Installation guide

PCI-SB StarFabric PCI Interface Card Installation Guide G-7
I/O (Input/Output) System
Refers to the part of a computer system that handles inputting or outputting
data such as from a terminal, hard disk or tape. Data moving to or from mem-
ory is not considered I/O.
IP (Internet Protocol)
The IP part of the TCP/IP communications protocol. IP implements the net-
work layer (layer 3) of the protocol, which contains a network address and is
used to route a message to a different network or subnetwork. IP accepts
packets from the layer 4 transport protocol (TCP or UDP), adds its own
header to it and delivers a datagram to the layer 2 data link protocol. It may
also break the packet into fragments to support the maximum transmission
unit (MTU) of the network.
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
An alternative expansion bus commonly used in PCs. It accepts the plug-in
boards that control the video display, disks and other peripherals. Most PCs
today use either ISA or PCI buses or have a combination of ISA and PCI
slots.
Isochronous
Refers to a data communications system where data must be delivered
within certain time constraints. For example, multimedia streams require an
isochronous transport mechanism to ensure that data is delivered as fast as it
is displayed and to ensure that the audio is synchronized with the video.
Kilobyte (KB)
A unit of measure consisting of 1,024 bytes.
LAN (Local Area Network)
A network used within a confined physical area such as the floor of a build-
ing, in contrast to a WAN (Wide Area Network). Ethernet is a LAN.