T

T1

One of several categories of digital telecommunication facilities defined in the U.S. Tcarrier

system (see T-carrier). T1 lines, often used in private-line digital data or

Internet service connections, typically operate at an aggregate data rate of 1.544

megabits per second.

T.120

An International Telecommunication Union standard dealing with real-time document

and image sharing across a network. Among the areas addressed by T.120 are

interoperability for file transfer, still image exchange and shared-whiteboard

functions used in Web-conferencing applications or videoconferences.

T2

One of several types of digital voice lines defined in the U.S. T-carrier system (see Tcarrier).

A T2 line has a transmission capacity of up to 6.312 megabits per second.

T3

A commonly used category of digital telecommunications lines — one of several

defined in the U.S. T-carrier system (see T-carrier). T3 lines have a capacity of up

to 44.746 megabits per second.

T4

A communications line capable of carrying digitized voice signals at up to 274.176

megabits per second, as defined in the T-carrier system (see T-carrier).

TA (terminal adapter)

An interfacing device for an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) environment.

It enables non-ISDN terminals to connect at the physical layer.

tablet

A computing device that weighs less than 4 pounds and is operated by direct screen

contact via a pen or touch interface.

TACACS (Terminal Access Controller Access Control System)

An authentication protocol used in Unix networks. It allows a remote access server to

forward a user's logon password to an authentication server to determine whether

access can be allowed to a given system.

TACS (total access communications system)

A derivative of the U.S. advanced mobile phone service (AMPS). Developed in the

United Kingdom and used in Europe and Asia , TACS offers analog cellular phone

service at 900 megahertz. See AMPS.

Tag Image File Format (see TIFF)

tandem

The connection of networks or circuits in series.

TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface)

An application programming interface developed by Microsoft for its Windows PC

environment. TAPI enables Windows applications to control key telephony functions

common to most telephone systems. Such control, originally designed to provide call

control functionality to desktop PC users, has been expanded to allow serveroriented,

third-party call control for call-routing applications.

tariff

The formal process whereby services and rates are established by and for

communications carriers. Carriers submit tariffs to the appropriate regulatory

agencies, which then review, amend, approve or disallow them.

TB (terabyte)

One trillion bytes.

TCAP (Transaction Capabilities Application Part

In Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) feature for transaction-type

information transfer. See ISDN.

T-carrier

A hierarchical system, developed in the United States by the Bell Labs in the 1950s,

for multiplexing digitized voice signals over a communications network. A similar

system, known as "E-carrier," is used in Europe (see E-carrier). Different types of

T-carrier connections (or lines) have varying digital transmission capacities (see T1,

T2, T3 and T4). The most common are T1 lines, which typically carry digital data at

1.5 megabits per second (Mbps), and T3 lines, with transmission capacity of up to

44.7 Mbps. T1 and T3 lines are often used in private-line Internet and digital data

network connections. Corresponding Digital Signal (DS) levels define arrangements

of multiple signals (or channels) over these lines (see DSx series).

TCMP (tightly coupled multiprocessing)

A multiprocessing configuration in which all processors share a single pool of

memory.

TCO (total cost of ownership)

A comprehensive assessment of information technology (IT) or other costs across

enterprise boundaries over time. For IT, TCO includes hardware and software

acquisition, management and support, communications, end-user expenses, and the

opportunity cost of downtime, training and other productivity losses.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

A communications protocol based on the U.S. Department of Defense's standards for

reliable internetwork delivery of data. It is used in conjunction with Internet Protocol

(IP) in TCP/IP networking. See IP and TCP/IP.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

A set of protocols covering (approximately) the network and transport layers of the

seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network model. TCP/IP was

developed during a 15-year period under the auspices of the U.S. Department of

Defense. It has become a dominant standard in enterprise networking, particularly at

higher-level OSI layers over Ethernet networks. See IP and OSI.

TCSEC (Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria)

A set of security level categories defined by the U.S. National Security Agency's

National Computer Security Center (NCSC), and specified in Defense Department

Standard 5200.28 (also known as the "Orange Book"). The TCSEC security levels

have been adopted for use in a variety of commercial IT contexts, including Internetbased

E-commerce. They include:

• Level D: No security protection.

• Level C: Provides discretionary access control; the owner of the data or program

decides who is authorized to have access. There are two categories of Level C

security: C1 requires user log-on but permits a group ID mechanism; C2 requires

individual user log-on with a password and an audit mechanism.

• Level B: Provides mandatory access control (MAC), which limits users to defined

clearance levels (corresponding to military security categories, such as

confidential and top secret). There are three categories of Level B security, with

increasing degrees of security protection: B1 provides MAC control corresponding

to clearance levels. B2 guarantees the path between the user and the security

system, and includes assurances that the system can be tested and clearance

levels cannot be modified. B3 is characterized by a mathematical model that has

proved to be viable.

• Level A1: The highest level of security, used in selected military computer

systems. Like B3, it is characterized by a proven mathematical model.

A similar set of security levels, called the Information Technology Security Evaluation

Criteria (ITSEC), is used in Europe . See ITSEC.

TDM (time division multiplexing)

A data, voice and video communications technique that multiplexes several lowspeed

signals into one high-speed transmission channel by allocating brief,

interleaved time periods to each signal. In TDM, this transmission must emanate

from a single location — unlike time division multiple access (TDMA), which enables

the source data signals to emanate from multiple transmitters in different locations.

See multiplexing and TDMA.

TDMA (time division multiple access)

A technology for digital transmission of radio signals between, for example, a mobile

phone and a radio base station. TDMA enables communicating devices at different

locations to share a multipoint or broadcast channel by means of a technique that

breaks signals into sequential pieces of defined length, and reconstructs the pieces at

the end of the transmission.

TEC ( Tivoli Enterprise Console)

An IBM system and network monitoring product. TEC collects event information from

a variety of system and application resources, correlates the information to

determine detect problems and performs automated problem resolution.

technical component

An application building block that adheres to a specific component object model,

such as Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM) or Sun Microsystems' Enterprise

JavaBeans (EJB). See component, COM and EJB.

technology-enabled marketing (see TEM)

technology-enabled relationship management (see TERM)

technology-enabled selling (see TES)

telco

A contraction of the term "telephone company." It generally refers to the localexchange

carrier (LEC). See LEC.

telecommunications

Any process that permits the passage of information from a sender to one or more

receivers in any usable form (such as printed copy, fixed or moving pictures, and

visible or audible signals) by means of any electromagnetic system (such as

electrical transmission by wire, radio or optical transmission). It includes telegraphy,

telephony, video-telephony and data transmission.

Telecommunications Act of 1996

A U.S. act of congress intended to open up local and long-distance markets to

competition, and to fix many of the flaws in universal service and access charges.

The act required that the Federal Communications Commission separate telephone

access charges from universal service fees, and that part of the access charges be

based on actual costs. The act also made provisions to include Internet access for

U.S. schools, libraries and hospitals as part of universal service.

Telecommunications Industry Association (see TIA)

Telecommunications Management Network (see TMN)

telecommuter

A work-at-home computer user who connects to the corporate network using

remote-access technologies.

telecommuting

Any significant portion of working hours spent at a remote site (typically the worker's

home) using communications lines to send and receive information, interact with

customers and peers, and deliver work projects.

teleconference

A bidirectional, one-to-many or a many-to-many audio connection, typically used to

conduct meetings among geographically dispersed participants.

teleconferencing

Holding meetings among geographically dispersed participants using bidirectional

audio transmission technology.

Telcordia Technologies

A telecommunications infrastructure technology firm, which changed its name from

Bellcore in 1999. See Bellcore.

teledensity

The number of local loop telephone lines in use at the year-end as a ratio of the total

population, usually expressed in terms of lines per 100 population. Also referred to

as penetration rate.

TeleManagement Forum (see TMF)

telephone company (see telco)

telephone exchange

A switching center for the interconnection of lines that terminate therein. Also called

central office.

Telephone User Part (see TUP)

telephony

A generic term for voice telecommunications.

Telephony Application Programming Interface (see TAPI)

Telephony Services Application Programming Interface (see TSAPI)

Telnet

The Internet standard protocol for remote terminal connection. It allows a user at

one site to interact with a remote device or system that expects terminal-mode

traffic. See Internet.

TEM (technology-enabled marketing)

Also known as marketing automation, TEM involves analyzing and automating the

marketing process. TEM includes a proactive strategy for using information and IT in

marketing, with the ultimate goal of allocating marketing resources to the activities,

channels and media with the best potential return and impact on profitable customer

relationships. The new metrics of customer profitability, lifetime value and wallet

share will be needed to supplement the traditional metrics of market share and

penetration. Components of TEM include customer data cleansing and analysis tools,

and campaign management systems.

Tempest

The U.S. military standard for shielding equipment so that electronic emanations

cannot be detected.

terabyte (see TB)

teraFLOPS (see TFLOPS)

TERM (technology-enabled relationship management)

The concept of forming one enterprisewide view of the customer across all customer

contact channels (i.e., sales, marketing, and customer service and support). It is a

complex area, requiring complex solutions to problems of integration, data flow, data

access and marketing strategy. A critical component is the database that serves as

the customer information repository.

terminal

A non-PC device with a keyboard and display screen that is used to communicate

with a computer. Terminals typically have limited or no ability to process data on

their own. Varieties include "dumb," "intelligent" and 3270 terminals. See dumb

terminal, intelligent terminal and 3270.

Terminal Access Controller Access Control System (see TACACS)

terminal adapter (see TA)

terminal emulation

Imitation of a specific terminal (3270, for example) by a device, such as a PC,

through software. PCs often use terminal emulation methods to connect to host

computers, such as mainframes, with which they would otherwise be incapable of

communicating. See terminal and 3270.

terminal server

A local-area network (LAN) device that allows asynchronous dumb terminals to

communicate with a host computer also attached to the LAN. It is useful in

minimizing the amount of cabling where several terminals need to be attached to a

mainframe.

term license

A type of software agreement wherein the customer pays maintenance fees for use

of the software over a specified term and, unless the license is renewed, has no right

to use the software after the term expires. See perpetual license.

Terrestrial Trunked Radio (see TETRA)

TES (technology-enabled selling)

Also known as "sales automation" or "technology-enabled sales," this refers to the

application of technology to enable selling through all channels, including field sales,

telesales, selling partners, Web selling and retail. The goal of TES is to integrate

technology with optimal processes to provide continuous improvement in sales

effectiveness, as well as to balance and optimize each enterprise sales channel.

TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio)

A European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standard for private and

public-access mobile radio technology. TETRA uses time division multiple access

(TDMA) technology to multiplex four user channels onto one carrier signal. See ETSI

and TDMA.

text mining

The process of extracting information from collections of textual data and analyzing it

for business purposes.

TFLOPS (teraFLOPS)

One trillion floating-point operations per second.

TFT (thin-film transistor)

A type of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. See LCD.

TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol)

A protocol used for basic file transfers, as well as booting systems that communicate

with the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite using the

TFTP boot protocol. TFTP boot is similar to bootp, but contains an additional file

transfer capability. This protocol is commonly used to provide configurations to

remote routers, allowing network managers to centrally generate the remote router

configuration file and then download that configuration once the router is powered up

and connected to the network. See TCP/IP and bootp.

thick client (see fat client)

thin client

A type of client/server computing where applications are run, and data is stored, on

the server rather than on the client. Because the applications are executed on the

server, they do not require client-resident installation, although the graphical user

interface and some application logic may be rendered to the client. A common

misperception is that a thin-client application requires the use of a thin-client device

(i.e., a stripped-down desktop machine that costs less to buy and maintain than a

regular PC). However, while thin-client applications enable such devices to be used,

they do not require it. In fact, more than 85 percent of devices used to display thinclient

Windows applications are regular PCs, typically configured with both "fatclient"

applications and access to thin-client ones. Thin-client computing is

dominated by Microsoft Windows Terminal Servers with Citrix MetaFrame. Other

examples of thin-client technology include Tarantella's Tarantella and Sun

Microsystems' Sun Ray. See client/server and fat client.

thin-film transistor (see TFT)

thin server (see server appliance)

third generation (see 3G)

third-party logistics (see 3PL)

third-party maintenance (see TPM)

throughput

The volume of work or information flowing through a system. The term is particularly

meaningful in information storage and retrieval systems, in which throughput is

measured in units such as accesses per hour.

TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association)

An U.S. association that develops telecommunications standards. TIA represents the

communications sector within the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). See EIA.

TickIT

An initiative sponsored by the U.K. government. It is a scheme that adapts

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 to the special needs of

software development. TickIT is designed to make it easier for systems developers to

apply quality standards. TickIT is not a standard in itself; rather, it is a way of

understanding and applying ISO 9000. Enterprises and IS departments that

undertake software development in the United Kingdom can apply for certification

under TickIT. This certifies that their software development procedures conform to

quality standards, but does not imply any approval of other processes in the

department or the enterprise. See ISO 9000.

tie line

A private-line communications channel of the type provided by communications

common carriers for linking two or more points together, typically private branch

exchanges (PBXs). Also called tie trunk. See PBX.

tie trunk (see tie line)

TIFF (Tag Image File Format)

A de facto standard format for bit-mapped image files.

tightly coupled multiprocessing (see TCMP)

TIM (transaction incident management)

An formal approach to ensuring that users, consumers and suppliers can perform

business transaction tasks securely and in privacy according to business

specifications and service-level agreements. The objectives of TIM are to detect any

kind of abnormal incidents in real time and to resolve them rapidly, depending on

their levels of business criticality. Such incidents can arise from system failures as

well as unauthorized or malicious activities.

time and materials (see T&M)

time division multiple access (see TDMA)

time division multiplexing (see TDM)

time division switching

The switching method for a time-division multiplexing (TDM) channel. It involves the

shifting of data from one time slot to another in the TDM frame. See TDM.

time of arrival (see TOA)

timeout

A condition wherein a procedure, application or terminal suspends operation due to a

prolonged period of system inactivity, or because no response to a data query as

been received.

time sharing

Use of a computer facility (typically a mainframe) by many users for different

purposes at (apparently) the same time. Although the computer services the users

sequentially, it allocates segments of time so that each user appears to have the

dedicated resources of the machine. Time sharing was common in the 1970s and

1980s, but became less so with the introduction of more powerful, less expensive

computers.

Time Sharing Option (see TSO)

Time Sharing Option/Extensions (see TSO/E)

Tivoli Enterprise Console (see TEC)

Tivoli Service Desk (see TSD)

TLS (Transport Layer Security)

A protocol designed to secure the privacy of communications over the Internet. It is

defined in request for comment 2246 from the Internet Engineering Task Force.

T&M (time and materials)

A general term describing the practice of billing for services based on the cumulative

time worked and materials purchased, rather than based on a fixed price.

TMF (TeleManagement Forum)

A consortium of network equipment vendors and carriers developing implementation

specifications for Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)-based network management.

Founded in 1988, TMF (formerly known as the Network Management Forum) seeks

solutions to business and technology challenges resulting from global

telecommunications deregulation. The group provides a forum for industry leaders to

address interoperation and process automation issues that they could not address as

cost-effectively or comprehensively on their own.

TMN (Telecommunications Management Network)

An International Telecommunication Union model for network management in

advanced networks such as synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) and Groupe

Speciale Mobile (GSM). TMN defines management functions with standard interfaces

using a management network separate from the transmission network, and standard

protocols such as Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP). See SDH,

GSM and CMIP.

TMS (transportation management system)

System used to plan freight movements, select the appropriate route and carrier,

and manage freight bills and payments.

TOA (time of arrival)

A technique that uses to triangulation to determine the geographic position of mobile

devices, such as cell phones. The position is determined by comparing the different

times that a signal broadcast by the device arrives at various sites. See location

service.

token

1. A small piece of hardware or software used to authenticate user access to an

information system. See hardware token and software token.

2. A special bit pattern (also called a "supervisory frame") that grants access to a

station seeking to transmit data over a local-area network. Stations wishing to

transmit must receive the token before doing so. See token passing and token

ring.

token passing

A LAN access technique in which participating stations circulate a special bit pattern

that grants access to the communications pathway to any station that holds the

sequence. It is often used in networks with a ring topology (see token ring).

token ring

A LAN access mechanism and topology in which a supervisory frame or token is

passed from station to station in sequential order. Stations wishing to gain access to

the network must wait for the token to arrive before transmitting data. Invented and

once heavily promoted by IBM, token ring technology is on the decline, having been

surpassed in popularity by Ethernet, a rival LAN technology. See Ethernet.

topology

The logical or physical arrangement of stations on a network in relation to one

another. See bus, ring topology and star topology.

total access communications system (see TACS)

total cost of ownership (see TCO)

total quality management (see TQM)

total value of opportunity (see TVO)

touchpoint

A contact point between a business and its customers. Touchpoints may occur in any

channel (for example, via phone, the Web or direct contact with a salesperson).

touch-sensitive

A term used to describe technology that enables a system to identify the coordinates

of a point touched on a screen and transmit that information to a program.

touch-tone

Push-button telephone dialing enabled by dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF)

signaling. The term was once an AT&T trademark. See DTMF.

TP (see transaction processing)

TPC (Transaction Processing Performance Council)

An organization that has developed several standardized system performance

benchmarks, including TPC-C (for online transaction-processing workloads) and TPCH

(for decision support workloads). TPC prohibits testing systems that are specially

optimized for benchmarking or lack real-world applicability. See TPC-C and TPC-H.

TPC-C (Transaction Processing Performance Council Benchmark C)

The Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC) benchmark model for online

transaction-processing (OLTP) workloads. It defines a set of programs and testing

protocols that can be used to derived consistent, repeatable benchmark results for

OLTP. See TPC.

TPC-H (Transaction Processing Performance Council Benchmark H)

A Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC) benchmark model for decision

support workloads. It defines a business-oriented ad-hoc queries and concurrent

data modifications that can be used for system benchmarking purposes. See TPC.

TPF (Transaction Processing Facility)

A high-availability IBM system designed to support transaction-driven applications.

tpm (transactions per minute)

A measure of system performance.

TPM (third-party maintenance)

System maintenance performed by an independent service organization, rather than

by the vendor of the system.

TPM (transaction-processing monitor)

A category of applications that handle information-processing requests that must be

answered within a predictable period that approaches real time (for example, for

airline reservations or inventory control). TPMs typically use a process whereby the

computer handles each instruction or query individually as it is entered. See

transaction processing.

tpmC

Transactions per minute, as measured using the Transaction Processing Performance

Council's TPC-C benchmark. See TPC-C.

tps (transactions per second)

TQM (total quality management)

A model developed in the late 1940s and 1950s. It is widely used by businesses for

continual process improvement.

TR (see token ring)

traffic

Messages sent and received over a voice or data communications channel.

Transaction Capabilities Application Part (see TCAP)

transaction incident management (see TIM)

transaction logging

A concept in which a detailed record is kept of all operations in a transaction. In the

event of a failure, this record can be used to back out the transaction and restore the

former state.

transaction monitor

A subsystem that ensures that all transactions against a database leave it in a

consistent state or, in case of a transaction failure, returns the database to its pretransaction

state.

transaction processing

A mode of processing characterized by transactions that require high availability,

short response times and highly up-to-date information. Applications that perform

this type of processing are known as transaction-processing monitors (TPMs).

Systems that perform transaction processing include those used to make airline

reservations or perform inventory control. See TPM.

Transaction Processing Facility (see TPF)

transaction-processing monitor (see TPM)

Transaction Processing Performance Council (see TPC)

transactions per minute (see tpm)

transceiver

An electronic device that can both transmit and receive signals.

transducer

A device that converts signals or energy from one form to another (such as a

microphone or a speaker).

transfer rate

The speed at which information can be sent across a bus or communications link.

transformation

The process used to translate business data from one format to another, as needed

when transferring data between different application systems or trading partners

Transformation tools are the interpreters for the digital " Tower of Babel ." They

provide syntactic and semantic data conversion for business documents that flow

between application systems.

transmission

Sending information in the form of electrical signals or electromagnetic waves over

wires, optical fibers or the air.

Transmission Control Protocol (see TCP)

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (see TCP/IP)

transmission speed

The rate at which information is passed through a communications medium,

generally measured in bits per second.

transmit

To send information from one location to another.

transponder

A device that transmits a signal in response to a received signal. Communications

satellites usually contain several transponders.

transport layer

In the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, the network processing entity

responsible — in conjunction with the underlying network, data link and physical

layers — for the end-to-end control of transmitted data and the optimized use of

network resources. See OSI.

Transport Layer Security (see TLS)

transportation management system (see TMS)

Triple DES (Triple Data Encryption Standard)

A variant of Data Encryption Standard (DES). It uses three different DES keys, in

sequence, to encrypt a file. See DES.

Trivial File Transfer Protocol (see TFTP)

TRN (token ring network) — see token ring

Trojan horse

A form of malicious code that may be deliberately planted to perform a destructive

act on a computer. It is effective because it is not what it appears to be. The

execution of a Trojan horse may have an undesirable and unexpected effect on the

user's work environment, but it is the user who initiates the execution of the code

(for example, by clicking on a button in a graphical user interface that appears

harmless). Unlike a computer virus, a Trojan horse is unable to replicate and is not

parasitic.

trouble ticket

A record of a customer complaint or problem, usually created in a call or contact

center. The ticket remains active until the issue has been resolved.

Tru64

A 64-bit Unix operating system originally developed by Digital Equipment, and now

marketed by Hewlett-Packard.

TRUSTe

An online privacy seal program (OPSP) that identifies Internet companies utilizing

appropriate processes and operations to protect the confidentiality of consumer

information. License fees are based on a company's annual revenue. Vendors must

reapply for licensing each year, and during this process their operations are reevaluated

to ensure they meet all requirements for displaying the program emblem.

Trusted Computer Systems Evaluation Criteria (see TCSEC)

trusted third party

A trusted entity that vouches for the identity of the sender or receiver of information

in a security system. In public-key infrastructure (PKI) security, the role of trusted

third party is played by a certification authority. See PKI and certification

authority.

TSAPI (Telephony Services Application Programming Interface)

A computer-telephony integration (CTI) application programming interface developed

by Novell and AT&T that provides a client/server implementation and supports firstThe

and third-party call control. The major benefit of third-party call control is that, via

the command link to the switch, it is possible to control calls between third parties

(much like an operator does today). This permits CTI applications to provide

multiparty services, call routing based on automatic number identification and other

advanced features.

TSD ( Tivoli Service Desk)

A consolidated service desk (CSD) product once offered by IBM's Tivoli unit. It was

sold to Peregrine Systems in 2000.

TSO (Time Sharing Option)

An IBM mainframe feature, introduced in its Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) operating

system, that provides users with interactive time sharing from remote terminals. The

latest version, offered in z/OS, is called Time Sharing Option/Extensions (TSO/E).

See MVS and TSO/E.

TSO/E (Time Sharing Option/Extensions)

A feature of IBM's z/OS operating system. It provides an interactive terminal

interface for z/Series mainframes. See z/OS and TSO.

TTP (see trusted third party)

tuning

The process of adjusting computer system control variables to make a system divide

its resources most efficiently for a workload.

tunneling

A technique that encapsulates data for transmission so that it doesn't need to be

changed to accommodate differing network types or protocols.

TUP (Telephone User Part)

An Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) feature for call setup and control. See

ISDN.

turnkey

A term describing a system made up of disparate components (such as hardware and

software) that are assembled and installed by single vendor, and sold by that vendor

as a total package.

twinax (see twin-axial)

twin-axial

A type of coaxial cable (sometimes referred to as "twinax") with two center

conductors at each connection point. See coaxial.

twisted pair

A type of cable that contains two insulated wires twisted together. See UTP

(unshielded twisted pair).

two-phase commit (see 2PC)