Quick Reference Guide

288 Glossary
DMA
Abbreviation for direct memory access. A DMA
channel allows certain types of data transfer between
RAM and a device to bypass the microprocessor.
DMTF
Abbreviation for Distributed Management Task Force,
a consortium of companies representing hardware and
software providers.
dpi
Abbreviation for dots per inch.
DRAM
Acronym for dynamic random-access memory.
A system's RAM is usually made up entirely of DRAM
chips. Because DRAM chips cannot store an electrical
charge indefinitely, your system continually refreshes
each DRAM chip in the system.
drive-type number
Your system can recognize a number of specific hard
drives. Each is assigned a drive-type number that is
stored in NVRAM. The hard drive(s) specified in your
system's System Setup program must match the actual
drive(s) installed in the system. The System Setup
program also allows you to specify physical parameters
(logical cylinders, logical heads, cylinder number, and
logical sectors per pack) for drives not included in the
table of drive types stored in NVRAM.
DSU
Abbreviation for disk storage unit.
DTE
Abbreviation for data terminal equipment. Any device,
such as a computer system, that can send data in digital
form by means of a cable or communication line.
The DTE is connected to the cable or communication
line through a data communication equipment (DCE)
device, such as a modem.
ECC
Abbreviation for error checking and correction.
ECP
Abbreviation for Extended Capabilities Port.
EDO
Acronym for extended data output dynamic random
access memory which is a type of DRAM that is faster
than conventional DRAM. EDO RAM can start
fetching the next block of memory at the same time
that it sends the previous block to the microprocessor.
EEPROM
Acronym for electrically erasable programmable
read-only memory.
EIDE
Abbreviation for enhanced integrated drive electronics.
EIDE devices add one or more of the following
enhancements to the traditional IDE standard:
• Data transfer rates of up to 16 MB/sec
• Support for drives other than just hard drives, such
as CD and tape drives
• Support for hard drives with capacities greater than
528 MB
• Support for up to two controllers, each with up to
two devices attached
EISA
Acronym for Extended Industry-Standard
Architecture, a 32-bit expansion-bus design. The
expansion-card connectors in an EISA system are also
compatible with 8- or 16-bit ISA expansion cards.
To avoid a configuration conflict when installing an
EISA expansion card, you must use the EISA
Configuration Utility. This utility allows you to specify
which expansion slot contains the card and obtains
information about the card's required system resources
from a corresponding EISA configuration file.
EMC
Abbreviation for electromagnetic compatibility.
EMI
Abbreviation for electromagnetic interference.