MAC
Media Access Control. Lower of the two sublayers of the data link layer defined by the IEEE. The MAC sublayer handles access to shared media, such as whether token passing or contention will be used.
MAC address
Standardized data link layer address that is required for every port or device that connects to a LAN. Other devices in the network use these addresses to locate specific ports in the network and to create and update routing tables and data structures. MAC addresses are 6 bytes long and are controlled by the IEEE. Also known as a hardware address, MAC layer address, and physical address. Compare with network address.
MAC address learning
Service that characterizes a learning bridge, in which the source MAC address of each received packet is stored so that future packets destined for that address can be forwarded only to the bridge interface on which that address is located. Packets destined for unrecognized addresses are forwarded out every bridge interface. This scheme helps minimize traffic on the attached LANs. MAC address learning is defined in the IEEE 802.1 standard. See also learning bridge and MAC address.
MAN
metropolitan-area network. Network that spans a metropolitan area. Generally, a MAN spans a larger geographic area than a LAN, but a smaller geographic area than a WAN. Compare with LAN and WAN.
man-in-the-middle
Form of active wiretapping attack in which the attacker intercepts and selectively modifies communicated data to masquerade as one or more of the entities involved in a communication association.
masquerade attack
Type of attack in which one system entity illegitimately poses as (assumes the identity of) another entity.
MD5
Message Digest 5. A one-way hashing algorithm that produces a 128-bit hash. Both MD5 and Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) are variations on MD4 and are designed to strengthen the security of the MD4 hashing algorithm. Cisco uses hashes for authentication within the IPSec framework. Also used for message authentication in SNMP v.2. MD5 verifies the integrity of the communication, authenticates the origin, and checks for timeliness.
MGCP
Media Gateway Control Protocol. A merging of the IPDC and SGCP protocols.
MIB
Management Information Base. Database of network management information that is used and maintained by a network management protocol, such as SNMP or CMIP. The value of a MIB object can be changed or retrieved using SNMP or CMIP
commands, usually through a GUI network management system. MIB objects are organized in a tree structure that includes public (standard) and private (proprietary) branches.
MIME
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension. Standard for transmitting non-text data (or data that cannot be represented in plain ASCII code) in Internet mail, such as binary, foreign language text (such as Russian or Chinese), audio, or video data. MIME is defined in RFC 2045.
MLP
Multilink PPP. Method of splitting, recombining, and sequencing datagrams across multiple logical data links.
MLS
multilayer switching.
MM fiber
multimode fiber. A fiber-optic medium in which light travels in multiple modes.
modem
modulator-demodulator. Device that converts digital and analog signals. At the source, a modem converts digital signals to a form suitable for transmission over analog communication facilities. At the destination, the analog signals are returned to their digital form. Modems allow data to be transmitted over voice-grade telephone lines.
MOSPF
Multicast OSPF. Intradomain multicast routing protocol used in OSPF networks. Extensions are applied to the base OSPF unicast protocol to support IP multicast routing.
MPEG
Motion Picture Experts Group. Standard for compressing video. MPEG1 is a bit stream standard for compressed video and audio optimized to fit into a bandwidth of 1.5 Mbps. MPEG2 is intended for higher quality video-on-demand applications and runs at data rates between 4 and 9 Mbps. MPEG4 is a low–bit-rate compression algorithm intended for 64-kbps connections.
MPLS
Multiprotocol Label Switching. Switching method that forwards IP traffic using a label. This label instructs the routers and the switches in the network where to forward the packets based on preestablished IP routing information.
MS-CHAP
Microsoft CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol). See CHAP.
MTBF
mean time between failure.
MTU
maximum transmission unit. Maximum packet size, in bytes, that a particular interface can handle.
multicast
Single packets copied by the network and sent to a specific subset of network addresses. These addresses are specified in the Destination Address Field. Compare with broadcast and unicast.
multicast address
Single address that refers to multiple network devices. Synonymous with group address. Compare with broadcast address and unicast address. See also multicast.
multicast router
Router used to send IGMP query messages on their attached local networks. Host members of a multicast group respond to a query by sending IGMP reports noting the multicast groups to which they belong. The multicast router takes responsibility for
forwarding multicast datagrams from one multicast group to all other networks that have members in the group. See also IGMP.
multilayer switch
Switch that filters and forwards packets based on MAC addresses and network addresses. A subset of LAN switch. Compare with LAN switch.
Multilink PPP
Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol. This protocol is a method of splitting, recombining, and sequencing datagrams across multiple logical data links.
MX record
mail exchange record. DNS resource record type indicating which host can handle e-mail for a particular domain.
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