Windows Glossary “Windows Dictionary” (F)

failback
The process of moving resources, either individually or in a group, back to their preferred node after the node has failed and come back online.

failback policy
Parameters that an administrator can set using Cluster Administrator that affect failback operations.

failed
A state that applies to a resource or a node in a cluster. A resource or a node is placed in the failed state after an unsuccessful attempt has been made to bring it online.

failover
The process of taking resource groups offline on one node and bringing them back online on another node. When a resource group goes offline, all resources belonging to that group go offline. The offline and online transitions occur in a predefined order, with resources that are dependent on other resources taken offline before and brought online after the resources upon which they depend.

failover policy
Parameters that an administrator can set, using Cluster Administrator, that affect failover operations.

failover time
The amount of time it takes a resource, either individually or in a group, to complete the failover process.


FAT32
A derivative of the file allocation table (FAT) file system. FAT32 supports smaller cluster sizes and larger volumes than FAT, which results in more efficient space allocation on FAT32 volumes.

fault tolerance
The ability of computer hardware or software to ensure data integrity when hardware failures occur. Fault tolerant features appear in many server operating systems and include mirrored volumes, RAID-5 volumes, and server clusters.

Fax Service
A system service that provides fax services to local and remote network clients. Fax services include receiving faxes and faxing documents, fax wizard messages, and e-mail messages.

Federal Information Processing Standard 140-1 (FIPS 140-1)
A standard entitled Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules. FIPS 140-1 describes government requirements that hardware and software cryptomodules should meet for Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) use.

file allocation table (FAT)
A file system used by MS-DOS and other Windows-based operating systems to organize and manage files. The file allocation table (FAT) is a data structure that Windows creates when you format a volume by using the FAT or FAT32 file systems. Windows stores information about each file in the FAT so that it can retrieve the file later.

File and Print Servers for Macintosh
A software component that allows Macintosh users access to a computer running any version of the Windows Server family. The services provided with this component allow personal computer and Macintosh users to share files and resources, such as printers on the AppleTalk network or printers attached to the Windows server.

file control block (FCB)
A small block of memory temporarily assigned by a computer's operating system to hold information about a file that has been opened for use. An FCB typically contains such information as the file's identification, its location on disk, and a pointer that marks the user's current (or last) position in the file.

File Server for Macintosh
An AppleTalk network integration service that allows Macintosh clients and personal computer clients to share files. File Server for Macintosh is also called MacFile.

File Share resource
A file share accessible by a network path that is supported as a cluster resource by a Resource DLL.

file system
In an operating system, the overall structure in which files are named, stored, and organized. NTFS, FAT, and FAT32 are types of file systems.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
A member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols, used to copy files between two computers on the Internet. Both computers must support their respective FTP roles: one must be an FTP client and the other an FTP server.

file type
In the Windows environment, a designation of the operational or structural characteristics of a file. The file type identifies the program, such as Microsoft Word, that is used to open the file. File types are associated with a file name extension. For example, files that have the .txt or .log extension are of the Text Document type and can be opened using any text editor.
In the Macintosh environment, a four-character sequence that identifies the type of a Macintosh file. The Macintosh Finder uses the file type and file creator to determine the appropriate desktop icon for that file.

filter
For Indexing Service, software that extracts content and property values from a document in order to index them.
For IPSec, a specification of IP traffic that provides the ability to trigger security negotiations for a communication based on the source, destination, and type of IP traffic.

filtering mode
For Network Load Balancing, the method by which network traffic inbound to a cluster is handled by the hosts within the cluster. Traffic can either be handled by a single server, load balanced among the hosts within the cluster, or disabled completely.

FilterKeys
A keyboard feature that instructs your keyboard to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes. You can also adjust the keyboard repeat rate, which is the rate at which a key repeats when you hold it down.

firewall
A combination of hardware and software that provides a security system, usually to prevent unauthorized access from outside to an internal network or intranet. A firewall prevents direct communication between network and external computers by routing communication through a proxy server outside of the network. The proxy server determines whether it is safe to let a file pass through to the network. A firewall is also called a security-edge gateway.

folder
A container for programs and files in graphical user interfaces, symbolized on the screen by a graphical image (icon) of a file folder. A folder is a means of organizing programs and documents on a disk and can hold both files and additional folders.

font
A graphic design applied to a collection of numbers, symbols, and characters. A font describes a certain typeface, along with other qualities such as size, spacing, and pitch.

font cartridge
A plug-in unit available for some printers that contains fonts in several styles and sizes. As with downloadable fonts, printers using font cartridges can produce characters in sizes and styles other than those created by the fonts built into it.

foreground program
The program that runs in the active window (the uppermost window with the highlighted title bar). The foreground program responds to commands issued by the user.

foreign computer
A computer that uses another message queuing system but, through a connector application, can exchange messages with computers that run Message Queuing.

forest
A collection of one or more Windows domains that share a common schema, configuration, and global catalog and are linked with two-way transitive trusts.

form
The specification of physical characteristics such as paper size (that is, letter or legal) and printer area margins of paper or other print media. For example, by default, the Letter form has a paper size of 8.5 inches by 11 inches and does not reserve space for margins.

format
The structure of a file that defines the way it is stored and laid out on the screen or in print. The format of a file is usually indicated by its extension. For example, .txt after a file name indicates the file is a text document, and .doc after a file name indicates it is a Word document.

FORTEZZA
A family of security products, including PCMCIA-based cards, compatible serial port devices, combination cards (such as FORTEZZA/Modem and FORTEZZA/Ethernet), server boards, and others. FORTEZZA is a registered trademark held by the National Security Agency.

fragmentation
The scattering of parts of the same disk file over different areas of the disk. Fragmentation occurs as files on a disk are deleted and new files are added. It slows disk access and degrades the overall performance of disk operations, although usually not severely.

frame type
The way in which a network type, such as Ethernet, formats data to be sent over a network. When multiple frame types are allowed for a particular network type, the packets are structured differently and are, therefore, incompatible. All computers on a network must use the same frame type to communicate. Frame type is also called frame format.

free media pool
A logical collection of unused data-storage media that can be used by applications or other media pools. When media are no longer needed by an application, they are returned to a free media pool so that they can be used again.

free space
Available space that you use to create logical drives within an extended partition.

front-end processor (FEP)
In communications, a computer that is located between communications lines and a main (host) computer and used to relieve the host of tasks related to communications; sometimes considered synonymous with communications controller. A front-end processor is dedicated entirely to handling transmitted information, including error detection and control; receipt, transmission, and possibly encoding of messages; and management of the lines running to and from other devices.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

full name
A user's complete name, usually consisting of the last name, first name, and middle initial. The full name is information that Local Users and Groups or Active Directory Users and Computers can maintain as part of the information identifying and defining a user account.

full zone transfer (AXFR)
The standard query type supported by all DNS servers to update and synchronize zone data when the zone has been changed. When a DNS query is made using AXFR as the specified query type, the entire zone is transferred as the response.

full-duplex
A system capable of simultaneously transmitting information in both directions over a communications channel.

fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
A DNS domain name that has been stated unambiguously so as to indicate with absolute certainty its location in the domain namespace tree. Fully qualified domain names differ from relative names in that they are typically stated with a trailing period (.) - for example, host.example.microsoft.com. - to qualify their position to the root of the namespace.