- Industry: Consulting
- Number of terms: 1807
- Number of blossaries: 2
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Public-key infrastructure (PKI) was developed mainly to support secure information exchanges over unsecure networks. It has been used to ensure that the person identified as sending a transaction is the originator, that the person receiving the transaction is the intended recipient and that the transaction data has not been compromised. PKI requires a system for generating and managing digital certificates that identify the holders (people, systems or devices) of assigned public and private key pairs, which is useful for identification, authentication, encryption and digital signing. Enterprise PKI refers to the use of this system over enterprise intranets, and involves the issuance of digital certificates to individual users, servers and services, and software tools that assist with enrollment, integration with directory services, managing keys, and renewal and revocation of certificates.
Industry:Technology
An encryption technique developed to overcome the limitations of secret-key cryptography (see separate entry). Public key (also called “asymmetric key”) cryptography uses two mathematically related keys: A public key to encrypt messages, and a private key to decrypt them. In a public-key system, you communicate privately by encrypting your message using the public key of your intended recipient. Although everyone else knows the recipient’s public key, it is useless for decrypting a message encrypted with it. Only the corresponding private key, known only to the recipient, can decrypt the message.
Industry:Technology
The public half of the asymmetric key pair used in public-key cryptography (see separate entry).
Industry:Technology
Devices that process and filter all Internet Protocol (IP) packets that are directed to them and decide which protocols and services can be served out of their caches. Proxy servers tend to offer the greatest range of protocol and caching support since they cache Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP), Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and, in some cases, streaming content such as RealAudio and PointCast. Each workstation addresses the proxy server directly by setting specific parameters in each browser on each workstation.
Industry:Technology
A network management agent that comes between an unmanaged device and a management system, allowing management by proxy, i.e., on behalf of the device.
Industry:Technology
Refers to a device’s capability to perform its function independent of the communications protocol.
Industry:Technology
A defined protocol with options applicable for specific functions that can be implemented as a product. Also called a functional standard or functional profile.
Industry:Technology
The process of translating the protocol native to an end-user device (e.g., a terminal) into a different protocol (e.g., ASCII to BSC), allowing that end-user device to communicate with another device (e.g., a computer) with which it would otherwise be incompatible. Protocol conversion can be performed by a dedicated device (a protocol converter); by a software package loaded onto an existing system, such as a general-purpose computer, front-end processor, or private branch exchange (PBX) system; or by a value-added network, such as Telenet.
Industry:Technology
A set of procedures in telecommunications connections that the terminals or nodes use to send signals back and forth. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the standard protocol for the Internet and related networks such as intranets and extranets. Local-area networks (LANs) often rely on a different protocol. Networks and systems cannot communicate unless they use the same protocol or make use of a gateway.
Industry:Technology
Software that is owned by an organization or an individual, as opposed to “public-domain software,” which is freely distributed. The explosion in the use of the Internet has expanded the reach of public-domain software since it is now much easier to transmit these programs. While many commercial software developers have developed software that has become the de facto standard (e.g., Microsoft’s Windows programs), proprietary software that is based on proprietary protocols, or standards, can create obstacles for application development and usage.
Industry:Technology
