1.1 Glossary

This document uses the following terms:

authentication level: A numeric value indicating the level of authentication or message protection that remote procedure call (RPC) will apply to a specific message exchange. For more information, see [C706] section 13.1.2.1 and [MS-RPCE].

basic volume: A partition on a basic disk.

binary large object (BLOB): A discrete packet of data that is stored in a database and is treated as a sequence of uninterpreted bytes.

class identifier (CLSID): A GUID that identifies a software component; for instance, a DCOM object class or a COM class.

cluster secret: A value unique to an instance of a cluster and known to all nodes configured in the cluster. The cluster secret is used in implementation-specific server-to-server protocols that enable a node to actively participate in a cluster.

device: Any peripheral or part of a computer system that can send or receive data.

Device-Specific Module (DSM): A hardware-specific driver that has passed the Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO) test and submission process. For further information, see [MSFT-MPIO].

disk: A persistent storage device that can include physical hard disks, removable disk units, optical drive units, and logical unit numbers (LUNs) unmasked to the system.

disk signature: A unique identifier for a disk. For a master boot record (MBR)-formatted disk, this identifier is a 4-byte value stored at the end of the MBR, which is located in sector 0 on the disk. For a GUID partitioning table (GPT)-formatted disk, this value is a GUID stored in the GPT disk header at the beginning of the disk.

Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM): The Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) specification that defines how components communicate over networks, as specified in [MS-DCOM].

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP): A protocol that provides a framework for passing configuration information to hosts on a TCP/IP network, as described in [RFC2131].

dynamic volume: A volume on a dynamic disk.

endpoint: A client that is on a network and is requesting access to a network access server (NAS).

failover cluster: A set of independent computers that work together to increase the availability of services and applications. The term cluster is sometimes used as shorthand for failover cluster.

firewall rule: A group of settings that specify which connections are allowed into and out of a client computer.

fully qualified domain name (FQDN): An unambiguous domain name that gives an absolute location in the Domain Name System's (DNS) hierarchy tree, as defined in [RFC1035] section 3.1 and [RFC2181] section 11.

globally unique identifier (GUID): A term used interchangeably with universally unique identifier (UUID) in Microsoft protocol technical documents (TDs). Interchanging the usage of these terms does not imply or require a specific algorithm or mechanism to generate the value. Specifically, the use of this term does not imply or require that the algorithms described in [RFC4122] or [C706] must be used for generating the GUID. See also universally unique identifier (UUID).

GUID partition table (GPT): A disk-partitioning scheme that is used by the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI). GPT offers more advantages than master boot record (MBR) partitioning because it allows up to 128 partitions per disk, provides support for volumes up to 18 exabytes in size, allows primary and backup partition tables for redundancy, and supports unique disk and partition IDs through the use of globally unique identifiers (GUIDs). Disks with GPT schemes are referred to as GPT disks.

interface: A specification in a Component Object Model (COM) server that describes how to access the methods of a class. For more information, see [MS-DCOM].

Interface Definition Language (IDL): The International Standards Organization (ISO) standard language for specifying the interface for remote procedure calls. For more information, see [C706] section 4.

Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4): An Internet protocol that has 32-bit source and destination addresses. IPv4 is the predecessor of IPv6.

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6): A revised version of the Internet Protocol (IP) designed to address growth on the Internet. Improvements include a 128-bit IP address size, expanded routing capabilities, and support for authentication and privacy.

logical unit number (LUN): A number that is used to identify a disk on a given disk controller.

master boot record (MBR): Metadata such as the partition table, the disk signature, and the executable code for initiating the operating system boot process that is located on the first sector of a disk. Disks that have MBRs are referred to as MBR disks. GUID partitioning table (GPT) disks, instead, have unused dummy data in the first sector where the MBR would normally be.

Network Data Representation (NDR): A specification that defines a mapping from Interface Definition Language (IDL) data types onto octet streams. NDR also refers to the runtime environment that implements the mapping facilities (for example, data provided to NDR). For more information, see [MS-RPCE] and [C706] section 14.

node: A computer system that is configured as a member of a cluster. That is, the computer has the necessary software installed and configured to participate in the cluster, and the cluster configuration includes this computer as a member.

offline: An operational state applicable to volumes and disks. In the offline state, the volume or disk is unavailable for data input/output (I/O) or configuration.

online: An operational state applicable to volumes and disks. In the online state, the volume or disk is available for data input/output (I/O) or configuration.

opnum: An operation number or numeric identifier that is used to identify a specific remote procedure call (RPC) method or a method in an interface. For more information, see [C706] section 12.5.2.12 or [MS-RPCE].

partition: In the context of hard disks, a logical region of a hard disk. A hard disk may be subdivided into one or more partitions.

QFE number: The unique number associated with a QFE that is used to easily identify a QFE.

registry: A local system-defined database in which applications and system components store and retrieve configuration data. It is a hierarchical data store with lightly typed elements that are logically stored in tree format. Applications use the registry API to retrieve, modify, or delete registry data. The data stored in the registry varies according to the version of the operating system.

remote procedure call (RPC): A communication protocol used primarily between client and server. The term has three definitions that are often used interchangeably: a runtime environment providing for communication facilities between computers (the RPC runtime); a set of request-and-response message exchanges between computers (the RPC exchange); and the single message from an RPC exchange (the RPC message).  For more information, see [C706].

RPC dynamic endpoint: A network-specific server address that is requested and assigned at run time, as described in [C706].

RPC protocol sequence: A character string that represents a valid combination of a remote procedure call (RPC) protocol, a network layer protocol, and a transport layer protocol, as described in [C706] and [MS-RPCE].

SCSI protocol: An architecture for SCSI, consisting of a group of standards created and maintained by the Technical Committee (T10) of the InterNational Committee on Information Technology Standards (INCITS).

sector: The smallest addressable unit of a disk.

share: A resource offered by a Common Internet File System (CIFS) server for access by CIFS clients over the network. A share typically represents a directory tree and its included files (referred to commonly as a "disk share" or "file share") or a printer (a "print share"). If the information about the share is saved in persistent store (for example, Windows registry) and reloaded when a file server is restarted, then the share is referred to as a "sticky share". Some share names are reserved for specific functions and are referred to as special shares: IPC$, reserved for interprocess communication, ADMIN$, reserved for remote administration, and A$, B$, C$ (and other local disk names followed by a dollar sign), assigned to local disk devices.

small computer system interface (SCSI): A set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices.

storage pool: A group of disks where all of the storage space on all of the disks is aggregated and managed as a single unit.

strict NDR/NDR64 data consistency check: A set of related rules for data validation during processing of an octet stream.

thin-provisioned: A method for optimal allocation of storage. Blocks are allocated on demand.

time source: A component that possesses a clock and that makes the clock's time available to other components for synchronization. For more information, see "reference source" in [RFC1305].

UncPath: The location of a file in a network of computers, as specified in Universal Naming Convention (UNC) syntax.

universally unique identifier (UUID): A 128-bit value. UUIDs can be used for multiple purposes, from tagging objects with an extremely short lifetime, to reliably identifying very persistent objects in cross-process communication such as client and server interfaces, manager entry-point vectors, and RPC objects. UUIDs are highly likely to be unique. UUIDs are also known as globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) and these terms are used interchangeably in the Microsoft protocol technical documents (TDs). Interchanging the usage of these terms does not imply or require a specific algorithm or mechanism to generate the UUID. Specifically, the use of this term does not imply or require that the algorithms described in [RFC4122] or [C706] must be used for generating the UUID.

volume: A group of one or more partitions that forms a logical region of storage and the basis for a file system. A volume is an area on a storage device that is managed by the file system as a discrete logical storage unit. A partition contains at least one volume, and a volume can exist on one or more partitions.

VPD: Vital product data. See [SPC-3] section 7.6.

well-known endpoint: A preassigned, network-specific, stable address for a particular client/server instance. For more information, see [C706].

MAY, SHOULD, MUST, SHOULD NOT, MUST NOT: These terms (in all caps) are used as defined in [RFC2119]. All statements of optional behavior use either MAY, SHOULD, or SHOULD NOT.