Cisco CCST Networking glossary for entry networking terms, addressing, media, infrastructure, diagnostics, and security basics.
Use this glossary when CCST Networking terms blur together.
| Term | Exam meaning |
|---|---|
| LAN | local area network |
| WAN | wide area network |
| WLAN | wireless LAN |
| Bandwidth | theoretical capacity of a link or path |
| Throughput | actual delivered data rate |
| Latency | delay across the path |
| Switch | forwards frames inside a LAN |
| Router | forwards packets between networks |
| Default gateway | next hop for off-subnet traffic |
| DNS | resolves names to addresses |
| DHCP | assigns network configuration |
| ARP | maps IPv4 address to local MAC address |
| NAT | translates addresses, often private to public |
| VLAN | logical LAN segmentation |
| Wi-Fi | wireless LAN access |
| Firewall | traffic-filtering control |
| Packet capture | saved packet evidence for analysis |
| Pair | How to separate them |
|---|---|
| bandwidth vs throughput | capacity vs actual rate |
| switch vs router | same network vs between networks |
| DNS vs DHCP | name lookup vs address assignment |
| ping vs traceroute | reachability vs path |
| private vs public IP | internal-only vs internet-routable |
| Wi-Fi vs cellular | local wireless LAN vs carrier wireless service |