C

captive portal

A browser-based authentication mechanism that forces unauthenticated users to a web page.

carrier VLAN

In STP, carrier VLANs define the scope of the STPD, including the physical and logical ports that belong to the STPD as well as the 802.1Q tags used to transport EMISTP- or PVST+-encapsulated BPDUs. Only one carrier VLAN can exist in any given STPD.

CCM

In CFM, connectivity check messages are CFM frames transmitted periodically by a MEP to ensure connectivity across the maintenance entities to which the transmitting MEP belongs. The CCM messages contain a unique ID for the specified domain. Because a failure to receive a CCM indicates a connectivity fault in the network, CCMs proactively check for network connectivity.

CDR

Call Data (Detail) Record
. In Internet telephony, a call detail record is a data record that contains information related to a telephone call, such as the origination and destination addresses of the call, the time the call started and ended, the duration of the call, the time of day the call was made and any toll charges that were added through the network or charges for operator services, among other details of the call. 


In essence, call accounting is a database application that processes call data from your switch (PBX, iPBX, or key system) via a CDR (call detail record) or SMDR (station message detail record) port. The call data record details your system's incoming and outgoing calls by thresholds, including time of call, duration of call, dialing extension, and number dialed. Call data is stored in a PC database.

CEP

Customer Edge Port. Also known as Selective Q-in-Q or C-tagged Service Interface. CEP is a role that is configured in software as a CEP VMAN port, and connects a VMAN to specific CVLANs based on the CVLAN CVID. The CNP role, which is configured as an untagged VMAN port, connects a VMAN to all other port traffic that is not already mapped to the port CEP role.

CA certificate

A certificate identifying a certificate authority. A CA certificate can be used to verify that a certificate issued by the certificate authority is legitimate.

certificate

A document that identifies a server or a client (user), containing a public key and signed by a certificate authority.

Certificate Authority (CA)

A trusted third-party that generates and signs certificates. A CA may be a commercial concern, such as GoDaddy or GeoTrust. A CA may also be an in-house server for certificates used within an enterprise.

certificate chain

An ordered set of certificates which can be used to verify the identity of a server or client. It begins with a client or server certificate, and ends with a certificate that is trusted.

certificate issuer

The certificate authority that generated the certificate.

Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

A document containing identifiers, options, and a public key, that is sent to a certificate authority in order to generate a certificate.

certificate subject

The server or client identified by the certificate.

client certificate

A certificate identifying a client (user). A client certificate can be used in conjunction with, or in lieu of, a username and password to authenticate a client.

CFM

Connectivity Fault Management allows an ISP to proactively detect faults in the network for each customer service instance individually and separately. CFM comprises capabilities for detecting, verifying, and isolating connectivity failures in virtual bridged LANs.

Chalet

A web-based user interface for setting up and viewing information about a switch, removing the need to enter common commands individually in the CLI.

CHAP

Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. One of the two main authentication protocols used to verify a user's name and password for PPP Internet connections. CHAP is more secure than because it performs a three-way handshake during the initial link establishment between the home and remote machines. It can also repeat the authentication anytime after the link has been established.

checkpointing

Checkpointing is the process of copying the active state configurations from the primary MSM to the backup MSM on modular switches.

CIDR

Classless Inter-Domain Routing. CIDR is a way to allocate and specify the Internet addresses used in interdomain routing more flexibly than with the original system of IP address classes. This address aggregation scheme uses supernet addresses to represent multiple IP destinations. Rather than advertise a separate route for each destination, a router uses a supernet address to advertise a single route representing all destinations. RIP does not support CIDR; BGP and OSPF support CIDR.

CIST

Common and Internal Spanning Tree. In an MSTP environment, the CIST is a single spanning tree domain that connects MSTP regions. The CIST is responsible for creating a loop-free topology by exchanging and propagating BPDUs across MSTP regions. You can configure only one CIST on each switch.

CIST regional root bridge

Within an MSTP region, the bridge with the lowest path cost to the CIST root bridge is the CIST regional root bridge If the CIST root bridge is inside an MSTP region, that same bridge is the CIST regional root for that region because it has the lowest path cost to the CIST root. If the CIST root bridge is outside an MSTP region, all regions connect to the CIST root through their respective CIST regional roots.

CIST root bridge

In an MSTP environment, the bridge with the lowest bridge ID becomes the CIST root bridge. The bridge ID includes the bridge priority and the MAC address. The CIST root bridge can be either inside or outside an MSTP region. The CIST root bridge is unique for all regions and non-MSTP bridges, regardless of its location.

CIST root port

In an MSTP environment, the port on the CIST regional root bridge that connects to the CIST root bridge is the CIST root port. The CIST root port is the master port for all MSTIs in that MSTP region, and it is the only port that connects the entire region to the CIST root bridge.

CLEAR-flow

CLEAR-Flow allows you to specify certain types of traffic to perform configured actions on. You can configure the switch to take an immediate, preconfigured action to the specified traffic or to send a copy of the traffic to a management station for analysis. CLEAR-Flow is an extension to ACLs, so you must be familiar with ACL policy files to apply CLEAR-Flow.

CLI

Command Line Interface. You can use the CLI to monitor and manage the switch or wireless appliance.

cluster

In BGP, a cluster is formed within an AS by a route reflector and its client routers.

collision

Two Ethernet packets attempting to use the medium simultaneously. Ethernet is a shared media, so there are rules for sending packets of data to avoid conflicts and protect data integrity. When two nodes at different locations attempt to send data at the same time, a collision will result. Segmenting the network with bridges or switches is one way of reducing collisions in an overcrowded network.

CNA

Converged Network Analyzer. This application suite, available from Avaya, allows the server to determine the best possible network path. The CNA Agent is a software piece of the entire CNA application that you install on Extreme Networks devices. You use the CNA Agent software only if you are using the Avaya CNA solution, and the CNA Agent cannot function unless you also obtain the rest of the CNA application from Avaya.

CNP

Customer Network Port.

combo port

Also known as a combination port. On some Extreme Networks devices (such as the X440-G2 series switch), certain ports can be used as either copper or fibre ports.

control VLAN

In EAPS, the control VLAN is a VLAN that sends and receives EAPS messages. You must configure one control VLAN for each EAPS domain.

controller node

In EAPS, the controller node is that end of the common line that is responsible for blocking ports if the common link fails, thereby preventing a superloop.

CoS

Class of Service. Specifying the service level for the classified traffic type. For more information, see QoS in the ExtremeXOS 21.1 User Guide.

CRC

Cyclic Redundancy Check. This simple checksum is designed to detect transmission errors. A decoder calculates the CRC for the received data and compares it to the CRC that the encoder calculated, which is appended to the data. A mismatch indicates that the data was corrupted in transit.

CRC error

Cyclic redundancy check error. This is an error condition in which the data failed a checksum test used to trap transmission errors. These errors can indicate problems anywhere in the transmission path.

CSPF

Constrained shortest path first. An algorithm based on the shortest path first algorithm used in OSPF, but with the addition of multiple constraints arising from the network, the LSP, and the links. CSPF is used to minimize network congestion by intelligently balancing traffic.

CVID

CVLAN ID. The CVID represents the CVLAN tag for tagged VLAN traffic. (See CVLAN.)

CVLAN

Customer VLAN.