Glossary 



ACTS 



Advanced Communications Technology Satellite, part of a joint NASA-ARPA NREN col- 

 laboration that will provide high speed ATM/SONET transmission, and will provide inter- 

 face and operations experience in mating high speed terrestrial communications systems with 

 high speed satellite communications systems 



Algorithm 



A procedure designed to solve a problem. Scientific computing programs contain algo- 

 rithms. 



ARPA 



Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of DOD (formerly DARPA. Defense Advanced 

 Research Projects Agency) 



ASTA 



Advanced Software Technology and Algorithms, a component of the HPCC Program 



ATDnet 



Advanced Technology Demonstrations Network, an ARPA project that will make use of 

 technology developed for and by gigabit testbeds 



ATM 



Asynchronous Transfer Mode, a new telecommunications technology, also known as cell 

 switching, w hich is based on 53 byte cells 



Backbone Network 



A high capacity electronic trunk connecting lower capacity networks, e.g., NSFNET back- 

 bone 



Bit 



Acronym for binary digit 



BRHR 



Basic Research and Human Resources, a component of the HPCC Program 



Byte 



A group of adjacent binary digits operated upon as a unit (usually connotes a group of eight 

 bits) 



CLNP 



ConnectionLess Network Protocol 



Computer Engineering 



The creative application of engineering principles and methods to the design and develop- 

 ment of hardware and software systems 



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