (VPNs) that the customer has defined. uses these baselines to create audit and topology reports.
Bc	Normal burst in bytes. A parameter of class-based Policer.
Be	Maximum burst in bytes. A parameter of class-based Policer.
BECN	backwards explicit congestion notification. This is a concept in Frame Relay networking.
BGP	Border Gateway Protocol. An interdomain routing protocol designed for the global Internet. Exterior border gateway protocols (EBGPs) communicate among different autonomous systems. Interior border gateway protocols (IBGPs) communicate among routers within a single autonomous system.
Border Gateway Protocol	See BGP.
border router	A router at the edge of a provider network that interfaces to another provider's border router using the EBGP protocol.

C
CAR	Committed Access Rate. CAR is Cisco's traffic policing tool for instituting a QoS policy at the edge of a network. CAR allows you to identify packets of interest for classification with or without rate limiting. CAR allows you to define a traffic contract in routed networks.
CBWFQ	Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing. A queuing technique that extends the standard Weighted Fair Queue functionality to provide support for user-defined traffic classes.
CE device	Customer edge device. A CE device is a network device on the edge of a customer site, such as a customer edge router. A CE device interfaces to a provider edge router (PE). A CE can join any set of virtual private networks (VPNs). Each CE connects a customer site to a PE, obtaining the VPN service for that customer site, and belongs to exactly one customer. Each CE may have many configlets and may be configured by multiple service requests.
CEF	Cisco express forwarding. A layer 3 switching technology inside a router. It defines the fastest method by which a Cisco router uses to forward packets from ingress to egress interfaces.
CERC	customer edge routing community. A component of a VPN that is configured for either full mesh or hub-and-spoke connectivity. A method (using route-target attributes) of describing how CEs in a VPN communicate with each other. CERCs organize a complex VPN into simpler subgroups. Each CERC belongs to one and only one VPN. CERCs can be used to describe the logical topology of the VPN itself.
CERC membership	Relationship between a VRF definition and a CERC. It dictates which CERC a VRF definition is joining and whether it is joining the CERC as either a hub or a spoke.
CIM	Common Information Model from the DMTF. Describes components of a managed environment using an object-oriented modeling approach.
CIM-CX	Common Information Model - Cisco eXtensions. A DMTF CIM-based model.
CIR	committed information rate. This is a concept in Frame Relay networking.
Cisco Service Management	See CSM.
Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing	See CBWFQ.
Class of Service	See CoS.
committed access rate	See CAR.
Compression Real Time Protocol Header	See cRTP.
configlet	A configuration fragment that can be downloaded to a CE or PE to modify its current IOS command-set configuration.
CORBA	Common Object Request Broker Architecture.
CoS	Class of Service. Giving differential treatment to different traffic classes. Examples are: Real-time, Business, and Best Effort.
CPE device	Customer premises equipment device. A CPE device is a network device located in a customer site.
cRTP	compression Real Time Protocol Header. Header compression for real time protocol traffic. This is used to compress IP/UDP/RTP header from 40 bytes to 2 to 4 bytes, thereby reducing the voice bandwidth requirements and minimizing serialization delay.
CSM	Cisco Service Management System. The name of Cisco's large-picture project for service management. Many interdependent products fall within this project.
customer	Requests VPN service from a provider. Each customer can own many customer sites.
customer edge device	See CE device.
customer edge routing community	See CERC.
customer network	A network under the control of an end customer. The VPN connects the single customer network by connecting the isolated sites.
customer premises equipment device	See CPE device.
customer site	A collection of network devices at the same geographic location serving a single customer. A customer site can contain any number of CEs.

D
Data-Link Connection Identifier	See DLCI.
data model	A concrete representation of an information model in terms appropriate to a specific data store and access technology.
dCEF	Distributed Cisco expressed forwarding routing. Enables distributed forwarding on versatile interface processors (VIPs).
DCPL	Dynamic Component Properties Library. Replacement for csm.properties in VPNSC releases.
DCS	Device Configuration Service. Replacement for Telnet Gateway System (TGS) in VPNSC releases.
Device Configuration Service	See DSCP.
DHCP	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
Differentiated Services Code Point	See DSCP.
DLCI	Data-Link Connection Identifier. Frame Relay VC number corresponding to a logical connection to the Frame Relay network.
DMTF	Distributed Management Task Force.
DNS	Domain Naming System. System used in the Internet for translating names of network nodes into addresses.
document type definition	See DTD.
Domain Naming System	See DNS.
DRAM	dynamic random-access memory. RAM that stores information in capacitors that must be periodically refreshed.
DSCP	Differentiated Services Code Point. A packet is marked with this value. This value indicates the per-hop behavior given to the packet within the service provider network.
DTD	document type definition.
Dynamic Component Properties Library	See DCPL.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol	See DHCP.
dynamic random-access memory	See DRAM.

E
EBGP	exterior border gateway protocol. EBGP (see BGP) is the routing protocol used between different autonomous systems.
EF	Expedited Forwarding. A type of per-hop behavior as defined in Diffserv architecture. It defines premium service.
egress	Traffic leaving the network or device.
Expedited Forwarding	See EF.
Extensible Markup Language	See XML.
exterior border gateway protocol	See EBGP.

F
Frame Relay Fragmentation Standard	See FRF.12.
Frame Relay Traffic Shaping	See FRTS.
FRF.12	Frame Relay Fragmentation Standard. FRF.12 ensures that voice and similar small packets are not unacceptably delayed behind large data packets.
FRTS	Frame Relay Traffic Shaping.
G
Gigabit Switch Router	See GSR.
GSR	Gigabit Switch Router.

H
HTTP	Hyper text Transfer Protocol. An application protocol running on TCP/IP and the World Wide Web.
HTTPS	Secure HTTP. Secure HTTP (HTTPS) provides the capability to connect to the Cisco IOS HTTPS server securely. It uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) to provide device authentication and data encryption.
Hyper text Transfer Protocol	See HTTP.

I
IANA	Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Organization operated under the auspices of the ISOC as a part of the IAB. IANA delegates authority for IP address-space allocation and domain-name assignment to the InterNIC and other organizations. IANA also maintains a database of assigned protocol identifiers used in the TCP/IP stack, including BGP autonomous system numbers.
IBGP	interior border gateway protocol. IBGP (see BGP) is used among routers in the same autonomous system.
ICMP	Internet Control Message Protocol. Network layer Internet protocol that reports errors and provides other information relevant to IP packet processing.
IDL	Interface Definition Language. Generic language for describing APIs for API servers. IDL API files must be compiled using an IDL compiler from an approved CORBA vendor to produce language-specific API files in a CORBA-supported target language. Using the generated target-language files you can add API-supported features to third-party client-application source code.
IKE	Internet Key Exchange. IKE establishes a shared security policy and authenticates keys for services that require keys (such as IPsec).
information model	An abstraction and representation of the entities in a managed environment—their properties, operations, and relationships. It is independent of any specific repository, application, protocol, or platform.
ingress	Traffic entering the network or device.
Interface Definition Language	See IDL.
interior border gateway protocol	See IBGP.
Internet Control Message Protocol	See ICMP.
Internet Key Exchnge	See IKE.
internet-service provider	See ISP.
inter-switch link	See ISL.
IPv4	Internet Protocol, version 4. A version of IP that support a 32-bit address space.
IPv6	Internet Protocol, version 6. A version of IP that support a 128-bit address space.
ISL	Inter-Switch Link. Encapsulation used to support multiple VLANs on an Ethernet trunk port.
ISP	internet service provider. Provider of internet access and services through single BGP autonomous system.

L
LFI	Link Fragmentation and Interleaving. On low bandwidth links, a method of fragmenting larger data packets and interleaving smaller voice (VoIP in our case) packets between the fragments of the large packets is needed to minimize serialization delay.
Link Fragmentation and Interleaving	See LFI.
LLQ	Low Latency Queuing. This feature provides priority queuing for CBWFQ, reducing jitter in voice conversations.
Low Latency Queuing	See LLQ.

M
managed device	A network device on which ISC provisions services. Managed devices must be reachable and accessible by ISC.
management information base	See MIB.
MCE	Management Customer Edge Router. The MCE is a required element in some MPLS VPN topologies. The network management subnet, which consists of the Cisco IP Solution Center workstation on a single local area network (LAN), connects directly to an MCE.
MIB	management information base.
MLPPP	Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol. Method of splitting, recombining, and sequencing datagrams across multiple, logical data links.
Modular QoS Command Line Interface	See MQC.
MPE	Management Provider Edge Router. The MPE is an element in some MPLS VPN topologies. The network management subnet connects directly to an MCE, which in turn is connected to an MPE.
MPLS	multi protocol label switching. An emerging standard based on a Cisco Tag Switching technology.
MPLS VPN	multi protocol label switching virtual private network. For , it is a set of PEs that are connected via a common "backbone" network to supply private IP interconnectivity between two or more customer sites for a given customer. Each VPN has a set of CE Routing Communities (CERCs) and can span multiple Provider Administrative Domains but has a default provider administrative domain for RD and RT auto-allocation purposes. CERCs in a VPN break down complex topology into multiple subgroups.
MQC	Modular QoS Command Line Interface. Provides a convenient and efficient user interface for configuring QoS.
multilink point-to-point protocol	See MLPPP.
multi protocol label switching	See MPLS.
multi protocol label switching virtual private network	See MPLS VPN.

N
NAT	Network Address Translation. NAT enables users with IP addresses that are not globally unique to connect to the Internet by translating those addresses into a globally routable IP address space. Additionally, NAT is a mechanism for reducing the number of unique IP addresses needed by network users.
network	In , a collection of targets with unique names.
network address translation	See NAT.
network management subnet	Consists of the Cisco IP Solution Center workstation on a single LAN. The network management subnet connects directly to an MCE.

O
Open Shortest Path First	See OSPF.
operations support system	See OSS.
OSPF	Open Shortest Path First. A routing protocol within an autonomous system.
OSS	Operations Support System. Network management system supporting a specific management function, such as alarm surveillance and provisioning, in a carrier network.

P
PAD	Provider Administrative Domain. Set of all PE devices in one BGP autonomous system. An administrative domain defined by an Internet Service Provider. The network owned by the PAD is called a backbone network. If an ISP requires two AS numbers, it must consist of two provider administrative domains. Each provider administrative domain has regions that have a route distinguisher (RD), a route target (RT), and an IP address pool from which to automatically generate IP values during provisioning. Each provider administrative domain can have many regions.
PE	A physical device at the edge of a provider's network. In ISC, a PE is a logical component that represents a switch or router. A PE is associated with one region of a Provider Administrative Domain and connects to one or more customer sites. Each PE can have many VRF definitions and configlets, and each can be configured by many service requests.
PE_CLE	Customer Located Equipment, typically a switch that connects a PE_POP with a CE in the Regular PE-CE link or to a Multi-VRF CE in the MVRFCE PE-CE link. It can also connect a Multi-VRF CE to a CE. At Layer 2, a PE_CLE connects Named Physical Circuits (NPCs).
PE_CORE	A P router. Not supported.
PE_POP	Point of Presence that connects to a CE in the Regular PE-CE link or to a Multi-VRF CE in the MVRFCE PE-CE link.
Per-Hop Behavior	See PHB.
permanent virtual circuit.	See PVC.
PHB	Per-Hop Behavior. A PHB is a description of the externally observable forwarding behavior of a diffserv node applied to a set of packets with the same DSCP. Example: In a diffserv network, best-effort behavior can be viewed as the default per-hop behavior.
PQ	Priority Queue.
Priority Queue	See PQ.
provider	A party supplying internet service for its customer. See also ISP.
Provider Administrative Domain	See PAD.
provider edge router	See PE.
provider network	A backbone network under the control of a service provider that provides transport services between customer sites.
PVC	permanent virtual circuit. This is applicable to Frame Relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode.

Q
QoS	Quality of Service. The mechanisms that give network managers the ability to control the mix of bandwidth, delay, jitter, and packet loss in the network. QoS is not a device feature, it is an end-to-end system architecture.
quality of Service	See QoS.

R
RD	Route Distinguisher. A 64-bit value that is added to an IPv4 prefix to create a unique VPN prefix. Each VRF has an RD.
region	A group of provider edge routers (PEs) within a single BGP autonomous system. Provider Administrative Domains are divided into regions just as customers are divided into sites. Each region belongs to exactly one provider administrative domain and can have many PEs. Regions allow a provider to employ unique IP address pools in large geographical regions. Each region is represented in the VPN Inventory Repository by a Region object.
response time reporter	Renamed to service assurance agent (SA Agent).
RIP	Routing Information Protocol. The simplest Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) in a network.
round-trip time	See RTT.
route distinguisher	See RD.
route target	See RT.
Routing Information Protocol	See RIP.
RT	Route Target. A 64-bit value by which the IOS discriminates routes for route updates in VRFs.
RTR	Renamed to Service Assurance Agent (SA Agent).
RTT	Round-trip time. The total time required for a packet to traverse a network to its destination and back again.

S
SA Agent	Service Assurance Agent. SA Agent provides Round-Trip Time for various protocols: DHCP, DNS, HTTP, ICMP Echo, Jitter, TCP Connect, and UDP Echo.
schema	A set of data models that describe a set of objects to be managed.
Service Assurance Agent	See SA Agent.
service level agreement	See SLA.
site	A component of a customer. A collection of one or more customer edge routers (CEs).
SLA	Service Level Agreement. Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) are negotiated contracts between VPN providers and their subscribers. An SLA defines the criteria for the specific services that the subscriber expects the provider to deliver. The SLA is the only binding mechanism at the subscriber's disposal to ensure that the VPN provider delivers the services as agreed.
SNMP	Simple Network Management Protocol.
SOAP	A lightweight protocol for exchange of information in a decentralized, distributed environment. It is an XML based protocol that consists of three parts: an envelope that defines a framework for describing what is in a message and how to process it, a set of encoding rules for expressing instances of application-defined datatypes, and a convention for representing remote procedure calls and responses.
SP	Service Provider.
Static route	Route that is explicitly configured and entered into the routing table. Static routes take precedence over routes chosen by dynamic routing protocols.

T
target	Single device from which information may be collected. A target may be a router. Any device (customer edge router, provider edge router, or RMON probe) from which the Cisco IP Solution Center software can collect information.
target language	CORBA-supported programming language to be generated by the IDL compiler based on the IDL API files. The generated target-language files can then be used to incorporate API-supported features in third-party client-application source code. For a complete list of CORBA-supported target languages, see the Object Modeling Group web site.
TCP	Transmission Control Protocol. Connection-oriented transport layer protocol that provides reliable full-duplex data transmission.
Transmission Control Protocol	See TCP.

U
UDP	User Datagram Protocol. Connectionless transport layer protocol in the TCP/IP protocol stack. UDP is a simple protocol that exchanges datagrams without acknowledgments or guaranteed delivery, requiring that error processing and retransmission be handled by other protocols.
UNI	user-network interface
unmanaged device	A network device on which ISC does not automatically provision services. However, ISC can perform SLA tasks on unmanaged devices. Unmanaged devices are not accessed by ISC during provisioning.
User Datagram Protocol	See UDP.
user-network interface	See UNI.

V
Variable Bit Rate	See VBR.
VBR	Variable Bit Rate. One of the five ATM service types.
VCI	virtual channel identifier. Used in ATM networking concept.
virtual channel identifier	See VCI.
virtual LAN	See VLAN.
virtual path identifier	See VPI.
virtual private network	See VPN.
VLAN	virtual LAN. Group of devices on a LAN that are configured so they can communicate as if they were attached to the same wire, when in fact they are located on a number of different LAN segments.
VoIP	voice over internet protocol.
VPI	virtual path identifier. The VPI, together with the VCI, is used to identify the next destination of a cell as it passes through a series of ATM switches on its way to its destination.
VPIM	VPN Provisioning and Inventory Manager.
VPN	Virtual Private Network. A framework that provides private IP networking over a public infrastructure such as the Internet. In , a VPN is a set of customer sites that are configured to communicate through a VPN service. A VPN is a network in which two sites can communicate over the provider's network in a private manner; that is, no site outside the VPN can intercept their packets or inject new packets. The provider network is configured such that only one VPN's packets can be transmitted through that VPN—that is, no data can come in or out of the VPN unless it is specifically configured to allow it. There is a physical connection from the provider edge network to the customer edge network, so authentication in the conventional sense is not required. A VPN is a private network constructed within a public network infrastructure, such as the Internet. A VPN is a communications environment in which access is controlled to permit peer connections only within a defined community of interest, and is constructed through some form of partitioning of a common underlying communications medium, where this communications medium provides services to the network on a nonexclusive basis.
VPN customer	Owner of VPN.
VPN routing/forwarding instance	See VRF.
VRF	VPN routing/forwarding instance. A routing table that is populated with VPN routes. A VRF is an IOS route table instance for connecting a set of sites to a VPN service.
VRF definition	The configuration information for a VPN routing/forwarding instance (VRF) table for PEs that share a common route-target (RT) signature. In the VPN inventory repository, a VRF definition is a template by which to define a VRF table in a PE.

W
Weighted Random Early Detection.	See WRED.
WRED	Weighted Random Early Detection. Packet drop mechanism.
WSDL	Web Services Definition Language.
X
XML	Extensible Markup Language.
XML API	A programmatic interface to ISC used by OSS systems. The XML API is implemented in a SOAP over HTTP format and provides full ISC functionality.
XML Schema	A specific format (.xsd) to describe XML structures (for example, metadata).