User's Manual

Glossary
100 TuneUp Utilities 2006
offers significantly higher bandwidth than the standard analog telephone
network. ISDN is an international standard that should be applied to all existing
and future networks. An ISDN line consists of two basic channels, each of which
can transmit 64 kbits, and a control channel operating at 16 kbits.
LAN
Short for “local area network”. Distinct from a WAN (wide area network), which
connects workstations and networks separated by greater geographical distances.
In this sense, “local” refers to a common location, such as a company facility or
a room.
Network
A group of computers connected by various types of cables or radio connections
that share common resources such as data and peripheral devices. A network
often includes a special computer (server) that only manages the common data,
and which is accessed by all other workstations. The two principle kinds of
networks are LANs, which are used within a single location, and WANs, which
are used for example by multiple branches of an organization in different cities
or countries.
Operating system
Operating systems are currently the most important piece of software on a
computer. No computer can run without an operating system. The operating
system processes the data entered by the user, manages the saved files and
controls all connected devices such as printers and hard disks. At the same time,
it serves as the basis for applications such as word and image processing
programs, which could not run without the framework of the operating system.
The development of MS-DOS and Windows allowed Microsoft to assume a
dominant position on the computer market. While DOS is largely limited to
command line operations using a keyboard, Windows allows the user to control a
graphical user interface with the mouse.
Paging file
A (frequently temporary) file that modern operating systems such as Windows
and OS/2 create on the hard disk to temporarily save information that is located
in the main memory but that is not needed at present. A paging file (also called a
swap file) is necessary when all of the data to be processed cannot fit in the main
memory of the computer.
Parallel interface
A port on the computer that supports data transmission over eight channels (and
therefore the simultaneous transmission of eight bits), unlike a serial port.
Parallel ports are also called “Centronics ports”. A parallel port is normally used
to connect a printer to the computer.