Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) - An emerging technology which is beginning to be offered by the telephone carriers of the world. ISDN combines voice and digital network services in a single medium, making it possible to offer customers digital data services as well as voice connections through a single "wire".

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) - A voluntary, nontreaty organization founded in 1946 which is responsible for creating international standards in many areas, including computers and communications. Its members are the national standards organizations of the 89 member countries, including ANSI for the U.S. See also: American National Standards Institute.

internet - While an internet is a network, the term "internet" is usually used to refer to a collection of networks interconnected with routers. See also: network.

Internet - (note the capital "I") The Internet is the largest internet in the world. It is a three level hierarchy composed of backbone networks (e.g., NSFNET, MILNET), mid-level networks, and stub networks. The Internet is a multiprotocol internet. See also: backbone, mid-level network, stub network, transit network, Internet Protocol, Corporation for Research and Educational Networks, National Science Foundation.
2. - The world-wide network of networks connected to each other. Resources can be shared with any computer having access to a dedicated Internet connection. The Internet enables electronic mail, web pages, file transfer, etc....

internet address - An IP address that uniquely identifies a node on an internet. An Internet address (capital "I"), uniquely identifies a node on the Internet. See also: internet, Internet, IP address.

internet number - See: internet address

Internet Phone - Real-time voice communications over the Internet. It's like IRC; but it's not typing and reading; it's talking and listening. It's like a telephone; but software, a sound card, a microphone, and speakers are used instead. See Voice Chat.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) - One of 2 services that sell access time on the Internet. Both national ISPs --such as Mindspring and Earthlink, and local ISPs provide unlimited access for about $19.95 a month and generous storage space on their servers. The other way to access the Internet is via an Online Service.

Internet Tools - Programs, such as search engines, that make Internet life easier.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) - Users on different computer systems in different places have a group discussion by typing text to one another.

Internet Protocol (IP) - The Internet Protocol, defined in STD 5, RFC 791, is the network layer for the TCP/IP Protocol Suite. It is a connectionless, best-effort packet switching protocol. See also: packet switching, Request For Comments, TCP/IP Protocol Suite.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) - A world-wide "party line" protocol that allows one to converse with others in real time. IRC is structured as a network of servers, each of which accepts connections from client programs, one per user. See also: talk.

Internetwork Packet eXchange (IPX) - Novell's protocol used by Netware. A router with IPX routing can interconnect LANs so that Novell Netware clients and servers can communicate. See also: Local Area Network.

interoperability - The ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from multiple vendors to communicate meaningfully.

Intranet

IP - See: Internet Protocol

IP address - The 32-bit address defined by the Internet Protocol in STD 5, RFC 791. It is usually represented in dotted decimal notation. See also: dot address, internet address, Internet Protocol, network address, subnet address, host address.

ISDN - See: Integrated Services Digital Network

ISO - See: International Organization for Standardization