Users Guide

104 Glossary
support commands
Commands that specify how an action should
be performed.
syntax
The rules that dictate how you must type a command
or instruction so that the system understands it. A
variable's syntax indicates its data type.
system configuration information
Data stored in memory that tells a system what
hardware is installed and how the system should be
configured for operation.
system diskette
System diskette is a synonym for bootable diskette.
system memory
System memory is a synonym for RAM.
System Setup utility
A BIOS-based utility that allows you to configure your
system's hardware and customize the system's
operation by setting such features as password
protection and energy management. Some options in
the System Setup utility require that you reboot the
system (or the system may reboot automatically) in
order to make a hardware configuration change.
system.ini file
A start-up file for the Windows operating system.
When you start Windows, it consults the
system.ini
file to determine a variety of options for the Windows
operating environment. Among other things, the
system.ini file records which video, mouse, and
keyboard drivers are installed for Windows.
Running the Control Panel or Windows Setup program
may change options in the
system.ini file. On other
occasions, you may need to change or add options to
the
system.ini file manually with a text editor, such
as Notepad.
TCP/IP
Abbreviation for Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol. A system for transferring
information over a computer network containing
dissimilar systems, such as systems running Windows
and UNIX.
text editor
An application program for editing text files consisting
exclusively of ASCII characters. Windows Notepad is
a text editor, for example. Most word processors use
proprietary file formats containing binary characters,
although some can read and write text files.
text mode
A video mode that can be defined as x columns by y
rows of characters.
UART
Acronym for universal asynchronous
receiver-transmitter. The UART is a system component
that handles asynchronous serial communication by
converting parallel bytes from the processor into serial
bits for transmission (and vice versa).
unicode
A fixed width, 16-bit world wide character encoding,
developed and maintained by the Unicode Consortium.
upper memory area
The 384 KB of RAM located between 640 KB and 1 MB.
If the system has an Intel386 or higher microprocessor,
a utility called a memory manager can create UMBs in
the upper memory area, in which you can load device
drivers and memory-resident programs.
URL
Abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator (formerly
Universal Resource Locator).
USB
Abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. A USB connector
provides a single connection point for multiple
USB-compliant devices, such as mice, keyboards,