Spirit P8Q67-M-DO, User Manual, Page: 170 / 176

Spirit P8Q67-M-DO (Eng) Rev 1
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PCI Express: PCI Express, or PCIe is an implementation of the PCI computer bus that uses
existing PCI programming concepts, but bases it on a completely different and much
faster serial physical-layer communications protocol.
PDA: Personal Digital Assistant. A hand-held computer that can store daily appointments,
phone numbers, addresses, and other important information. Most PDAs link to a
desktop or laptop computer to download or upload information.
PDF: Portable Document Format. A format presented by Adobe Acrobat that allows
documents to be shared over a variety of operating systems. Documents can contain
words and pictures and be formatted to have electronic links to other parts of the
document or to places on the web.
Pentium chip: Intel's fifth generation of sophisticated high-speed microprocessors.
Pentium means “the fifth element.”
peripheral: Any external device attached to a computer to enhance operation. Examples
include external hard drive, scanner, printer, speakers, keyboard, mouse, trackball,
stylus and tablet, and joystick.
personal computer (PC): A single-user computer containing a central processing unit
(CPU) and one or more memory circuits.
plug and play(PnP): Computer hardware or peripherals that come set up with necessary
software so that when attached to a computer, they are “recognized” by the
computer and are ready to use.
POST: POST (Power-On Self Tests)
printer: A mechanical device for printing a computer's output on paper. There are three
major types of printers: Dot matrix: creates individual letters, made up of a series of
tiny ink dots, by punching a ribbon with the ends of tiny wires. (This type of printer
is most often used in industrial settings, such as direct mail for labeling.) Ink jet:
sprays tiny droplets of ink particles onto paper. Laser: uses a beam of light to
reproduce the image of each page using a magnetic charge that attracts dry toner
that is transferred to paper and sealed with heat.
PXE: The PXE (Preboot eXecution Environment) is an environment to bootstrap computers
using a network interface card independently of available data storage devices (like
hard disks) or installed operating systems.
R
RAID: Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. A method of spreading information across
several disks set up to act as a unit, using two different techniques: Disk striping:
storing a bit of information across several discs (instead of storing it all on one disc
and hoping that the disc doesn't crash). Disk mirroring: simultaneously storing a
copy of information on another disc so that the information can be recovered if the
main disc crashes.
RAM: Random Access Memory. One of two basic types of memory. Portions of programs are
stored in RAM when the program is launched so that the program will run faster.
Though a PC has a fixed amount of RAM, only portions of it will be accessed by the
computer at any given time. Also called memory.
ROM: Read-Only Memory. One of two basic types of memory. ROM contains only
permanent information put there by the manufacturer. Information in ROM cannot be