E

Electronic Industries Association (EIA)
EIA is a U.S. trade organization that publishes hardware-oriented standards for data communications.

encapsulation
As a data transmission is passed down through the protocol stack of the sending computer, each protocol layer adds its own header to the data it receives from the layer above. This is known as encapsulation. When a message is physically transmitted from a sending computer, it includes a header for each of the protocols that processed it.

encoding
Encoding is the process of translating binary data (1s and 0s) into signals to be transmitted across a physical link. The most common signaling forms are electrical signals, light signals, and radio signals. Encoding also describes the process of using binary values to represent symbols or keyboard characters. Two of the most common encoding systems for keyboard characters are ASCII and EBCDIC.

encryption
Encryption is the process of scrambling data by changing it in a series of logical steps called an encryption algorithm, so it cannot be read by anyone except the intended recipient. Most encryption algorithms use a numeric pattern or "key" to guide the scrambling process. Different keys and algorithms will each produce data scrambled or encrypted in different patterns. The recipient of a message uses the same algorithm and key to restore the original message.

Ethernet
The Ethernet protocol, originally developed in the 1970s by Xerox Corporation, in conjunction with Intel and DEC, is now the primary protocol for local area networking. The original Ethernet provides 10-Mbps throughput. Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) and Gigabit Ethernet (1,000 Mbps) use the same basic technology, but at higher speeds.

Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
EBCDIC is the IBM standard for binary encoding of characters. It is one of the two most widely used codes to represent characters, such as keyboard characters. (ASCII is the other.) See American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII).

Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA)
EISA is a 32-bit bus technology for PCs that supports multiprocessing. EISA was designed in response to IBM's MCA; however, both EISA and MCA were replaced by the PCI bus. See Peripheral Component Interconnect and bus.