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Glossary-1
APA-1460 SlimSCSI Technical Reference
Stock Number: 510671-00 Rev. A
Page: -1
Print Spec Number: 492966-00
Current Date: 8/22/94
ECN Date: 8/30/94
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Glossary
A
Adaptec EZ-SCSI™
A software program that automatically
configures your computer to use the
Adaptec SCSI host adapter and SCSI
devices connected to it. Adaptec EZ-SCSI
copies applications and device drivers to
the computer’s hard disk drive. In nearly
every case, the computer and SCSI devices
are configured correctly when the default
values are accepted.
AIC
-
6360
Adaptec’s SCSI protocol chip, which pro-
vides an interface between the ISA bus and
the SCSI bus.
ASIC
Application Specific Integrated Circuit. An
integrated circuit designed solely for a spe-
cific function (e.g., the AIC-3350 Plug and
Play interface chip in AHA
®
-1530P/1532P
host adapters).
ASPI Manager
A software module that provides an inter-
face between ASPI modules, a host adapt-
er(s), and the SCSI devices connected to the
adapter. A single ASPI manager can handle
multiple I/O requests from multiple ASPI
modules. ASPI managers are written for a
specific operating system—such as DOS,
OS/2
®
, or NetWare
®
—and a specific family
of host adapters.
ASPI Module
Device-level code specific to a particular
kind of SCSI device that communicates
with the ASPI manager. The EZ-SCSI ASPI
modules are
aspidisk
and
aspicd
.
Asynchronous Data Transfer
A method of transferring data over the
SCSI bus. In an asynchronous data transfer,
bytes are sent in irregular intervals. Start
and stop bits are used to signal the begin-
ning and end of bytes. Asynchronous data
transfer is slower than synchronous data
transfer and is not affected by external tim-
ing constraints, such as cable length and
circuit response time.
B
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System. Software
coded into computer chips for various pur-
poses. The BIOS on the motherboard of a
computer is the special program used to
boot and control the computer. Most
Adaptec host adapters include an onboard
BIOS that initializes the SCSI bus, runs
bootup diagnostics, and performs other
functions.
BIOS Address
The address in computer memory where
the host adapter BIOS code is stored when
you boot the computer.
Bus
A pathway for data in a computer. All com-
puters have an expansion bus, which is
designed to accept add-on (expansion)
devices, such as modems, sound cards, and
video adapters. Expansion devices use the
bus to send data to and receive data from
the computer ’s CPU or memory. ISA, EISA,
and PCMCIA are the major bus standards
used in computers.
Bus Device Reset
A SCSI message that clears all pending
activity in the SCSI peripheral device to
which it is addressed.
Byte
An 8-bit unit of data. A byte is normally the
smallest addressable unit of memory and
the smallest unit of data transfer on the
SCSI bus.
C
CD-ROM
Compact Disk Read Only Memory. A
high-capacity disc medium for storing data
