Users Guide

Glossary 101
LRA
Abbreviation for local response agent.
MB
Abbreviation for megabyte(s). The term megabyte
means 1,048,576 bytes; however, when referring to hard
drive storage, the term is often rounded to mean
1,000,000 bytes.
memory
A system can contain several different forms of
memory, such as RAM, ROM, and video memory.
Frequently, the word memory is used as a synonym for
RAM; for example, an unqualified statement such as
"a system with 16 MB of memory" refers to a system
with 16 MB of RAM.
memory address
A specific location, usually expressed as a hexadecimal
number, in the system's RAM.
memory manager
A utility that controls the implementation of memory
in addition to conventional memory, such as extended
or expanded memory.
memory module
A small circuit board containing DRAM chips that
connects to the system board.
MHz
Abbreviation for megahertz.
microprocessor
The primary computational chip inside the system that
controls the interpretation and execution of arithmetic
and logic functions. Software written for one
microprocessor must usually be revised to run on
another microprocessor. CPU is a synonym
for microprocessor.
modem
A device that allows your system to communicate with
other systems over telephone lines.
modular system
A system that can include multiple server modules.
Each server module functions as an individual system.
To function as a system, a server module is inserted
into a chassis which includes power supplies, fans, a
system management module, and at least one network
switch module. The power supplies, fans, system
management module, and network switch module are
shared resources of the server modules in the chassis.
See server module.
MS-DOS
Acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System.
NIC
Acronym for network interface controller.
NTFS
Abbreviation for the Windows NT File System option
in the Windows NT operating system. NTFS is an
advanced file system designed for use specifically
within the Windows NT operating system. It supports
file system recovery, extremely large storage media, and
long file names. It also supports object-oriented
applications by treating all files as objects with
user-defined and system-defined attributes. See also
FAT and FAT32.
NVRAM
Acronym for nonvolatile random-access memory.
Memory that does not lose its contents when you turn
off your system. NVRAM is used for maintaining the
date, time, and system configuration information.
option
An argument to a command that modifies its function
rather than providing data and is usually set off by a
delimiter such as - or /. Some options may or must be
followed by a value, for example:
utilname -option=argument
parameter
A value or option that you specify to a program. A
parameter is sometimes called a switch or an argument.