Techie Broadband Sitemap

Core Network Performance

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• Latency: The time it takes for data to travel from one point on a network to another.

• Jitter: The variation in network latency over time.

• Packet Loss: When data packets travelling across a network fail to reach their destination.

• Throughput: The actual rate at which data is successfully transferred across a network connection.

• Bandwidth: The amount of data a network connection has the capacity to carry over a given period.

• Upload Speed: The rate at which data can be sent from your connection to the internet.

• Download Speed: The rate at which data can be received from the internet by your connection.

• Symmetrical Speeds: A broadband connection where the download and upload speeds are the same.

• Peak Time Performance: How well a broadband connection performs during periods when network demand is highest.

• RTT (Round Trip Time): The time it takes for data to travel to a destination and for the response to return.

• TTFB (Time To First Byte): The time between making a request and receiving the first byte of the response.

• Bufferbloat: Excessive network delay caused by packets spending too long waiting in oversized or persistently full buffers.

• Goodput: The rate at which useful application data reaches its destination after overhead and unwanted traffic are excluded.

• Network Congestion: A condition where demand for network capacity approaches or exceeds what part of the network can handle.

• Burst Speed: A high data transfer rate that can be achieved for a short period but may not be sustainable.

• Sustained Throughput: The data transfer rate a connection can maintain continuously over a longer period.

• Queue Depth: The amount of data waiting in a network queue to be processed or transmitted.

• Latency Under Load: The latency experienced when a network connection is actively carrying significant traffic.

• Microbursts: Very short bursts of network traffic that can temporarily overwhelm available capacity or buffers.

• Line Rate: The nominal raw signalling or transmission rate of a network interface or link.

• Oversubscription Ratio: The relationship between the total potential demand placed on shared network capacity and the capacity actually available.​

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Network Behaviour and Diagnostics

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• Routing: The process of selecting the path data takes across networks to reach its destination.

• Traceroute: A diagnostic tool that shows the network hops data passes through on its way to a destination.

• Ping: A simple network test used to check whether a destination is reachable and measure round trip response time.

• Traffic Shaping: The deliberate management of network traffic to control how bandwidth is used.

• Throttling: The intentional limiting of connection speed or data transfer rates.

• Path MTU: The largest packet size that can travel across an entire network path without requiring fragmentation.

• MTU Black Hole: A network problem where packets that are too large are silently dropped because the sender does not receive the information needed to reduce their size.

• Packet Fragmentation: The process of splitting a packet into smaller pieces so it can travel across a network link with a smaller MTU.

• Hop Count: The number of network devices or routing steps data passes through on its way to a destination.

• ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol): A network protocol used to communicate errors, status information and diagnostic messages between devices.

• TTL (Time To Live): A packet value that limits how many network hops it can pass through before being discarded.

• Asymmetric Routing: When data travelling to a destination follows a different network path from the returning traffic.

• Route Flapping: When a network route repeatedly becomes available and unavailable or rapidly changes between different paths.

• BGP (Border Gateway Protocol): The routing protocol networks use to exchange reachability information and determine how traffic moves across the internet.

• Anycast Routing: A routing method where the same IP address is announced from multiple locations so traffic can be directed towards an available network location.

• Traffic Prioritisation Quality of Service (QoS): The management of network traffic so certain applications or types of data can receive preferential treatment.

• DPI (Deep Packet Inspection): A technique that examines information within network packets beyond basic addressing and transport details to identify or classify traffic.

• Latency Spikes: Sudden temporary increases in the time it takes data to travel across a network.

• Packet Reordering: When packets arrive at their destination in a different order from the one in which they were sent.

• Network Path Stability: How consistently traffic between the same source and destination follows the same observed network route over time.

• Peering: An interconnection relationship where two networks exchange traffic directly rather than sending it through an upstream transit provider.

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Addressing and Connectivity

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• IP Address: A unique address used to identify and communicate with a device on an IP network.

• Static IP: An IP address that remains fixed rather than changing automatically.

• Dynamic IP: An IP address assigned automatically that can change over time.

• NAT (Network Address Translation): A technology that translates IP addresses, allowing multiple devices to share a public IP address.

• Port Forwarding: A router configuration that directs incoming connections on specific ports to a device within a local network.

• Public IP Address: An internet-routable IP address used to identify a device or network on the public internet.

• Private IP Address: An IP address reserved for private networks that cannot be routed directly across the public internet.

• CGNAT (Carrier Grade NAT): A technology that allows broadband providers to share public IPv4 addresses between multiple customers.

• IPv4: The fourth version of Internet Protocol, using 32-bit addresses to identify devices on networks.

• IPv6: The newer version of Internet Protocol, using 128-bit addresses to provide a vastly larger address space.

• Dual Stack: A network configuration that supports IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously.

• Port: A numbered communication endpoint used by TCP or UDP to direct network traffic to applications and services.

• Open Ports: Network ports that accept incoming connections or traffic for an available service.

• Firewall: A security system that monitors and controls network traffic according to defined rules.

• Subnet: A smaller logical network created by dividing a larger IP network into separate sections.

• Subnet Mask: A value that identifies the network and host portions of an IPv4 address.

• Gateway: A device, usually a router, that forwards traffic between different networks.

• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol): A protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses and other network settings to devices.

• DHCP Reservation: A DHCP configuration that consistently assigns the same IP address to a specific device.

• Media Access Control (MAC) Address: A hardware-related identifier assigned to a network interface for communication on a local network.

• DNS (Domain Name System): A system that translates domain names into IP addresses and provides other domain-related information.

• DDNS (Dynamic DNS): A service that automatically updates DNS records when a device or network's IP address changes.

• Reverse DNS: A DNS lookup that retrieves the hostname associated with an IP address, where a corresponding record exists.

• Loopback Address: A special IP address that allows a device to communicate with itself without using an external network.

• Hairpin NAT (NAT Loopback): A router feature that allows local devices to access an internal service using its public IP address.

• Port Range: A continuous set of port numbers used to define which network traffic an application or firewall rule handles.

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Security and Privacy

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• VPN (Virtual Private Network): Creates an encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server to protect traffic as it travels across a network.

• WireGuard: A modern VPN protocol designed to provide fast, secure and relatively simple encrypted network connections.

• OpenVPN: An open source VPN protocol that creates secure encrypted connections using TLS and configurable authentication.

• DNS over HTTPS: Encrypts DNS queries by sending them over HTTPS to help prevent them being read or altered in transit.

• DNS over TLS: Encrypts DNS queries using TLS to protect DNS traffic between your device and a supporting DNS resolver.

• Custom DNS: Lets you choose which DNS resolver your devices use instead of automatically using the one provided by your broadband provider.

• VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network): Logically separates devices into different network segments even when they share the same physical network infrastructure.

• Network Segmentation: Divides a network into separate sections to control traffic, improve security and limit the spread of problems or attacks.

• Packet Inspection: Examines network packets to understand, monitor or control the traffic passing through a network.

• Encryption: Converts readable information into protected data that requires the correct key or credentials to access.

• TLS (Transport Layer Security): A cryptographic protocol used to secure data travelling between applications across a network.

• HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure): Uses HTTP over TLS to encrypt and authenticate communications between a web browser and website.

• End to End Encryption: Protects data so that it can only be decrypted by the intended endpoints rather than intermediate systems.

• Zero Trust Networking: A security approach that requires users, devices and connections to be verified rather than automatically trusted because of their network location.

• IDS (Intrusion Detection System): Monitors systems or network traffic for suspicious activity and generates alerts when potential threats are detected.

• IPS (Intrusion Prevention System): Monitors network traffic for threats and can automatically take action to block or prevent detected malicious activity.

• NAT Traversal: Uses techniques that allow network connections to work through devices performing Network Address Translation.

• Port Scanning: Checks network ports on a device or system to discover which ports are open and potentially accepting connections.

• DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service): Uses traffic from multiple sources to overwhelm a system or service and make it unavailable to legitimate users.

• Rate Limiting: Restricts how many requests or connections can be made within a given period to protect services from excessive traffic or abuse.

• ACL (Access Control Lists): Defines rules that determine which users, devices or network traffic are permitted or denied access to resources.

• Authentication: Verifies that a user, device or system is genuinely who or what it claims to be.

• MFA (Multi Factor Authentication): Requires two or more different forms of verification before granting access to an account or system.

• PKI (Public Key Infrastructure): Provides the systems, certificates and cryptographic keys used to establish trusted identities and secure digital communications.

• CA (Certificate Authority): A trusted organisation or system that issues and validates digital certificates used to establish identity and trust.

• DNSSEC (Secure DNS): Uses cryptographic signatures to verify that DNS responses are authentic and have not been altered.

• Traffic Filtering: Applies rules to network traffic to allow, block or restrict communications based on defined criteria.

• DPI (Deep Packet Inspection): Examines packet contents and protocol information in greater detail to identify, classify or control network traffic.

• Data Leakage: Occurs when sensitive or confidential information is accidentally or deliberately exposed to an unauthorised person, system or location.

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Development and Infrastructure

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• SSH (Secure Shell): A secure protocol for remotely accessing and managing computers, servers and network devices over an encrypted connection.

• API (Application Programming Interface): A defined way for different software applications and services to communicate and exchange data.

• Virtual Machine: A software-based computer that runs its own operating system and applications using virtualised physical hardware.

• Container: A lightweight, isolated environment that packages an application and its dependencies while sharing the host operating system's kernel.

• Docker: A platform for building, packaging, distributing and running applications in containers.

• Home Lab: A personal computing environment used to experiment with networking, servers, virtualisation and self-hosted applications.

• Self Hosted Services: Applications and services operated on infrastructure you control rather than relying entirely on third-party hosting.

• Cloud Platforms: Online infrastructure services providing computing power, storage, networking and application hosting on demand.

• Edge Computing: Processing data closer to where it is generated or used to reduce latency and dependence on distant servers.

• Deployment: The process of releasing and configuring software so it can run in its intended environment.

• Continuous Integration: A development practice that frequently merges code changes and automatically builds and tests them to identify problems early.

• Continuous Deployment: A software delivery practice that automatically releases changes to production after they pass the required automated checks.

• Kubernetes: An open-source platform for deploying, scaling and managing containerised applications across multiple machines.

• Orchestration: The automated coordination and management of applications, containers, infrastructure and their associated processes.

• IaC (Infrastructure as Code): Managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through version-controlled configuration files rather than manual setup.

• Terraform: An infrastructure automation tool that uses declarative configuration files to provision and manage cloud and on-premises resources.

• Ansible: An automation tool used to configure systems, deploy applications and manage infrastructure through repeatable instructions.

• Load Balancer: A system that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers or services to improve availability and performance.

• Reverse Proxy: A server that receives client requests and forwards them to backend services, often handling security, encryption and traffic routing.

• Service Discovery: A mechanism that allows applications to automatically locate and communicate with available services across a network.

• Microservices: A software architecture that divides an application into smaller, independently deployable services communicating through defined interfaces.

• Git: A distributed version control system that tracks changes to files and enables developers to collaborate on software projects.

• Repository Hosting: A service for storing, managing and collaborating on version-controlled code repositories.

• Build Pipeline: An automated sequence of steps that transforms source code into tested, packaged software ready for delivery.

• Artefact Storage: A system for storing and managing software build outputs such as packages, binaries and container images.

• CDN (Content Delivery Network): A geographically distributed network of servers that delivers content closer to users to improve loading times and reduce origin server demand.

• Object Storage: A storage system that organises data as objects with unique identifiers and metadata, commonly accessed through APIs.

• Block Storage: A storage method that divides data into fixed-sized blocks, providing low-level storage volumes for operating systems, applications and databases.

• NFS (Network File System): A network protocol that allows computers to access files stored on remote systems as though they were locally available.

• SMB (Server Message Block): A network protocol used to share files, folders, printers and other resources between connected devices.

• Webhooks: Automated HTTP notifications sent from one application to another when a specified event occurs.

• API Rate Limits: Restrictions on how many requests a client can make to an API within a defined period or usage allowance.

• Dev Environment: A dedicated environment where developers write, run and test software changes before wider testing or release.

• Staging Environment: A testing environment designed to closely resemble production, allowing software changes to be checked before release.

• Production Environment: The live environment where software and services operate for real users and handle actual workloads.