Fiber Optics Illustrated Dictionary - Part 22 potx

Fiber
Optics
Illustrated
Dictionary
ofdifferent
sizes,
and
which
may
take longer
to
ex-
ecute
than
the
same
operation
carried
out
on
a
reduced
instruction
set
computing
(RISC)
chip.
elsc
chips
are
more

common
on
older architectures.
A
CISC
processor
command
is
translated
into
micro-
code,
a
series
of
smaller
instructions,
which
are
in
turn
queued and processed one at a time by a nano-
processor.
See
reduced
instruction
set
computing.
Complex
Node

Representation
CNR.
In
ATM
net-
works,
a collection
of
node-related parameters
that
provide
state
information about alogical
node.
This
information
is
useful
in
routing.
Complex
Text
Layout
CTL.
An
IETF
Human
Com-
puter Interface
(HCI)

platform
standard.
Component Object
Model
COM.
Microsoft's
ap-
proach
to
object-oriented programming.
The
COM
is
a
means
for
creating
components
that
are
reusable
across
a variety
of
applications,
thus
reducing pro-
gramming
time
and

increasing
interoperability
across
applications.
Microsoft's
Object
Linking
and
Embed-
ding
(OLE)
provided
a
subset
of
the
functionality
now
associated with
COM.
See Object Management
Group.
For a
more
complete
discussion
of
the
basic
concepts associated

with
programming objects,
see
object-oriented programming.
Component Software Microsoft's description
for
object-oriented
programming
components
associated
with
their
Component
Object
Model.
See
Component
Object
Model,
object-oriented programming.
composite
Combined,
bundled, aggregated, inter-
leaved,
entwined,
mixed.
composite
video
A color composite
video

signal
is
one
in
which
the
luminance
(brightness)
and
chromi-
nance
(color)
are
combined,
with
the
chrominance
modulated
onto
the
luminance
as
a subcarrier.
The
signal
may
have
to
be
separated

by
the
receiver,
de-
pending
upon
the
system.
Video
game
systems
that
plug
into
a
TV
set
send
out acomposite
signal,
as
op-
posed
to
an
RGB
signal that might
be
sent
to

a
com-
puter
monitor.
compound modulation A successive modulation
technique
in
which
the
modulated
wave
from
one
step
becomes
the
modulating
wave
in
the
next
step.
Comprehensive
System
Accounting
CSA.
Within
the
Open
Source

Software
community,
CSA
is
a
set
of
C
programs
and
shell
scripts
that
help
administrate
individual
online
accounts.
CSA
facilitates account-
ing
for
users,
jobs,
daemons,
and
billing units
and
provides configuration parameters, accounts sched-
uling,

and
hooks
to
reporting
applications.
Thus,
CSA
makes
it
easier
to
monitor
usage,
frequency,
and
other
access
data
for
administrating
and
tuning
networks
and
for
billing
purposes.
compress
Condense,
contract,

shrink;
reduce
in
size,
transmission
time,
or
byte
count.
compression
The
act
of
reducing,
shrinking,
or
short-
ening
items
or
data
in
order
to
store
or
transmit
the
objects
or

information
more
easily.
Data
compression
is
based
on
the
premise
that
most
files
or transmis-
sions include white spaces, noninformational
sec-
tions,
or
redundancies
that
can
be
removed without
affecting
or
significantly degrading
the
meaning
or
202

quality
of
the
information
when
it
is
decompressed.
Compression
is
sometimes
also
based
on
human
per-
ceptual
characteristics
or
multiple
means
ofrepresent-
ing
the
same
data,
some
of
which
may

be
more
space-
conserving
than
others.
See
data compression,
de-
compression, lossless compression, lossy
compres-
sion,
run
length encoding.
compression algorithm The computer logic
and
code
designed
to
automate
the
process ofsaving or
transmitting data
in
less
space
or
less
time
than

if
the
data
were
stored
or
transmitted
raw
(unaltered).
Com-
pression algorithms
are
used
on
many
types
of
data
(video,
still images,
sound,
text,
etc.)
and
the
degree
of
compression
is
often

tied
to
the
type
of data
and
even
the
specific character of
the
particular data
be-
ing
compressed. A compressed file
is
not
always
smaller
than
the
original.
Compression algorithms
may
be
loss
less
(the
infor-
mation
can

be
reconstructed
to
be
the
same,
or
to
ap-
pear
the
same,
as
the
original) or
lossy
(the
informa-
tion
is
reconstructed
to
be
essentially
the
same
as
the
original,
or

perceptually similar, but
not
identical).
Compression Control Protocol
CCP.
Aprotocol
for
negotiating data compression
at
both
ends
of
an
es-
tablished Point-to-Point Protocol
(PPP)
link.
CCP
was
introduced
as
a standards track protocol
in
the
mid-1990s
as
a
means
to
configure,

enable,
and
dis-
able
data
compression
and
to
signal
errors
in
the
com-
pression/decompression mechanism.
CCP
is
similar
to
Link
Control Protocol
(LCP)
except that
CCP
uti-
lizes
different
timeouts,
additional
codes,
and

specific
PPP
Protocol field indicators
and
may
utilize
frame
format
modifications
that
may
have
been
established
with
the
link.
See
Link Control Protocol, Point-to-
Point Protocol,
RFC
1962.
Comp
Tel
Competitive
Telecommunications
Associa-
tion.
An
association

that
includes
WorldCom
and
a
number
of
medium-sized
communications
carriers.
Compton scatteringA
form
of
photon
scattering
that
results
from
stimulation
by
electromagnetic
radiation.
The
scattering effect
is
small
but important,
as
it
oc-

curs
at
a wavelength different
from
the
incident ra-
diation, scattering off
of
loosely bound "stationary"
electrons.
Thus,
for
light,
aparticle
model
is
more
ef-
fective
at
describing
the
effect
than
a
wave
model.
In
Compton
scattering,

the
scatter
angles
and
energy
levels
in
the
scattered photons
may
be
detected/cal-
culated.
At
visible light ranges, the effect
is
very
small,
but becomes
more
apparent
at
the
higher
en-
ergy
levels associated with X-rays
or
gamma
rays.

This
is
useful
for
telescopic radiation detectors. A
Compton
scattering telescope typically consists ofa
scintillating layer
that
Compton scatters
gamma
ra-
diation.
The
scattered photons
then
encounter a sec-
ond
scintillating layer
which
absorbs
them.
Phototube
detectors assessing
the
two
levels
can
somewhat
de-

termine interaction between
the
two
layers
and
the
associated amount of energy deposited. Unfortu-
nately,
the
Compton relationships don't
include
in-
formation about
the
angle
ofincidence of
the
incom-
ing
photons,
so
this
must
be
determined or estimated
by
other
means
if
the

source
of
the
radiant energy
is
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
sought. See Bragg's
law,
Rayleigh scattering,
Thomson
scattering.
Compton
Scattering
The Compton effect was studied
in
the early 1920s
by
A.
Compton andmay beexpressed mathematically
as
A
f
-
Ai
=M =(h/mc) *
(1-
cosS)
where \ is the scatteredphoton and
Ai
is the incom-

ing (incident) photon
and
h is Planck's constant. In
terms
of
understanding the nature
of
light, this was
important data confirming the hypothesis
of
a par-
ticle nature
of
light.
Compton,
Arthur
Holly (1892-1962) An
American
physicist
and
engineer
who
studied
X-rays
and
de-
veloped
theories
and
mathematical

expressions
de-
scribing
their
behavior,
including
reflection
and
po-
larization
effects.
He
was
also
a
pioneer
in
obtaining
the
spectra
ofX
-rays
by
the
use
of
ruled
gratings,
in-
formation

that
was
invaluable
in
determining
elec-
tronic
charge.
In
1941,
he
became
chairman
of
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences.
Compton
is
best
remembered
for
having
observed
and
mathematically expressed Compton scattering, a
subtle
wavelength-shift

effect
that
provided
conftr-
matory
evidence
for
a
particle
nature
of
light.
In
1922,
he
published
his
observations
in
Secondary
Radia-
tions
Produced
by
X-rays.
In
collaboration
with
A.
Simon,

Compton
provided
further
confIrmation
of
the
effect
by
the
coincidence
method,
describing
how
in-
dividual
scattered
photons
and
the
electrons
off of
which
they
recoiled
would
appear
simultaneously,
an
idea
that

required
quantum
rather
than
classical
phys-
ics
concepts
to
reconcile.
In
1927,
Compton
and
C.
Wilson
were
coawarded
the
Nobel
Prize
in
physics.
In
1991,
NASA
named
its
new
space-based gamma radiation observatory after

Compton.
See
Compton
scattering.
CompuServe, CompuServ
Historically,
one
of
the
earliest
large-scale
commercial
computer
service
pro-
viders,
CompuServe
was
initiated
in
1969
as
a
time-
share
subsidiary
of
Golden
United
Life

Insurance
under
the
name
CompuServ
Network,
Incorporated.
In
1986,
the
service
was
purchased
by
H&R
Block.
By
the
late
1980s,
CompuServe
was
also
beginning
to
sell
services
to
personal
computer

users
and
soon
after
expanded
into
the
European
market.
In
1989,
CompuServe
was
one
of
the
pioneering
Internet
mail
relay
carriers
and,
in
the
mid-1990s,
extended
its
tra-
ditional
BBS-style

dial-up
services
to
include
Inter-
net
access.
CompuServe
survived
the
online
services
shakeouts
of
the
1990s
to
become
a
large,
commercial
dialup
Internet Services Provider (ISP).
In
1997,
it
was
bought
out
by

America
Online,
Inc.
(AOL)
and
posi-
tioned
as
an
interactive
service
brand.
In
addition
to
public
services,
it
provides
CompuServe-specific
ser-
vices
available
only
to
members,
including
airline
res-
ervations,

stock
listings,
chat
services,
etc.
computer A
logic-processing
device,
which
usually
includes
temporary
or
long-term
storage
and
input
and/or
output
devices
for
interaction
with
the
user.
It
mayor
may
not
be

programmable
and
mayor
may
not
be
constructed
with
binary
architecture
(binary
computers
are
prevalent).
A
computer
doesn't
have
to
be
strictly
electronic,
and
researchers
have
explored
biological
parts
or
processes

for
incorporation
into
computing
devices.
Quantum
computers
have
been
proposed,
with
science
fiction
possibilities,
but
none
has
yet
been
devised.
However,
individual
quantum
processes
have
been
developed
successfully
and
may

someday
be
incorporated
into
computers.
The
most
common
configuration
for
digital
desktop
computers
consists
ofa
central
processing
unit
(CPU)
for
performing mathematical logical instructions,
sometimes
cooperating
with
coprocessing
chips
for
graphics
and
sound;

volatile
storage,
usually
in
the
form
of
RAM;
read/write
semi-permanent
storage,
usually
on
magnetic
or
magneto-optical
media;
user-
interaction input/output
devices
such
as
monitors,
keyboards,
mice,
microphones,
cameras,
speakers,
and
joysticks;

and
program
instructions
in
the
form
of
operating
systems
and
applications
programs.
To
enhance
the
usefulness
of
basic
computers,
print-
ers,
scanners,
modems,
and
network
interfaces
have
been developed, which communicate through a
printed
circuit

board,
or
various
SCSI,
IDE,
serial,
parallel,
USB,
Fire
Wire
and
networking
ports.
Many
people
make
the
mistake
of
assuming
the
software
that
runs
the
system,
the
operating
system
(OS),

is
the
computer
itself.
While
it
is
true
that
aparticular
OS
is
usually
optimized
for
aparticular
platform,
op-
erating
systems
can
be
adapted
to
run
on
many
sys-
tems.
Early

computers
ran
several
operating
systems
(see
TRS-80),
and
the
trend
is
moving
back
in
that
direction. Linux, Be, Inc.'s BeOS, and Apple
Computer's
OS
X,
as
examples,
are
designed
to
run
on
a
number
of
hardware

platforms,
providing
the
user
the
freedom
to
choose
his
or
her
hardware/soft-
ware
combination.
Computer
and
Business EquipmentManufactur-
ersAssociation
CBEMA.
See
Information
Technol-
ogy
Industry
Council.
Computer and Communications Industry Asso-
ciation
CCIA.
A
trade

organization
based
in
Virginia
that represents data processing companies and
common
carrier
service
companies.
The
CCIA
pro-
vides
education
and
lobbying
support
to
its
members.
203
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
Fiber
Optics
Illustrated
Dictionary
Computer
and
Information
Science

and
Engineer-
ing
CISE.
A
U.S.
National
Science
Foundation
Di-
rectorate
that
promotes
basic
research
and
education
in
the
fields
of
computer
information
sciences
and
en-
gineering.

/
Computer Control Company

The
company
that
originated
the
Series-16
minicomputers,
washing-
machine
(and
smaller)
sized
16-bit-register
comput-
ers
that
were
bought
out
by
Honeywell
in
the
mid-
1960s.
See
Honeywell
Kitchen
Computer.
ComputerEmergency Response Team

CERT.
Es-
tablished
in
the
late
1980s
by
the
Advanced
Research
Projects
Agency
(ARPA),
based
at
Carnegie
Mellon
University.
CERT
provides
assistance
to
computer
operators
wrestling
with
various
network
security

and
operations
issues.
computer fraud
Misrepresentation
or
theft
accom-
plished
on,
with,
or
with
regard
to
computers.
The
computer
data
may
itself
be
the
target
of
the
fraudu-
lent
activities
or

a
computer
may
be
used
as
a
tool
to
aid
in
noncomputer-related
fraud
(as
in
records
theft,
spying,
or
unauthorized
access).
Unsecured
computer
data,
in
the
form
of
accounts,
confidential

business
or
investment
information,
personnel
files,
etc.
is
es-
pecially
subject
to
tampering.
ComputerIncidentAdvisory Capability
CIAC.
An
archive
and
notices
repository
posted
in
conjunction
with
the
Laurence
Livermore
National
Labs
Web

site
to
inform
the
network community
about
security
weaknesses
and
breaches
that
might
compromise
net-
work
systems,
particularly
the
Internet.
This
posting
is
intended
to
provide
technical
assistance
to
help
se-

cure
the
Department
of
Energy
(DoE)
communica-
tions
systems,
but
the
posted
bulletins
are
open
to
the
Internet
community.
CIAC
was
founded
in
1989
and
is
a
founding
member
of

the
Forum
of
Incident
Re-
sponse
and
Security
Teams
(FIRST).
CIAC
provides
training,
education,
technology
watches,
and
trend,
threat,
and
vulnerability
data
collection
and
analysis.
CIAC
publications
that
are
transmitted

to
other
par-
ties
are
signed
with
a
PGP
encryption
key.
Computer
Science
Telecommunications
CST.
A
pub-
lication of
the
University
of
Missouri
(Kansas
City)
School
of.Interdisciplinary
Computing
and
Engi-
neering.

Computer Security Institute
CSI.
A
professional
organization
committed
to
supporting
and
educating
information
technology
(IT),
computer,
and
network
security
professionals,
founded
in
1974.
/>computer societies, national A
complete
listing
of
the
world's
computer
societies
is

outside
the
scope
of
this
dictionary,
but
a
sampling
of
some
of
the
ac-
tive
and
prominent
societies
that
are
accessible
on
the
Web
helps
illustrate
the
types
of
organizations

that
exist
and
their
general
goals
and
priorities
with
rela-
tion
to
information
technologies
and
computing
sci-
ence.
See
Computer
Societies
chart.
ComputerSupported TelecommunicationsAppli-
cations
CSTA.
A
computer
telephony
interface
stan-

dard
published
by
the
European
Computer
Manufac-
turers
Association
(ECMA)
in
1992.
Work
on
ECMA
204
telephony
standards
was
carried
out
by
the
ECMA
Technical
Committee
TC32.
CST
A
was

developed
for
integrating
computers
and
telephone
technology
into
a
unified
system,
in
a
process
described
as
Computer
Telephone
Integration
(CTI).
CSTAhas
been
adopted
as
an
ISO
standard
and
is
one

of
the
most
important
international
standards
for
computer
telephony
for
the
predictable
future.
The
standard describes information interchange
among
telecommunications
and
computer
devices.
It
is
sufficiently
generic
to
encompass
analog
and
digi-
tal

private,
public,
and
combination
communications
signaling systems, switches,
and
networks.
Initial
applications of
the
standard
tend
to
focus
on
tele-
phony/database
integration
and
basic
automation
of
services
but,
since
it
is
a
broad-based

standard,
new
types
of
services
and
technologies
will
emerge
as
it
becomes
better
understood
and
supported.
Computer Systems Policy Project A
lobbying
or-
ganization
formed
in
1991
to
represent
those
who
felt
national
networks

were
too
oriented
toward
research
and
science
and
not
enough
toward
everyday
users.
In
actual
fact,
statistics
show
that
a
great
majority
of
Internet
use
is
devoted
to
conventional
everyday

user
traffic,
predominantly
business
and
personal
elec-
tronic
mail
and
file
transfers
unrelated
to
research
and
science.
computertelephony integration
CTI.
Integration
of
computer
database,
dialing,
and
other
features,
with
voice
communications

through
a
headset,
handset,
or
other
computer
peripheral
voice
transmitting
and
re-
ceiving
device.
See
Computer
Supported
Telecom-
munications
Applications,
computer
telephony.
computer-aided dispatch
CAD.
A
system
in
which
the
administration

of
services
is
aided
by
a
computer.
For
example,
emergency
or
law
enforcement
systems
may
track
the
location
of
vehicles
and
their
direction
of
travel
in
order
to
dispatch
calls

in
an
efficient
man-
ner.
Similarly,
taxi
and
limousine services
can
be
managed
with
the
aid
ofa
computer.
Billing
and
mile-
age
factors
may
also
be
stored
by
the
system,
and

sta-
tistical
measures
tracked
in
order
to
enable
a
com-
pany
to
better
manage
its
resources.
computer-aided
learning,
computer-assisted
learning
See
computer-assisted
instruction.
computer-aided manufacturing
The
process
of
us-
ing
a computer

to
directly control manufacturing
equipment,
such
as
drilling
machines,
production
lines,
bottle
cappers,
saws,
chisels,
and
any
of
the
fab-
rications
equipment
which
normally
may
have
been
driven
by
manual,
electrical,
or

mechanical
machines
without
the
benefit
of
logic
programming.
One
of
the
best
applications
of
computer-aided
manufacturing
is
integrating
the
production
machines
with
paramet-
ric
design
software
(usually
used
with
CAD)

so
that
objects
that
are
generally
the
same,
but
perhaps
dif-
ferent
in
specifics,
can
be
manufactured
with
the
same
equipment,
under
the
control
of
the
computer.
See
parametric
design.

computer-assisted instruction
CAl.
Instructional
media
and
techniques
used
in
conjunction
with
com-
puter
software,
or
entirely
by
computer
software,
in
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
the
form
of
tutorials,
demonstrations,
white
papers,
online
mentors
and

instructors,
educational
software,
tests,
multimedia
presentations,
etc.
CAl
has
been
around
for
decades
as
a
number
of instructors
were
quick
to
grasp
the
significance of
and
opportunities
provided
by
CAl,
particularly
for

individual
learn-
ing
and
distance
learning.
However,
the
resources
and
time
to
provide
good
educational
programming
and
the prohibitive cost
of
systems
up
until recently
greatly
limited
the
practical
application
of
these
ideas.

Computer+Science
Network
CSNET.
CSNET
merged
with
BITNET
in
1989
to
form
the
Corpora-
tion for Research and Educational Networking
(CREN);
CSNET
was
discontinued
in
1991.
computerTV
See
telecomputer.
Computists International
CI.
Aprofessional
asso-
ciation
for
information

science,
artificial
intelligence,
and
computer
science
researchers.
CI
provides
infor-
mation
on
industry
trends,
leading
edge
technologies,
research,
and
job
opportunities.
CI
publishes
a
weekly
Computists
'
Communique
reporting
on

artificial
in-
telligence,
neural
networks,
genetic
algorithms,
ma-
chine
learning,
natural language processing,
fuzzy
logic,
and
computational
linguistics.
See
artificial
in-
telligence.
COMSAT Corporation Originally created
by
the
u.S.
Congress,
COMSAT
merged
with
Continental
Telephone

to
form
COMSAT
Corporation,
an
inter-
national provider
of
satellite communications
and
networking
services.
COMSAT
operates
through
the
INTEL
SAT
and
Inmarsat
systems
and
is
currently
the
largest
user of
both
systems.
COMSAT

operates
the
COMSAT
Laboratories
for
research,
development,
and
technical
consultation
in
pioneering satellite communications technologies.
/>concatenate
To
link,
chain,
or
otherwise
place
adja-
cent
objects
or
structures
end-to-end.
Thus,
a
female
RCA
plug

can
concatenate
two
RCA
cables
with
stan-
dard
male
ends.
A
2-port
25-pin
data
switcher
can
be
used
to
selectively
concatenate
one
or
the
other
of
two
25-pin
cables
(e.g.,

serial
cables).
A
software
"join"
utility
can
concatenate
two
files,
one
after
the
other
(as
opposed
to
merging
one
file
into
another).
See
daisy
chain.
concave
Dished
in,
hollowed
out,

bowl-shaped
(on
the
inner
surface),
or
otherwise
smoothly
curving
or
arching
inwards
in
two
or
three
dimensions.
Many
optical
components
and
networking
structures
have
concave
shapes,
including
resonating
cavities,
lenses,

reflectors,
parabolic
antennas,
etc.
See
parabola.
Con-
trast
with
convex.
concentrator A point
or
device
at
which
a
number
of
elements
are
brought
together either
for
simplic-
ity
of
cabling
and
management,
or

to
more
efficiently
provide
a
means
to
allocate
shared
resources.
Astar
topology
network
is
a
type
ofconcentrated
configu-
ration
with
a
hub
negotiating
communications
among
the
connected
systems.
Aprinter
room

with
several
kinds
of
printers
available
to
the
general
office
is
an-
other
type
of
concentration
point
for
general
network
services.
The
concentrator itself
may
be
a
smart
device,
like
a

router,
which
processes
the
incoming
infonnation
and
sends
the
task
or
communication
to
the
best
destina-
tion
or
it
may
simply
work
on
a
frrst-come,
first-serve
basis.
A patch
panel
is

a
type
of
cable
concentrator
in
the
sense
that
it
brings together
the
connecting
points
of
a
large
number
ofindividually
cabled
systems,
usu-
ally
to
facilitate reconnections
in
different
configu-
rations.
A

modem
pool
is
aconcentrated
assembly
of
individual
modems,
brought
together
in
one
facility,
room,
or
closet,
for
easy
access,
configuration,
and
maintenance.
See
condenser.
concentrator, optical A
device,
such
as
a
lens,

that
concentrates electromagnetic radiation
into
a higher
energy
level
or
smaller
physical
space.
This
is
useful
for
increasing
luminance,
collimating
beams,
or
chan-
neling
light
into
narrow
openings
such
as
the
endfaces
of

fiber
optic
lightguides.
concentric
In
geometry
relating
to
fiber
9ptics,
two
or
more
broadly
circular or rotating
structures
in
the
same
general
plane
with
a
common
center
point
or
rotational
axis.
Thus,

a bull's
eye
target
comprises
a
series
ofdifferently
sized
concentric
circles.
Ashaft
within
a
rotating
cylindrical
tubing
is
concentric
along
the
access
of
the
shaft.
Cable
assemblies,
with
layers
comprised
of

cylindrical
fiber-conducting
cores,
clad-
ding,
tubing,
aramid
yam,
and
outer
armoring
sheaths
are
concentric
along
the
perpendicular
plane
to
the
axis
of
the
length
of
the
fiber
core
- in
cross-section,

the
assembly
will
resemble
a
target.
Concentric structures
are
generally
not
concentric
from
every
viewing
angle.
Just
as
a
flat
target
has
concentric
circles
only
on
the
front
and
not
on

the
side,
the
axis
of
reference
is
important.
Concentric-
ity
may
be
associated
with
stepped
or
curved
struc-
tures,
as
in
Fresnel
lenses
or
other
types
of
curved,
ridged
components.

However,
they
are
only
concen-
tric
in
those
planes
in
which
the
ridges
share
a
com-
mon
axis.
In
other
words,
they
are
concentric
at
the
points
where
a
knife,

slicing
down
through
all
the
lay-
ers,
would
pass
through
the
shared
center
of
all
the
reference
components
along
the
shared
axis.
Only
an
assembly
of
two
or
more
perfect

spheres
of
different
sizes,
with
their
radii
sharing
a
common
center,
would
be
concentric
in
any
given
plane
that
passes
through
the
center.
Technically
the
structures
don't
have
to
be

circular
to
be
concentric.
A
target
could
be
comprised
of
dif-
ferent-sized
squares
rather
than
circles,
as
long
as
they
share
a
common
center point,
but
in
practical
appli-
cations
concentricity

is
often
associated
with
roughly
circular
or
spherical
components,
especially
those
that
rotate within
one
another.
concentricity
error
In
fiber
optic
lightguides
with
two
or
more
component
layers (e.g.,
cladding
sur-
rounding

the
core),
which
may
not
be
perfectly cir-
cular
at
any
given
point,
and
thus
not
perfectly
con-
centric,
the
ratio
of
the
cladding
to
the
core,
which
has
fine
tolerances

for
optimum
performance,
may
not
be
ideal.
At
this
point,
the
reflection of
the
light
beam
off
the
cladding
and
through
the
core
may
be
205
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
Fiber
Optics
Illustrated
Dictionary

Computer Societies - Sample List
Organization
Abbreviation/Description
Australian Computer
Society
ACS
Per
capita,
one
of
the
world's
largest
computer
societies,
established
in
1966
in
a
merger
of
state-based
computer
societies.
The
ACS
studies,
supports,
and

promotes
professional
excellence
in
information
technology.
See
ACSnet.
/>British Computer
Society
BCS
A
professional
society
and
registered
charitable
institution
for
supporting
the
field
of
information
systems
engineering,
founded
in
1957.
The

BCS
is
also
a
licensed
engineering
institution
with
accreditation-granting
authority.
!
! bcs/
Computer
Society
ofBermuda
CSB
A
nonprofit
organization
for
fostering
knowledge
and
applications
in
information
technologies
in
Bermuda,
founded

in
1975
and
incorporated
in
1986.
/>Computer
Society
ofIndia
CSI
Founded
in
1965,
the
CSI
is
committed
to
promoting
the
interchange
of
information
and
the
advancement
of
the
theory
and

practice
of
computer
technologies
and
professions.
/>Computer
Society
of South Africa
CSSA
A
not-for-profit
professional
corporation
dedicated
to
the
support
and
education
of
its
members
in
various
chapters
throughout
the
region.
/>Computer

Society
ofSri Lanka
CSSL
Formed
in
1977
to
support
and
promote
research
and
professionalism
in
the
information
technology
field.
cssl/
Jamaica Computer
Society
JCS
A
communications
and
education
body
of
Jamaica
which

seeks
to
promote
the
efficient
and
effective
use
of
information
technologies
in
Jamaica.
l
Jordan Computer
Society
JCS
A
nonprofit
organization
for
promoting
the
computer
profession,
founded
in
1986.
/>Hong
Kong

Computer
Society
HKCS
A
nonprofit
professional
organization
promoting
education
and
applications
in
information
technologies
in
Hong
Kong,
founded
in
1970.
/>IEEE Computer
Society
IEEE
A
highly
prominent
American
organization
descended
from

the
Subcommittee
on
Large-Scale
Computing
of
the
American
Institute
of
Electrical
Engineers
(AlEE),
founded
in
1946.
The
AlEE
and
the
Institute
of
Radio
Engineers
merged
in
1963
to
become
the

Institute
of
Electrical
and
Electronics
Engineers
(IEEE).
The
IEEE
has
members
around
the
world.
It
promotes
education
and
professionalism
in
a
broad
range
of
computing
technologies
and
is
responsible
for

the
development
of
many
telecommunications
and
computing
standards.
l

Irish Computer
Society
ICS
The
ICS
supports
and
promotes
a
broad
range
of
information
technologies
through
education
and
member
services.
It

was
founded
in
1967.
/>Kuwait Computer
Society
KCS
A
Kuwaiti
Public
Welfare
Institution,
founded
in
1982
as
the
Kuwaiti
Society
of
Computers,
renamed
in
1990.
The
KCS
promotes
education
and
professionalism

in
computer
sciences
and
information
technologies.
/>Lithuanian Computer
Society
LIKS
An
independent
society
of
software
users,
amateurs,
and
professionals
in
informatics
and
computing
science,
officially
registered
in
1990.
s.1t/
Malaysian Computer
Society

MCS
A
society
that
promotes
computer
literacy
in
Malaysia,
founded
in
1998.
/>Mauritius Computer
Society
MCS
The
MCS
promotes
personal
and
professional
development
and
computer
literacy
in
Mauritius.
/>New
Zealand
Computer

Society
Inc.
NZCS
Promotes
and
fosters
education,
qualification,
and
professional
development
in
information
processing.
/>Norwegian
Computer
Society
NCS
An
open,
independent,
self-financed
society
for
promoting
awareness
and
the
advancement
of

information
technologies
for
business
and
society.
/>Singapore Computer
Society
SCS
Singapore's
largest
information
technology
professional
body,
founded
in
1967.
The
SCS
promotes
personal
development
and
industry
leadership
in
information
technology.
/>Syrian Computer

Society
SCS
A
nonprofit
national
organization
of
scholars
and
engineers,
based
in
Damascus,
founded
in
1989.
The
SCS
furthers
information
technologies
in
Syria.
l
206
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
hindered
by
deviations
from

aperfect circle
and
corel
cladding
ratio.
See
concentric,
total
internal reflec-
tion,
critical
angle.
concurrent
Functioning,
processing,
or
operating
at
the
same
time;
parallel,
in
conjunction
with;
coexist-
ent, simultaneous, synchronous.
concurrent programming
Techniques
and

associ-
ated notation
systems
for
parallel processing
imple-
mentation.
Distribution,
synchronization,
prioritizing,
and
signaling
are
important
aspects
of
concurrent
pro-
gramming.
For
example,
computer graphics special
effects
rendering
is
computing intensive,
and
farm-
ing
out

various
objects
to
various processors
or
work-
stations,
and
then
combining
them
in
one
frame
when
each
is
rendered,
can
greatly
decrease
the
time
it
takes
to
create
each
image
(called

render
farms). Not
all
types
of
operations
benefit
from
concurrent program-
ming.
The
overhead involved
in
setting
up
the
distri-
bution
and
coordination
of
the
data
must
be
smaller,
in
proportion
to
the

effective processing
that
occurs,
to
make
it
worth
processing
in
parallel.
concurrent
site
license
In
the
software
industry
there
are
a
number
of
common
schemes
for
assigning
soft-
ware use rights. Exclusive operation
on
only

one
machine
at
a
time
is
the
most
common,
but
it
is
also
possible
to
get
concurrent
licenses
that
permit a
speci-
fied
maximum
number
of
users
to
access
the
software

at
anyone
time
from
a networked
server,
or that
per-
mit
up
to
a specified number of
users
(five
is
com-
mon)
to
install
the
software
on
individual worksta-
tions.
condenser An apparatus that concentrates or con-
denses
a
beam,
ray,
wave,

or collection
of
particles.
In
the
process
of
concentrating asubstance,
wave,
or
particles,
the
condenser
may
also
secondarily store
them,
as
in
electrical
energy.
A device that
focuses
radiant
energy,
such
as
a
lens
for

concentrating light
or a parabolic antenna for concentrating satellite
waves,
can
be
considered a basic
type
of
condenser.
See
concentrator; condenser, electrical.
condenser, electrical Condensers range widely
in
complexity
and
construction. They
are
used
with
a
variety of
types
ofelectrical apparatus,
for
example,
spark
coils.
Condensers
employ adielectric, that
is

a
material
that
doesn't readily conduct direct current
(DC).
Dielectrics
vary
from
paper
to
ceramic
or
glass,
with
the
better insulators being
used
in
higher volt-
age
applications. A Leyden jar
is
one
of
the
earliest
condensers
used
for
concentrating

and
storing elec-
trical
energy.
In
the
Leyden jar,
the
glass
acts
as
the
dielectric. Avariation
on
the
same
idea,
using glass
plates
in
a
rack
rather
than
ajar,
were
used
for
early
wireless

condensers.
See
capacitor, condenser,
Ley-
den
jar.
conditioning
The
processing
of
current
to
make
it
suitable
for
specific
tasks.
Some
electrical appliances
can
tolerate variations
in
current
or
noise, while
oth-
ers
are
very

sensitive
to
variations
and
noise,
particu-
larly
small
electronic components, requiring that
the
raw
current
that
may come
from
a
wall
socket
or
other
source
frrst
be
conditioned
to
meet
the
needs
of
the

device.
See
AC
to
DC
converter.
conductance
The
ability,
readiness, inclination, or
disposition ofa material or system
to
carry
an
elec-
trical current, expressed
in
the practical unit
mho
(ohm
spelled backward).
The
reciprocal ofelectrical
resistance.
See
conductor.
conductivity method A pioneer experimental
~~~;{~r~;l~~1~;~:~~~:~~~~~~~~~
'.
before

Marconi demonstrated practical applications
ofwireless
communications.
Terminals
of
strong
bat-
teries were set up
in
series from a sending key,
grounded
at
a
distance
of
about
fifty
feet
apart.
A
sym-
metric
arrangement
was
set
up
at
the
receiving
end,

except that
it
used atelephone receiver or
galvanom-
eter. Other researchers experimented with this
method,
but little documentation
of
their efforts
is
available.
See
Preece,
William;
Steinheil,
K.A.
conductor Amaterial that readily carries
an
electri-
cal current or heat.
Some
metals make especially
good
conductors (e.g., silver, copper,
gold,
alumi-
num)
and
are
widely

used
in
the
manufacture of
wire.
Less conductive materials, such
as
rubber,
used
in
specialized parts
such
as
gaskets
and
seals,
are
some-
times
impregnated
with
metal
to
increase their
con-
ductivity, while still retaining attributes
that
are
dif-
ficult

to
achieve with metal
alone.
The
tenn
conduc-
tor originates
from
Desgauliers
in
the
1730s.
Con-
trast
with
insulator.
conduit
1.
In
its
most
basic sense, a
channel
for
di-
recting physical objects
or
virtual
data
along

its
path.
2.
A liquid conduit
is
a pathway often
used
for
tem-
perature regulation, dispersion
of
lubricants,
or
chan-
neling
of
fluids
from
one
area
to
another.
See
duct.
conduit, wiring
1.
Atubular,
hollow,
physical path-
way

providing a channel
for
materials installed
in-
side
or
directed through
its
core.
Plastic,
metal,
and
ceramic
are
common
conduit
materials.
2.
A
pipe
that
provides
aprotected pathway
for
wire,
cable,
or
other
conductive materials. Conduit
is

commonly
used
to
run
wires
in
a building
and
may
also
include insula-
tion,
color coding,
and
other attributes
to
protect
or
identify its contents. Conduit
can
be
a
good
way
to
hedge
against
obsolescence,
since
it

can
be
rethreaded
more
easily
than
cables that
have
been attached
di-
rectly
to
the
structure
of
a building inside
its
walls.
cone
of
silence
See
zone
of
silence.
Conference Europeenne
des
Administrations
des
Postes

et
des
Telecommunications
(European
Con-
ference
of
Postal
and
TelecommunicationsAdminis-
trations)
CEPT.
An international standards body
rep-
resenting telecommunications providers
in
most
na-
tions
other than
Japan,
Canada,
U.S.,
and
Mexico.
It
cooperates with
CEN/CENELEC.
See
El.

configuration
Setup,
organizational structure, archi-
tecture,
topology,
assemblage, physical
and
logical
parts
and
interactions taken
as
a
whole.
congestion indicator
In
ATM
networking, a traffic
flow
control signal
to
reduce
the
allowed cell rate
(ACR)
in
order
to
reduce
the

likelihood of
increasing
congestion.
The
information
is
contained
in
the
RM
cell.
See
cell rate, leaky bucket.
207
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
Fiber
Optics
Illustrated
Dictionary
Congestion Manager
CM.
A network end-system
module
that
enables applications
to
adapt
to
network
congestion

and
enables
a
suite
ofmultiple concurrent
streams
from
a sender
to
a receiver
with
the
same
congestion properties
to
perform congestion
avoid-
ance
and
control.
Congestion Manager
was
submit-
ted
as
a Standards
Track
RFC
by
Balakrishnan

and
Seshan
in
June
2001.
The
framework
supplied
by
Congestion Manager
in-
tegrates congestion management across
all
applica-
tions
and
transport
protocols.
It maintains parameters
and
exports
an
API
with information about network
characteristics
and
enables
applications
to
pass

infor-
mation
to
the
CM,
to
schedule
data
transmissions,
and
to
share congestion information.
Use
of
the
CM
re-
quires explicit consent of
the
CM
through
the
API.
CM
may
be
elected
for
use
on

best-effort network
systems that
have
well-behaved applications with
their
own
independent per-byte or per-packet
se-
quence
number
information
and
use
the
API
to
up-
date
the
CM's internal
state.
See
RFC
3124.
conical array antenn'a
An
antenna that
can
receive
arange of

VHF
signals
through a central
rod
with
re-
flector
elements
extending
out
at
right
angles
to
the
support rod
and,
at
the
other
end,
forward-oriented
driven
elements
fanned
out
more
or
less
from

a
single
connection
point
on
the
rod.
conical monopole antenna A vertically polarized,
broadband
antenna
shaped
like
a
cone
with
the
nar-
row
end
oriented
towards
the
top.
The
frequency
re-
sponse
is
related
to

the
size
and
angle
of
the
cone.
conical scan
In
radar antennas, a circular scanning
motion,
often
used
on
aircraft, that provides
more
complete information
on
the
location
and
character-
istics of
the
object of
the
scan.
The
conical
scan

can
provide angular information.
Connect
918
A Macintosh
and
IBM-licensed
PC-
based videoconferencing product
from
Nuts
Tech-
nologies
that
supports
video,
audio,
whiteboarding,
and
screen
sharing
over
analog,
Switched
56,
ISDN,
and
Ethernet
networks.
It

uses
ITU-T
H Series
and
GSeries
Recommendations
standards
and
encoding.
See Cameo Personal Video System, CU-SeeMe,
IRIS,
MacMICA,
ShareView
3000,
VISIT
Video.
Connected,Limited
Device
Configuration
CLDC.
A
Sun
Microsystems Java specification used
by
a
number of
major
wireless telecommunications pro-
viders
as

a
guideline
for
manufacturing
and
program-
ming
small Java-enabled communications
devices.
The
audience
for
the
CLDC
specification
is
the
Java
Community
Process
(JCP)
expert
group
and
afore-
mentioned
developers.
Participants include promi-
nent
network

technology companies
such
as
Nokia,
Ericsson,
Fujitsu,
Sony,
America
Online,
et
a1.
The
"Limited Device" designation applies
to
rela-
tively
slow
CPU,
limited-resolution,
limited-memory
devices that
are
becoming prevalent
as
mass-pro-
duced
hand-held
assistants, including palm-top
com-
puters

and
schedulers,
and
advanced-feature cellu-
lar phones, etc. Thus,
CLDC
is
a minimum-foot-
print
specification
for
connected
devices,
devices
that
can
interface
with
a computer
or
wireless
network.
208
The
full
specification
is
downloadable
free
from

Sun
Microsystems'
Web
site.
connection
1.
A
system
or
circumstance of
physically
or logicallyjoined entities, objects,
or
processes.
An
electromagnetic connection
is
one
in
which current
from
one
system
can
pass
into
another,
either
through
a splice, jack, plug,

or
other connector, or
by
a
spark
or induction system.
2.
A
wireless
connection
is
one
in
which a signal
is
transferred without a visible
physical connection. Wireless connections typically
are
based
upon
the
transmission ofsound
or
electro-
magnetic
waves
that originate
in
atransmitter (which
commonly

includes
or
is
associated with a
wave
gen-
erator)
and
terminate
in
areceiver which mayor
may
not
convert
the
signals
into
visual or
audio
forms
that
may
be
directly perceived
by
humans.
connection management controller
CMC.
Works
in

conjunction with abroadband integrated gateway
(BIG)
to
take data
from
incomingATM
cells
for
pro-
cessing
and
routing.
See
broadband integrated
gate-
way,HFC.
connection protocol
The
software protocol that
ne-
gotiates a pathway
for
a transmissions connection
session.
connection-oriented A
type
of
communication
in
which

the
sender/receiver connection
is
established
prior
to
transmission,
as
in
a
phone
call.
This
may
sound
like
a logical
way
to
do
things,
but
a substan-
tial
amount
of network traffic
does
not
follow
this

model.
In
sending
an
email
message,
for
example,
the
message
will
be
sent irrespective ofwhether
the
re-
ceiver
is
online
at
the
time
the
message
is
sent.
Then,
if
too
much
time elapses, or a certain number

of
at-
tempts
to
deliver
the
message
have
failed,
it will
be
returned
to
sender.
Modem
communications
are
con-
nection-oriented. If
there
is
no
answering handshake
at
the
other
end
of
the
transmission,

no
transfer
of
data
takes
place. Contrast with connectionless.
Connection-Oriented Transport Service
COTS.
A
connection-oriented, end-to-end network communi-
cation
service.
COTS
involves
initializing
the
service,
establishing a connection, transferring
data,
releas-
ing
the
connection,
and
general cleanup associated
with
the
release
of
the

connection
such
that
it may
be
reused, unbound,
or
closed.
When
a
COTS
ses-
sion
is
initialized,
it
enables
the
COTS
driver
and
as-
sociated application
to
be
bound
with
a
specific
trans-

port
entity.
Various
buffer-handling
or
status
utilities
may
be
used during
the
connection.
In
the
Open
Sys-
tem
Interconnect
(OSI)
model,
connection-oriented
network services
are
implemented by
using
the
Con-
nection-Oriented Network Protocol
(CONP)
and

the
Connection-Mode Network Service
(CMNS).
connection-related function
In
ATM
networking, a
traffic management
and
policing
function
related
to
a network element
(NE)
where
connection-specific
functions
are
carried
out.
connectionless A type
of
network transmissions
architecture
in
which
the
data
is

sent
without
first
es-
tablishing
that
the
receiver
is
connected
and
available
to
receive transmissions. Large distributed comput-
ing
environments frequently
employ
connectionless
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
services.
In
contrast,
phone
calls
and
modem
data
transfers
are
connection-oriented

end-to-end
commu-
nications.
Contrast
with
connection-oriented.
Connectionless
Broadband Data
Service
CBDS.
In
ATM
networking,
a high-speed packet-based
con-
nectionless
service
similar
to
SMDS
(Bellcore)
that
is
defined
by
the
European
Telecommunications
Stan-
dards

Institute
(ETSI).
CBDS
is
appropriate
for
net-
works
requiring
high-volume,
high-speed
transmis-
sion
rates
and
thus
is
favored
for
high-end
graphics
and
publishing,
videoconferencing
and
streaming,
and
scientific
research
applications.

CBDS
is
favored
over
private
lines
or
permanent
virtual circuits
(e.g.,
Frame
Relay)
for
some
inter-business
communica-
tion
needs.
Commercial
implementations
of
SMDS
or
CBDS
support
multicasting
and
most
major
network

proto-
cols
(TCP/IP,
SNA,
AppleTalk,
etc.).
CBDS
can
be
integrated with existing Ethernet, Token-Ring or
FDDI
local
area
networks
(LANs).
At
the
present
time,
CBDS
is
more
widely installed
in
Europe
than
North
America.
Refer
to

the
ETSI
ETS
300
series
documents
for
specifications.
Connectionless Transport Protocol
CTP.
Aproto-
col
that
provides
a
means
to
send
to
a recipient
that
mayor
may
not
be
connected
to
the
network
at

the
time
the
data
is
transported.
CLP
allows
end-to-end
transmission
addressing
and
error
control,
but
does
not
guarantee
delivery.
connectivityA
property
of
mechanical
and
electronic
systems
that
allows
them
to

interconnect
with
other
devices
or
systems
for
the
purposes
of
transmitting
or
relaying
information
or
signals.
While
connectiv-
ity
generally
refers
to
physical
connectivity,
the
in-
creasing
importance
of
data

in
communications
and
hardware
configuration
has
extended
the
term
to
soft-
ware
as
well.
When
systems
or
devices
can
be
readily
interconnected
in
terms
of
hardware
and
software,
they
are

said
to
be
compatible.
See
connection.
connector
1.
A
device
to
join
or
combine
two
or
more
objects.
When
circuits
are
coupled
with a connector,
the
two
systems
or
obj
ects
are

usually intended
to
communicate
in
the
same
way
(otherwise
the
connec-
tor
is
usually
referred
to
as
an
adapter).
The
connector
may
be
incorporated
into
the
device
being
connected
or
may

be
a separate item.
See
adaptor, gender
changer,
jack.
2.
In
a
flow
chart,
a
connector
is
a
sym-
bol
that
can
be
used
to
indicate ajoin
in
a
flow,
or
the
divergence
of

the
flow
into
additional
paths.
See
ST-
connector.
Connon, John
R.
(1862-1931) A
Canadian
inven-
tor
and
historian
who
devised various innovative
mechanisms,
including a
type
of
dynamo,
and
who
was
granted
a
first
patent

for
a
cinematic
camera
in
the late 1880s. Connon worked together with
Rudolph
Stirn,
a
German
inventor,
to
develop
pan-
oramic technology. Connon's innovative camera
could
photograph
a
continuous
image,
without
seams,
while
rotating
360
degrees
(a
similar
camera
was

pat-
ented
by
M.
Garella
in
England
in
1857
but
the
au-
thor
wasn't
able
to
determine
if
the
earlier
camera
was
seamless).
See
panoramic
camera.
Sampling
of
Standardized Connectors
Avariety

of
common,
standardized
computer,
phone,
and video connectors.
1.
9- to IS-pin D-shaped computer data adapter
2.
25-pin D-shaped null modem data adapter
3.
RJ-II
phone line splitter/joiner
4.
and
5.
stereo sound adapters
6.
and
7.
coax F and BNC video adapters I
8.
RCA video/audio splitter/joiner
9.
RCA video/audio cross connector
A selection
of
video and
data
connectors, oriented

to
show
the
connectingpins.
1.
6-pin mini-DIN computer connector
2.
RJ-45 1OBase-T computer network connector
3.
video BNC coaxial cable connector
4.
audio or composite video RCA connector
5.
Super-VHS (S-Video) video connector
6.
SCSI-2 50-pin computer data connector
7.
25-pin D-shaped computer data connector
8.
50-pin flat SCSI data connector
Conrad, Frank (1874-1941) An
American
broad-
caster
who
began
as
call
sign
8XK

in
his
Pennsylva-
nia
garage,
which
was
later licensed
as
the
history-
making
KDKA
radio
broadcast
station.
Conrad
was
also
an
avid
inventor,
with
dozens
of
patents
to
his
credit.
His

interests
ranged
from
telegraphy
to
mov-
ing
picture
technologies.
In
1919,
he
patented a
ra-
diotelegraph
device
(U.S.
#1,314,789),
followed
by
a
wireless
telephone
(#1,528,047)
in
1925.
By
the
late
1920s,

Conrad
was
designing
various
types
of
tele-
phones,
and
in
the
mid-1930s
his
interests
turned
to
television
and
motion
picture electronics.
The
Frank
Conrad
Garage
(where
it
all
began)
is
an

official
pres-
ervation
project of
the
Save
America's
Treasures
ef-
fort.
See
KDKA.
consecutive
Continued
presentation of
objects,
data,
or
actions
one
after
the
other;
successive,
sequential,
209
•
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
Fiber
Optics

Illustrated
Dictionary
following. A distinction may
be
made between
sequential
and
consecutive
in
that
sequential
implies
that there
are
no
gaps between succeeding steps,
whereas
consecutive
implies
there
may
be
gaps
or
de-
lays
in
successive
presentations,
depending

upon
the
nature of
the
information of
actions.
For
example,
it
would
not
be
unusual
to
say
a person
was
working
on
the
computer
on
consecutive
weekends,
but
the
phrase
"sequential
weekends"
would

not
normally
be
used,
as
there
is
aweekday
gap
between
each
week-
end.
Sequential
events
are
always
consecutive,
but
consecutive
events
are
not
always
sequential.
If
this
is
confusing,
think

of
the
fact
that a
square
is
always
a rectangle,
but
a
rectangle
is
not
always
a
square.
See
concurrent,
parallel, sequential,
serial.
Consent
Decree,
Dell
A
late
1990s
judicial
decree
barring Dell Computer Corporation from
telemarketing

computer
systems
bundled
with
soft-
ware
that
wasn't
ready
to
ship.
The
proceeding
was
important
because
software
was
relatively
new
and
established
legal
protections
were
still
being
worked
out
for

new
technologies.
In
this
case,
Dell
promoted
the
Dell
Software
Suite
as
being
bundled
with
Dimen-
sion
computer
systems.
Consumers
on
the
whole
re-
ceived
the
system
without
software
and

were
not
of-
fered
the
opportunity
to
consent
to
the
delay
or
can-
cel
orders
for
a
prompt
refund.
The
Federal
Commu-
nications
Commission
(FCC)
charged
that
Dell
vio-
lated

the
Mail
Order
Rule.
Since
Dell
is
considered
a major personal
computer
vendor,
and
vendors
are
focused
on
being first-to-
market
(which
can
be
influenced
by
the
readiness
level
of
the
software),
this

ruling
can
potentially
af-
fect
many
communications
technology
vendors,
as
they
increasingly
rely
on
software operating
systems
and
utilities
to
promote
their
hardware
products.
Consent
Decree,
MCI
and British
Telecom
A
1994

decree
in
which
British Telecom's acquisition of
an
interest
in
MCI
Gointly
called
Concert
Communica-
tions
Corporation)
were
addressed
as
to
the
competi-
tive
effects
of
the
merger.
Amodified
decree
was
en-
tered

into
in
1997,
as
a result of British Telecom's
plans
to
acquire
the
remaining
assets
ofMCI.
When
British
Telecom
sold
its
interest
in
MCI
to
WorldCom,
and
MCI
sold
Concert
Communications
Corporation
to
British

Telecom,
a
motion
to
terminate
the
consent
decree
was
tendered
in
1998.
Consent
Decree,
Microsoft
A
1995
decree
with
a
78-
month duration involving Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft
is
asignificant
software
vendor
alleged
by
a

number
of
competing
vendors
as
engaging
in
mo-
nopolistic
and
unfair
business
practices.
In
this
de-
cree,
Microsoft
was
enjoined
not
to
enter
into
license
agreements
for
operating system-related products
with
a

duration
exceeding
one
year
and
license
agree-
ments
which
would
restrict
OEMs
from
licensing,
selling,
or
distributing
non-Microsoft
operating
sys-
tem
software
products.
In
later competition
for
mar-
ket
dominance
of

Web
browser
software,
the
antitrust
division
of
the
Justice
Department
alleged
that
Micro-
soft
was
not
keeping
to
the
terms
of
the
previous
agreements.
The
result
was
a
long
and

complex
anti-
210
trust investigation against Microsoft
in
the
late
1990s
continuing
into
the
2000s.
Consent Decree, SprintAdecree
in
2000
between
the
Federal
Communications
Commission
(FCC)
and
Sprint
Communications
Company,
LP,
regarding
the
illegal practice of
slamming

- switching consumers'
long-distance telephone services without their
con-
sent.
Sprint voluntarily notified
the
FCC
of
the
prac-
tice,
after
a
number
of
slamming
enforcement
actions
taken
earlier
the
same
year
by
the
FCC
against other
companies,
and
agreed

to
avoluntary monetary
con-
tribution
in
addition
to
returning
consumers
to
their
preselected carriers,
terminating
the
agents
involved,
and
implementing a stronger slamming prevention
and
detection program
in
the
firm.
Slamming
was
not
a
new
problem
at

the
time.
In
an
earlier consent
decree
in
1996,
MCI
agreed
to
vol-
untary
contributions
for
slamming,
indicating
that
the
practice and the problems of its enforcement are
longstanding.
Consent Decree of
1956
Ahistoric agreement
be-
tween
the
Justice Department
and
American

Tele-
phone
and
Telegraph
(AT&T)
to
separate Northern
Electric
(later
Northern
Telecom)
from
Western
Elec-
tric.
In
spite
of
the
limited settlement,
the
Federal
Communications
Commission
(FCC)
received
many
complaints
from
manufacturers over

the
next
two
decades
about
AT&T
refusing
to
buy
or
refusing
to
permit their subscribers
to
buy
new
improved
tele-
phone
technologies.
This
situation
lead
to
the
Con-
sent
Decree
of
1982.

Consent
Decree
of
1982
A
landmark
historic
pro-
ceeding,
this
consent
decree
involved
the
divestiture
of
AT&T
that took place
in
the
mid-1980s
under
the
direction of
Judge
Greene.
It
is
now
more

commonly
known
as
the
Modified Final
Judgment
(MF
J),
since
it
was
amodification of
the
Consent
Decree
of
1956.
See
Modified
Final
Judgment
for
a
fuller
description.
console
1.
Floor-standing cabinet, typically holding
consumer
broadcast receivers

(radio,
TV).
2.
A pri-
mary
operations physical
unit
that
holds
main
elec-
tronic
controls
and
monitors
(such
as
lab
equipment,
medical
monitors,
industrial plant operations equip-
ment,
etc.).
console,
computer operationsAcomputer terminal
for
monitoring/controlling computer operations,
printers,
etc.

On
a
secure
network,
the
operating
con-
sole
is
often
password-protected
to
control
access
and
may
even
be
locked
in
a separate
room
to
prevent
access
or
physical
theft.
The
main

server
sometimes
serves
also
as
the
console,
although
on
larger
systems
the
server
and
the
console
may
be
separate
systems.
console,
telephone A primary multiline telephone
unit
used
by
an
operator
to
answer
and

route
calls
(a
replacement
for
the
old
physical cord-and-stereo-
jack-style switchboards).
These
come
in
a
wide
va-
riety
ofconfigurations.
Some
are
programmable
by
entering
letters,
features,
and
numbers
through
the
keypad,
which

may
further
be
displayed
on
a
small
character
display.
See
PBX.
consoleless
operation
Automated
operations
or
rout-
ing,
an
option
for
companies
whose
needs
are
simple
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
enough
that
they

can
function
without
a
central
unit,
or
without
the
expertise
of
an
operator.
See
PBX.
Consortium for Audiographics Teleconferencing
Standards
CATS.
A
nonprofit
organization,
based
in
California,
that
promotes
acceptance
and
develop-
ment

of
audiographics
teleconferencing
standards.
Audiographics
teleconferencing
in
its
ideal
form
is
the
simultaneous
realtime
use
of
images
and
sound,
in
a
cooperative
environment,
by
participants
in
dif-
ferent
locations.
constant angular velocity

CAV.
A
playback
mode
for
magnetic
and
optical
discs
in
which
the
disc
ro-
tates
at
a
constant
speed.
A
CAV
disc
generally
re-
quires
more
space
on
the
disc

to
hold
the
same
infor-
mation
as
can
be
stored
on
a
constant
linear
velocity
(CLV)
disc,
but
CAV
format
has
the
advantage
of
providing
frames
that
can
be
viewed

individually
in
'freeze
frame'
mode
as
still
images.
See
constant
lin-
ear
velocity.
constant bitrate
CBR.
InATM
networks,
a
cell
rate
traffic
flow
class
of
service
(CoS)
category
that
sup-
ports

a
constant
or
guaranteed
rate
of
transport,
and
circuit
emulation.
Constant
bit
rates
are
important
for
types
of
communications
that
require
synchroniza-
tion
of
signals
at
the
receiving
end.
For

example,
syn-
chronization
of
sound
and
audio
in
a
videoconferenc-
ing
application
is
important,
as
unacceptable
delays
might
occur
if
related
cells
are
not
arriving
at
the
same
time.
See

cell
rate.
constellation
1.
A
group
related
by
proximity
and
physical
or
conceptual
connectivity
(such
as
work-
stations,
celestial
bodies).
2.
In
GPS,
the
set
of
satel-
lites
used
in

a
position
calculation
or
all
the
satellites
within
communications
range
ofa
GPS
receiver
at
a
specific
time.
See
Global
Positioning
Service.
Constellation Communications, Inc.A
U.S based
commercial
provider
of
satellite
communications
ser-
vices.

Constellation
is
developing
a
low
Earth
orbit
(LEO)
system
comprising
46
satellites called
the
ARIES
satellite
system.
Eleven
ARIES
satellites
will
be
placed
in
circular
equatorial
orbits
at
2000
kilo-
meters,

and
35
will
be
divided
into
seven
circular
in-
clined
orbits
at
the
same
altitude.
consult
To
seek
advice,
opinion,
or
information
from
reference
materials,
or
from
another
person,
presum-

ably
with
expertise
in
the
area
of
inquiry.
consultant
Professional
or
other
expert
offering
ad-
vice
or
infonnation
services,
usually
specialized.
Consultation Hold A surcharge
phone
service
or
multiline
subscriber
service
that
enables

the
opera-
tor
to
put
an
incoming
call
on
hold
while
engaged
in
another
call.
Consultative Committee Telecommunications
CCT.
A
three-nation
industry
trade
association
that
promotes
trade
expansion
and
the
evolution
of

tele-
communications equipment
and
services within
NAFTA
and
North
and
South
America.
The
CCT
rep-
resents
more
than
50
industry
telecommunications
equipment
and
services
suppliers,
as
well
as
regula-
tory
and
certification agencies.

CCT
liaises
with
CITEL
and
serves
as
industry
advisor
to
the
NAFTA
Telecommunications
Standards
Subcommittee.
Consumer/Disability Telecommunications Advi-
soryCommittee
C/DTAC.
A
Committee
of
business,
academic,
public,
disability,
and
minority
represen-
tatives
established

by
the
Federal
Communications
Commission
(FCC)
in
November
2000
under
the
pro-
visions
of
the
Federal
Advisory
Committee
Act.
Three
working
groups
focus
on
Consumer
Protection
and
Education,
Access
by

People
with
Disabilities,
and
Availability
and
Affordability
of
Telecommunications
Products
and
Services.
C/DTAC
frrst
met
in
an
open
meeting
in
March
2001
to
discuss
the
telecommunications
needs
of
consum-
ers

and
various underserved populations,
with
the
meeting
set
up
to
be
broadcast
on
the
Internet.
/>contact A point
in
a circuit, usually
at
a junction,
binding
post,
or
terminal,
where
other
parts
of
the
cir-
cuit
interconnect

or
are
attached.
contention
Competition
for
the
same
space
or
re-
sources;
disagreement
over
the
allocation
of
resources
with
the
implication
that
each
of
the
disagreeing
par-
ties
has
some

desire
for
or
stake
in
the
resources.
Contention
can
be
a
problem
on
systems
where
the
demand
for
resources
outstrips
supply,
especially
if
there
is
no
mechanism
for
resolving
contention,

but
contention
is
not
always
unexpected
or
undesirable.
On
networks, there
is
constant contention
for
re-
sources,
including
computing
power,
routes,
Internet
access,
printers,
monitors,
scanners,
and
modems.
This
is
considered
part

of
the
normal
operation
ofa
network
and
is
managed
by
a variety of
strategies,
including
prioritization,
overflow
handling,
buffer-
ing,
polling,
queuing,
batch
processing,
packet
rerout-
ing,
and
timeouts.
In
both
linear

and
parallel
processing
systems,
dif-
ferent
resources
may
be
assigned
to
different
servers
or
groups
of
systems
to
prevent
contention
delays
and
facilitate
arbitration oflimited
resources.
Contention
mechanisms
may
be
deliberately

initiated
in
situations
where
there
are
multiple
backup
systems.
F
or
example,
if
a printer
on
a
network
fails,
the
re-
maining
printers
may
compete
for
permission
to
com-
plete
the

task
and
the
original
printer
may
stand
down
(or
not
participate
at
all
if
it
has
failed
or
been
dis-
connected).
See
queue,
queuing
theory.
continuation
of
message
COM.
In

AIM
networks,
a
status
indicator
used
in
the
asynchronous
transfer
mode
(AIM)
adaptation
layer
(ATM
AL
or
AAL)
to
indicate
that
the
cell
is
a
continuation
ofa
communi-
cation
that

has
been
segmented,
that
is,
broken
up
and
sent
in
different
sections,
sometimes
over
different
pathways.
See
asynchronous
transfer
mode.
Continuous
Redial
A subscriber surcharge or
bundled
telephone
service
that
enables
the
caller

to
redial
a
number
that
was
found
to
be
busy
while
mak-
ing
or
receiving
other
calls.
Ifa
number
is
busy,
the
caller
hangs
up
and
dials
*66
(in
N

.A.).
The
phone
service
will
continue
to
try
to
connect
with
the
busy
number
for
up
to
30
minutes.
If
the
call
connects,
the
caller
is
notified
with
a distinctive
ring

and
can
pick
up
the
phone
and
take
the
call.
Dialing
*86
will
ter-
minate
the
continuous
redial.
211
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC