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Glossary of Terms
pg. 24

Administrative FTP:
A type of FTP access that allows someone with your administrator username and password to have complete access to your Virtual Server's files through an FTP client.

Administrator:
The individual responsible for administering and maintaining your Virtual Server. As the owner of the Virtual Server, this individual should be yourself or someone you've designated to act in this role.

Aliasing (redirecting):
The redirecting of email from one address to another address or multiple addresses. Aliases are typically used in place of actual addresses that are long or subject to change. Aliases also allow you to create a larger, more professional company image.

Anonymous FTP:
A type of FTP access that allows a person to connect to your Virtual Server with an FTP client and retrieve files from the usr/home/username/ftp/pub directory of your Virtual Server without the need for a username and password. Optionally, anonymous FTP can be configured to allow users to send files to your Virtual Server on a directory-by-directory basis.

Apache:
Apache is a freely available Unix-based Web server. It is currently the most commonly used server on Internet connected sites. More information about Apache can be found at the Apache Web site, http://www.apache.org.

Auto-Responder:
An automated program on your Virtual Server that can be configured to return a prewritten response to all mail sent to a particular email alias.

Autoreply Message:
A pre-written email response triggered by an Auto-Responder.

Bounced Message:
A returned, undeliverable email message.

Certification Authority:
A "trusted third-party" organization which is used to confirm the relationship between a party to the https transaction and that party's public key.

Channel:
An area on an IRC server with a designated topic of discussion.

Chat room:
An area in an online service where several users can meet simultaneously and exchange typed messages.

Digital Certificate or Digital ID:
Used to present credentials online. Digital Certificates are issued by companies that act as "trusted third parties." A Digital Certificate is digitally "signed" by a certification authority so that none of the details can be changed without invalidating the signature.

Directory:
A directory can contain a collection of files, other directories, or both.

DNS:
Domain Name System. This System translates a domain name such as rshweb.com into the Internet Protocol (IP) numbers (64.49.229.181) to find the correct web site. The network of computers that constitute the Internet map domain names to their corresponding IP numbers. The data is then made available to all computers and users on the Internet.

Domain name:
A name that resolves or points to an IP address. Domain names are used to more easily identify a computer on the Internet.

Download:
To retrieve a file from an online service such as your Virtual Server.

Email (Electronic Mail):
An Internet service that allows you to send and receive messages from one computer to another.

Email Account:
Allows a user to receive and store email messages on a Virtual Server. These messages then can be retrieved, read, forwarded, replied to and deleted through an email client program.

Email Address:
A unique address that allows email messages to be sent to or retrieved from an email account. Email addresses consist of a username, an @ symbol, and a domain name.

Email Client:
A program that can retrieve email from an email account, allowing a user to read, forward, delete, and reply to email messages.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol):
A resource for transferring files between a server and a client across an Internet connection.

FTP Client:
A program that uses FTP to connect to a server and transfer files to and from the server.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language):
A language that is used to create documents for the World Wide Web. HTML documents are also called Web pages, and are easily formatted by a Web browser for quick display.

http (HyperText Transfer Protocol):
The protocol that makes it possible for Web browsers and Web servers to communicate with one other, HTTP is used between a Web browser and a server to request a document and transfer its contents. The specification is maintained and developed by the World Wide Web Consortium.

https:
https is ordinary http exchanged over an SSL-encrypted session.

IP Address:
A numerical address that identifies a computer on the Internet. It takes the form of four numbers, up to three digits each, separated by periods. Your Virtual Server's IP address probably looks something like 207.159.153.130. The numbers will vary depending on the physical machine on which your Virtual Server is located.

IRC Client:
A program that allows you to connect to an IRC server.

IRC Server:
A computer on the Internet that allows IRC access.

Logging In:
The process of identifying yourself to your Virtual Server through a username and password so that it can accept commands from you.

Name Servers:
A computer that performs the mapping of domain names to IP addresses. Sometimes referred to as a host server.

Nick:
The nickname, or "handle" you use to identify yourself on an IRC server. You can change your nickname at any time by using the /NICK command in your IRC program.

Operator:
The operator (or 'op') is the moderator of the chat room discussion. The operator has the power to choose who joins the channel, and can kick off people who abuse the system. An operator can also give 'op' privileges to other people in the channel. The first person to enter the channel automatically becomes an operator.

Parent Directory:
A directory that contains other directories.

Password:
A security measure to prevent other people from administering your Virtual Server without your permission. Only someone who knows the correct username and password can administer your Virtual Server.

POP (Post Office Protocol):
A mail protocol that allows an email client to retrieve email messages from your Virtual Server. Mail is held until the user accesses the account, at which time the mail is transferred to the user's computer.

Primary (Administrative) Email Account:
The email account on your Virtual Server that has the same name as the username you use to login to your Virtual Server's mail service.

Primary Server:
The designation of "primary" means that this name server will be used first and will be relied upon before any of the other name servers that may be listed on the Domain Name Registration Agreement. The primary server section of the Agreement is a required section and the domain name registration will not be processed unless this section of the Domain Name Registration Agreement is completed properly.

Private Key:
The part of a key pair that is kept secret and is used only by its owner. This is the key used for decrypting messages and for making digital signatures.

Protocol:
A protocol is an algorithm, or step by step procedure, carried out by more than one party. Examples are network protocols, in which the steps are intended to ensure reliable transmission of information, or cryptographic protocols, in which the aim is to maintain some form of security relationship between the parties.

Public Key:
The part of a key pair that is widely distributed, and is not kept secure. This is the key used for encryption (as opposed to decryption) or for verifying signatures.

Redirecting:
See Aliasing.

Second Level Domain:
In the Domain Name System (DNS), the next highest level of the hierarchy underneath the Top Level Domains. Our domain name - rshweb - for example is part of the Internet address for RSH Web Services. The rshweb part is the second level domain. Second level domain names are what you register by or on behalf of registrants (or owners) in a Top Level Domain registry.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer):
A protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting data via the Internet, in order to protect the data from being intercepted by someone other than the intended viewer. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data that's transferred over the SSL connection. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL. It is often used to securely transfer credit card numbers and other sensitive information. By convention, Web pages that require an SSL connection start with https: rather than http:.

Server:
See Web server.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol):
A method for sending mail from an email client through your Virtual Server to a recipient, or from your Virtual Server to another destination on the Internet.

Spam:
The sending of unsolicited commercial email, usually in large amounts and indiscriminately, to discussion groups or subscriber bases.

Spam Relay:
The practice of sending large amounts of unsolicited email through someone else's outbound mail server (see section 5.10.2).

SSH (Secure Shell):
A service that allows you to access your Virtual Server from a remote computer and issue text commands through a secure connection.

Subdirectory:
A directory within another directory.

Telnet:
A service that allows you to access your Virtual Server from a remote computer and issue text commands. It is similar to a DOS environment, but the text commands given are unique to the UNIX environment.

Top Level Domain (TLD):
In the Domain Name System (DNS), the highest level of the hierarchy above second level domains.
The .com  .net  .org  is the top level domain. Second level domain names are what you register by or on behalf of registrants (or name holders) in a Top Level Domain registry.
There are two types of Top Level Domains. The most common type is Generic or gTLDs, such as .COM, .NET, .ORG. New gTLDs such as .NOM, .INFO, or .WEB may be introduced sometime in the near future. The other type of TLD is the ccTLD (country code top level domains) which are assigned to all countries and their dependencies. Every TLD registry - generic or country code - has its own prices, policies, and procedures that registrants (name holders) in that registry are subject to. It is important to know and be prepared to accept these before registering name(s) in a particular registry.

UNIX:
An operating system specifically designed to facilitate multiple users and networking. UNIX is the operating system that runs on the physical machine that houses your Virtual Server.

Upload:
The process of sending a file to your Virtual Server.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator):
An address that identifies a specific file on the Internet. URLs follow a standardized format that consists of a protocol type, a domain name or IP address identifying the computer that contains the file, and a path to the file.

User Authenticated FTP:
A type of FTP access that allows a user that has been added with the vadduser command to connect to your Virtual Server using an FTP client. Using their username and password, they are then given complete control over the files located in their home directory.

User's Email Account:
Any email account on your Virtual Server other than the Primary email account.

username:
A name given to your Virtual Server so that the physical machine it resides on can identify it. You enter this username when logging in.

Virtual Server:
A directory on a server that has its own Internet address and appears as a standalone server to outside users.

Web browser:
A program that allows you to view files on a Web server from your computer.

Web server:
A computer connected to the Internet that stores files and makes them available to the public.

Web site:
A collection of linked files on a Web server.

WWW (World Wide Web):
A network of files spread out among the vast number of computers connected to the Internet. These files contain information, pictures, sounds, and other media and can be easily viewed through a client program called a Web browser. When most people refer to the Internet, they are actually referring to the World Wide Web.

Whois:
Whois is a term referring to a domain name search or look-up feature for a database - typically for Top-Level Domain name registries. Information such as name availability can be found through a query or search using a whois protocol (standard). Most Top-Level Domain registries maintain their own whois database containing domain name contact information.

Zone file:
The group of files that reside on the domain host or name server. The zone file designates a domain, its sub-domains, and mail server.