Certification terms: F
260 study terms starting with F.
260 terms
- F-Type ConnectorA threaded screw-on coaxial connector used for cable TV, cable modems and satellite equipment.Foundational
- F1 ScoreThe harmonic mean of precision and recall: 2PR / (P + R).Foundational
- Fabric Border NodeThe SD-Access role connecting the fabric to external networks, translating VNs and SGTs at the boundary.Advanced
- Fabric CapacityThe pool of compute (F SKUs measured in Capacity Units) that powers all Fabric workloads in assigned workspaces.Advanced
- Fabric Control Plane NodeThe SD-Access role running the LISP map server and map resolver, tracking where every endpoint is attached.Advanced
- Fabric Edge NodeThe SD-Access access switch that connects endpoints, authenticates them, registers them with the control plane and provides the anycast gateway.Advanced
- Fabric Interconnect (FI)A pair of Cisco UCS switches that provide unified LAN and SAN connectivity and host UCS Manager for connected servers.Advanced
- Fabric LakehouseA Fabric item that stores files and Delta tables in OneLake, processed with Spark, and automatically exposes a read-only SQL analytics endpoint.Intermediate
- Fabric Login (FLOGI)The Fibre Channel process in which an N_Port logs in to the fabric switch to obtain an FC ID.Advanced
- Fabric WarehouseA Fabric item that provides a fully transactional T-SQL data warehouse that stores data as Delta tables in OneLake.Intermediate
- Fact TableThe central table in a star schema that stores numeric measurements of business events plus foreign keys to dimensions.Foundational
- Factless Fact TableA fact table with dimension keys but no numeric measures, recording that an event or coverage relationship occurred.Advanced
- Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR)Open quantitative model that decomposes risk into loss event frequency and loss magnitude for financial analysis.Advanced
- Fade MarginExtra signal strength above receiver sensitivity planned into a link to absorb fluctuations.Intermediate
- Fail-OpenFailure mode where a system allows access or traffic to continue when it fails, favoring availability.Intermediate
- Fail-SafeFailure mode that defaults to a state protecting human life, often unlocking doors when power fails.Foundational
- Fail-Safe DefaultsBase access decisions on explicit permission rather than exclusion, so the default is no access.Intermediate
- Fail-SecureFailure mode where a system defaults to a locked or denied state, protecting assets when it fails.Foundational
- Failed Deployment Recovery TimeA DORA metric, formerly called time to restore service (MTTR), measuring how long it takes to recover from a failed deployment.Intermediate
- FailoverAutomatic or manual switching to a redundant or standby system when the primary fails.Foundational
- Failover Cluster Instance (FCI)A SQL Server instance installed across clustered nodes with shared storage, so the entire instance fails over to another node.Advanced
- Failover ClusteringA Windows Server feature that groups servers (nodes) so clustered roles automatically fail over to another node when one fails.Intermediate
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)Structured method for identifying potential failure modes, their causes and effects, and prioritizing actions.Intermediate
- Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs)Foundational principles for handling personal information, underlying most privacy laws and frameworks.Intermediate
- FairnessThe principle that AI systems should not produce unjustly different outcomes for individuals or groups.Foundational
- FAISSFacebook AI Similarity Search: Meta's open-source library for efficient vector similarity search, with GPU support.Advanced
- Fallback PlanAn alternative response used if the primary risk response proves ineffective.Intermediate
- False Acceptance Rate (FAR)Biometric error rate at which unauthorized users are incorrectly accepted; a Type II error.Intermediate
- False Negative (FN)A failure to alert on activity that is actually malicious.Foundational
- False Positive (FP)An alert that flags benign activity as malicious.Foundational
- False Rejection Rate (FRR)Biometric error rate at which legitimate users are incorrectly rejected; a Type I error.Intermediate
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)US law protecting the privacy of student education records at schools receiving federal funding.Intermediate
- Fan TrapA modeling or join error in which joining tables at different grains duplicates rows and inflates aggregated totals.Advanced
- Fan-Out PatternMessaging pattern where one published message is delivered in parallel to multiple independent consumers.Intermediate
- Far-End Camera Control (FECC)The ability for a participant to pan, tilt and zoom a camera at the remote site during a video call, using H.224/H.281.Advanced
- Faraday CageEnclosure of conductive material that blocks electromagnetic fields and radio signals.Intermediate
- Fast BSS Transition (FT)802.11r method that pre-derives keys from a key hierarchy so clients can roam without a full 802.1X or 4-way exchange.Intermediate
- Fast FluxA DNS technique that rapidly changes the IP addresses associated with a domain to hide malicious infrastructure.Advanced
- Fast Reroute (FRR)Precomputed local protection that switches traffic onto a backup path within about 50 ms of a failure.Advanced
- Fast StartupA Windows feature that hibernates the kernel session at shutdown to speed the next boot.Intermediate
- Fast TrackingSchedule compression technique in which activities normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least part of their duration.Intermediate
- Fast-Forward MergeA merge where Git simply moves the branch pointer forward because the target branch has no commits not already in the source.Intermediate
- Fault Domain (FD)Grouping of hardware and infrastructure within an OCI availability domain; each AD has three fault domains.Foundational
- Fault PathConnector from a flow element that handles errors, such as logging or showing a message, instead of failing the flow.Intermediate
- Fault ToleranceAbility of a system to continue operating without interruption when one or more components fail.Intermediate
- Fax PassthroughSending fax tones as uncompressed G.711 audio within RTP, with VAD and echo cancellation disabled.Intermediate
- fdiskAn interactive Linux command-line utility for creating, deleting and listing disk partitions on MBR and GPT disks.Foundational
- Feasibility Condition (FC)EIGRP's loop-free test: a neighbor qualifies as a feasible successor only if its reported distance is less than the current feasible distance.Intermediate
- Feasible Distance (FD)The lowest total EIGRP metric from the local router to a destination, through the successor.Intermediate
- Feasible Successor (FS)An EIGRP backup neighbor whose reported distance is lower than the current feasible distance, guaranteeing a loop-free path.Intermediate
- FeatureAn individual measurable input variable that a model uses to make predictions.Foundational
- Feature (SAFe)A service that fulfills a stakeholder need, sized to be delivered by a single ART within a PI.Intermediate
- Feature BranchA branch created to develop a specific feature or fix in isolation before merging it back into the main branch.Foundational
- Feature EngineeringCreating, transforming and selecting input variables to improve model performance.Foundational
- Feature FlagA runtime switch that enables or disables functionality without deploying new code, also called a feature toggle.Intermediate
- Feature Group Template (FGT)A CUCM template applied during LDAP sync that automatically configures user settings, line and phone services for new users.Intermediate
- Feature LicenseCheckbox-style license on the user record enabling specific features such as Marketing User or Knowledge User.Foundational
- Feature ScalingTransforming numeric features to a common range or distribution so no feature dominates due to its units.Foundational
- Feature SelectionChoosing a subset of the most relevant features and discarding redundant or irrelevant ones.Intermediate
- Feature StoreA centralized repository for storing, sharing and serving ML features consistently for training and inference.Intermediate
- Feature-Driven Development (FDD)Agile method organized around designing and building client-valued features.Advanced
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)The US regulator that governs RF spectrum use, including unlicensed Wi-Fi bands.Foundational
- Federal Contract Information (FCI)Non-public information provided by or generated for the US government under a contract, not intended for public release.Intermediate
- Federal Information Processing Standard 140-3 (FIPS 140-3)US/Canadian standard for validating cryptographic modules at four increasing security levels.Advanced
- Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA)US law requiring federal agencies to develop, document, and implement agency-wide information security programs.Foundational
- Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)U.S. government program that standardizes security assessment and authorization of cloud products used by federal agencies.Intermediate
- Federal Trade Commission Act Section 5US law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices, the FTC's primary privacy and security enforcement authority.Intermediate
- Federated LearningTraining a shared model across decentralized devices or sites without moving raw data to a central server.Intermediate
- FederationTrust relationship letting identities from one domain access resources in another without separate accounts.Intermediate
- FedRAMPFederal Risk and Authorization Management Program, the US government-wide approach to security assessment and authorization of cloud services.Intermediate
- FedRAMP 20xFedRAMP modernization initiative announced in 2025 to automate and accelerate cloud authorizations using key security indicators.Advanced
- FedRAMP Impact LevelsFedRAMP security baselines (LI-SaaS, Low, Moderate, High) aligned to FIPS 199 impact categorization.Advanced
- FeedbackA howl or squeal caused when loudspeaker sound re-enters a microphone and is amplified repeatedly in a loop.Foundational
- Feeding BufferIn critical chain scheduling, a buffer placed where a non-critical chain feeds into the critical chain.Advanced
- Feistel NetworkBlock cipher structure that splits data into halves and applies repeated rounds of a round function and swapping.Advanced
- Few-Shot PromptingIncluding several examples of inputs and desired outputs in the prompt to guide the model.Foundational
- Fiber CleaverA precision tool that scores and breaks an optical fiber to produce a flat, perpendicular end face.Intermediate
- Fiber End-Face InspectionExamining a fiber connector end face with a microscope to detect dirt, scratches, or damage.Intermediate
- Fiber Optic CableCable that transmits data as pulses of light through glass or plastic fibers, offering high bandwidth, long distance and immunity to EMI.Foundational
- Fiber Optic SafetyPractices to prevent injury from fiber shards and invisible laser light during installation.Foundational
- Fiber to the Premises (FTTP)Broadband access in which optical fiber runs all the way to the home or business, also called FTTH for homes.Foundational
- Fibre Channel (FC)A high-speed, lossless storage networking protocol that carries block SCSI or NVMe traffic between servers and storage arrays.Intermediate
- Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)A protocol that encapsulates Fibre Channel frames directly in Ethernet frames, requiring lossless Data Center Bridging.Advanced
- Fibre Channel ZoningFabric-level access control that defines which FC devices can communicate with each other.Intermediate
- FIDO2FIDO Alliance and W3C standard for phishing-resistant, public key-based passwordless authentication.Intermediate
- Field Audit TrailShield add-on that extends field history to up to 60 fields per object and retains it for up to 10 years.Advanced
- Field ExtractionThe process of identifying and pulling named fields out of raw event data, at index time or search time.Intermediate
- Field History TrackingFeature recording old and new values of selected fields when they change, viewable in a history related list.Foundational
- Field ParametersA Power BI feature that lets report users switch which measures or dimensions a visual displays through a slicer.Advanced
- Field ServiceSalesforce product for scheduling, dispatching and mobile execution of on-site work.Intermediate
- Field Service Management (ServiceNow) (FSM)ServiceNow application for planning, scheduling and executing on-site work using work orders and tasks.Intermediate
- Field-Level Security (FLS)Settings controlling whether a user can see or edit a particular field, enforced across UI, reports, search, list views and API.Foundational
- File Allocation Table 32 (FAT32)A legacy file system with broad compatibility but a 4 GB maximum file size.Foundational
- File CarvingRecovering files from raw data based on content signatures such as headers and footers, without file system metadata.Intermediate
- File Format ObjectA named Snowflake object that stores parsing options (type, delimiter, compression, header skipping, NULL handling) for loading and unloading files.Intermediate
- File HashA fixed-length value computed from file content by a hash function, used to identify files and verify integrity.Foundational
- File HistoryA Windows backup feature that periodically saves copies of user files to an external or network drive.Foundational
- File Server Resource Manager (FSRM)A Windows Server role service for managing folder quotas, file screening, classification and storage reports.Intermediate
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP)A protocol for transferring files that uses TCP port 21 for control and port 20 (active mode) or a negotiated port (passive mode) for data.Foundational
- File Transfer Protocol Secure (FTPS)FTP secured with TLS, either explicitly via AUTH TLS on port 21 or implicitly on ports 990 (control) and 989 (data).Intermediate
- File-Level EncryptionEncrypting individual files rather than entire volumes, so protection can travel with the file.Foundational
- Fileless MalwareMalware that runs in memory and abuses legitimate system tools instead of writing malicious executables to disk.Intermediate
- Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS)The standard that defines the directory layout and purpose of top-level directories on Linux and Unix-like systems.Foundational
- FileVaultApple macOS full disk encryption feature using XTS-AES-128 with a 256-bit key.Foundational
- Fill FactorThe percentage of each index leaf page that SQL Server fills when building or rebuilding an index, leaving the rest free for growth.Advanced
- Filter ContextThe set of filters applied to the model when a DAX measure is evaluated, coming from visuals, slicers, filters, RLS and CALCULATE.Advanced
- Filter-Based Forwarding (FBF)Junos policy routing that uses a firewall filter to direct matching traffic to a specific routing instance.Advanced
- Final ReportSummary of project performance prepared at closure.Foundational
- Final Security Review (FSR)A pre-release assessment confirming that all security requirements and SDL activities were completed and residual risks are accepted.Intermediate
- findA Linux command that searches directory trees for files matching criteria such as name, type, size, age, owner or permissions.Foundational
- FinderThe macOS file manager used to browse, organize, and search files and connect to servers.Foundational
- Fine Timing Measurement (FTM)An 802.11 round-trip-time ranging method that measures distance between a station and AP using timestamps.Advanced
- Fine-Grained Password Policy (FGPP)An AD feature that applies different password and lockout policies to specific users or global groups through Password Settings Objects.Advanced
- Fine-TuningFurther training a pretrained model on a smaller task- or domain-specific dataset to adapt its behavior.Intermediate
- FinOpsOperational framework and cultural practice that maximizes the business value of cloud through collaboration between engineering, finance and business teams.Foundational
- FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS)Open specification from the FinOps Foundation that normalizes cloud and SaaS billing data into a common schema.Intermediate
- FIPS 199Federal standard for categorizing information and systems by potential impact (low, moderate, high) on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.Intermediate
- FIPS 200Federal standard specifying minimum security requirements for federal information and systems.Advanced
- Fire Suppression SystemSystem that detects and extinguishes fires, chosen to match fire classes and protect people and equipment.Intermediate
- FirestoreGoogle Cloud serverless NoSQL document database with real-time synchronization and offline support for web and mobile apps.Intermediate
- FirewallA device or software that permits or denies traffic between networks or hosts according to a security policy.Foundational
- Firewall FilterA Junos stateless packet filter, like an ACL, whose terms match packets (from) and apply actions such as accept, discard, count or policer.Intermediate
- firewalldThe dynamic host firewall manager on RHEL and Fedora that uses zones and services on top of nftables.Intermediate
- firewalld ZoneA named firewalld trust level, such as public, internal or trusted, that applies a rule set to interfaces or source addresses.Intermediate
- Firm Fixed Price Contract (FFP)Contract in which the price is set and not subject to change unless scope changes.Foundational
- FirmwareLow-level software stored in non-volatile memory that controls hardware and initializes devices.Foundational
- Firmware AnalysisExamining device firmware images to find vulnerabilities, hard-coded secrets, outdated components and insecure configurations.Advanced
- First Contact Resolution (FCR)The percentage of issues resolved during the user's first interaction with the service desk.Foundational
- First Hop Redundancy Protocol (FHRP)A class of protocols that provide a redundant default gateway through a shared virtual IP and MAC address.Foundational
- First In First Out (FIFO)The simplest queuing method where packets are transmitted in arrival order with no prioritization.Foundational
- First Normal Form (1NF)A table is in 1NF when every column holds atomic (single) values, there are no repeating groups, and each row is unique.Foundational
- First Pass Yield (FPY)Percentage of units completing a process step correctly the first time without rework.Intermediate
- First Successful RouterRouter that tries routes in order until one succeeds without error.Intermediate
- Fiscal YearOrg setting defining the financial year for reporting and forecasting, standard or custom.Foundational
- Fishbone DiagramA cause-and-effect diagram that organizes potential causes of a problem into categories.Foundational
- Fit-to-StandardImplementation approach where business processes are aligned to the ERP's standard best practices rather than customizing the system.Intermediate
- Fitness for UseQuality definition attributed to Joseph Juran: a product is of quality if it meets real needs of its users.Intermediate
- Five Vs of Big DataThe characteristics of big data: Volume, Velocity, Variety, Veracity and Value.Foundational
- Five WhysRoot cause technique of asking 'why' repeatedly, typically about five times, to move from symptom to underlying cause.Foundational
- Five-Number SummaryA distribution summary consisting of the minimum, Q1, median, Q3 and maximum.Foundational
- Fix ScriptServer script captured in update sets or apps that runs once during installation or on demand to correct data.Advanced
- Fixed and Variable CostsFixed costs do not change with production volume; variable costs change with the amount of work or output.Foundational
- FIXED LODA Tableau LOD expression that aggregates at exactly the listed dimensions, ignoring the view's dimensions.Advanced
- Fixed Price Incentive Fee Contract (FPIF)Fixed-price contract with an incentive for meeting performance targets and a price ceiling.Advanced
- Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustment (FP-EPA)Fixed-price contract allowing predefined adjustments for changing conditions such as inflation or commodity costs.Advanced
- Flaky TestAn automated test that passes and fails intermittently without code changes.Intermediate
- Flash DriveA portable USB storage device that uses NAND flash memory.Foundational
- FlashAttentionAn IO-aware exact attention algorithm that reduces GPU memory traffic to speed up attention.Advanced
- Flatbed ScannerA scanner with a glass surface where a document is placed face down and scanned by a moving sensor.Foundational
- FLATTEN FunctionA Snowflake table function that explodes arrays or objects in VARIANT columns into one row per element.Intermediate
- Flex GatewayLightweight Envoy-based API gateway that manages and secures Mule and non-Mule APIs anywhere.Intermediate
- FlexCardOmniStudio component displaying contextual data at a glance with actions, sourced from Integration Procedures, Data Mappers, Apex or APIs.Foundational
- FlexConnectCisco AP mode for branch sites that can switch client traffic locally and survive WAN outages.Intermediate
- Flexible Algorithm (Flex-Algo)An IGP extension that lets operators define additional SPF algorithms (128-255) with custom metrics and constraints, each with its own prefix SIDs.Advanced
- Flexible Radio Assignment (FRA)Cisco RRM feature that converts redundant 2.4 GHz radios on flexible APs into 5 GHz or monitor radios.Advanced
- Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO)Five special AD roles held by specific domain controllers to perform operations that cannot be multi-master.Intermediate
- Floating Static RouteA static route given a higher administrative distance than the primary route so it installs only when the primary fails.Foundational
- Flood and LearnThe original VXLAN data-plane learning model in which BUM traffic is flooded through multicast and remote MACs are learned from received packets.Intermediate
- Flow BuilderVisual tool for designing, testing and debugging flows.Foundational
- Flow ControlMechanisms that prevent a fast sender from overwhelming a slow receiver.Intermediate
- Flow DesignerServiceNow low-code tool for automating processes with triggers, actions, subflows and flow logic.Foundational
- Flow ElementBuilding block in a flow such as Get Records, Create Records, Update Records, Decision, Loop, Assignment and Action.Foundational
- Flow MetricsSAFe measures of flow: flow distribution, velocity, time, load, efficiency, and predictability.Advanced
- Flow OrchestrationFeature that coordinates multi-user, multi-step processes by sequencing stages and steps composed of flows.Advanced
- Flow ReferenceComponent that routes the event to another flow or subflow in the same application and returns the result.Foundational
- Flow ResourceValue holder in a flow such as a variable, constant, formula, text template, choice or stage.Intermediate
- FluentdAn open-source CNCF graduated log collector that unifies log collection, parsing, buffering, and routing to many outputs.Intermediate
- FluxA CNCF graduated GitOps toolkit that keeps Kubernetes clusters in sync with configuration sources such as Git repositories and OCI artifacts.Intermediate
- FN-DSAFFT over NTRU-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm, NIST's Falcon-based post-quantum signature standard (FIPS 206).Advanced
- Folder RedirectionA Group Policy feature that stores user folders such as Documents on a network share.Intermediate
- FootprintingThe process of collecting as much information as possible about a target organization to build a profile of its attack surface.Foundational
- For Each ScopeScope that iterates sequentially over a collection, processing each element; the original payload is restored afterward.Foundational
- Force QuitEnding an unresponsive app on macOS with Cmd+Option+Esc or from the Apple menu.Foundational
- Forced Authorization Code (FAC)A CUCM feature that requires users to enter an authorization code with sufficient level before a route pattern routes the call.Intermediate
- Forced BrowsingDirectly requesting URLs or resources that are not linked in the application, to find unprotected pages or files.Foundational
- Forecast CategoryCategory such as Pipeline, Best Case, Commit, Closed or Omitted to which each opportunity stage maps.Foundational
- Foreign Exchange Office (FXO)An analog interface that connects to a PSTN line or PBX station port and receives dial tone rather than providing it.Foundational
- Foreign Exchange Station (FXS)An analog interface that supplies dial tone, battery and ringing voltage to connect analog phones, faxes or modems.Foundational
- Foreign Key (FK)A column in one table that references the primary or unique key of another table, enforcing a relationship between them.Foundational
- Forensic ImageA bit-for-bit copy of a storage device, including unallocated space and slack, used for analysis instead of the original.Foundational
- Forensic ReportA formal document presenting the methods, findings and conclusions of a forensic investigation.Intermediate
- ForestThe top-level AD container of one or more domain trees that share a schema, configuration and global catalog; the security boundary.Intermediate
- ForkA server-side copy of another user's repository under your own account, used to propose changes without write access to the original.Foundational
- FormDisplay of a single record's fields, sections and related lists.Foundational
- format CommandA Windows command that creates a new file system on a volume, erasing its contents.Foundational
- Format String VulnerabilityPassing user input as the format argument to functions such as printf, allowing memory reads or writes.Advanced
- Formula FieldRead-only field whose value is calculated at runtime from an expression using fields, operators and functions.Foundational
- Forward Error Correction (FEC)Adding redundant bits so a receiver can correct errors without retransmission.Intermediate
- Forward PassCPM calculation of early start and early finish dates moving from project start to end.Intermediate
- Forward SecrecyA property ensuring that compromise of a long-term secret does not expose past session keys.Intermediate
- Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC)A group of packets forwarded the same way through an MPLS network, mapped to the same label.Intermediate
- Forwarding Information Base (FIB)The data-plane table, derived from the RIB, used to forward packets at high speed.Intermediate
- Foundation Model (FM)A large model pretrained on broad data that can be adapted to many downstream tasks.Foundational
- Four Dimensions of Service ManagementITIL 4's four perspectives for holistic service management.Foundational
- Four Golden SignalsThe four key metrics Google SRE recommends monitoring for any user-facing system: latency, traffic, errors, and saturation.Foundational
- Four Question FrameworkAdam Shostack's threat modeling structure: What are we working on, what can go wrong, what are we going to do about it, and did we do a good job?Intermediate
- Four-Address FrameAn 802.11 frame with To DS and From DS both set, carrying transmitter, receiver, source, and destination addresses.Advanced
- Four-Way HandshakeThe EAPOL-Key exchange that confirms the PMK and derives the PTK and delivers the GTK.Intermediate
- Fourth Normal Form (4NF)A table is in 4NF when it is in BCNF and has no non-trivial multivalued dependencies.Advanced
- Fourth-Party RiskRisk arising from a vendor's own vendors and subcontractors that support services provided to you.Intermediate
- FP1616-bit half-precision floating point, halving memory versus FP32 with a narrower numeric range.Intermediate
- FP3232-bit single-precision floating point, the traditional default for neural network math.Intermediate
- FP4A 4-bit floating-point format accelerated by NVIDIA Blackwell Tensor Cores for high-throughput inference.Advanced
- FP8An 8-bit floating-point format supported by NVIDIA Hopper and later Tensor Cores for faster training and inference.Advanced
- FragmentationSplitting an IP packet into smaller pieces so it can cross a link with a smaller MTU, then reassembling it at the destination.Intermediate
- FrameThe Layer 2 PDU, consisting of a header with MAC addresses, a payload, and usually a trailer for error checking.Foundational
- Frame AggregationCombining multiple frames into a single transmission to reduce overhead.Intermediate
- Frame Check Sequence (FCS)The 4-byte Ethernet trailer containing a CRC-32 value used to detect frame corruption.Foundational
- Frame Rate (fps)The number of complete video images displayed or transmitted per second, such as 30 or 60 frames per second.Foundational
- Fraud RiskRisk of intentional deception for gain, including asset misappropriation, corruption, and financial statement fraud.Intermediate
- Free FloatThe amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any successor.Intermediate
- Free Space Path Loss (FSPL)Natural decrease in signal amplitude as an RF wave spreads out over distance.Foundational
- Freeze UserAction that immediately prevents a user from logging in while preserving their license and settings.Foundational
- FrequencyThe number of times a wave completes a cycle per second, measured in hertz (Hz).Foundational
- Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)Using separate paired frequencies for uplink and downlink simultaneously.Intermediate
- Frequency ResponseThe range of frequencies a device reproduces and how evenly, usually stated as a range with a tolerance in dB.Foundational
- Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)Modulation that represents data by shifting the carrier frequency.Intermediate
- Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)Transmitting on one narrow frequency at a time while hopping in a pseudorandom sequence.Intermediate
- Fresnel ZoneThe football-shaped area around the visual line of sight between two antennas that must be kept clear.Intermediate
- Front Panel ConnectorsSmall motherboard header pins that connect the case power button, reset button, LEDs, USB, and audio jacks.Foundational
- Front-to-Back RatioThe ratio of an antenna's gain in its forward direction to its gain in the opposite direction.Advanced
- Frontier ModelA state-of-the-art, highly capable general-purpose AI model at the leading edge of capability.Intermediate
- fsckThe Linux filesystem consistency check and repair utility, run on unmounted filesystems.Foundational
- FSLogix Profile ContainerA Microsoft profile solution that stores a user's entire Windows profile in a VHDX mounted at sign-in on non-persistent desktops.Intermediate
- FTC Safeguards RuleFTC rule under GLBA requiring non-bank financial institutions to maintain a written information security program with specific controls.Advanced
- FTK ImagerA free Exterro (formerly AccessData) tool for creating forensic images and capturing memory on Windows.Intermediate
- FulcioSigstore's certificate authority that issues short-lived code-signing certificates bound to an OpenID Connect identity.Advanced
- Full BackupA backup that copies all selected data regardless of when it last changed.Foundational
- Full Disk Encryption (FDE)Encrypting an entire storage device, including the OS and free space, so data is unreadable without authentication.Foundational
- Full Fine-TuningUpdating all of a model's weights during fine-tuning.Intermediate
- Full Interruption TestA disaster recovery test that shuts down the primary site and moves operations completely to the recovery site.Intermediate
- Full LoadReloading an entire dataset each run, typically by truncating and repopulating the target.Foundational
- Full MeshA topology in which every node has a direct link to every other node.Intermediate
- FULL OUTER JOINA join that returns all rows from both tables, matching where possible and filling NULLs on whichever side has no match.Intermediate
- Full Packet Capture (FPC)Recording complete network packets, including payloads, for detailed analysis and forensics.Intermediate
- Full SandboxSandbox replicating all production metadata and data, with a 29-day refresh interval, used for staging and performance testing.Foundational
- Full Table ScanReading every row of a table to answer a query, typically because no usable index exists or most rows are needed.Intermediate
- Full-DuplexCommunication in which a device sends and receives at the same time over separate paths, eliminating collisions.Foundational
- Full-Text IndexAn index that supports fast word- and phrase-based searches inside large text columns.Intermediate
- Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)A complete domain name that specifies a host's exact location in the DNS hierarchy, including all labels up to the root.Foundational
- Fully Sharded Data Parallel (FSDP)A PyTorch training strategy that shards parameters, gradients and optimizer states across data-parallel GPUs.Advanced
- Fully Specified Static RouteA static route that names both the exit interface and the next-hop IP address.Intermediate
- Function as a Service (FaaS)Serverless compute model that runs individual functions in response to events, billed per invocation and execution time.Foundational
- Function CallingAn API feature where a model outputs a structured request to call a developer-defined function with arguments.Foundational
- Function Key (Fn)A laptop modifier key that enables secondary functions such as brightness, volume, and wireless toggles.Foundational
- Functional DependencyA relationship where the value of one attribute (or set) uniquely determines the value of another: X -> Y.Intermediate
- Functional EscalationTransferring a ticket to a team with greater technical expertise or the right specialty.Foundational
- Functional LevelA domain or forest setting that determines which AD features are available, based on the oldest DC operating system allowed.Intermediate
- Functional RequirementA requirement describing a capability or behavior the solution must provide.Foundational
- Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment (FRIA)EU AI Act assessment required of certain deployers of high-risk AI before first use.Advanced
- Funding Limit ReconciliationProcess of comparing planned expenditure with funding limits and adjusting the schedule to level expenditures.Advanced
- Funnel AnalysisMeasuring how users progress through sequential steps toward a goal and where they drop off.Intermediate
- Funnel ChartA chart of stages in a sequential process showing decreasing values, used for conversion pipelines.Foundational
- Fuser AssemblyThe heated rollers in a laser printer that melt and press toner onto paper.Foundational
- Fusion RouterA router or firewall outside an SD-Access fabric that leaks routes between virtual networks and shared services.Advanced
- Fusion SplicingPermanently joining two optical fibers by aligning and melting them with an electric arc.Intermediate
- Future MethodApex method annotated @future that runs asynchronously in its own transaction.Intermediate
- Fuzz TestingAn automated testing technique that feeds large volumes of malformed, unexpected or random input to a program to find crashes and bugs.Foundational
- Fuzzing CorpusThe set of seed inputs a fuzzer starts from and grows as it finds inputs that reach new behavior.Advanced
- Fuzzing HarnessSmall code that connects a fuzzer to the function or API under test by passing generated input to it.Advanced