1.1 Glossary

This document uses the following terms:

authentication: The act of proving an identity to a server while providing key material that binds the identity to subsequent communications.

Authentication Service (AS): A service that issues ticket granting tickets (TGTs), which are used for authenticating principals within the realm or domain served by the Authentication Service.

code page: An ordered set of characters of a specific script in which a numerical index (code-point value) is associated with each character. Code pages are a means of providing support for character sets and keyboard layouts used in different countries. Devices such as the display and keyboard can be configured to use a specific code page and to switch from one code page (such as the United States) to another (such as Portugal) at the user's request.

connection string: A character string expression that uniquely identifies the data store to use for a particular query or set of queries and the methods, including authentication information and configuration options, for connecting to that data store.

data source object: An instance of a COM class that exposes a set of OLE DB interfaces. A data source object can be used to establish a connection to a data source.

database instance: A database that has a unique set of services that can have unique settings.

default database: The current database just after the connection is made.

domain: A set of users and computers sharing a common namespace and management infrastructure. At least one computer member of the set has to act as a domain controller (DC) and host a member list that identifies all members of the domain, as well as optionally hosting the Active Directory service. The domain controller provides authentication of members, creating a unit of trust for its members. Each domain has an identifier that is shared among its members. For more information, see [MS-AUTHSOD] section 1.1.1.5 and [MS-ADTS].

encryption: In cryptography, the process of obscuring information to make it unreadable without special knowledge.

generic key: A keyword in a connection string, the meaning of which is the same across all drivers.

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

Kerberos: An authentication system that enables two parties to exchange private information across an otherwise open network by assigning a unique key (called a ticket) to each user that logs on to the network and then embedding these tickets into messages sent by the users. For more information, see [MS-KILE].

language code identifier (LCID): A 32-bit number that identifies the user interface human language dialect or variation that is supported by an application or a client computer.

named pipe: A named, one-way, or duplex pipe for communication between a pipe server and one or more pipe clients.

NT LAN Manager (NTLM) Authentication Protocol: A protocol using a challenge-response mechanism for authentication in which clients are able to verify their identities without sending a password to the server. It consists of three messages, commonly referred to as Type 1 (negotiation), Type 2 (challenge) and Type 3 (authentication).

OLE DB: A set of interfaces that are based on the Component Object Model (COM) programming model and expose data from a variety of sources. These interfaces support the amount of Database Management System (DBMS) functionality that is appropriate for a data store and they enable a data store to share data.

OLE DB consumer: A software component that requests information through a set of OLE DB interfaces.

OLE DB provider: A software component that returns information to an OLE DB consumer through a set of OLE DB interfaces. Each provider exposes data access to a particular type of data source.

original equipment manufacturer (OEM) character: An 8-bit encoding used in MS-DOS and Windows operating systems to associate a sequence of bits with specific characters. The ASCII character set maps the letters, numerals, and specified punctuation and control characters to the numbers from 0 to 127. The term "code page" is used to refer to extensions of the ASCII character set that map specified characters and symbols to the numbers from 128 to 255. These code pages are referred to as OEM character sets. For more information, see [MSCHARSET].

path: When referring to a file path on a file system, a hierarchical sequence of folders. When referring to a connection to a storage device, a connection through which a machine can communicate with the storage device.

plaintext: In cryptography, ordinary readable text before it is encrypted into ciphertext, or after it has been decrypted.

provider-specific key: A key in a connection string, the meaning of which is determined by an individual provider.

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].

session: A unidirectional communication channel for a stream of messages that are addressed to one or more destinations. A destination is specified by a resource URL, an identity URL, and a device URL. More than one session can be multiplexed over a single connection.

stored procedure: A precompiled collection of SQL statements and, optionally, control-of-flow statements that are stored under a name and processed as a unit. They are stored in a SQL database and can be run with one call from an application. Stored procedures return an integer return code and can additionally return one or more result sets. Also referred to as sproc.

Unicode: A character encoding standard developed by the Unicode Consortium that represents almost all of the written languages of the world. The Unicode standard [UNICODE5.0.0/2007] provides three forms (UTF-8, UTF-16, and UTF-32) and seven schemes (UTF-8, UTF-16, UTF-16 BE, UTF-16 LE, UTF-32, UTF-32 LE, and UTF-32 BE).

XML: The Extensible Markup Language, as described in [XML1.0].

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.