Glossary of Terms
bandwidth
The rate of transmission of data across the network; the maximum amount of information (Kbits/second or Mbits/second) that can be transmitted along a channel.
cipher
A cipher is an encryption algorithm. The cipher you select determines which mathematical algorithm is used to obscure the data being sent after a successful Secure Shell connection has been established.
client connector
Accepts incoming connection requests from X clients and forwards X protocol requests received from the X client to the protocol router. The client connector also receives X protocol replies, events, and errors from the protocol router and forwards these to the appropriate X client.
client definition
Contains configuration information for starting one or more X client applications on a host.
color scheme
Color schemes translate string color names requested by clients into RGB (red, green, blue) values.
compressor
Compresses X protocol messages, sends them across the network, decompresses them, and forwards them.
controlling X server
The X server in a session that has control of keyboard and mouse input.
definition
A set of related settings used to configure some aspect of a session. Definitions are stored locally or in a domain. Definition types include X Clients, XDMCP Connections, Launch Groups, and Session Definitions.
definition file
Definition files (*.rxd) contain Reflection X configuration information in XML format. This file format is used to export and import settings to and from Reflection X.
distributed X session
An X session whose session components are running on more than one computer.
domain
A Reflection X domain consists of one or more computers on which X session components are run and load-balanced. The domain also defines a group of users who can run and share X sessions on those computers.
domain controller
This term applies to the computer that runs the domain controller software component, and is responsible for authenticating users, starting and stopping session components on domain nodes, and centralized storage of settings.
domain node
A computer on which Reflection X is installed that an administrator has included in a Reflection X domain.
font collection
A set of font files or a reference to a font server. Font collections can be either private or public.
headless X server
A special type of X server that has no display. It maintains display contents in memory and serves to keep a session "alive" when no other X servers are connected. It can also provide short-circuiting of certain X protocol requests.
IME (Input Method Editor)
An input method editor is an application that allows you to enter characters and symbols that are not available on your keyboard.
internal authentication
A proprietary authentication system that can be used by Reflection X to grant users access to domain features. If the domain is configured to use internal authentication, Reflection X maintains an internal database of the user names/passwords that are authorized by the system.
JVM
Java Virtual Machine. A virtual machine that interprets and executes Java bytecode. Because Reflection X is a Java application, a JVM must exist on every machine that runs Reflection X.
keycode
In the X Window System, every individual, physical key is associated with a number in the range 8 – 255, called its keycode. A keycode only identifies a key, not a particular character or term among the ones that may be printed on the key. (See X keysym.)
keysym
See X keysym.
latency
The time delay between when an action is initiated and when its effect is detectable. In a network, a delay in the reception of data packets can be caused by several factors, such as the transmission medium, and the number of network devices between the sending and receiving points. In general, the greater the physical distance between your workstation and your host, the greater the chance of encountering latency.
passphrase
A passphrase is similar to a password, except it can be a phrase with a series of words, punctuation, numbers, white space, or any string of characters. Passphrases improve security by limiting access to secure objects, such as private keys and/or a key agent.
PKCS
PKCS (Public Key Cryptography Standards) is a set of standards devised and published by RSA laboratories that enable compatibility among public key cryptography implementations. Different PKCS standards identify specifications for particular cryptographic uses. Reflection X uses the following PKCS standards:
PKCS#5 is used to provide password-based encryption for private keys stored in the Reflection X database.
PKCS#11 provides support for authentication using hardware devices, such as smart cards or USB tokens.
PKCS#12 is used for storage and transportation of certificates and associated private keys. Files in this format typically use a *.pfx or *.p12 extension.
private definition
Configuration settings (for an X Client, XDMCP connection, launch group, or session) that can only be viewed and used by the user who created it. A private definition is read-write for the user who created it.
protocol router
Receives X protocol requests from client connectors and forwards them to all of the X servers in the session. It synchronizes the processing of requests and device events to ensure that all the X servers in the session remain in identical states.
public definition
Configuration settings (for an X Client, XDMCP connection, launch group, or session) that an administrator has made available to users in a Reflection X domain. A public definition is read-write for the administrator and read-only for all other users.
Reflection X Service
A service (or daemon) on a computer that can be configured as a domain controller, domain node, and/or support the Remote Session Services feature. (The services supported depend on which features you installed.)
remote session
In a remote session, the Reflection X session processes (the client connector and protocol router) run on a different computer than X Manager or X Manager for Domains.
session
A running session consists of several running components (client connectors, a protocol router, and X servers) whose configuration is determined by the session definition. A running session may or may not have X client applications connected to it, but a session must be running before a client application can be displayed. You can associate a default session definition with each of your X client applications, or configure these definitions to prompt you for a session name when you start the client. If the associated session is not already running, Reflection X starts the session when you start the client.
session definition
A combination of settings that affect how Reflection X manages and displays your connections. You can associate a default session definition with each of your X clients (including XDMCP connections), or configure these definitions to prompt you for a session name when you start the client. If the associated session is not already running, Reflection X starts the session when you start the client.
standalone X session
An X session whose components are running on a single computer.
suspended X session
A running X session that does not have an X server display currently associated with it. When a user leaves a session, its display state is maintained in memory on a member node within the domain.
X Administrative Console
X Administrative Console is a management tool for configuring and managing Reflection X domains. You can use it to control user access to a domain; share client and session definitions; configure load balancing; and monitor sessions.
X Keysym
An X Keysym is an encoding of a symbol on the cap of a key. The set of defined X Keysyms includes the ISO Latin character sets, Katakana, Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, Technical, Publishing, APL, Hebrew, Thai, Korean, and other keys found on keyboards such as Return, Help, and Tab.
A list of X Keysyms is associated with each keycode. The list is intended to convey the set of symbols on the corresponding key. Standard rules for obtaining an X Keysym from a KeyPress event make use of only the first four X Keysyms associated with a keycode. Depending on the state of the Shift and ModeSwitch (AltGr) modifiers, one of the first four keysyms will be selected.
X Manager
A Reflection X tool that allows you to configure and launch X sessions locally, and permits session sharing. It does not use a Reflection X domain; nor does it allow users to leave and rejoin sessions.
X Manager for Domains
An application that connects to a Reflection X domain storing session definitions in a database. X sessions run locally, or on domain nodes, which support fault tolerance and protocol compression. It permits session sharing, and allows users to leave and rejoin sessions.
X server
The session component that provides a visual display of your X client applications. The controlling X server also manages input devices, such as keyboard and mouse. Each running session includes at least one running X server.
X server display
An X server with a visual display or "viewer," as opposed to a headless X server, which has no display.
XDMCP
XDMCP (X Display Manager Control Protocol) supports display of a remote desktop on an X server. XDM (the X Window Display Manager) must be configured on the remote host.
XIM server
XIM (X Input Method) is an X11 protocol that supports composed character input. The XIM server provided by Reflection X can obtain composed text from an IME running on the Reflection X workstation and pass this text to XIM-aware X clients. (Reflection X does not support passing composed text to other input methods that may be provided by your operating system, such as XIMP and SCIM.)