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Glossary (DAT — Define Acronyms & Terms)

Quick Overview

What: Central glossary of acronyms and terms used across the homelab campaign. Why: Quick reference makes the journey smoother. Time: Ongoing; add terms as you go. XP: Infinite points (like Whose Line, the points are made up but the fun is real).

Think of this as your hacker’s codex: a living dictionary for all the jargon, acronyms, and tools you’ll encounter in this campaign.

Hover definitions

Hover tooltips are defined centrally in docs/includes/abbreviations.md and injected on every page via hooks.py. When you add a new acronym: 1. Add it here under Terms. 2. Add the same definition to docs/includes/abbreviations.md so hovers work site‑wide.

This page holds durable context for collaborating with AI on this repo. Entries are appended and never auto-deleted.

Contributing Glossary Terms

Adding a term = +5 XP (don’t worry, points don’t matter—but your future self will thank you).

When adding a new acronym or term:

  1. Add it to the Terms list for readers to browse.
  2. Add it to the Abbreviations list so the term will display a hover definition throughout the docs.
  3. Keep the definition text exactly the same in both sections to ensure consistency.

Terms

  • ACME — Automated Certificate Management Environment, protocol for automated certificate issuance
  • API — Application Programming Interface, rules and definitions for software communication
  • CA — Certificate Authority, entity that issues digital certificates
  • CGNAT — Carrier-Grade Network Address Translation, ISP technique to share IPv4 addresses
  • CI/CD — Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery, automating testing and deployments
  • CLI — Command-Line Interface, text-based way to interact with systems
  • CPU — Central Processing Unit, the main processor of a computer
  • Consul — HashiCorp tool for service discovery and configuration
  • DAT — Define Acronyms & Terms, the glossary itself
  • DSM — DiskStation Manager, Synology’s operating system for NAS devices
  • DMZ — Demilitarized Zone, network segment that adds a layer of security between internal and external networks
  • DNS — Domain Name System, resolves human-readable names to IPs
  • DR — Disaster Recovery, processes for restoring systems after failure
  • GB — Gigabyte, unit of data storage or memory capacity
  • GbE — Gigabit Ethernet, network standard for 1 gigabit per second speeds
  • Git — Distributed version control system for tracking changes in source code
  • GPU — Graphics Processing Unit, processor for graphics and parallel workloads
  • HA — High Availability, system design to ensure uptime and redundancy
  • IaC — Infrastructure as Code, managing infra via declarative configs
  • IP — Internet Protocol, addressing system for networked devices
  • IPv6 — Internet Protocol version 6, next-generation internet addressing system
  • IoT — Internet of Things, interconnected devices with network capabilities
  • LUN — Logical Unit Number, a block storage allocation presented by iSCSI
  • NAS — Network Attached Storage, dedicated storage appliance on network
  • NFS — Network File System, protocol for sharing files over a network
  • NIC — Network Interface Card, hardware for network connectivity
  • NVMe — Non-Volatile Memory Express, protocol for fast SSDs
  • PBS — Proxmox Backup Server, backup solution integrated with Proxmox
  • PoE — Power over Ethernet, delivers power and data over the same cable
  • Portainer — Web UI for managing Docker containers
  • PR — Pull Request, a proposed change in GitHub for review/merge
  • Prometheus — Monitoring and metrics collection system
  • RAID — Redundant Array of Independent Disks, storage virtualization for redundancy/performance
  • RAM — Random Access Memory, volatile system memory
  • RJ45 — Standard connector for Ethernet networking
  • SFP — Small Form-factor Pluggable, transceiver for network modules
  • SFP+ — Enhanced Small Form-factor Pluggable, higher-speed transceiver for networking
  • SLOs — Service Level Objectives, reliability/performance targets linked to SLIs and SLAs
  • SMB — Server Message Block, protocol for sharing files over a network
  • SSD — Solid State Drive, fast storage device
  • SSO — Single Sign-On, authentication system enabling one login for multiple services
  • SSL — Secure Sockets Layer, cryptographic protocol for encrypted communications (deprecated, succeeded by TLS)
  • TF — Terraform, HashiCorp tool for IaC
  • UI — User Interface, the visual/interactive layer for managing systems
  • UPS — Uninterruptible Power Supply, device providing backup power
  • VLAN — Virtual LAN, network segmentation for isolating devices
  • VM — Virtual Machine, emulated computer instance
  • VPN — Virtual Private Network, secure tunnel for remote access
  • Vault — HashiCorp tool for secrets management
  • iSCSI — Internet Small Computer Systems Interface, protocol for linking data storage over IP networks

🎉 Glossary updated! You’ve gained wisdom XP (fun is what matters).

Quick Overview

What: Shared abbreviations and hover tooltips for the campaign. Why: Ensures acronyms and jargon stay consistent across all docs. Time: Ongoing; update whenever a new term is introduced. XP: +5 per new acronym (like Whose Line, the points are made up but the fun is real).

Think of this file as your universal translator—every acronym here powers hover definitions site-wide.

🎉 Abbreviations updated! You’ve earned +5 XP for each new term (points don’t matter, but consistency does).