Quick Reference Guide

Glossary 341
Mb
Abbreviation for megabit.
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.
MB/sec
Abbreviation for megabytes per second.
Mbps
Abbreviation for megabits per second.
MBR
Abbreviation for master boot record.
MCA
Abbreviation for Micro Channel Architecture, which is designed for
multiprocessing. MCA eliminates potential conflicts that arise when installing new
peripheral devices. MCA is not compatible with either EISA or XT bus architecture,
so older cards cannot be used with it.
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.