Glossary of NCCS Terminology

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

AKT (Authentication Key Token) - a hardware security device issued to NCCS users which generates a sequence of numbers used to form part of a one-time-use passcode.

Computational Project - (formerly known as a "Sponsor Code Account") a five-character code representing a PI's research effort.

DIMM (dual inline memory module) - a circuit board with a 64-bit path to the memory module.

Division Code - a three-character code which groups Computational Projects by the organization under which their PIs work.

Division Representative - an individual who facilitates interaction between the division and the NCCS.

login shell - software interface through which users authenticate to access NCCS computing systems.

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) - is an application protocol for querying and modifying directory services running over TCP/IP. LDAP is used by the NCCS for access authentication to NCCS computing resources. Currently an LDAP password is necessary for access to the NCCS Linux Networx (discover) Cluster, the NCCS SGI Altix 3700 BX2 (palm/explore) Cluster and the NCCS Portal Web-pages.

LSF (Load Sharing Facility) - the batch queueing system used on halem.

man page - short for manual page, a page of online documentation for every command, utility, and library function in UNIX systems, viewable by issuing the command man command.

passcode - a combination of two sequences of numbers that you use to log in to an NCCS system. The first sequence is your four-digit NCCS Personal Identification Number (PIN), and the second sequence is your NCCS Authentication Key Tokan (AKT) tokencode, which changes every thirty or sixty seconds (depending on your AKT). Together these two sequences of numbers form a one-time-use passcode.

PIN (Personal Identification Number) - four-digit number assigned to you by NCCS User Services to be used in combination with the tokencode on your AKT to login to NCCS systems or alone to access restricted web pages.

Principal Investigator (PI) - (formerly known as a "Sponsor") an individual to whom NASA funding sources have allocated computing resources on NCCS systems for research.

RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) - a category of disk drives that use two or more disks in combination for fault tolerance and performance.

ssh keys - a pair of cryptographic keys, designated as public key and private key, that are used to enable passwordless ssh on NCCS systems. The private key is generally kept secret, while the public key may be widely distributed.

tokencode - the sequence of numbers on an Authentication Key Token (AKT) which changes every thirty or sixty seconds (depending on your AKT).

user - an individual with access to NCCS resources.

userid - a user's three- to eight-character code that uniquely identifies him or her on NCCS computing systems.

X11 (X Window System) - windowing system for bitmap displays that provides the basic framework for a GUI environment: drawing and moving windows on the screen and interacting with a mouse and keyboard. In an X11 environment, the traditional local client vs. remote server relationship may be reversed.