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F
F
Appendix F -
Glossary
A
Access Time: A factor in measurement of a memory storage device’s operating speed.
It is the amount of time required to perform a read operation. More
specifically, it is the period of time between which the memory receives a
read command signal and the time when the requested data becomes
available to the system data bus.
Address: A number that identifies the location of a word in memory. Each word in a
memory storage device or system has a unique address. Addresses are always
specified as a binary number, although octal, hexadecimal, and decimal
numbers are often used for convenience.
Advanced Power Management (APM 1.1): A software interface specification that
allows operating system device drivers to control the power management
functionality of a PC.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI): An organization dedicated to
advancement of national standards related to product manufacturing.
AT Bus Attachment (ATA): An interface definition for PC peripherals. See IDE.
Autotype: A convenient method of IDE device detection whereby the system BIOS
queries the IDE device to obtain operational parameters. If the device
supports autotype, this information is passed to the BIOS where it is used to
automatically configure the drive controller.
B
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS): Firmware in a PC-compatible computer that
runs when the computer is powered up. The BIOS initializes the computer
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