e-Discovery Core Glosssary: F - H
e-Discovery Core Glossary: Terminology
Below is a list of terminologies that are necessary for legal professionals involved with e-Discovery and Discovery litigation support.F………………………………………………………………………………………………….....
FAT (File Allocation Table) An internal data table on hard drives that keeps track of where the files are stored.
File Extension A filename extension that consists of one or more characters following the proper filename. For example, image files are usually stored as .bmp, .gif, .jpg or .tiff. Audio files are often stored as .aud or .wav. There are a multitude of file extensions identifying file formats. The filename extension should indicate what type of file it is; however, users may change filename extensions to evade firewall restrictions or for other reasons.
File Format The organization or characteristics of a file that determine with which software programs it can be used.
File Server When several or many computers are networked together in a LAN situation, one computer may be utilized as a storage location for files for the group. File servers may be employed to store email, financial data, word processing information or to backup the network.
File Sharing Sharing files stored on the server among several users on a network.
File System The engine that an operating system or program uses to organize and keep track of ESI. More specifically, the logical structures and software routines used to control access to the storage on a hard disc system and the overall structure in which the files are named, stored, and organized. The file system plays a critical role in computer forensics because the file system determines the logical structure of the hard drive, including its cluster size. The file system also determines what happens to data when the user deletes a file or subdirectory.
File System Metadata Metadata generated by the system to track the demographics (name, size, location, usage, etc.) of the ESI and, not embedded within, but stored externally from the ESI.
Firewall A set of related programs, or hardware, that protect the resources of a private network from users from other networks. A firewall filters information to determine whether to forward the information toward its destination.
Forensic Copy An exact copy of an entire physical storage media (hard drive, CDROM, DVDROM, tape, etc.), including all active and residual data and unallocated or slack space on the media. Compresses and encrypts to ensure authentication and protect chain of custody. Forensic copies are frequently referred to as an "image" or "imaged copies."
Forensics The scientific examination and analysis of data held on, or retrieved from, ESI in such a way that the information can be used as evidence in a court of law. It may include the secure collection of computer data; the examination of suspect data to determine details such as origin and content; the presentation of computer based information to courts of law; and the application of a country’s laws to computer practice. Forensics may involve recreating "deleted" or missing files from hard drives, validating dates and logged in authors/editors of documents, and certifying key elements of documents and/or hardware for legal purposes.
Form of Production The manner in which requested documents are produced. Used to refer both to file format (e.g., native vs. imaged format) and the media on which the documents are produced (paper vs. electronic).
Fragmented In the course of normal computer operations when files are saved, deleted or moved, the files or parts thereof may be broken into pieces, or fragmented, and scattered in various locations on the computer’s hard drive or other storage medium, such as removable discs. Data saved in contiguous clusters may be larger than contiguous free space, and it is broken up and randomly placed throughout the available storage space.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) An Internet protocol that enables the transfer of files between computers over a network or the Internet.
Full Path A path name description that includes the drive, starting or root directory, all attached subdirectories and ending with the file or object name.
FullText Indexing Every word in the ESI is indexed into a master word list with pointers to the location within the ESI where each occurrence of the word appears.
FullText Search The ability to search ESI for particular words, numbers and/or combinations or patterns thereof.
Fuzzy Search (Approximate String Match) In computing it is the technique of finding approximate matches to a pattern in a string. Fuzzy Searching lets the user find documents where word matching does not have to be exact, even if the words searched are misspelled due to optical character recognition (OCR) errors. This search locates all occurrences of the search term, as well as words that are "close" in spelling to the search term.
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Handshake A transmission that occurs at the beginning of a communications session between computers to ensure they agree on how the communication will proceed.
Harvesting The process of retrieving or collecting ESI from storage media or devices; an ediscovery vendor or specialist "harvests" ESI from computer hard drives, file servers, CDs, and backup tapes for processing and load to storage media or a database management system.
Hash A mathematical algorithm that represents a unique value for a given set of data, similar to a digital fingerprint. Common hash algorithms include MD5 and SHA.
Hash Coding To create a digital fingerprint that represents the binary content of a file unique to every electronically generated document; assists in subsequently ensuring that data has not been modified.
Hidden Files or Data Files or data not visible in the file directory; cannot be accessed by unauthorized or unsophisticated users. Some operating system files are hidden, to prevent inexperienced users from inadvertently deleting or changing these essential files.
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