Fax

Facsimile. A device which enables a user to electronically transmit and reproduces documents over telephone lines.

FDDI

Fiber Distributed Data Interface. A high-speed fiber optic network containing a state-of-the art bandwidth.

Fiber Optic Cable

Cable that is insulated, flexible and consists of a glass core that relies on light sources rather than electricity to transmit audio, video, and data signals. This system permits high capacity transmission at extreme speeds, sometimes billions of bits per second, with very low error rates.

Film Digitizer

An instrument that permits scanning of existing static images so that the images may be stored, manipulated, or transmitted in digital form.

Filmless Radiology

Use of devices that replace film by acquiring digital images and related patient information and transmit, store, retrieve, and display them electronically.

Firewall

Computer hardware and software designed to prevent unauthorized communications between an institution's computer network and external networks.

Frequency

The rate at which an electromagnetic signal alternates, denoted in Hertz.

FTP

File transfer protocol. The typical process for transferring files over the Internet or the software program that uses this procedure. Using this program, the user is permitted to connect to another computer online to transfer files to his/her desktop computer using a GET command. An 'anonymous' ftp is usually allowed, where the user would enter 'anonymous' as the login name, and his/her e-mail address as the password, enabling the user to access a limited number of public directories where files can be retrieved.

Full duplex

A channel used for communication that is capable of both transmitting and receiving in two directions at the same time. A standard telephone line is one example of this because both parties can simultaneously speak while listening to the voice on the opposing end.

Full-motion Video

A standard video signal, conventionally requiring 6 Mhz an analog format and 90 Mbps when digitally encoded, that is able to be transmitted by a variety of ways including television broadcast, microwave, fiber optics, and satellite.