Glossary

CRB: Criminal Records Bureau. All our staff go through the CRB check before they work alone in a school. This is a legal requirement for anyone working with or near children.



Server: A Server is a powerful computer with lots of storage space that is used to control and secure the data and computers on a School network. Most of the data that each user saves is stored on the Server. In many cases, this is then backed up to a tape drive or other backup device for extra security.


Cat5E: This stands for Category 5 enhanced and is the most commonly used standard for copper network cables. The maximum speed of data transmission along this type of cable is 1000MegaBits/second (1000 Mbps) or 1Gigabit/second (1Gbps).


Fibre Optic:This another type of network cable commonly used in schools. Fibre optic cables transmit data as pulses of light over tiny strands of glass, which can travel over far greater distances and at higher speeds than are possible with copper cables.


Network: A computer network is a system in which two or more computers or servers are connected together to communicate and share data and resources. The Internet is such a system but on a Global scale.


Switch: A network switch is a physical device into which multiple computers can be connected using network cables. The switch directs data between the appropriate network connections and allows the computers to talk to each other over the network.