User`s guide

REFERENCE INFORMATION
P
packets
Discrete chunks of data, packaged with control and addressing information, that travel over a
network cable between sending and receiving computers.
parallel port
A hardware port that is used to connect printers or other devices using parallel communication.
Parallel ports and cables are generally used over short distances because "cross talk" (data from
one wire bleeding over onto another) is a problem with parallel cables over long distances.
parity errors
Parity errors occur when a memory error-checking procedure finds that some data stored in
memory has become flawed. Parity errors are generally caused by a physical problem in the
memory chips and often signal that a memory chip is going bad.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. A bus architecture developed by Intel that has wide support
as a successor to the original
ISA bus.
PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, also known as PC Card. An
expansion card about the size of a credit card, originally developed for the portable computer
market.
plug and play
A computer's ability to automatically detect and configure new hardware components when they
are plugged in, without requiring you to first complete an installation procedure. With plug and
play, you can use a new peripheral as soon as it is plugged in.
POST
Power-On Self-Test. A series of diagnostic tests run by a computer's BIOS when power is turned
on. The POST determines whether system hardware is functioning properly; if any essential
hardware is not functional, the boot process does not continue.
primary cache
Memory cache that is built into the microprocessor. The close proximity of a primary cache to the
microprocessor’s circuitry gives a primary cache more speed-up potential than a secondary
cache.
primary gateway
In a TCP/IP network, the router that all network packets are sent to if their ultimate destination is
not on the local network.
provider
The CIM instrumentation that collects and manages data from CIM components.
proxy server
A server that resides on the network between an application (such as a Web browser), and
another server (such as an HTTP server). Proxy servers improve performance by caching and
fulfilling requests for files that have been previously accessed by the proxy server. Proxy servers
also provide security for the network by filtering requests made to the server.
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