Telecommunications terms starting with M

413 terms

M-patch bay A patching facility designed for patching and monitoring digital data circuits at data signaling rates from 1 Mb/s (megabits per second) to 3 Mb/s.
M-PEG Abbreviation for Motion Picture Experts Group. 2. In digital television signal recording or transmission, the designator that identifies a certain coding…
m-sequence See n-sequence.
MAC (1) OBSOLETE. Military Airlift Command. See AMC. (2) Maintenance Allocation Chart.
MAC label An attribute of a subject or object which represents the sensitivity of the subject or object and is used for mandatory access control decisions.
machine instruction An instruction that is written in a machine language and can be executed directly by the processor for which it was designed without translation or…
machine language A language that need not be modified, translated, or interpreted before it can be used by the processor for which it was designed.
machine learning The ability of a device to improve its performance based on its past performance.
machine word Synonym computer word.
machine-independent In telecommunications, computer, and data processing systems, pertaining to operations, procedures, computer programs, and processing that do not depend…
machine-oriented language Synonym computer-oriented language.
machine-readable medium A medium capable of storing data in a form that can be accessed by an automated sensing device.
macrobend A relatively large-radius bend in an optical fiber, such as might be found in a splice organizer tray or a fiber-optic cable that has been bent.
macrobend loss In an optical fiber, that loss attributable to macrobending. Synonym curvature loss.
magic cookie Synonym cookie.
magnetic card A card with a magnetizable surface on which data can be stored and retrieved.
magnetic circuit The complete closed path taken by magnetic flux. 2. A region of ferromagnetic material, such as the core of a transformer or solenoid, that contains…
magnetic core storage In computer technology, a storage device that uses ferromagnetic materials such as iron, iron oxide, or ferrite and in such shapes as wires, toroids, and…
magnetic disk See diskette, hard disk.
magnetic drum A right circular cylinder with a magnetizable surface on which digital data can be stored and retrieved.
Magnetic remanence The strength of the magnetic field that remains in a tape or magnetic particle after it is (1) exposed to a strong, external magnetic field and (2) the…
magnetic storm A perturbation of the Earth's magnetic field, caused by solar disturbances, usually lasting for a brief period (several days) and characterized by large…
magnetic tape A magnetically coated strip of plastic on which analog or digital data can be encoded See also storage media.
magneto-ionic double refraction The combined effect of the Earth's magnetic field and atmospheric ionization, whereby a linearly polarized wave entering the ionosphere is split into two…
magneto-optic See magneto-optic effect.
magneto-optic effect Any one of a number of phenomena in which an electromagnetic wave interacts with a magnetic field, or with matter under the influence of a magnetic field.
mail bombing Synonym spamming. See flooding, spam.
mail exchange record (MX record) An entry in a domain name system database that directs the routing of mail by mail transfer agents. [After Bahorsky]
mail exploder Part of an e-mail delivery system that allows a message to be automatically and efficiently delivered to a list of addresses, thus implementing mailing…
mail gateway A computer that connects two or more electronic mail systems (especially dissimilar mail systems on two different networks) and transfers messages between…
mail path A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one user to another. [Bahorsky]
mail reflector Synonyms e-mail exploder, mail exploder. 2. A program that forwards e-mail to individuals at a (usually) unchanging e-mail address, even when the…
mail user agent The software used to access and manage a user's electronic mail. [After Bahorsky]
mailbox-type facility A facility in which a message from an originating user is stored until the destination user requests delivery of that message.
Mailing List A collection of e-mail addresses of people who have asked to receive regular mail discussions on a particular topic, and for which they can sometimes…
mailing list server Synonym list server.
mailserver A computer that provides e-mail management and storage space for messages pertaining to a group of subscribers. [Bahorsky]
Main Beam The primary directional EMR emitted from radar transmitters.
main distribution frame (MDF) A distribution frame on one part of which the external trunk cables entering a facility terminate, and on another part of which the internal user…
main frame Synonym (in telephony) main distribution frame.
main lobe Of an antenna radiation pattern, the lobe containing the maximum power (exhibiting the greatest field strength). Note: The horizontal radiation pattern, i.
main station A user instrument, e.g., telephone set or terminal, with a distinct call number designation, connected to a local loop, used for originating calls, and on…
main storage In a computer, program-addressable storage from which instructions and other data may be loaded directly into registers for subsequent execution or…
mainframe A class of powerful, general purpose computers that can manage large amounts of data at high speed.
maintainability A characteristic of design and installation, expressed as the probability that an item will be retained in or restored to a specified condition within a…
maintenance The patent fees due at 4, 8 and 12 years needed to keep a U. S. utility or plant patent in force for its full life.
maintenance control circuit (MCC) In a communications link, a circuit used by maintenance personnel for coordination.
maintenance hook A trapdoor in software that allows easy maintenance and development of additional features and that may allow entry into the program at unusual points or…
maintenance key Key intended only for in-shop use. [INFOSEC-99]
major lobe See main lobe.
make interval 1. In dial-pulse signaling, that portion of the dial pulse in which the network applies a low resistance between the tip and ring conductors at the…
malicious applets Small application programs automatically downloaded and executed that perform an unauthorized function on an information system (IS). [INFOSEC-99]
Malicious Code Software or firmware intended to perform an unauthorized process that will have adverse impact on the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an…
malicious logic A program implemented in hardware, firmware, or software, and whose purpose is to perform some unauthorized or harmful action.
MAN The Unix program that displays online documentation (manual pages) for you.
man-machine system A system in which the functions of a human operator and a machine are integrated.
managed object In a network, an abstract representation of network resources that are managed.
management domain A collection of one or more management systems, and zero or more managed systems and management subdomains, that is administered by a single organization.
management information system (MIS) An organized assembly of resources and procedures required to collect, process, and distribute data for use in decision making.
management inhibit A procedure used in signaling traffic management to keep a signaling link unavailable to user-part-generated signaling traffic except for test and…
management system An application process within a management domain that affects monitoring and control functions on managed objects, management subdomains, or both.
managing system Synonym management system.
Manchester code A code in which (a) data and clock signals are combined to form a single self-synchronizing data stream, (b) each encoded bit contains a transition at the…
mandatory access control (MAC) 1. Access control based on access rights granted by the System Security Officer [CESG].
mandatory fixed part Part of a message that contains those parameters that are mandatory and of fixed length for a particular message type. [T1.110-1987]
mandatory variable part Part of a message that contains mandatory parameters of variable length. [T1.110-1987]
mandrel wrapping In multimode fiber optics, a technique used to modify the modal distribution of a propagating optical signal.
manipulation detection 1. A procedure that is used to detect whether data have been modified either accidentally or intentionally. Synonym modification detection. [2382-pt. 8] 2.
manipulation detection code (MDC) In cryptosystems, a bit string that is a function of data to which it is attached for the purpose of manipulation detection.
manual remote rekeying [A] procedure by which a distant crypto-equipment is rekeyed electrically, with specific actions required by the receiving terminal operator. [INFOSEC-99]
Margin See Margin, or margin costs
marine broadcast station A coast station which makes scheduled broadcasts of time, meteorological, and hydrographic information. [NTIA]
marine utility station A station in the maritime mobile service consisting of one or more hand-held radiotelephone units licensed under a single authorization.
maritime air communications Communications systems, procedures, operations, and equipment that are used for message traffic between aircraft stations and ship stations in the…
maritime broadcast communications net A communications net that is used for international distress calling, including international lifeboat, lifecraft, and survival-craft high-frequency (HF)…
maritime mobile service A mobile service between coast stations and ship stations, or between ship stations, or between associated on-board communication stations; survival craft…
maritime mobile-satellite service A mobile-satellite service in which mobile Earth stations are located on board ships; survival craft stations and emergency position-indicating…
maritime radionavigation service A radionavigation service intended for the benefit and for the safe operation of ships. [NTIA] [RR]
maritime radionavigation-satellite service A radionavigation-satellite service in which Earth stations are located on board ships. [NTIA] [RR]
Mark -- see trademark
mark sequence A string of mark bits (sent immediately before message transmission starts) to alert the customer installation (CI) to initiate certain actions. [T1.
marker beacon A transmitter in the aeronautical radionavigation service which radiates vertically a distinctive pattern for providing position information to aircraft.
Marking Human readable word or phrase acting as an indicator of all or part of the security constraints that apply to a document so marked [CESG]. See also: Label.
marking bias The uniform lengthening of all marking signal pulse widths at the expense of the pulse widths of all spacing pulses.
marking end distortion See end distortion.
marking pulse Synonym mark.
marking signal Synonym mark.
marquee In computer display, a line of alphanumeric characters that scrolls through, and within, a defined area (window). 2.
Martian 1. [Slang] Pertaining to packets that are delivered to the wrong network as the result of bogus routing entries. [After Bahorsky] 2.
maser Acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. A member of the general class of microwave oscillators based on molecular…
mask In communications systems, to obscure, hide, or otherwise prevent information from being derived from a signal.
masked threshold The level at which an indistinguishable signal of interest becomes distinguishable from other signals or noise.
masking 1. In television and video technology, a process in which color signals are used to modify each other for the purpose of altering their color rendition.
masquerade 1. The pretense by an entity to be a different entity in order to gain unauthorized access. [2382-pt.8] 2.
Masquerading When an unauthorized agent claims the identity of another agent it is said to be masquerading.
master clock A device that generates periodic, accurately spaced signals that are used for such purposes as timing, regulation of the operations of a processor, or…
master file (MF) the unique mandatory file containing access conditions and optionally DFs (dedicated files) and/or EFs (extended frames). [T1.707-1998]
master frequency generator In frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), equipment used to provide system end-to-end carrier frequency synchronization and frequency accuracy of tones.
master key Within a hierarchy of encrypting keys and transaction keys, the highest level of key-encrypting key. [After X9.24]
master oscillator Synonym master frequency generator.