Users Guide

104 Glossary
I/O
Abbreviation for input/output. The keyboard is an
input device, and a printer is an output device. In
general, I/O activity can be differentiated from
computational activity. For example, when a program
sends a document to the printer, it is engaging in
output activity; when the program sorts a list of terms,
it is engaging in computational activity.
IP address
Abbreviation for Internet Protocol address.
See TCP/IP.
IPMI
Abbreviation for Intelligent Platform Management
Interface, which is an industry standard for
management of peripherals used in enterprise systems
based on Intel
®
architecture. The key characteristic of
IPMI is that inventory, monitoring, logging, and
recovery control functions are available independent of
the main processors, BIOS, and operating system.
IRQ
Abbreviation for interrupt request. A signal that data
is about to be sent to or received by a peripheral device
travels by an IRQ line to the microprocessor. Each
peripheral connection must be assigned an IRQ
number. For example, the first serial port in your
system (COM1) is assigned to IRQ4 by default. Two
devices can share the same IRQ assignment, but you
cannot operate both devices simultaneously.
KB
Abbreviation for kilobyte(s), 1024 bytes.
key combination
A command requiring you to press multiple keys at the
same time. For example, you can reboot your system by
pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Del> key combination.
LAN
Acronym for local area network. A LAN system is
usually confined to the same building or a few nearby
buildings, with all equipment linked by wiring
dedicated specifically to the LAN.
local bus
On a system with local-bus expansion capability, certain
peripheral devices (such as the video adapter circuitry)
can be designed to run much faster than they would with
a traditional expansion bus. Some local-bus designs
allow peripherals to run at the same speed and with the
same width data path as the system's microprocessor.
LPTn
The device names for the first through third parallel
printer ports on your system are LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3.
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.