Accelerator Board
(1) Short for graphics accelerator.

(2) A type of expansion board that makes a computer faster by adding a faster CPU or FPU. Most modern computers are designed to accept simpler upgrades. Built into the motherboard is a socket in which the CPU sits. It is usually possible simply to remove the CPU and replace it with a faster model. This is particularly easy if the socket is a zero insertion force (ZIF) socket.

Adapter
(1) Short for expansion board.

(2) The circuitry required to support a particular device. For example, video adapters enable the computer to support graphics monitors, and network adapters enable a computer to attach to a network. Adapters can be built into the main circuitry of a computer or they can be separate add-ons that come in the form of expansion boards.

Add-in
(1) A component you can add to a computer or other device to increase its capabilities. Add-ins can increase memory or add graphics or communications capabilities to a computer. They can come in the form of expansion boards, cartridges, or chips. The term add-in is often used instead of add-on for chips you add to a board that is already installed in a computer. In contrast, add-on almost always refers to an entire circuit board.

(2) A software program that extends the capabilities of larger programs. For example, there are many Excel add-ins designed to complement the basic functionality offered by Excel. In the Windows environment, add-ins are becoming increasingly common thanks to OLE 2.0.

Add-on
Refers to a product designed to complement another product. For example, there are numerous add-on boards available that you can plug into a personal computer to give it additional capabilities. Another term for add-on board is expansion board.

Add-on products are also available for software applications. For example, there are add-on report generation programs that attach to popular database products such as dBASE, giving them additional report-generation and graphics capabilities.

The terms add-on and add-in are often, but not always, used synonymously. The term add-in can refer to individual chips you can insert into boards that are already installed in your computer. Add-on, on the other hand, almost always refers to an entire circuit board, cartridge, or program.

AMR
Short for Audio Modem Riser, an Intel specification that defines a new architecture for the design of motherboards.

AMR lets manufacturers create motherboards without analog I/O functions. Instead, these functions are placed on a separate card--with the codec chip--which plugs in perpendicular to the motherboard so that the motherboard and "riser" card form a right angle.

Separating the analog I/O functions from the motherboard means higher audio quality and reduced production delays. Prior to the AMR specification, motherboard analog I/O functions went through a lengthy FCC and international telecom certification process.

ANI
Short for automatic number identification, a service that provides the telephone number of an incoming call. ANI is used for a variety of functions -- by receiving the incoming telephone number, telephone companies can direct a call to the proper long distance carrier's equipment; it can help identify the caller's address to speed response time to 911 calls; and it can route an 800 call to the nearest vendor. ISDN, the standards for transmissions on telephone lines, supports ANI.

Antistatic Mat
A mat on which you can stand while repairing a computer or adding expansion cards. The mat absorbs static electricity which might otherwise damage electronic components. Another way to eliminate damage caused by static electricity is to wear an antistatic wristband.

Architecture
A design. The term architecture can refer to either hardware or software, or to a combination of hardware and software. The architecture of a system always defines its broad outlines, and may define precise mechanisms as well.

An open architecture allows the system to be connected easily to devices and programs made by other manufacturers. Open architectures use off-the-shelf components and conform to approved standards. A system with a closed architecture, on the other hand, is one whose design is proprietary, making it difficult to connect the system to other systems.

Backplane
A circuit board containing sockets into which other circuit boards can be plugged in. In the context of PCs, the term backplane refers to the large circuit board that contains sockets for expansion cards.

Backplanes are often described as being either active or passive. Active backplanes contain, in addition to the sockets, logical circuitry that performs computing functions. In contrast, passive backplanes contain almost no computing circuitry.

Traditionally, most PCs have used active backplanes. Indeed, the terms motherboard and backplane have been synonymous. Recently, though, there has been a move toward passive backplanes, with the active components such as the CPU inserted on an additional card. Passive backplanes make it easier to repair faulty components and to upgrade to new components.

Backward Compatible
Compatible with earlier models or versions of the same product. A new version of a program is said to be backward compatible if it can use files and data created with an older version of the same program. A computer is said to be backward compatible if it can run the same software as the previous model of the computer.

Backward compatibility is important because it eliminates the need to start over when you upgrade to a newer product. A backward-compatible word processor, for instance, allows you to edit documents created with a previous version of the program. In general, manufacturers try to keep all their products backward compatible. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to sacrifice backward compatibility to take advantage of a new technology.

The flip side of backward compatibility is upward compatibility. Upward compatible is the same as backward compatible, except that it is from the point of view of the older model.

Burn In
To run a system or device for a period of time to ensure that all components are working properly. Most computer equipment undergoes a burn-in test at the factory before being released for sale.

Card
(1) Same as expansion board.

(2) In hypertext systems such as HyperCard, a card is a single page of information.

Chassis
Also called case, a metal frame that serves as the structural support for electronic components. Every computer system requires at least one chassis to house the circuit boards and wiring. The chassis also contains slots for expansion boards. If you want to insert more boards than there are slots, you will need an expansion chassis, which provides additional slots.

There are two basic flavors of chassis designs-desktop models and tower models -but there are many variations on these two basic types.

CNR
Acronym for Communication and Networking Riser. Developed by Intel, CNR is a riser card for ATX family motherboards that was developed in order to reduce the cost to OEMs of implementing LAN, home networking, audio and modem subsystems widely used in modern connected PCs. The CNR Specification is an open industry specification that defines a scalable motherboard riser card and interface that support the audio, modem, and network interfaces of core logic chipsets. The specification is supported by OEMs, Microsoft and silicon suppliers. The specification defines the CNR architecture for both standard and low-profile risers and includes electrical, mechanical, and thermal requirements of the riser interface. In addition to supporting current technologies such as Ethernet and analog modems, the specification can be expanded for developing technologies, such as DSL.

Compatible
(n) Indicates that a product can work with or is equivalent to another, better-known product. The term is often used as a shorthand for IBM-compatible PC , a computer that is compatible with an IBM PC. Another term for a compatible is clone.

(adj) The ability of one device or program to work with another device or program. The term compatible implies different degrees of partnership. For example, a printer and a computer are said to be compatible if they can be connected to each other. An IBM compatible PC, on the other hand, is a computer that can run the same software as an IBM PC.

Compatibility of two devices, such as printers, usually means that they react to software commands in the same way. Some printers achieve compatibility by tricking the software into believing that the printer is a different machine. This is called emulation.

Be aware, however, that hardware compatibility does not always extend to expansion slots. For example, two compatible printers may not accept the same font cartridges. Complete hardware compatibility is denoted by the term plug compatible.

Software products are compatible if they use the same data formats. For example, many programs are compatible with dBASE. This means that the files they produce can easily be transformed into a dBASE database or that they can import dBASE files.

Configuration
The way a system is set up, or the assortment of components that make up the system. Configuration can refer to either hardware or software, or the combination of both. For instance, a typical configuration for a PC consists of 32MB (megabytes) main memory, a floppy drive, a hard disk, a modem, a CD-ROM drive, a VGA monitor, and the Windows operating system.

Many software products require that the computer have a certain minimum configuration. For example, the software might require a graphics display monitor and a video adapter, a particular microprocessor, and a minimum amount of main memory.

When you install a new device or program, you sometimes need to configure it, which means to set various switches and jumpers (for hardware) and to define values of parameters (for software). For example, the device or program may need to know what type of video adapter you have and what type of printer is connected to the computer. Thanks to new technologies, such as plug-and-play, much of this configuration is performed automatically.

CPE
Short for customer premises equipment. Communications equipment that resides on the customer's premises.

C-RIMM
Short for Continuity-RIMM. Since there cannot be any unused RIMM slots on a motherboard, a C-RIMM is a special module used to fill any unused RIMM slots. It is basically a RIMM module without any memory chips.

Customer Support
Service that computer and software manufacturers, and third-party service companies, offer to customers.Customer support is also called technical support.

Device
Any machine or component that attaches to a computer. Examples of devices include disk drives, printers, mice, and modems. These particular devices fall into the category of peripheral devices because they are separate from the main computer.

Most devices, whether peripheral or not, require a program called a device driver that acts as a translator, converting general commands from an application into specific commands that the device understands.

Device Dependant
Like machine-dependent, device-dependent refers to programs that can run only on a certain type of hardware.

Device Manager
Device Manager is an OS feature that lets you view and change the properties of all devices attached to your computer.

To get to the device manager in Windows, right click on the My computer icon, choose properties, then click on the device manager tab. From there you can select a variety of management options.

The device manager is found in both Windows (95 and higher) and Macintosh PC platforms. Windows2000 contains an improved device manager that detects plug-and-play hardware and displays a large list of supported hardware.

DOCSIS
Developed by CableLabs and approved by the ITU in March 1998, Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification defines interface standards for cable modems and supporting equipment.

With certification from CableLabs, manufacturers will be able to produce cable modems for retail, so consumers no longer have to depend on leased cable modems from their cable providers.

Other devices that recognize and support the DOCSIS standard include HDTVs and Web enabled set-top boxes for regular televisions.

DOCSIS specifies downstream traffic tranfer rates between 27 and 36 Mbps over a radio frequency (RF) path in the 50 MHz to 750+ MHz range, and upstream traffic tranfer rates between 320 Kbps and 10 Mbps over a RF path between 5 and 42 MHz. But, because data over cable travels on a shared loop, individuals will see tranfer rates drop as more users gain access.

In 1998, there were 1.2 million cable modems installed across the United States with an average price of $245 per unit, and by 2004, research reports predict there will be 24.3 million units installed across the US with an average price of $50 per unit.

Dongle
A device that attaches to a computer to control access to a particular application. Dongles provide the most effective means of copy protection. Typically, the dongle attaches to a PC's parallel port. On Macintoshes, the dongle sometimes attaches to the ADB port. The dongle passes through all data coming through the port so it does not prevent the port from being used for other purposes. In fact, it's possible to attach several dongles to the same port.

Edge Connector
The part of a printed circuit board that plugs into a computer or device. The edge connector generally has a row of broad metallic tracks that provide the electrical connection.

Electronic Book
An electronic version of a book. Currently there are two e-book products available, the Rocket eBook, from Nuvomedia (www.nuvomedia.com) and the SoftBook from SoftBook Press (www.softbook.com). Both are small computers -- the size of a paperback and a legal notepad -- with backlighted screens that allow a user to read, save, highlight, bookmark, and annotate text. Both can download books from a Web site, such as barnesandnoble.com (although the Rocket eBook requires another PC).

Expansion Board
A printed circuit board that you can insert into a computer to give it added capabilities.

Expansion boards for PCs can be half-size (also half-length) or full-size (also full-length). Most PCs have slots for each type of board. A half-size board is sometimes called an 8-bit board because it can transmit only 8 bits at a time. A full-size board is called a 16-bit board. In addition, some expansion boards are designed to operate with a local bus, such as PCI.

Expansion boards are also called adapters, cards , add-ins , and add-ons.

Expansion Slot
An opening in a computer where a circuit board can be inserted to add new capabilities to the computer. Nearly all personal computers except portables contain expansion slots for adding more memory, graphics capabilities, and support for special devices. The boards inserted into the expansion slots are called expansion boards, expansion cards , cards , add-ins , and add-ons.

Expansion slots for PCs come in two basic sizes: half- and full-size. Half-size slots are also called 8-bit slots because they can transfer 8 bits at a time. Full-size slots are sometimes called 16-bit slots. In addition, modern PCs include PCI slots for expansion boards that connect directly to the PCI bus.

Fault Tolerance
The ability of a system to respond gracefully to an unexpected hardware or software failure. There are many levels of fault tolerance, the lowest being the ability to continue operation in the event of a power failure. Many fault-tolerant computer systems mirror all operations -- that is, every operation is performed on two or more duplicate systems, so if one fails the other can take over.

FC-PGA
Acronym for flip chip pin grid array. FC-PGA packages use chips that have been turned upside down and attached to the package or the board using solder balls instead of perimeter bonding wires. The solder balls are jointed directly to a set of solder balls on the substrate (the base layer of the chip and the electrical ground for the circuit). The exposed core rests on the actual package, and the chips make direct contact with the heat sink. This allows for more efficient cooling to take place. Since the chips are placed directly on the board, FC-PGA packages have a high I/O density and shorter electrical connections than other types of packaging. Compare to PPGA and PGA.

Firmware
Software (programs or data) that has been written onto read-only memory (ROM). Firmware is a combination of software and hardware. ROMs, PROMs and EPROMs that have data or programs recorded on them are firmware.

Footprint
The amount of floor or desk space required by a device. For example, a small-footprint computer is a computer whose dimensions (width and depth) are relatively small.

Footprint can also refer to the amount of disk space required by an application.

Form Factor
The physical size and shape of a device. It is often used to describe the size of circuit boards.

GPU
Used primarily for 3-D applications, a graphics processing unit is a single-chip processor that creates lighting effects and transforms objects every time a 3D scene is redrawn. These are mathematically-intensive tasks, which otherwise, would put quite a strain on the CPU. Lifting this burden from the CPU frees up cycles that can be used for other jobs.

The first company to develop the GPU is NVIDIA Inc. Its GeForce 256 GPU is capable of billions of calculations per second, can process a minimum of 10 million polygons per second, and has over 22 million transistors, compared to the 9 million found on the Pentium III. Its workstation version called the Quadro, designed for CAD applications, can process over 200 billion operations a second and deliver up to 17 million triangles per second.

Granularity
The extent to which a system contains separate components (like granules). The more components in a system -- or the greater the granularity -- the more flexible it is.

Hardware
Refers to objects that you can actually touch, like disks, disk drives, display screens, keyboards, printers, boards, and chips. In contrast, software is untouchable. Software exists as ideas, concepts, and symbols, but it has no substance.

Books provide a useful analogy. The pages and the ink are the hardware, while the words, sentences, paragraphs, and the overall meaning are the software. A computer without software is like a book full of blank pages -- you need software to make the computer useful just as you need words to make a book meaningful.

Heat Sink
A component designed to lower the temperature of an electronic device by dissipating heat into the surrounding air. All modern CPUs require a heat sink. Some also require a fan. A heat sink without a fan is called a passive heat sink; a heat sink with a fan is called an active heat sink. Heat sinks are generally made of an aluminum alloy and often have fins.

iMac
An Apple computer intended for home, school, and small offices, and promoted by Apple as an easy-to-use, stylish computer that outperforms other low-cost options. The computer comes equipped with a 500, 600 or 700MHz G3 processor, 32 MB SDRAM, 4GB hard disk drive, a 56K modem, and a Universal Serial Bus (USB ), which allows a user to add devices without restarting the computer. The iMac does not come with a floppy disk drive, which has raised concerns with some critics and users. Easily recognizable for its translucent colored casing, the computer sold quickly after its introduction in August 1998.

Integrated
(1) A popular computer buzzword that refers to two or more components merged together into a single system. For example, any software product that performs more than one task can be described as integrated.

(2) Increasingly, the term integrated software is reserved for applications that combine word processing, database management, spreadsheet functions, and communications into a single package.

Integrated Peripheral
A term used to describe a peripheral device that is housed within the main container of the computer. These internal devices -- such as a CD-ROM drive or an internal Zip drive -- are in contrast to external peripheral devices -- such as a keyboard, mouse or printer.

Itanium
A member of Intel's new Merced family of processors, Itanium is a 64-bit RISC microprocessor. Based on the EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing) design philosophy, which states that the compiler should decide which instructions be executed together, Itanium has the highest FPU power available.

In 64-bit mode, Itanium is able to calculate two bundles of a maximum of three instructions at a time. In 32-bit mode, it is much slower. Decoders must first translate 32-bit instruction sets into 64-bit instruction sets, which results in extra-clock cycle use.

Itanium's primary use is driving large applications that require more than 4 GB of memory, such as databases, ERP, and future Internet applications.

Jukebox
A device that stores numerous CD-ROMs and uses a mechanical arm, carousel or other device to bring the disk to an optical station for reading and writing. A jukebox can reside in a PC or be an external device. Some of the larger jukeboxes hold as many as 500 disks and have multiple readers and drives to allow a network of users to simultaneously access data.

Kernel32.dll
Kernel32.dll is the 32-bit dynamic link library found in the Windows operating system kernel. It handles memory management, input/output operations, and interrupts. When Windows boots up, kernel32.dll is loaded into a protected memory space so other applications do not take that space over.

On occasion, though, users may encounter the "invalid page fault" error.

This error occurs when a program or application tries to access kernel32.dll's protected memory space. Sometimes the error is caused by one particular program or application, and other times it is provoked by multiple files and applications.

If the problem results from running one application, then the application needs to be replaced. If the problem occurs when accessing multiple files and applications, the corruption is probably caused by faulty hardware.

LDCM
Short for LANDesk Client Manager. LDCM, developed by Intel, is a management tool that constantly monitors networked personal computers and workstations for hardware problems. If a malfunction is detected, the administrator is alerted.

LDCM contains an inventory of hundreds of hardware and thousands of software items and provides a failure mechanism that catches problems with hard drive, fan, power supply and/or temperature.

LDCM works using standards such as SNMP, DMI and WfM.

LED
Abbreviation of light emitting diode, an electronic device that lights up when electricity is passed through it. LEDs are usually red. They are good for displaying images because they can be relatively small, and they do not burn out. However, they require more power than LCDs.

Loopback Plug
Also referred to as a loopback adapter. A connection device that is plugged into a computer's port in order to perform a loopback test.

Master/slave
Refers to an architecture in which one device (the master) controls one or more other devices (the slaves).

Mode
The state or setting of a program or device. For example, when a word processor is in insert mode, characters that you type are inserted at the cursor position. In overstrike mode, characters typed replace existing characters.

The term mode implies a choice -- that you can change the setting and put the system in a different mode.

Modular Architecture
Refers to the design of any system composed of separate components that can be connected together. The beauty of modular architecture is that you can replace or add any one component (module) without affecting the rest of the system. The opposite of a modular architecture is an integrated architecture, in which no clear divisions exist between components.

The term modular can apply to both hardware and software. Modular software design, for example, refers to a design strategy in which a system is composed of relatively small and autonomous routines that fit together.

Multiplier Lock
The multiplier lock is used by CPU manufacturers to prevent consumers and dealers from overclocking the CPU. When overclocking became mainstream, profit margins for CPU manufacturers lowered because users wouldn't need to upgrade to a faster processor.

When locked, the multiplier--the factor by which the bus speed is multiplied to derive the CPU speed--is stuck at one given value, thus ruling out any overclocking on motherboards strictly built to the CPU manufacturers specifications. The lock is hard wired into the CPU and is very difficult to overcome.

Patch Cord
Also known as a patch cable, a patch cord is a piece of copper wire or fiber optic cable that connects circuits on a patch panel.

Patch Panel
A panel of network ports contained together, usually within a telecommunications closet, that connects incoming and outgoing lines of a LAN or other communication, electronic or electrical system. In a LAN, the patch panel connects the network's computers to each other and to the outside lines that enable the LAN to connect to the Internet or another WAN. Connections are made with patch cords. The patch panel allows circuits to be arranged and rearranged by plugging and unplugging the patch cords.

Pentium 4
The next generation of microprocessors from Intel. Features such as a 32-bit microprocessor, hyper-pipelined technology, a rapid execution engine and a 100MHz system bus that delivers three times the bandwidth of the Pentium III processor are designed to enhance online gaming, digital video and photography, speech recognition and MP3 encoding. Current speeds run at 1.4 and 1.5 GHz.

Peripheral Device
A computer device, such as a CD-ROM drive or printer, that is not part of the essential computer, i.e., the memory and microprocessor. Peripheral devices can be external -- such as a mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor, external Zip drive or scanner -- or internal, such as a CD-ROM drive, CD-R drive or internal modem. Internal peripheral devices are often referred to as integrated peripherals.

PIA
Short for peripheral interface adapter, a specialized interface chip that allows a computer to connect to peripherals such as printers or monitors. The PIA provides two eight-bit ports through which the data passes.

PicoJava
A low-cost RISC microprocessor dedicated to executing Java -based bytecodes without the need for a interpreter or JIT compiler.

PicoJava directly executes the Java Virtual Machine instruction set. As a result, Java software applications are up to 3 times smaller in code size and up to 5 times faster--thus reducing memory requirements--and 20 times faster than Java interpreters running on standard CPUs.

It does not include any memory or I/O interface logic. Rather, developers can add their own logic to customize memory and an interface.

Plug Compatible
Able to replace another product without any alterations. Two devices are said to be plug-compatible if either one can be plugged into the same interface. The term is also sometimes used to describe software modules that interface with an application in the same way.

Power Cycling
In the case of a frozen or hung device, power cycling refers to turning the device's power off and then on in order to get the device to function again. For example, if a desktop computer freezes, the user is unable to perform a routine shutdown by utilizing the shut down window. In order to get the device working again, the user must power cycle the device by manually by pressing the power key or disengaging the power source.

Power Down
To turn a machine off.

Power Supply
The component that supplies power to a computer. Most personal computers can be plugged into standard electrical outlets. The power supply then pulls the required amount of electricity and converts the AC current to DC current. It also regulates the voltage to eliminate spikes and surges common in most electrical systems. Not all power supplies, however, do an adequate voltage-regulation job, so a computer is always susceptible to large voltage fluctuations.

Power supplies are rated in terms of the number of watts they generate. The more powerful the computer, the more watts it can provide to components. In general, 200 watts should be sufficient.

Power Up
To turn a machine on.

PPGA
Short for Plastic Pin Grid Array. PPGAs were first developed by Intel in 1993 to combat power supply decoupling issues in high-performance microprocessors.This square chip packaging technology was designed for microprocessors with greater numbers of transistors on each chip than previous models. Unlike ceramic pin grid arrays (CPGA) or tape carrier packages (TCP), PPGA packages offer a greater amount of thermal resistance and improved electrical performance and power distribution, which directly affect the potential performance of microprocessors sensitive to heat transmission.

Real-Time Clock
A clock that keeps track of the time even when the computer is turned off. Real-time clocks run on a special battery that is not connected to the normal power supply. In contrast, clocks that are not real-time do not function when the computer is off.

Do not confuse a computer's real-time clock with its CPU clock. The CPU clock regulates the execution of instructions.

Reset Button
A button or switch on many computers that allows you to reset the computer. When you press the reset button, the computer will enter its start-up procedure as if you had turned the power off and then on again. Generally, you would use the reset button only when a program error has caused your computer to hang.

Note that on PCs, pressing the reset button is somewhat different from performing a warm reboot by pressing the Ctrl +Alt+Del reboot keys. Pressing the reset button performs a cold reboot. When you perform a warm reboot, the system does not repeat the initial start-up stages during which memory is checked.

RIMM
The memory module used with RDRAM chips. It is similar to a DIMM package but uses different pin settings. Rambus trademarked the term RIMM as an entire word. It is the term used for a module using Rambus technology. It is sometimes incorrectly used as an acronym for Rambus Inline Memory Module.

Secondary Memory
Secondary memory (or secondary storage) is the slowest and cheapest form of memory. It cannot be processed directly by the CPU. It must first be copied into primary storage (also known as RAM ).

Secondary memory devices include magnetic disks like hard drives and floppy disks ; optical disks such as CDs and CDROMs ; and magnetic tapes, which were the first forms of secondary memory.

Server Blade
A single circuit board populated with components such as processors, memory, and network connections that are usually found on multiple boards. Server blades are designed to slide into existing servers. Server blades are more cost-efficient, smaller and consume less power than traditional box-based servers.

Shadow Mask
A perforated metal sheet inside a color monitor. Most color monitor screens use cathode-ray tube (CRT) technology in which electrons are fired from an electron gun onto a phosphor coating on the screen's faceplate. The phosphor converts the kinetic energy of the electrons into light and is illuminated in tiny red, green and blue dots, which comprise the image that one sees when looking at a monitor's screen. The phosphors in a group are packed so closely together that the human eye can only perceive them as a single colored pixel. Before the electron beam reaches the phosphor dots it passes through the shadow mask, a perforated metal sheet that ensures that the electron beam hits only the correctly colored phosphor dots and does not illuminate more than one dot. Essentially, the shadow mask "masks" the electron beam, thereby forming a smaller and more rounded point that can hit individual phosphor dots. The shadow mask absorbs electrons that are directed at the wrong color phosphor.

Shut Down
(1) To turn the power off.

(2) In Windows 95 and Windows 98, the normal way to turn a computer off is to select Start->Shut Down…

Slave
Any device that is controlled by another device, called the master.

Slimline Model
A small desktop model computer.

Slot
An opening in a computer where you can insert a printed circuit board. Slots are often called expansion slots because they allow you to expand the capabilities of a computer. The boards you insert in expansion slots are called expansion boards or add-on boards.

Do not confuse slots with bays. Bays are sites within the computer where you can install disk drives. Typically, slots are in the back of the computer and bays are in the front.

Slotket
Slotket is an adapter that accepts socket 370 CPUs into Slot 1 motherboards.

Computer owners can upgrade their systems with the newest CPUs, such as current and future Celerons and Pentiums, without having to replace their Slot 1 motherboards for the new 370s.

Smart Card
A small electronic device about the size of a credit card that contains electronic memory, and possibly an embedded integrated circuit (IC). Smart cards containing an IC are sometimes called Integrated Circuit Cards (ICCs).

To use a smart card, either to pull information from it or add data to it, you need a smart card reader, a small device into which you insert the smart card.

Solid State Disk
Solid State Disks (SSD) are high performance plug-and-play storage devices that contain no moving parts. SSD components include either DRAM or EEPROM memory boards, a memory bus board, a CPU, and a battery card.

Because they contain their own CPUs to manage data storage, they are a lot faster (18MBps for SCSI-II and 35 MBps for UltraWide SCSI interfaces) than conventional rotating hard disks ; therefore, they produce highest possible I/O rates.

SSDs are most effective for server applications and server systems, where I/O response time is crucial. Data stored on SSDs should include anything that creates bottlenecks, such as databases, swap files, library and index files, and authorization and login information.

Spindle
The shaft that rotates in the middle of a disk drive. In a removable disk, the spindle remains attached to the drive, as with a CD-ROM ; with a fixed disk the spindle remains attached to the platter. Laptop computers these days are often described by the number of spindles. The increasingly common three-spindle laptop houses three drives - one for the hard disk, one for floppy disks, one for CD-ROMs.

Stand-Alone
Refers to a device that is self-contained, one that does not require any other devices to function. For example, a fax machine is a stand-alone device because it does not require a computer, printer, modem, or other device. A printer, on the other hand, is not a stand-alone device because it requires a computer to feed it data.

Surge Protector
A device that protects a power supply and communications lines from electrical surges. All computers come with some surge protection built into the power supply, but it is a good idea to purchase a separate device. Many uninterruptible power supplies (UPSes) include surge protection.

Suspend-To-Ram
Suspend-to-RAM (STR) occurs when a system enters a low-power state. Information on system configuration, open applications, and active files is stored in main memory (RAM ), while most of the system's other components are turned off. A system in STR can use as little as 5 watts of power, with most of it going to main memory for data maintenance.

If left in STR, a system may be programmed to waken, so it can perform tasks at any given time. If the power is interrupted, then the system will undergo a normal reboot, restoring full power to the machine and loosing any information not saved to the hard disk.

Switch
(1) In networks, a device that filters and forwards packets between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer (layer 2) and sometimes the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use switches to join segments are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet LANs.

(2) A small lever or button. The switches on the back of printers and on expansion boards are called DIP switches. A switch that has just two positions is called a toggle switch.

(3) Another word for option or parameter -- a symbol that you add to a command to modify the command's behavior.

System Unit
The main part of a personal computer. The system unit includes the chassis, microprocessor, main memory, bus, and ports, but does not include the keyboard or monitor, or any peripheral devices.

TC
Short for Telecommunications Closet, an area, typically a room or closet, that houses all the equipment associated with telecommunications wiring systems. The TC also serves as a termination point for the horizontal cabling system of a network, the point of circuit administration and contains the network's distribution panels, cross-connects and backbone. All telecommunications wiring is channeled through the TC. The TC may also house auxiliary power supplies for workstation equipment. The larger the network, the more TCs are needed since the end workstations can only be a certain distance away from the TC because of constraints in the type of wiring used. Networks that span multi-level buildings, such as hospitals, typically have a TC on each floor.

Troubleshoot
To isolate the source of a problem and fix it. In the case of computer systems, the term troubleshoot is usually used when the problem is suspected to be hardware -related. If the problem is known to be in software, the term debug is more commonly used.

UMA
(1) Short for Unified Memory Architecture. A computer that has graphics chips built into the motherboard that use part of the computer's main memory for video memory is said to have Unified Memory Architecture.

(2) Short for upper memory area, a synonym for high memory.

UPS
Abbreviation of uninterruptible power supply, a power supply that includes a battery to maintain power in the event of a power outage. Typically, a UPS keeps a computer running for several minutes after a power outage, enabling you to save data that is in RAM and shut down the computer gracefully. Many UPSs now offer a software component that enables you to automate backup and shut down procedures in case there's a power failure while you're away from the computer.

There are two basic types of UPS systems: standby power systems (SPSs) and on-line UPS systems. An SPS monitors the power line and switches to battery power as soon as it detects a problem. The switch to battery, however, can require several milliseconds, during which time the computer is not receiving any power. Standby Power Systems are sometimes called Line-interactive UPSes.

An on-line UPS avoids these momentary power lapses by constantly providing power from its own inverter, even when the power line is functioning properly. In general, on-line UPSs are much more expensive than SPSs.

Upward Compatible
Refers to software that runs not only on the computer for which it was designed, but also on newer and more powerful models. For example, a program designed to run on an Intel 386 microprocessor, which also runs on a Pentium, is upward compatible. Upward compatibility is important because it means you can move to a newer, larger, and more sophisticated computer without converting your data.

In contrast to upward compatibility, downward (backward) compatible means that a program runs not only on the computer for which it was designed, but also on smaller and older models. For example, a program designed to run under MS-DOS 6.0, which also works under MS-DOS 5.0, is downward compatible.

VSB
1. Short for vestigial side band, a method for modulating -- or converting for transmission -- digital data over coaxial cable. Created by Zenith, VSB has been chosen by the FCC as a standard for digital TV.

2. Short for VME Subsystem Bus, an auxiliary bus used with a primary 32-bit bus called a VME (VersaModule Eurocard), made for commercial, industrial, and military uses. The VSB helps speed transfers between devices.

Wake-on-LAN
Often, IT personnel prefer to maintain client systems after employees have gone home. Even if these tasks are automated, client machines must be left on. In the past, if they weren't left on, personnel had to manually turn them on. But, with wake-on-LAN, client systems can be remotely and automatically powered up.

Wake-on-LAN technology resides in a PC's managed network adapter and motherboard. The two are attached via a wake-on-LAN cable terminated by a 3-pin connector on each side.

When the system is turned off, the managed network adapter uses an alternate power source to monitor the network and watch for a wake-up packet from the server. Once it receives a packet, it alerts the system to power up and accept any maintenance task it is given.

WfM
Short for Wired for Management, an open-industry specification developed by Intel that lets IT professionals automate client-PC management over a network.

WfM technology is used in client-side hardware (such as circuitry, memory, power supply and NIC ) and management software applications (such as LDCM ). IT managers will use the software to interact with PCs through their (PCs) hardware. From there, managers can monitor, update, and configure PCs. As long as they have the software -- let's say on their laptops -- they can access PCs from anywhere, even through a dial-up connection.

WfM biggest asset comes when managers have to access mobile computers from remote locations. For many critical tasks, users only need to dial-up through an analog modem, and the management application will take care of the rest.

Wrapper
Software that accompanies resources or other software for the purposes of improving convenience, compatibility, or security. For example, a wrapper is used to compress and encrypt software that is being sold over the Internet. It is also used to make EDI - a decades-old electronic commerce standard - compatible with the Internet. The term can also apply to hardware: the casing around a Pentium II CPU is called a wrapper.