Bull NovaScale 5xx5, Installation Manual, Page: 121 / 140

Glossary
G-1
Glossary
A
AC: A lternating C urrent generated by the power
supply. See DC.
ACPI: A dvanced C onfiguration and P ower I nterface.
An industry specification for the efficient handling
of power consumption in desktop and mobile
computers. ACPI specifies how a computer's BIOS,
operating system, and peripheral devices
communicate with each other about power usage.
Address: A label, name or number that identifies a
location in a computer memory.
AMI: A merican M egatrends I ncorporated.
ANSI: A
merican
N
ational
S
tandards
I
nstitute.
API: A pplication P rogram I nterface. The specific
method prescribed by a computer operating system
or by an application program by which a
programmer writing an application program can
make requests of the operating system or another
application.
Archive: (Archive file). A file that is a copy of a
history file. When a history file is archived, all
messages are removed from the history file.
ASCII: A merican N ational S tandard C ode for
I nformation I nterchange. A standard number
assigned to each of the alphanumeric characters
and keyboard control code keys to enable the
transfer of information between different types of
computers and peripherals.
B
Backup:
A copy of data for safe-keeping. The data
is copied form computer memory or disk to a floppy
disk, magnetic tape or other media.
Backup battery: The battery in a computer that
maintains real-time clock and configuration data
when power is removed.
Baud rate: The speed at which data is transmitted
during serial communication.
BERR: Bus Error signal pin used to signal a global
machine check abort condition.
BINIT: Bus Initialization signal pin used to signal a
global fatal machine check condition.
BIOS: B
asic
I
nput /
O
utput
S
ystem. A program
stored in flash EPROM or ROM that controls the
system startup process.
BIST: B
uilt-
I
n
S
elf-
T
est. See POST.
Bit: Derived from BI nary digi T . A bit is the smallest
unit of information a computer handles.
BTU: British Thermal Unit.
Byte:
A group of eight binary digits (bit) long that
represents a letter, number, or typographic symbol.
C
Cache Memory:
A very fast, limited portion of RAM
set aside for temporary storage of data for direct
access by the microprocessor.
CD-ROM: C ompact D isK R ead- O nly M emory.
High-capacity read-only memory in the form of an
optically readable compact disk.
Cell: The smallest set of hardware components
allocated to a single OS. A cell is functionally
defined by:
- the number of available processors
- memory capacity
- I/O channel capacity.
CellBlock: A group of interconnected cells within a
single domain. See Central Subsystem.
Central Subsystem: A group of interconnected cells
gathered within a single domain. See CellBlock.
Chained DIBs: Two DIBs can be inter-connected to
house 4 SCSI RAID disks, 1 DVD-ROM drive, 1 USB
port. See DIB and IPD.
Chip:
Synonym for integrated circuit. See IC.
Clipping: A PAM Event filter criterion. Clipping is
defined on a Count / Time basis aimed at routing a
pre-defined number of messages only. Identical
messages are counted and when the number of
messages indicated in the
Count field is reached
within the period of time indicated in the Time field,
no other messages will be selected for routing.
CMC: C
orrected
M
emory
C
heck condition is
signaled when a hardware corrects a machine
check error or when a MCA condition is corrected
by firmware.
CMCI: C
orrected
M
emory
C
heck
I
nterrupt.