Installation guide

G-6
Installation Guide
Module: a Midplane Board with all its connected
components and utility devices. See CSS Module
and MP.
MP, MPI, MPB: Mid–Plane. All system hardware
components are connected to the MP, which also
houses the FAME Scalability Switch (FSS) and the
internal clock.
MTBF: Mean Time Between Failure. An indicator
of expected system reliability calculated on a
statistical basis from the known failure rates of
various components of the system. Note: MTBF is
usually expressed in hours.
Memory bank: The minimum quantity of memory
used by the system. It physically consists of four
memory DIMMs.
Multimedia: Information presented through more
than one type of media. On computer systems, this
media includes sound, graphics, animation and
text.
Multitasking: The ability to perform several tasks
simultaneously. Multitasking allows you to run
multiple applications at the same time and
exchange information among them.
N
NFS: Network File System. A proprietary
distributed file system that is widely used by
TCP/IP vendors. Note: NFS allows different
computer systems to share files, and uses user
datagram protocol (UDP) for data transfer.
NMI: Non–Maskable Interrupt.
NUMA: Non Uniform Memory Access. A method of
configuring a cluster of microprocessors in a
multiprocessing system so that they can share
memory locally, improving performance and the
ability of the system to be expanded.
nsh: nsh stands for new shell. See Shell and EFI
Shell.
NVRAM: Non Volatile Random Access Memory. A
type of RAM that retains its contents even when
the computer is powered off. See RAM and SRAM.
O
OF: Open Firmware. Firmware controlling a
computer prior to the Operating System.
Operating System: See OS.
OS: Operating System. The software which
manages computer resources and provides the
operating environment for application programs.
P
PAL: Processor Abstraction Layer. See SAL.
PAM: Platform Administration & Maintenance.
PAM software: Platform Administration &
Maintenance software. One part (PAP application
and the PamSite WEB site) runs on the PAP unit.
The other part (MAESTRO) is embedded on the
PMB board.
PAM Tree pane: One of the three areas of the
PAM web page. Server hardware presence and
functional status are displayed in the PAM Tree
pane. See Status pane and Control pane.
PARM request: the PARM application is designed
to handle Requests issued by the CSE (Customer
Service Engineer)
PAP unit: Platform Administration Processor unit.
The PC hosting all server administration software.
PAP application: Platform Administration
Processor application. Part of PAM software, PAP
application is a Windows COM+ application
running on PAP unit.
Parallel Port: Connector allowing the transfer of
data between the computer and a parallel device.
Partition: Division of storage space on a hard disk
into separate areas so that the operating system
treats them as separate disk drives.
Password: A security feature that prevents an
unauthorized user from operating the system.
PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect. Bus
architecture supporting high-performance
peripherals.
PD: Physical Disk. A Storeway FDA 1300/2300
physical disk is not visible to the OS. See LD.
PDU: Power Distribution Unit. Power bus used for
the connection of peripheral system components.
Permanence: Property of a history file that
determines whether or not the history file can be
modified or deleted from the PAM user interface.
Permanence is either Static (cannot be modified) or
Dynamic (can be modified).
PHPB: PCI Hot Plug Board. This board provides
an interlock switch on each IO Box PCI slot which
allow to hot swap PCI boards.
PIC: Platform Instrumentation Control.
ping: A basic Internet program that lets you verify
that a particular IP address exists and can accept
requests. The verb “to ping” means the act of using
the ping utility or command.