Glossary

Glossary of Acronyms

DNS  - Domain Name Server. A system that can resolve Internet addresses in a form like xhost.co.uk into IP addresses in the form 204.250.145.1. XHost or your  Internet Service Provider usually provides Domain Name Service.

ISP - Internet Service Provider. An organization, usually commercial, that allows third parties to connect to the Internet through their systems. Your ISP also usually provides your Smarthost and your Name Server.

MIME - Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. An Internet protocol specifying a format for email attachments. 

MX - Mail Exchange Records. Records used by DNS to route mail, an ordered list of destinations. MX records tell mailers  where to send messages to reach a given domain.

POP3 - Post Office Protocol version 3. The Internet protocol, described in RFC 1732, that specifies mail exchange between a client and a server. A POP3 server can hold mail for a POP3 client, such as Eudora, Pegasus, or Microsoft Exchange.

PPP - Point-to-Point Protocol. The successor to SL/IP. The extension of Internet protocols over serial connections. Many sites use PPP over modems and telephone lines to connect them to the Internet. Microsoft's Dial-Up Networking provides PPP connectivity.

SL/IP - Serial-Line Internet Protocol. An extension of Internet protocols over serial lines. Usage of SL/IP has largely been superseded by PPP, a more reliable implementation.