Everybody knows that the computing business is lousy with acronyms.  Almost too many, but as you can see, it keeps us from getting our tongues twisted by avoiding the use of the longer meanings.  Besides, we can amaze those who don't know this business if we make frequent use of these acronyms in everyday conversation.  Sort of dazzle them with the BS (Oh! Another acronym).

The following list has been an on-going in-house project here at Nytrix for a number of years.  It has expanded into quite a nice reference tool and we hope that it will help some of you find the true meaning of life. Yippie!

Find an error?  Would like to make an addition to the list?  Can't find an acronym in the list and you want us to research it for you?

Send your comments, suggestions and queries to

  
  A back to the top
   AAC       Advanced Audio Coding
   AAL       ATM Adaptation Layer
   ACD       Automatic Call Distribution
   ACF/NCP   Advanced Communication Function/Network Control Program
   ACF/VTAM  Advanced Communication Function/Virtual Terminal Access Method
   ACL       Access Control List
   ACPI      Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
   ACTIUS    Association of Computer Telephone integration Users and Suppliers
   ACR       Attenuation Crosstalk Radio
   ACSE      Association Control Service Element
   ACU       Automatic Calling Unit
   ADC       Advanced Data Communications
   ADC       Adaptive Data Compression
   ADO       ActiveX Data Objects
   ADPCM     Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation
   ADSP      AppleTalk Datastream Protocol
   AES       Advanced Encryption Standard
   AFP       AppleTalk Filing Protocol
   AGP       Accelerated Graphics Port
   AGS+      Advanced Gateway Server Plus
   AIX       Advanced Interactive Executive
   ALAP      AppleTalk-LocalTalk Link Access Protocol
   AMR       Audio Modem Riser
   ANI       Automatic Number Identification
   ANSI      American National Standards Institute
   APDU      Application Protocol Data Unit
   API       Application Program Interface
   APPC      Advanced Program-to-Program Communications
   APPN      Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking
   APS       Asynchronous Protocol Specification
   ARAP      Appletalk Remote Access Protocol
   ARP       Address Resolution Protocol
   ARPA      Advanced Research Project Agency
   ARQ       Automatic Request for Retransmission
   ASCII     American Standard Code for Information Interchange
   ASIC      Application-Specific Integrated Circuit
   ASM       Alternate Stimulus Mode Protocol
   ASN-1     Abstract Syntax Notation-1
   ASP       Application Service Provider
   ASP       Active Server Pages
   ASP       Appletalk Session Protocol
   ASPI      Advanced SCSI Programming Interface [Adaptec]
   AT        Advanced Technology
   ATAPI     Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface
   ATM       Asynchronous Transfer Mode
   ATP       Appletalk Transaction Protocol
   ATQ       Asynchronous Thread Queue
   AUI       Attachment Unit Interface
   AWG       American Wire Gauge

  
  B back to the top
   BABT      british Approvals Board for Telecommunications
   BBS       Bulletin Board Service
   BCC       Block Check Character
   BCP       Binary Communications Protocol
   BCP       Byte Controlled Protocol
   BECN      Backward Explicit Congestion Notification
   BER       Bit Error Rate
   BER       Basic Encoding Rules
   BGP       Border Gateway Protocol
   BIND      Berkeley Internet Name Domain
   BIOS      Basic Input/Output System
   B-ISDN    broadband Integrated Services Digital Network
   BLAST     Blocked Asynchronous Transmission
   BPEL      Business Process Execution Language
   BPDU      bridge Protocol Data Unit
   BPM       Business Process Management
   BPS       Bits Per Second
   brA       Basic Rate Access
   brI       Basic Rate Interface
   BSC       Binary Synchronous Communications
   BSYNC     Binary Synchronous Communications
   BSGL      branch Systems General License
   BSI       british Standards Institute

  
  C back to the top
   CAA       Continuous Availability Architecture
   CAD       Computer Aided Design
   CAI       Common Air Interface
   CAV       Constant Angular Velocity
   CAM       Computer Aided Manufacturing
   CATV      Cable TeleVision
   CBO       Cooperative Business Object
   CCD       Charge Coupled Device
   CCITSB    Consultative Committee for International
               Telecommunications Standards Bureau
   CCITT     Comite Consultatif International de Telegraphique
               et Telephonique
   CCTA      Central Computer & Telecommunications Agency
   CCN       Cluster Control Node
   CCP       Compression Control Protocol
   CCU       Communications Control Unit
   CDONTS    Collaboration Data Objects for Windows NT Server
   CD        Compact Disk (Certificate of Deposit)
   CDIA      Certified Document Imaging Architect
   CDMA      Code Division Multiple Access
   CDO       Collaboration Data Objects
   CDPD      Cellular Digital Packet Data
   CFNN      Client for NetWare Networks
   CGI       Common Gateway Interface
   CHAP      Challenge Authentication Protocol
   CHAP      Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol
   CICS      Customer Information Control System
   CIDR      Classless Interdomain Routing Technique
   CIR       Committed Information Rate
   CIX       Commercial Internet Exchange
   CLI       Call Level Interface
   CLI       Calling Line Identification
   CLNAP     ConnectionLess Network Access Protocol
   CLNP      ConnectionLess Network Protocol
   CLNS      Connectionless Network Service
   CLTP      Connectionless Transport Protocol
   CLV       Constant Linear Velocity
   CMIP      Common Management Information Protocol
   CMIS      Common Management Information Services
   CMOT      CMIP/CMIS over TCP
   CMOS      Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
   CNA       Certified Netware Administrator
   CNE       Certified Netware Engineer
   CNLP      Connectionless Protocol
   COBOL     COmmon Business Oriented Language
   CODEC     Compression/Decompression or Coder/Decoder
   COM       Component Object Model
   COP       Character-Oriented Protocol
   CORBA     Common Object Request broker Architecture
   CPE       Customer Premises Equipment
   CPU       Central Processing Unit
   CRAP      Cross-bridge Reconfigurable Array of Processors
   CRC       Cyclic Redundancy Check
   CRT       Cathode Ray Tube
   CSA       Canadian Standards Association
   CSA       Calendaring and Scheduling API
   CSLIP     Compressed Serial Line Internetworking Protocol
   CSMA      Carrier-Sense Multiple Access
   CSMA/CD   Carrier-Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection
   CSU       Channel Service Unit
   CTCP      Client-To-Client Protocol
   CTI       Computer Telephony Integration
   CTSA      Computer Telephony Supported Application
   CUSI      Configurable Unified Search Interface

  
  D back to the top
   DAC       Dual Attachment Concentrator
   DAM       Digital Automatic Music
   DAP       Data Access Protocol
   DAT       Digital Audio Tape
   DAO       Data Access Objects
   DBMS      Database
   DCA       Defense Communication Agency
   DCA       Document Content Architecture
   DCC       Digital Compact Cassette
   DCE       Data Circuit Terminating Equipment
   DCE       Distributed Computing Environment
   DDCMP     Digital Data Communication Message Protocol
   DDM       Distributed Data Management Architecture
   DDN       Defense Data Network
   DDO       Dynamic Drive Overlay
   DDR       Double Data Rate
   DDS       Dataphone Digital Service
   DDS       Digital Digital Service
   DECT      Digital European Cordless Telecommunications
   DEK       Data Encryption Key
   DES       Data Encryption Service
   DES       Data Encryption Standard
   DHCP      Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
   DHTML     Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language
   DIA       Document Interchange Architecture
   DISOSS    Distributed Office Support Systems
   DLCI      Data Link Connection Identifier
   DLL       Dynamic Link Library
   DLS       Data Link Switching
   DMA       Direct Memory Access
   DMI       Desktop Management Interface
   DNA       Digital Network Architecture
   DNC       Distributed Numerical Control
   DNS       Domain Name Services
   DNS       Domain Name Service
   DOS       Disk Operating System
   DPA       Demand Protocol Architecture
   DPNSS     Digital Private Networks Signaling System
   DQDB      Distributed Queue Dual Bus
   DRAM      Dynamic Random Access Memory
   DS1       Digital Signal 1
   DS3       Digital Signal 3
   DSE       Digital Switching Exchange
   DSMP      Dual Symmetrical Multi Processor
   DSN       Data Source Name
   DSP       Digital Signal Processor
   DSR       Data Set Ready
   DSS       Directory Services Server
   DSU       Data Service Unit
   DSVD      Digital Simultaneous Voice Data
   DTD       Document Type Definition
   DTE       Data Terminal Equipment
   DTMF      Dual-Tone Multiple-Frequency
   DTR       Data Terminal Ready
   DTS       Data Terminal Service
   DVD       Digital Video Disk

  
  E back to the top
   EAI       Enterprize Application Intergration security
   EBCDIC    Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
   ECB       Event Control Block
   ECC       Error Checking and Correcting
   ECMA      European Computer Manufacturers Association
   ECNE      Electric Council of New England
   ECP       Extended Capabilities Port
   EDI       Electronic Data Interchange
   EDO       Extended Data Output
   EGP       Exterior Gateway Protocol
   EIA/TIA   Electronics Industries Association and
               Telecommunications Industries Association
   EIDE      Enhanced IDE
   EIP       Enterprise Information Portals
   EISA      Extended Industry Standard Architecture
   EKP       Enterprise Knowledge Portals
   EMF       ElectroMotive Force
   EMS       Element Management System
   EPP       Enhanced Parallel Port
   EPROM     Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory
   ERP       Enterprise Resource Planning
   ESB       Enterprise Service Bus
   ESDI      Enhanced Small Device Interface
   ETSI      European Telecommunications Standards Institute
   EVB       ?

  
  F back to the top
   FAQ       Frequently Asked Questions
   FCC       Federal Communications Commission
   FCP       Fiber Channel Protocol
   FDC       Floppy Disk Controller
   FDD       Floppy Disk Drive
   FDDI      Fiber Distributed Data Interface
   FDM       Frequency Division Multiplexing
   FECN      Forward Explicit Congestion Notification
   FNA       Fat Network Architechtures
   FNC       Federal Networking Council
   FOIRL     Fiber Optic Inter-Repeater Link
   FSB       Front Side Bus
   FSK       Frequency Shift Keying
   FTAM      File Transfer Access and Management
   FTP       File Transfer Protocol

  
  G back to the top
   GFI       Group Format Identifier
   GGP       Gateway-to-Gateway Protocol
   GOSIP     Government Open Systems Interconnect Profile
   GSM       Global System for Mobile communications
   GUI       Graphical User Interface

  
  H back to the top
   HDC       Hard Disk Controller
   HDD       Hard Disk Drive
   HDLC      High level Data Link Control
   HDSL      High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line
   HGML      Hypertext General Markup Language
   HLMS      Heterogeneous LAN Management Specification
   HSM       Hierarchal Storage Management
   HSSI      High-Speed Serial Interface
   HTML      Hypertext Markup Language
   HTTP      Hypertext Transfer Protocol
   HVD       High Voltage Differential

  
  I back to the top
   IAB       Internet Activities Board
   IAS       Internal Attached Storage
   IBMCS     IBM Cabling System
   ICANN     Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
   ICMP      Internet Control Message Protocol
   ICR       Intelligent Character Recognition
   ICS       Internet Connection Sharing
   ICT       Information and Communications Technologies
   IDA       Integrated Digital Access
   IDAPI     Integrated Database Application Programming Interface
   IDD       Indexed Directory Disclosure
   IDE       Integrated Drive Electronics
   IEEE      Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers
   IESG      Internet Engineering Steering Group
   IETF      Internet Engineering Task Force
   IGP       Interior Gateway Protocol
   IGRP      Interior Gateway Routing Protocol
   IIOP      Internet InterORB Protocol
   IIS       Internet Information Server
   IN        Intelligent Network
   IP        Internet Protocol
   IPC       InterProcess Communications
   IPX       Internetwork Packet Exchange
   IRC       Internet Relay Chat
   IRDA      Infrared Data Association
   IRTF      Internet Research Task Force
   IS        Information System
   ISA       Industry Standard Architecture
   ISAPI     Internet Server Application Programming Interface
   ISDN      Integrated Services Digital Network
   ISO       International Standards Organization
   ISP       Internet Service Provider
   ITU       International Telecommunications Union
   IVR       Interactive Voice Response
   IXC       IntereXchange Carriers

  
  J back to the top
   JAAS      Java Authentication and Authorization Service
   JDBC      Java Database Connectivity
   JMS       Java Message Service
   JMX       Java Management Extension
   JNDI      Java Naming and Directory Interface
   JOE       Java Object Environment
   JSP       Java Server Pages
   JSSE      Java Secure Socket Extension

  
  K back to the top
   KPI       Key Performance Indicator
   KTS       Key Telephone Systems

  
  L back to the top
   LAN       Local Area Network
   LAP       Link Access Protocol
   LATA      Local Access and Transport Area
   LCNA      Lotus Certified Network Administrator
   LCNC      Lotus Certified Notes Consultant
   LCNS      Lotus Certified Notes Specialist
   LDAP      Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
   LED       Light Emitting Diode
   LIP       Large Internet Protocol
   LLC       Logical Link Control
   LMI       Link Management Interface
   LSAPI     Licensing Service Application Programming Interface
   LSP       License Service Provider
   LU        Logical Unit
   LVD       Low Voltage Differential

  
  M back to the top
   MAC       Media Access Control
   MAN       Metropolitan Area Network
   MAP       Multiple Application Platform
   MAPI      Messaging Application Programming Interface
   MAU       Media Attachment Unit
   MCA       Micro Channel Architecture
   MCF       Meta Content Format
   MCP       Microsoft Certified Professional
   MCSD      Microsoft Certified Solution Developer
   MCSE      Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
   MCT       Microsoft Certified Trainer
   MFM       Modified Frequency Modulation
   MIB       Management Information Base
   MIC       Medium Interface Controller
   MIDI      Musical Instrument Digital Interface
   MIME      Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension
   MIS       Management Information System
   MLID      Multiple Link Interface Driver
   MNP       Microcom Networking Protocol
   MOM       Message Oriented Middleware
   MPEG      Moving Photographic Experts Group
   MSAU      Multi-Station Access Unit
   MSE       Mobile Subscriber Equipment
   MSML      MicroSoft Markup Language
   MSMQ      MicroSoft ?
   MSN       Microsoft Network
   MSP       Managed Service Provider
   MTBF      Mean Time Between Failures
   MTTR      Mean Time To Repair
   MUD       Multi-User Dungeon
   MVIP      Multi-Vendor Integration Protocol

  
  N back to the top
   NAT       Network Address Translation
   NCoP      Network Code of Practice
   NCP       Netware Core Protocol
   NDIS      Network Driver Interface Specification
   NDPS      Netware Distributed Print Services
   NDS       Novell Directory Services
   NetBEUI   NetBios Extended User Interface
   NETBLT    Network Block Transfer
   NETS      Normes Europenne de Telecommunications
   NIC       Network Interface Card
   NIC       Network Information Center
   NLM       Netware Loadable Module
   NLS       Native Language Support
   NLS       Netware Licensing Services
   NNI       Network to Network Interface
   NNTP      Network News Transport Protocol
   NOS       Network Operating System
   NOTA      Novell Open Technology Association
   NPU       Numeric Processing Unit (also known as a Co-Proc)
   NREN      National Education and Research Network
   NSF       National Science Foundation
   NSI       NASA Science Internet
   NSML      NetScape Markup Language
   NSN       NASA Science Network
   NTSC      National Television Standards Committee
   NTSL      National Software Testing Lab

  
  O back to the top
   OCR       Optical Character Recognition
   ODBC      Open Database Connectivity
   ODI       Open Data-link Interface
   ODS       Open Data Services
   OEM       Original Equipment Manufacturer
   OFS       Object File System
   OLAP      On-Line Analytical Processing
   OLE       Object Linking and Embedding
   ONMA      Open Network Management Architecture
   OQL       Object Query Language
   ORB       Object Request broker
   OSA       Open Scripting Architecture
   OSF       Open Software Foundation
   OSI       Open Systems Interconnection
   OSN       Office Systems Node
   OSPF      Open Shortest Path First

  
  P back to the top
   PACE      Priority Access Control Enabled
   PAD       Packet Assembler/Disassembler
   PAL       Phase Alternating Line
   PAN       Personal Area network
   PBX       Public branch eXchange
   PC        Personal Computer
   PCI       Peripheral Component Interconnect
   PCL       Printer Command Language
   PCM       Pulse Code Modulation
   PCMCIA    Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
   PDA       Personal Digital Assistant
   PDF       Portable Document Format
   PDN       Public Data Network
   PING      Pocket Internet Groper
   PIO       Programmable Input Output
   PIX       Private Internet Exchange
   PKI       Public Key Infrastructure
   PNA       ?
   PNP       Plug 'n' Play (or Pray)
   POP       Points of Presence
   POP       Post Office Protocol
   POST      Power On Self Test
   POTS      Plain Old Telephone Service
   PPB       PCI-to-PCI bridge support (Motherboards)
   PPP       Point-to-Point Protocol
   PRA       Primary Rate Access
   PRI       Primary Rate Interface
   PROM      Programmable Read-Only Memory
   PSM       Persistent Storage Module
   PSN       Packet Switching Node
   PSTN      Public Switched Telephone Network
   PUP       Parc Universal Packet
   PVC       Permanent Virtual Circuit
   PVR       Personal Video Recorder

  
  Q back to the top
   QIC       Quarter-Inch Cartridge
   QLLC      Qualified Logical Link Control
   QMF       Query Management Facility
   QoS       Quality of Service

  
  R back to the top
   RADIUS    Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service
   RAID      Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
   RAM       Random Access Memory
   RAML      Real Audio Markup Language
   RARP      Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
   RAS       Remote Access Server
   RDRAM     Rambus DRAM
   RBOC      Regional Bell Operating Companies
   RCP       Remote Copy
   RFC       Request For Comments
   RGB       Red, Green, Blue
   RIP       Routing Information Protocol
   RLL       Read Length Limited
   RMON      Remote MONitoring
   ROM       Read Only Memory
   RPC       Remote Procedure Call
   RPL       Remote Program Load
   RTF       Rich Text Format

  
  S back to the top
   SAA       Systems Application Architecture
   SAP       Service Advertising Protocol
   SASI      Shugart Associates Systems Interface
   SBP       Serial Bus Protocol
   SCA       Single Connector Attachment
   SCAM      SCSI Configuration Auto-Magically
   SCSI      Small Computer System Interface
   SDLC      Synchronous Data Link Control
   SDTM      Statistical Time Division Multiplexing
   SFF       Small Form Factor
   SGML      Standard Generalized Markup Language
   SGMP      Simple Gateway Monitoring Protocol
   SIMM      Single Inline Memory Module
   SIR       Speaker Independent [Voice] Recognition
   SLIP      Serial Line Internet Protocol
   SMB       Server Message Block
   SMDS      Switched Multimegabit Data Service
   SMGL      Standard Markup Generalized Language
   SMP       Symmetrical MultiProcessing
   SMS       System Management Server
   SMS       Short Message Service
   SMTP      Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
   SNA       Systems Network Architecture
   SNADS     SNA Distribution Services
   SNI       SNA Network Interconnect
   SNMP      Simple Network Management Protocol
   SOA       Service Oriented Architecture
   SOAP      Simple Object Access Protocol
   SPDIF     Sony/Phillips Digital Interface Format
   SQE(T)    Signal Quality Error (Test)
   SQL       Structured Query Language
   SPX       Sequenced Packet Exchange
   SSCP      Systems Services Control Point
   SSL       Secure Sockets Layer
   SSP       Serial Storage Protocol
   STP       Shielded Twisted Pair
   SVC       Switch Virtual Circuit

  
  T back to the top
   TA        Telecommunications Administration
   TACACS    Terminal Access Controller Access System
   TAPI      Telephony Application Programming Interface
   TCP/IP    Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
   TDM       Time Division Multiplexer/Multiplexing
   TDMA      Time Division Multiple Access
   TFTP      Trivial File Transfer Protocol
   TLI       Transport Layer Interface
   TLS       Transport Layer Security
   TME       Tivoli Management Environment
   TMF       Tivoli Management Framework
   TP        Twisted Pair

  
  U back to the top
   UART      Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter
   UCITA     Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act
   UDP       User Datagram Protocol
   UML       Universal Markup Language
   UMTS      Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
   UNC       Universal Naming Convention
   UPS       Uninterruptible Power Supply
   URL       Universal Resource Locator
   USB       Universal Serial Bus
   USL       Unix Systems Lab
   UTP       Unshielded Twisted Pair

  
  V back to the top
   VAN       Value Added Network
   VANS      Value Added Network Service
   VAR       Value Added Reseller
   VC        Virtual Container
   VIC       Vendor Independent Calendaring
   VIM       Vendor Independent Messaging
   VLM       Virtual Loadable Module
   VOIP      Voice Over Internet Protocol
   VPN       Virtual Private Network
   VRML      Virtual Reality Modeling Language
   VSAT      Very Small Aperture Terminal
   VTAM      Virtual Telecommunications Access Method
   VTP       Virtual Terminal Protocol
   VXML      Voice-Based XML

  
  W back to the top
   WAIS      Wide Area Information Server
   WAN       Wide Area Network
   WAP       Wireless Application Protocol
   WASP      Wireless Application Service Provider
   WCDMA     Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
   WebDAV    Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning
   WFWG      Windows for Workgroups
   WIDM      Workflow Imaging and Document Management
   WLAN      Wireless Local Area Network
   WML       Wireless Markup Language
   WOSA      Windows Open Services Architecture
   WPA       Wi-Fi Protected Access
   WSDL      Web Services Description Language
   WTLS      Wireless Transport Layer Security
   WWW       World Wide Web
   WYSIWYG   What You See Is What You Get

  
  X back to the top
   XHTML     Extensible HTML (see HTML)
   XML       eXtensible Markup Language
   XSLT      Extensible Style Language Transformation
   XTP       eXpress Transfer Protocol

  
  Y back to the top
   none

  
  Z back to the top
   ZIP       Zone Information Protocol
  

See our separate listing of File Extensions and Descriptions on this site.
Also, check out the huge searchable database at Acronyms and Abbreviations or Webopedia which is an excellent web dictionary.