SNMP Reference Guide

Glossary 615
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 or through the
Dell Inspector program.
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.
DPMS
Abbreviation for Display Power Management
Signaling. A standard developed by the Video
Electronics Standards Association (VESA
®
) that
defines the hardware signals sent by a video controller
to activate power management states in a monitor.
A monitor is said to be DPMS-compliant when it is
designed to enter a power management state after
receiving the appropriate signal from a computer’s
video controller.
DRAC
Abbreviation for Dell Remote Access Card.
DRAM
Acronym for dynamic random-access memory.
A computer’s RAM is usually made up entirely of
DRAM chips. Because DRAM chips cannot store an
electrical charge indefinitely, your computer
continually refreshes each DRAM chip in the computer.
drive-type number
Your computer 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
computer’s System Setup program must match the
actual drive(s) installed in the computer. 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.