Terminology

Provision: Creation of a device in the system and preparing it for use.

Uplink: A message originating from a device destined for an application.

Downlink: A message originating from the application destined for a device.

Join: The process by which a device identifies/announces itself to the network. During the process session encryption keys may also be generated.

Network server: A server application that coordinates communication between devices using a networking technology.