LaCie Ethernet Disk
Glossary
User Manual
page 61
Network
– A series of points or nodes interconnected by
communication paths. Networks can interconnect with other
networks and contain subnetworks.
Operating System (OS)
– Software that controls the assign-
ment and use of hardware resources such as memory, proces-
sor time, disk space and peripherals. An operating system is
the basis on which software (applications) run. Windows, Mac
OS and UNIX are among the most common.
Overwrite
– To write data on top of existing data thus erasing
the original data.
Partition, -ing
– After formatting, the hard drive is not yet
ready to store files. It must be divided into sections that will
contain special information required for a Mac or PC to oper-
ate and other sections that will contain the files. This process
of dividing up the hard drive is called partitioning. A partition
is just one section of the hard drive that will contain either
special data put there by Silverlining or other files and data.
Peripheral
– A generic term applied to printers, scanners,
mice, keyboards, serial ports, graphics cords, disk drives and
other computer subsystems. This type of peripheral often re-
lies on its own control software, known as a peripheral driver.
Port, hardware
– A connection component (SCSI port, for
example) that enables a microprocessor to communicate with
a compatible peripheral.
Port, number
– Used to identify a specific process to which
an Internet or other network message is to be forwarded when
it arrives at a server.
Port, software
– A memory address that identifies the physi-
cal circuit used to transfer information between a micropro-
cessor and a peripheral.
Protocol
– In IT terminology, this describes the special set of
rules that end points in a telecommunication connection use
when they communicate.
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 mi-
croprocessor 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 soft-
ware: 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.
Subnetwork (Subnet)
– This is a separate, identifiable part of
a network, such as all of the computers at one geographic loca-
tion, in one building or on the same local area network. Subnets
make it possible to have an organization’s network connected to
the Internet with a single, shared network address.
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 writ-
ing 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.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
– This is the basic communication protocol of the Internet.
TCP/IP uses the client/server model of communication, in
which a client (a computer user) requests and is provided a
service (such as a Web page) by another computer (a server)
in the network.
Volume
– A desktop mountable storage area, may be a parti-
tion of a hard drive, a removable disk or a cartridge. Typically
measured in Megabytes or Gigabytes.
UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
– This is a communications
protocol that allows a limited amount of service when mes-
sages are exchanged between computers in a network that
