Glossary of Key Terms

AAA Authentication, authorization, and accounting. A framework for ad-

mitting a user to the network.

ABR Area border router. A router that connects multiple OSPF areas, fa-
cilitating routing between them.

AC Attachment Circuit. A physical or logical circuit between MPLS

Provider Edge (PE) and Customer Edge (CE) deployed in layer 2 VPNs.

AFI Address family Identifier. The information in these fields is sent as

part of the neighbor capability exchange during the process of becoming
BGP peers to support BGP extensions.

AH Authentication Header. A protocol from the Internet Protocol Security

(IPsec) protocol suite to authenticate the origin of IP packets (datagrams)
and guarantee the integrity of the data.

AIGP Accumulated IGP. An optional nontransitive BGP path attribute de-

fined in RFC 7311.

Ansible A popular configuration management application that can be

used with or without a server, using a push model to move configurations
into devices, with strong capabilities to manage network device
configurations.

API Application programming interface. A set of rules or protocols that

enable software applications to communicate with each other to ex-
change data and features.

AS Autonomous system. A large network or group of networks with a sin-

gle routing policy.
ASBR Autonomous system boundary router. A router that connects the
OSPF network to external networks, translating routes between OSPF and
other routing domains.

AToM Any Transport over MPLS. A technology to transport layer 2 proto-

cols over MPLS backbone.

BFD Bidirectional Forwarding Detection. A network protocol that is used

to quickly detect failures in the forwarding path between two adjacent
routers, enabling rapid convergence in the event of link or node failures.

BGP Border Gateway Protocol. A standardized exterior gateway protocol

designed to exchange routing and reachability information among auton-
omous systems.

BGP Control Plane The part of BGP responsible for exchanging and man-
aging routing information.

BGP Flowspec BGP Flow Specification. A feature in the Border Gateway

Protocol that allows network administrators to define and communicate
specific traffic flow policies or rules to routers.

BGP Graceful Restart (GR) A feature that enables BGP sessions to be

restarted without causing disruption in the network.

BGPsec BGP Security. An extension of the Border Gateway Protocol, de-

signed to enhance the security of inter-domain routing on the Internet by
providing mechanisms for origin authentication and path validation for
BGP routes.

Boolean A data type in computer programming that represents a logical

value that can have one of two possible values: true or false. Commonly
used in programming to make decisions, control the flow of execution,
and perform logical operations.

BSID Binding Segment Identifier. A unique identifier in Segment Routing

that represents a specific network binding, such as an adjacency or
prefix.
C

CAK Connectivity Association Key. A symmetric encryption key in

MACsec shared between network devices within the same security associ-
ation, used to protect and authenticate Ethernet frames transmitted over
secured links.

Candidate path A potential routing path defined within a network that

uses Segment Routing, outlining a series of segments or instructions for
efficient packet forwarding along the desired route.

CBTS Class-Based Tunnel Selection. An MPLS Traffic Engineering (MPLS

TE) feature where you can forward traffic with certain EXP values onto
different TE tunnels.

CDB Configuration Database. The default data store for configuration

data in Network Services Orchestrator (NSO).

CEF Cisco Express Forwarding. A high-performance, Layer 3 IP switching

technology developed by Cisco.

CFM Connectivity Fault Management. An end-to-end per service instance

Ethernet layer operation, administration, and management (OAM)
protocol.

Classic XR An earlier 32-bit version of XR.

CLNS Connectionless Network Service. A network layer protocol provid-

ing connectionless, packet-switched communication in the OSI model.

Container A lightweight, portable, and self-sufficient package that encap-

sulates software into a single unit, along with its dependencies and run-
time environment, enabling it to run consistently across different com-
puting environments.

CoPP Control Plane Policing. A security feature that controls and limits
the rate of traffic that is destined to the control plane.

CoS Class of Service. A mechanism used in networking to prioritize and

differentiate traffic by assigning packets to specific classes or levels of ser-
vice based on their importance or required treatment.

CPRI Common Public Radio Interface. A specification defining the inter-

face between radio equipment and baseband processing equipment in
wireless communication networks, facilitating efficient data transfer.

CPU Central processing unit. The invisible brain inside a computerized

device where data input is transformed into information output.

CsC Carrier Supporting Carrier. A hierarchical MPLS VPN architecture be-

tween the service providers.

CSNP Complete sequence number PDU.

CSPF Constrained Shortest Path First. An advanced form of the Shortest

Path First (SPF) algorithm used in OSPF and IS-IS route computations.
CSPF is used in computing paths for LSPs that are subject to multiple
constraints.

DDoS Distributed denial of service. A malicious cyber attack aimed at dis-

rupting the normal functioning of a targeted server, service, or network
by overwhelming it with a flood of traffic from multiple sources.

DIS Designated Intermediate System. A router elected within an IS-IS net-

work to facilitate the exchange of link-state information.

DNS64 A mechanism used in IPv6-only networks to facilitate communica-

tion with IPv4-only servers by synthesizing AAAA records for IPv4-only
domain names, allowing IPv6-only devices to access IPv4 resources.

Docker A platform that enables developers to develop, deploy, and run

applications in lightweight, portable containers.

DOCSIS Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification. A standard for

transmitting data over cable television systems, commonly used for high-
speed Internet access.
DS-Lite Dual-Stack Lite. An IPv6 transition mechanism that allows IPv6-
capable devices to access the IPv4 Internet through an IPv6 network by
encapsulating IPv4 packets within IPv6 packets.

DSCP Differentiated Services Code Point. A field in the IP header used to

classify and prioritize packets for Quality of Service (QoS) treatment
within a network, allowing for more granular traffic differentiation than
the traditional TOS field.

DSL Digital Subscriber Line. A technology that provides high-speed

Internet access over traditional copper telephone lines.

DWDM Dense wavelength division multiplexing. An optical communica-

tion technology that multiplexes multiple data signals onto a single opti-
cal fiber by using different wavelengths of light.

eCPRI Enhanced Common Public Radio Interface. An evolved version of

CPRI, designed for 5G networks, enabling more flexibility and efficient
communication between radio units and baseband processing units.

E-LAN A multipoint Ethernet service, connecting multiple locations in a

LAN-like configuration for seamless communication.

E-Line A point-to-point Ethernet connection, providing a dedicated link

between two locations for efficient data transfer.

Emacs A powerful and extensible text editor that is highly customizable

and popular among programmers, writers, and other power users. It of-
fers a wide range of features, including syntax highlighting, code editing
modes for various programming languages, and integration with external
tools.

eNodeB Evolved NodeB. Part of the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless

network architecture, serving as the base station that communicates di-
rectly with mobile devices.

EPC Core Evolved Packet Core. The central component in the LTE net-
work architecture, managing the packet-switched data traffic between
various elements in the network.

ESC Elastic Services Controller. A group of tools used to manage services

and the component VNFs across the entire lifecycle within an NSO
architecture.

ESP Encapsulating Security Payload. A protocol that provides encryption.

E-Tree An Ethernet service that forms a hierarchical network structure,

allowing communication between a root and multiple leaf sites.

eXR Evolved XR. LXC-based (Linux containers) lightweight version of XR.

Extended P-Space A reference area that includes the P- and Q-Spaces of

neighboring routers.

FHR First Hop Router. A router that forwards multicast packets from a
source to receivers within a subnet or VLAN. The FHR is responsible for
initiating multicast traffic delivery within its local network segment.

FIB Forwarding Information Base. A table that contains a copy of the for-
warding information in the IP routing table.

Flex-Algo Flexible Algorithm. A feature in Segment Routing that allows

for the dynamic creation of custom algorithms for computing paths.

FRR Fast reroute. A mechanism that provides fast protection against link
and node failures in the network, ensuring that traffic is rerouted quickly.

G–I

Global Configuration Mode A privileged operational mode that allows

users to configure various global parameters affecting the entire device.

Global Segment A unique identifier in Segment Routing that represents a

specific path or service.
gNMI gRPC Network Management Interface. A network management in-
terface developed by Google.

gNodeB Next-Generation NodeB. A term used in 5G networks, represent-

ing the next generation of base stations that provide wireless connectivity
to user devices.

Graceful Restart A feature in networking that allows a router to tempo-

rarily stop routing protocol processing without impacting its neighbors.

gRPC A high performance, open-source universal remote procedure call

(RPC) framework; g originally stands for Google because gRPC was ini-
tially developed by Google.

ICV Integrity Check Value. A cryptographic checksum in MACsec added to

Ethernet frames to ensure the integrity of the frame’s contents, helping
detect any modifications or tampering during transmission over the
network.

iFIB Internal Forwarding Information Base. A network processor table

for punting CPU packets.

IGMP Internet Group Management Protocol. A communication protocol

used by IPv4 hosts and multicast routers to manage multicast group
memberships on a LAN.

IGP Interior Gateway Protocol. A type of routing protocol used for ex-
changing routing information between gateways within an autonomous
system.

IGP Adjacency Segment A specific type of segment in Segment Routing

that represents an adjacency or link between two nodes within the con-
text of an Interior Gateway Protocol.

IGP Prefix Segment A segment identifier in Segment Routing associated

with a specific network prefix within the context of an Interior Gateway
Protocol.

IGP Segment A segment identifier in Segment Routing that corresponds

to a path or service defined within the context of an Interior Gateway
Protocol.

IIH IS-IS Hello. Packets used in the IS-IS protocol for neighbor discovery
and maintenance.

IPFIX IP Flow Information Export. A standard that defines how IP flow

information is to be formatted and transferred from an exporter to a
collector.

IPsec Internet Protocol Security. A suite of protocols used to ensure se-

cure communication over IP networks by providing authentication, integ-
rity, and confidentiality through encryption and cryptographic
mechanisms.

IS-IS Control Plane The part of the Intermediate System to Intermediate

System routing protocol responsible for exchanging routing and topology
information.

ISSU In-Service Software Upgrade. The process of upgrading or patching

software on a network device while it remains operational and continues
to forward traffic.

J–L

JSON JavaScript Object Notation. A language-independent data format.

JWT JSON Web Token. A compact and secure means of transferring

claims between parties as a JSON object.

Key server (KS) A network device responsible for distributing and man-
aging encryption keys used for securing communication between
MACsec-capable devices within a network.

Kubernetes An open-source platform originally developed by Google for

automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized
applications.

Label A four-byte identifier that conveys a packet’s predetermined for-

warding path in an MPLS network.
LACP Link Aggregation Control Protocol. A networking protocol that al-
lows network devices to negotiate and automatically configure Link
Aggregation Groups (LAGs), enabling the aggregation of multiple physical
links into a single logical link for increased bandwidth and fault
tolerance.

LAG Link Aggregation Group. A method used to combine multiple physi-

cal links into a single logical link, increasing bandwidth, providing redun-
dancy, and improving network reliability and performance.

LDP Label Distribution Protocol. A protocol used in MPLS networks to es-

tablish and manage label-switched paths for efficient and scalable for-
warding of data packets.

LER Label edge router. A router that operates at the edge of an MPLS net-
work and acts as the entry and exit points for the network.

LFIB Label Forwarding Information Base. A table that stores information

about the mapping between incoming MPLS labels and the corresponding
outgoing interfaces and next-hop addresses.

LHR Last Hop Router. A reference to the router closest to the multicast re-
ceivers, responsible for delivering multicast traffic to the end devices
within a subnet or VLAN.

LIB Label Information Base. A database that stores information about la-
bels and their corresponding network paths.

Local segment A specific identifier in Segment Routing that represents a

path or service within a local router.

LPTS Local Packet Transport Services. A feature in Cisco networking de-

vices that manages and processes control plane traffic locally.

LSA Link State Advertisement. Basic communication means of the OSPF

routing protocol for the Internet Protocol (IP).

LSD Label Switching Database. A component in computer networks that

stores and manages the mapping between labels and forwarding
information.
LSDB Link-State Database. A database that stores information about the
network’s topology, enabling routers to compute the shortest paths to var-
ious destinations using the SPF algorithm.

LSP Label-switched path. A specific path between PE routers on the MPLS

core that the traffic will traverse.

LSP Link-state protocol. A message used in the IS-IS routing protocol to

advertise network topology information.

LSR Label switch router. An MPLS router that only routes based on the
label.

MACsec Media Access Control Security. A security standard used to pro-

vide encryption and integrity protection for Ethernet frames at the link
layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model.

MAP-E Mapping of Address and Port using Encapsulation. An IPv6 transi-

tion mechanism that encapsulates IPv4 packets within IPv6 headers.

MAP-T Mapping of Address and Port with Translation. An IPv6 transition

mechanism that utilizes double stateless translation (NAT46 in the
Customer Edge router and NAT64 in the Border Relay).

MD5 Message Digest Algorithm 5. A widely used cryptographic hash func-

tion that produces a 128-bit (16-byte) hash value, typically expressed as a
32-character hexadecimal number, commonly used for integrity
verification.

MED Multi-Exit Discriminator. A BGP path attribute that discriminates

among multiple exit or entry points to the same neighboring AS.

MEF Metro Ethernet Forum. A global industry association of network,

cloud, and technology providers working together to accelerate digital
transformation.

Metro Ethernet An Ethernet-based, high-speed, metropolitan area net-

work (MAN) technology that enables the seamless connection of multiple
locations within a city or metropolitan area.

MKA MACsec Key Agreement. A MACsec protocol used to establish and

manage encryption keys between network devices, ensuring secure com-
munication and confidentiality of data transmitted over Ethernet links.

MLD Multicast Listener Discovery. A communication protocol used by

IPv6 hosts and multicast routers to manage multicast group memberships
on a LAN.

MP Merge point. A router or a point in the network where backup paths

merge with primary paths to provide faster traffic restoration in case of
link or node failures.

MPLS Multiprotocol Label Switching. A networking technology that

routes traffic using the shortest path based on labels, rather than network
addresses.

MPLS TE MPLS Traffic Engineering. A technology that helps network en-

gineers optimize the performance of their networks.

MPP Management Plane Protection. A security feature designed to safe-

guard the management plane of Cisco networking devices from unautho-
rized access and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

MQC Modular QoS CLI. A Cisco IOS feature that allows for flexible and
modular configuration of QoS policies.

MRAI Minimum Route Advertisement Interval. The time minimum inter-

val between BGP advertisements or withdrawals of a prefix to a given
BGP neighbor.

MTU Maximum transmission unit. The largest size frame or packet in

bytes or octets (8-bit bytes) that can be transmitted across a data link.

Nano A simple and user-friendly text editor that comes pre-installed with
many UNIX and Linux distributions. It is designed to be easy to use, espe-
cially for beginners or those unfamiliar with more advanced text editors
like Vi or Vim.

NAT Network Address Translation. A method of mapping an IP address

space into another by modifying network address information in the IP
header of packets while they are in transit across a traffic routing device.

NAT44 A technique that translates private IPv4 addresses to public IPv4

addresses to enable communication between devices within a private
network and the public Internet.

NAT444 A network configuration where multiple layers of Network

Address Translation are employed to facilitate communication between
private IPv4 addresses and the public Internet, typically involving two
levels of NAT within an ISP’s network infrastructure.

NAT64 A technique that enables communication between IPv6-only and

IPv4-only devices by translating IPv6 addresses to IPv4 addresses and
vice versa.

NET address A unique identifier assigned to a router interface in the IS-

IS routing protocol.

NETCONF Network Configuration Protocol. An XML-based protocol used

to configure network devices. It uses RPC messaging for communication
between server and client.

NFVI Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure. The virtualized in-

frastructure layer that supports the deployment and operation of net-
work functions as software-based instances.

NLRI Network Layer Reachability Information. Information that a BGP

router uses to inform other BGP routers about the set of destinations (net-
work prefixes) that it can reach.

NPU Network processing unit. A specialized processor or hardware com-

ponent designed for efficiently handling networking tasks.

NSAP Network Service Access Point. An address in the IS-IS routing

protocol.
NSEL Network Service Entry Label. A field in IS-IS that identifies the end
system’s service access point.

NSF Non-stop forwarding. A feature in network devices that allows them

to continue forwarding traffic even during software upgrades or failures.

NSO Network Services Orchestrator. A model-driven (YANG) platform for

automating your network orchestration.

NSR Non-stop routing. A feature in network devices that enables the rout-
ing process to continue functioning without interruption during software
upgrades or failures.

OAM Operations, Administration, and Maintenance. A mechanism that

helps service providers to monitor label-switched paths (LSPs) and
quickly isolate MPLS forwarding problems to assist with fault detection
and troubleshooting in an MPLS network.

OAuth 2.0 An authorization framework that enables secure access to re-

sources on behalf of a user without sharing their credentials directly,
commonly used in web and mobile applications.

O-RAN (also ORAN) Open RAN. A new approach to designing and imple-
menting Radio Access Networks (RANs) for mobile telecommunications.

OSPFv2 Control Plane The component of the OSPF (Open Shortest Path
First) version 2 routing protocol that manages the exchange of routing in-
formation and maintains the network’s routing table.

PBTS Policy-Based Tunnel Selection. Cisco IOS XR tool to direct traffic into
specific RSVP TE tunnels.

PCC Path Computation Client. A network element that receives and imple-
ments computed path recommendations from a Path Computation
Element (PCE).
PCE Path Computation Element. A network component (a router or Cisco
Crosswork Network Controller, or CNC) responsible for computing and
recommending optimal paths for data traffic within a computer network.

PCEP Path Computation Element Protocol. A communication protocol

used in computer networks, enabling the exchange of information be-
tween a Path Computation Element (PCE) and its clients (PCCs) specifi-
cally designed for the computation and dissemination of paths within the
context of traffic engineering and network optimization.

PCE-PCC architecture A system where a Path Computation Element

(PCE) computes and suggests paths, and a Path Computation Client (PCC)
is responsible for applying these computed paths within a network.

PHP Penultimate hop popping. A function performed by certain routers

in an MPLS-enabled network whereby the outermost label of an MPLS
tagged packet is removed by a label switch router (LSR) before the packet
is passed to an adjacent label edge router (LER).

PIC Prefix Independent Convergence. A feature to decrease the data

plane convergence time.

PIM Dense Mode A multicast routing protocol that floods multicast traffic
to all branches of a network tree until the receivers explicitly request to
join, optimizing for networks where most nodes are expected to receive
multicast traffic.

PIM Sparse Mode A multicast routing protocol that optimizes network

bandwidth by forwarding multicast traffic only along paths where re-
ceivers have explicitly requested to join the multicast group.

PIM SSM A subset of PIM Sparse mode, where receivers explicitly specify
the source of multicast traffic they wish to receive, enabling efficient and
scalable multicast communication.

PIMv6 Protocol-Independent Multicast version 6. A multicast routing pro-

tocol used in IPv6 networks that operates independently of unicast rout-
ing protocols.
PLR Point of Local Repair. A router that ensures that the backup tunnel
intersects with the primary tunnel at the MP by examining the Record
Route Object (RRO) of the primary tunnel.

PQ node The router that can repair the broken path because it maintains
presence in both P- and Q-Spaces.

Privileged EXEC Mode An advanced operational mode providing access

to all router commands, including those for system management, configu-
ration, and monitoring.

P-Space A reference area that contains a set of routers found on a shorter

path than the path cost going through the protected link.

PW Pseudowire. An emulation of a point-to-point connection over a

packet switched network.

Q–R

QoS Quality of Service. The use of mechanisms or technologies that work

on a network to control traffic and ensure the performance of critical ap-
plications with limited network capacity.

Q-Space A reference area from the other side of a failed link that con-
tains a set of routers found on a shorter path than the path cost going
through the protected link.

REST Representational State Transfer. An architectural style for design-

ing networked applications that relies on a stateless client/server commu-
nication protocol, typically HTTP, and emphasizes a uniform interface for
interacting with resources.

RESTCONF Representational State Transfer Configuration. An HTTP-

based protocol that provides programmatic interfaces and allows users to
add, delete, modify, or query network devices.

RIB Routing Information Base. A repository where all routing protocols

store IP routing information. It includes dynamically and statically
learned routes as well as directly connected route information.
RIR Regional Internet Registry. An organization that manages the alloca-
tion and registration of Internet number resources within a region of the
world.

ROA Route Origin Authorization. A component of the Resource Public Key

Infrastructure (RPKI), used in the context of Border Gateway Protocol
(BGP) security.

ROADM Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer. A device used in

optical fiber networks to dynamically manage the wavelengths of optical
signals, enabling flexible and remote configuration.

RPC Remote procedure call. A package that defines a procedure calling

model for distributed applications.

RPKI Resource Public Key Infrastructure. A system designed to secure the

Internet’s routing infrastructure by allowing entities to cryptographically
verify the authenticity of the route announcements made by autonomous
systems (ASes).

RPL Ring Protection Link. A link used in the Ethernet ring protection
switching technology to protect the entire Ethernet ring.

RSVP Resource Reservation Protocol. A signaling protocol that enables

end stations or applications to obtain special QoS for their flows—basi-
cally, RSPV reserve bandwidth for the application.

RTBH Remote Triggered Black Hole. A network security technique used to

mitigate the impact of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.

SAFI Subsequent Address Family Identifier. Information in fields that is

sent as part of the neighbor capability exchange during the process of be-
coming BGP peers.

Secure ZTP Secure Zero Touch Provisioning. A proactive approach that

employs robust authentication, a secure boot mechanism, and encrypted
communication channels to enhance device onboarding.
Segment Routing A networking approach where the routing instructions
are encoded in the packet itself using a segment identifier, simplifying
network paths and enhancing scalability.

Segment Routing Control Plane The component in a network architec-

ture that manages and distributes information about segment identifiers.

SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol. An Internet standard pro-

tocol used to monitor and manage network devices connected over an IP.

SNPA Subnetwork Point of Attachment. An address that identifies a point

at which a device connects to a network.

SOAP Simple Object Access Protocol. A messaging protocol specification

for exchanging structured information in the implementation of web ser-
vices in computer networks.

SoO Site of Origin. A BGP extended community attribute that uniquely

identifies the site that has originated the route.

SPF Algorithm Shortest Path First algorithm that determines the shortest
path between network nodes in a network.

SRGB Segment Routing Global Block. A reserved range of segment identi-

fiers in Segment Routing that ensures global uniqueness and consistency
in the assignment of labels.

SR-MPLS Segment Routing based on MPLS data plane. An extension of

MPLS that simplifies traffic engineering and enhances network scalability
by using a source-routing paradigm.

SRv6 Segment Routing based on IPv6 data plane. An extension of the

Segment Routing technology that uses IPv6 for network traffic engineer-
ing and path steering.

SRv6 Control Plane The element of the Segment Routing with IPv6 data
plane that oversees the distribution and handling of routing information.

SSO Stateful Switchover. A feature in network devices that allows for

seamless failover between redundant systems while maintaining the
state information.

TACACS Terminal Access Controller Access Control System. A network se-

curity protocol used to authenticate users attempting to access network
devices or services. It provides centralized authentication, authorization,
and accounting (AAA) services, allowing network administrators to con-
trol access to resources based on user credentials.

TDM Time-division multiplexing. A method of transmitting and receiving

independent signals over a common signal path by allocating unique time
slots for each signal.

Terraform An open-source command-line tool that can be used to provi-

sion any kind of infrastructure on many different platforms and services
such as Azure and AWS.

TI-LFA Topology-Independent Loop-Free Alternate. A routing mechanism

that provides fast and loop-free backup paths in computer networks.

TLV Type-Length-Values. A format used to convey various types of infor-

mation within link-state advertisements (LSAs), allowing IS-IS routers to
exchange routing and topology information in a standardized format.

ToS Type of Service. A field in the IP header used to indicate the Quality
of Service (QoS) level for packets, specifying their handling and treatment
by network devices based on defined priorities or requirements.

Traffic marking The process of assigning specific attributes or values to

packets in a network, typically in the packet header, to facilitate their
identification and handling based on defined policies or Quality of
Service (QoS) requirements.

Traffic policing A traffic management technique used to enforce speci-

fied bandwidth limits on network traffic, dropping or re-marking packets
that exceed the defined thresholds.

Traffic shaping A traffic management technique used to regulate the

flow of network traffic according to predefined policies, smoothing out
bursts and ensuring compliance with specified bandwidth constraints.

TTL Time to Live. The amount of time or “hops” that a packet is set to ex-
ist inside a network before being discarded by a router.

Two-stage commit A transactional protocol used in database systems to

ensure the atomicity and consistency of distributed transactions, used to
manage configuration in IOS XR.

UMMT Unified MPLS Mobile Transport. A comprehensive RAN backhaul

solution that forms the foundation for LTE backhaul.

Unified MPLS A simplified and standardized implementation of

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) that streamlines network architec-
ture and operations for improved efficiency and manageability.

URI Uniform Resource Identifier. An abstract or physical resource on the

web.

uRPF Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding. A network security feature used

in routers to help prevent IP address spoofing.

User EXEC Mode A basic operational mode that provides access to only a
limited set of commands.

V–Z

VFI Virtual Forwarding Instance. A virtual bridge port that is capable of

performing native bridging functions as forwarding based on source and
destination MAC addresses learning and aging.

VI Visual. A text editor used in UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems.

This powerful and efficient editor is known for its simplicity and versatil-
ity and is often used by system administrators, programmers, and power
users for editing configuration files, scripts, and other text files directly
from the command line.
Vim Vi Improved. An enhanced version of the Vi text editor. It retains all
the features of Vi but adds additional functionality and improvements.
Vim is highly customizable and extensible, with support for syntax high-
lighting, multiple buffers, split-screen editing, macros, plugins, and more.

VIM Virtualized Infrastructure Manager. An abstraction layer used for

managing virtualized resources in cloud and data center environments.

Virtualized XR A later 64-bit version of XR that is Linux-based.

VNF Virtualized Network Function. A software-based instantiation of a

traditional network function or service that typically runs on standard
hardware infrastructure.

VNF workload The specific tasks or functions that a Virtualized Network

Function performs within a network architecture.

VPLS Virtual Private LAN Services. A class of VPN that supports the con-
nection of multiple sites in a single bridged domain over an IP/MPLS
network.

VPWS Virtual Private Wire Services. A point-to-point virtual private wire

technology that can support almost all Layer 2 protocols.

VRF Virtual Routing and Forwarding. A technology that allows multiple

instances of a routing table to coexist within the same router at the same
time.

XML Extensible Markup Language. A markup language that provides

rules to define any data.

XR LNT A minimal set of binaries, the latest version of XR, that runs on
most NCS 540 and 8000 routers.