User's Manual

Glossary 217
cursor
A marker, such as a block, underscore, or pointer that
represents the position at which the next keyboard or
mouse action will occur.
DAT
Acronym for digital audio tape.
dB
Abbreviation for decibel(s).
dBA
Abbreviation for adjusted decibel(s).
DC
Abbreviation for direct current.
device driver
A program that allows the operating system or some
other program to interface correctly with a peripheral
device, such as a printer. Some device drivers—such as
network drivers—must be loaded from the
config.sys
file (with a
device= statement) or as memory-resident
programs (usually, from the
autoexec.bat file). Others—
such as video drivers—must load when you start the
program for which they were designed.
DHCP
Acronym for dynamic host configuration protocol.
A method of configuring a network in which
IP addresses are issued by a server, rather than statically
assigned to each system.
DIMM
Acronym for dual in-line memory module. A small
circuit board containing DRAM chips that connects to
the system board.
DIN
Acronym for Deutsche Industrie Norm which is the
standards-setting organization for Germany.
A DIN connector is a connector that conforms to one
of the many standards defined by DIN. DIN connectors
are used widely in personal computers. For example,
the keyboard connector for PCs is a DIN connector.
DIP
Acronym for dual in-line package. A circuit board, such
as a system board or expansion card, may contain DIP
switches for configuring the circuit board. DIP switches
are always toggle switches, with an ON position and an
OFF position.
directory
Directories help keep related files organized on a disk
in a hierarchical, “inverted tree” structure. Each disk
has a “root” directory; for example, a
C:\> prompt
normally indicates that you are at the root directory of
hard drive C. Additional directories that branch off of
the root directory are called
subdirectories .
Subdirectories may contain additional directories
branching off of them.
display adapter
See video adapter.
DMA
Abbreviation for direct memory access. A DMA
channel allows certain types of data transfer between
RAM and a device to bypass the microprocessor.
DMI
Abbreviation for Desktop Management Interface. DMI
enables the management of your computer system's
software and hardware. DMI collects information
about the system's components, such as the operating
system, memory, peripherals, expansion cards, and
asset tag. Information about the system's components
is displayed as a MIF file.
DMTF
Abbreviation for Distributed Management Task Force,
a consortium of companies representing hardware and
software providers, of which Dell is a member.
dpi
Abbreviation for dots per inch.