# About This Guide

## How to use this guide

This guide contains definitions of technical terms and acronyms commonly found in Ascend documentation. Use this guide as a reference when installing, configuring, or maintaining your system.

Note: This guide describes the full set of features for the MAX running software version 7.0.0. Some features might not be available with older versions or specialty loads of the software.

## Documentation conventions

Ascend uses standard documentation conventions. The introductory section of each manual includes a section that describes the conventions, which are as follows:

#### Convention | #### Meaning
--- | ---
`Monospace text` | Represents text that appears on your computer's screen, or that could appear on your computer's screen.
Boldface mono-space text | Represents characters that you enter exactly as shown (unless the characters are also in italics-see Italics, below). If you could enter the characters but are not specifically instructed to, they do not appear in boldface.
Italics | Represent variable information. Do not enter the words themselves in the command. Enter the information they represent. In ordinary text, italics are used for titles of publications, for some terms that would otherwise be in quotation marks, and to show emphasis.
[ ] | Square brackets indicate an optional argument you might add to a command. To include such an argument, type only the information inside the brackets. Do not type the brackets unless they appear in bold type.
| | Separates command choices that are mutually exclusive.
> | Points to the next level in the path to a parameter or menu item. The item that follows the angle bracket is one of the options that appears when you select the item that precedes the angle bracket.
Key1-Key2 | Represents a combination keystroke. To enter a combination keystroke, press the first key and hold it down while you press one or more other keys. Release all the keys at the same time. (For example, Ctrl-H means hold down the Control key and press the H key.)
Note: | Introduces important additional information.

## Related publications

If you need more background information than the documentation set provides, many external references are readily available on the Web or in technical bookstores. You'll find a partial list of such references below

### Related RFCs

RFCs are available on the Web at http://ds.internic.net.

#### Information about PPP connections

For information about PPP connections and authentication, you might want to download one or more of the following:

- RFC 1662: PPP in HDLC-like Framing

- RFC 1661: The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)

- RFC 1994: PPP Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)

- RFC 1934: Ascend's Multilink Protocol Plus (MP+)

- RFC 1969: The PPP DES Encryption Protocol (DESE)

- RFC 1989: PPP Link Quality Monitoring

- RFC 1990: The PPP Multilink Protocol (MP)

- RFC 2125: The PPP Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol (BACP)

- RFC 2153: PPP Vendor Extensions

- RFC 1962: The PPP Compression Control Protocol (CCP)

- RFC 1974: PPP Stac LZS Compression Protocol

- RFC 1877: PPP Internet Protocol Control Protocol Extensions for Name Server Addresses

- RFC 1618: PPP over ISDN

- RFC 1332: The PPP Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP)

- RFC 1552:The PPP Internetwork Packet Exchange Control Protocol (IPXCP)

- RFC 1378: The PPP AppleTalk Control Protocol (ATCP)

#### Information about IPX routing

For information about IPX routing, see RFC 1634: Novell IPX Over Various WAN Media (IPXWAN).

#### Information about IP routers

RFCs that describe the operation of IP routers include:

- RFC 1812: Requirements for IP Version 4 Routers

- RFC 1519: Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR): An Address Assignment and Aggregation Strategy

- RFC 2002: IP Mobility Support

- RFC 2030: Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) Version 4 for IPv4, IPv6 and OSI

- RFC 1256: ICMP Router Discovery Messages

- RFC 1393: Traceroute Using an IP Option

- RFC 1433: Directed ARP

- RFC 1582: Extensions to RIP to Support Demand Circuits

- RFC 1787: Routing in a Multi-provider Internet

#### Information about OSPF routing

For information about OSPF routing, see:

- RFC 1850: OSPF Version 2 Management Information Base

- RFC 1587: The OSPF NSSA Option

- RFC 1245: OSPF protocol analysis

- RFC 1246: Experience with the OSPF protocol

- RFC 1583: OSPF Version 2

- RFC 1586: Guidelines for Running OSPF Over Frame Relay Networks

#### Information about multicast

For information about multicast, see:

- RFC 1458: Requirements for Multicast Protocols

- RFC 1584: Multicast Extensions to OSPF

- RFC 1949: Scalable Multicast Key Distribution

#### Information about firewalls and packet filtering

RFCs that describe firewalls and packet filters include:

- RFC 1858: Security Considerations for IP Fragment Filtering

- RFC 1579: Firewall-Friendly FTP

#### Information about general network security

RFCs pertinent to network security include:

- RFC 1704: On Internet Authentication

- RFC 1636: Report of IAB Workshop on Security in the Internet Architecture

- RFC 1281: Guidelines for the Secure Operation of the Internet

- RFC 1244: Site Security Handbook

#### Information about external authentication

For information about RADIUS and TACACS authentication, see:

- RFC 2138: Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS)

- RFC 1492: An Access Control Protocol, Sometimes Called TACACS

### ITU-T recommendations

ITU-T recommendations (formerly CCITT) are available commercially. You can order them at http://www.itu.ch/publications/.

### Related books

The following books are available in technical bookstores.

- Routing in the Internet, by Christian Huitema. Prentice Hall PTR, 1995. Recommended for information about IP, OSPF, CIDR, IP multicast, and mobile IP.

- SNMP, SNMPV2 and RMON: Practical Network Management, by William Stallings. Addison-Wesley, 1996. Recommended for network management information.

- Enterprise Networking: Fractional T1 to Sonet Frame Relay to Bisdn, by Daniel Minoli. Artech House, 1993. Recommended as a WAN reference.

- TCP/IP Illustrated, volumes 1&2, by W. Richard Stevens. Addison-Wesley, 1994.

Copyright © 1998, Ascend Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.