2 Gbit/s Fibre Channel to PCI Host Adapters
A-1
Ver. 2.0
Copyright © 2002 by LSI Logic Corporation. All rights reserved.
Appendix A
Glossary of Terms and
Abbreviations
8B/10B
A data encoding scheme developed by IBM, translating byte wide data
to an encoded 10-bit format.
ANSI
American National Standards Institute, the coordinating organization for
voluntary standards in the United States.
Arbitrated Loop
Topology
(FC-AL)
A FC Topology that provides a low-cost solution to attach multiple ports
in a loop without hubs and switches.
BER
Bit Error Rate.
Bit
A binary digit. The smallest unit of information a computer uses. The
value of a bit (0 or 1) represents a two-way choice, such as on or off,
true or false, and so on.
Broadcast
Sending a transmission to all N_Ports on a fabric.
Bus
A collection of unbroken signal lines across which information is
transmitted from one part of a computer system to another. Connections
to the bus are made using taps on the lines.
Bus Mastering
A high-performance way to transfer data. The host adapter controls the
transfer of data directly to and from system memory without involving the
computer’s microprocessor. This is the fastest way for multitasking
operating systems to transfer data.
Byte
A unit of information consisting of eight bits.
Channel
A point-to-point link, the main task of which is to transport data from one
point to another.
