RaaS

(1) RAP as a Service, is a Microsoft service that helps IT professionals analyze and assess current systems.
(2) Ransomware as a Service.

RAD

Rapid Application Development, is a programming system that enables one to quickly build working programs. RAD systems provide a number of tools to help build GUIs. Examples of popular RAD systems are Visual Basic and Delphi.

Radio Button

This is a way of selecting a choice in a list of options. Normally only one option from the list can be selected at any one time.

RADIUS

Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service, an authentication and accounting system used by many ISPs. When you dial in to the ISP you must enter your username and password. This information is passed to a RADIUS server, which checks that the information is correct, and then authorizes access to the ISP system. Though not an official standard, the RADIUS specification is maintained by a working group of the IETF.

RAID

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks or Drives, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical disk drive components into one or more logical units for the purposes of data redundancy, performance improvement, or both.

Rain Fade

Rain fade is an interruption of wireless communication signals as a result of rain or snow droplets whose separation approximates the signal wavelengths. The phenomenon can affect satellite Internet connections as well as satellite television and other systems.

RALF

Robotic Assistant Labour Facilitator, a robot in the film Flight of the Navigator.

RAM

Random Access Memory. Hardware inside your computer that stores data extremely quickly, but on a non-permanent basis. Data must be written to a persistent storage device such as a hard disk to keep it long term.

Rank

How well a particular Web page or website is listed in the Search Engine’s Results.

RAP

Risk Assessment Program.

RAR

Roshal ARchive, RAR is a file format used for data compression.

RARP

Reverse Address Resolution Protocol, a TCP/IP protocol that permits a physical address, such as an Ethernet address, to be translated into an address. Hosts such as diskless workstations often only know their hardware interface addresses, or MAC address, when booted but not their IP addresses. They must discover their IP addresses from an external source, usually a RARP server. RARP is defined in RFC 903.

RAS

(1) Remote Access Server. A server that is dedicated to handling users that are not on a LAN but need remote access to it. The remote access server allows users to gain access to files and print services on the LAN from a remote location. For example, a user who dials into a network from home using an analog modem or an ISDN connection will dial into a remote access server. Once the user is authenticated he can access shared drives and printers as if he were physically connected to the office LAN.

(2) Remote Access Service. A feature built into Windows NT that enables users to log into an NT-based LAN using a modem, X.25 connection or WAN link. RAS works with several major network protocols, including TCP/IP, IPX, and Netbeui. To use RAS from a remote node, you need a RAS client program, which is built into most versions of Windows, or any PPP client software. For example, most remote control programs work with RAS.

(3) Row Address Strobe. A signal, or strobe, sent by the processor to a DRAM circuit to activate a row address. DRAM stores data in a series of rows and columns, similar in theory to a spreadsheet, and each cell where a data bit is stored exists in both a row and a column. A processor uses RAS and CAS signals to retrieve data from DRAM.

Raster Graphics

Also referred to as bitmaps, they are defined by pixel by pixel. Typically known formats are GIF, TIFF and JPEG.

RBAC

Role-Based Access Control, a system of controlling which users have access to resources based on the role of the user.

RCDD

Registered Communications Distribution Designer.

RDBMS

Relational DataBase Management System. A type of database management system (DBMS) that stores data in the form of related table. Relational databases are powerful because they require few assumptions about how data is related or how it will be extracted from the database. As a result, the same database can be viewed in many different ways. An important feature of relational system is that a single database can be spread across several tables. This differs from flat-file databases, in which each database is self-contained in a single table. Almost all full-scale database systems are RDBMS's. Small database systems, however, use other designs that provide less flexibility in posing queries.

RDP

Remote Desktop Protocol.

RDRAM

Rambus DRAM, a type of memory (DRAM) developed by Rambus, Inc. Whereas the fastest current memory technologies used by PCs (SDRAM) can deliver data at a maximum speed of about 100MHz, RDRAM transfers data at up to 800 MHz. In 1997, Intel announced that it would license the Rambus technology for use on its future motherboards, thus making it the likely de facto standard for memory architectures. However, a consortium of computer vendors is working on an alternative memory architecture called SyncLink DRAM (SLDRAM). RDRAM is already being used in place of VRAM in some graphics accelerator boards . As of late 1999, Intel has been using RDRAM in its Pentium III Xeon processors and more recently in its Pentium 4 processors. Intel and Rambus are also working a new version of RDRAM, called nDRAM, that will support data transfer speeds at up to 1,600 MHz.

Reach

In digital marketing, it is the total number of views content receives over a specified period of time.

Reciprocol Link

A hyperlink placed on a Website in return for another site having put a link on its page.

Re-Mailer

Also known as an e-mail reflector. A sender's e-mail is kept anonymous and is commonly known as anonymous e-mail.

Repeater

A network device used to regenerate or replicate a signal. Repeaters are used in transmission systems to regenerate analog or digital signals distorted by transmission loss. A repeater cannot do the intelligent routing performed by bridges and routers.

RFC

Request For Comments, a series of notes about the Internet. An Internet Document can be submitted to the IETF by anyone, but the IETF decides if the document becomes an RFC. Eventually, if it gains enough interest, it may evolve into an Internet standard. Each RFC is designated by an RFC number. Once published, an RFC never changes. Modifications to an original RFC are assigned a new RFC number.

RFI

Request For Information, is a formal business process for gathering information from potential suppliers of a good or service.

RFID

Radio Frequency IDentification, is a technology that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal, or person. RFID is coming into increasing use in industry as an alternative to the bar code. The advantage of RFID is that it does not require direct contact or line-of-sight scanning.

RFP

Request For Proposal, is a document that solicits proposal, often made through a bidding process, by an agency or company interested in procurement of a commodity, service, or valuable asset, to potential suppliers to submit business proposals.

RIMM

A memory module using Rambus technology.  It is used with RDRAM chips. It is similar to a DIMM package but uses different pin settings. Rambus trademarked the term RIMM as an entire word. It is sometimes incorrectly used as an acronym for Rambus Inline Memory Module.

RIP

(1) Raster Image Processor. A hardware - software combination that converts a vector image into a bit-mapped image. All PostScript printers contain a RIP that converts the PostScript command into bit-mapped page that the printer can output.

(2) Regulation of Investigatory Powers ACT. This UK Act is also known as the email snooping Act. It allows the government to tap into ISPs and also allows employers to read employee emails.

(3) Routing Information Protocol. A protocol defined by RFC 1058 that specifies how router exchange routing table information. With RIP, routers periodically exchange entire tables. Because this is inefficient, RIP is gradually being replaced by a newer protocol called OSPF.

RIPE NCC

Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre. RIPE NCC is one of three regional Internet registries that supply and administer IP addresses. Founded in 1989, RIPE NCC is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers. RIPE NCC provides IP numbers to Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia.

RISC

Reduced Instruction Set Computer, a type of microprocessor that recognizes a relatively limited number of instructions.

RMON

Remote monitoring. A network management protocol that allows network information to be gathered at a single workstation. Whereas SNMP gathers network data from a single type of Management Information Base (MIB), RMON 1 defines nine additional MIBs that provide a much richer set of data about network usage. For RMON to work, network devices, such as hub and switches, must be designed to support it. The newest version of RMON, RMON 2, provides data about traffic at the network layer in addition to the physical layer. This allows administrators to analyse traffic by protocol.

Roaming

In wireless networking, roaming refers to the ability to move from one Access Point coverage area to another without interruption in service or loss in connectivity.

Robot

A robot is a machine, especially one programmable by a computer, capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically.

ROI

Return On Investment.

ROKSO

Register Of Known Spam Operations, a free-access public register of spam operations that have been thrown off of at least three ISPs for their spamming activities.

ROM

Read-Only Memory, computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. Once data has been written onto a ROM chip, it cannot be removed and can only be read.

ROS

Run of Site, is a contract specifying that a banner or other type of online advertisement can appear on any page, and usually in any open placement, of a particular website.

Router

A device which connects any number of LANs by routing packets of data appropriately. The invention of the router made internetworking (the internet) possible.

RPA

Robotic Process Automation, is an emerging form of business process automation technology based on the notion of software robots or artificial intelligence workers.

RPC

Remote Procedure Call, is a network programming model or interprocess communication technique that is used for point-to-point communications between software applications.

RSS

(1) Rich Site Summary
(2) Really Simple Syndication.

RSS Feed

An RSS feed is an up-to-date information or list of notifications that a website delivers to its subscribers.

RSVP

Resource Reservation Protocol. A protocol that allows the reservation of routes on the internet, particularly for the transmission of high-bandwidth messages.

RT

ReTweet, on Twitter is when someone shares your tweet with their followers.

RTMP

Routing Table Maintainance Protocol, is a distance vector routing protocol.

RTO

Retransmission TimeOut.

Runt

A packet that is too small to transfer.