Operating instructions

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GLOSSARY
active switch
An electronic switch in which one or more microprocessors communicate with the attached computers; an
electronic KVM switch.
ASCII
Abbreviation of American Standard Code for Information Interchange – a standard language for the
transmission of information.
attenuation
Signal loss; the reduction of signal amplitude.
authorized access
A feature of OSD that allows a network administrator to restrict access to particular computers to particular
control stations and/or users.
BIOS
Abbreviation of Basic Input Ouput System – the hardwared operating system utilized to start up a computer.
bandwidth
The capacity of a signal route – the higher the bandwidth, the higher the capacity for information transfer.
1. The frequency limits between which a device or circuit transmits ac energy with negligible loss. 2.
possessing the ability to allow passage of signals at a given frequency or band of frequencies while
disallowing passage of other signals. (Source: Illustrated Dictionary of Electronics, 4
th
Ed., Turner and
Gibilisco
cascading
A method of attaching KVM switches to each other in order to expand the number of computers which may
becontrolled from one control station.
control station
A set of peripherals (i.e., keyboard, monitor and mouse) used to control attached KVM switches and/or
computers.
DDC
Abbreviation of Display Data Channel, a VESA standard for communication between a monitor and a video
adapter. Using DDC, a monitor can inform the video card about its properties, such as maximum resolution
and color depth. The video card can then use this information to ensure that the user is presented with valid
options for configuring the display. (Source: www.webopedia.internet.com.)
dedicated processors
A microprocessor configuration used in a KVM switch in which one microprocessor is dedicated to
communication with one attached computer, as opposed to a shared processor conformation in which one
microprocessor handles communication for multiple computers.