Glossary
page 21
LaCie FireWire 800 PCI Card
User’s Manual
RAM (Random Access Memory) –
Generally referred to as a computer’s “memory.” An integrated circuit memory chip that
allows information to be stored and retrieved by a microprocessor or controller. The information can be stored or accessed in
any order, and all storage locations are equally accessible.
Seek Time –
The amount of time (in thousandths of a second, or milliseconds) that it takes a hard drive’s read/write head to
move to a specific location on the disk. Average seek, then, is the average of a large number of random samplings all over
the disk. Seek time is CPU independent, meaning that seek time is the same for a disk drive, whether it is attached to a
computer or not.
Software –
In a nutshell, software is a set of instructions for the computer. A set of instructions to perform a particular task is
called a program. There are two main types of software: system software (an operating system such as Mac OS or Windows)
which controls the operation of the computer and application software (programs such as Word or Excel) which enable users
to perform tasks such as word processing, spreadsheet creation, graphics, etc.
Storage –
In computers, any equipment in which information may be kept. PCs generally use disk units and other external
storage media (diskettes, CD-ROMs, magnetic disks, etc.) for permanent storage of information.
Striping –
Spreading data evenly over multiple disk drives to enhance performance. Data striping can be performed on a bit,
byte or block basis for optimum application performance.
Transfer Rate –
The rate at which the drive sends and receives data from the controller. Transfer rates for reading data from
the disk drive may not be the same as the transfer rate for writing data to the disk drive. Transfer rates are CPU dependent,
meaning that regardless of how great a transfer rate your drive is capable of, the actual transfer rate can only be as fast as
the slowest of your hard drive and computer.
Volume –
A desktop mountable storage area, may be a partition of a hard drive, a removable disk or a cartridge. Typically
measured in Megabytes or Gigabytes.
Utility –
Software designed to perform maintenance tasks on the system or its components. Examples include backup
programs, programs to retrieve files and data on disk, programs for preparing (or formatting) a disk or and resource editors.
