HP-UX Reference (11i v2 03/08) - 5 Miscellaneous Topics, 7 Device (Special) Files, 9 General Information, Index (vol 9)

a
glossary(9) glossary(9)
In a text editor (such as vi
, ex, ed,orsed), an address locates the line in a file on
which a given instruction is intended.
For
adb, the address specifies at what assembly-language instruction to execute a given
command.
In disk utilities such as
fsdb, address might refer to a raw or block special file, the
inode number, volume header, or other file attribute.
In the context of peripheral devices, address refers to a set of values that specify the
location of an I/O device to the computer. The exact details of the formation of an
address differ between systems. On Series 700 systems, the address consists of up to two
elements: the select code, and the function number.
address space
The range of memory locations to which a process can refer.
affiliation See terminal affiliation.
appropriate privileges
Each implementation provides a means of associating privileges with a process for func-
tion calls and function call options requiring special privileges. In the HP-UX system,
appropriate privileges refers either to superuser status or to a privilege associated
with privilege groups (see setprivgrp (1M)).
archive A file comprised of the contents of other files, such as a group of object files (that is,
.o)
used by the linker, ld(1)). An archive file is created and maintained by ar(1) or similar
programs, such as tar(1) or cpio(1). An archive is often called a library.
ASCII An acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII is the trad-
itional System V coded character set and defines 128 characters, including both control
characters and graphic characters, each of which is represented by 7-bit binary values
ranging from 0 through 127 decimal.
background process group
Any process group that is a member of a session which has established a connection with
a controlling terminal that is not in the foreground process group.
backup The process of making a copy of all or part of the file system in order to preserve it, in
case a system crash occurs (usually due to a power failure, hardware error, etc.). This is
a highly recommended practice.
block (1) The fundamental unit of information HP-UX uses for access and storage allocation on
a mass storage medium. The size of a block varies between implementations and
between file systems. In order to present a more uniform interface to the user, most sys-
tem calls and utilities use block to mean 512 bytes, independent of the actual block size
of the medium. This is the meaning of block unless otherwise specified in the manual
entry.
(2) On media such as 9-track tape that write variable length strings of data, the size of
those strings. Block is often used to distinguish from record; a block contains several
records, whereas the number of records denotes the blocking factor.
block special file
A special file associated with a mass storage device (such as a hard disk or tape cartridge
drive) that transfers data in multiple-byte blocks, rather than by series of individual
bytes (see character special file). Block special files can be mounted. A block spe-
cial file provides access to the device where hardware characteristics of the device are
not visible.
boot, boot-up The process of loading, initializing, and running an operating system.
boot area A portion of a mass storage medium on which the volume header and a ‘‘bootstrap’’ pro-
gram used in booting the operating system reside. The boot area is reserved exclusively
for use by HP-UX.
boot ROM A program residing in ROM (Read-Only Memory) that executes each time the computer is
powered up and is designed to bring the computer to a desired state by means of its own
action. The first few instructions of a bootstrap program are sufficient to bring the
remainder of the program into the computer from an input device and initiate functions
necessary for computation. The function of the boot ROM is to run tests on the
HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003 − 2 − Hewlett-Packard Company Section 9−−3