FAQs and Glossary of Terms

Access Time

This refers to the interval between the instant a computer calls for data from a storage medium (such as a hard drive, CD-ROM, or the Internet), and the moment the data is delivered.

Backplane

A backplane is a circuit board containing sockets into which other circuit boards can be plugged. In the context of PCs, it is the large circuit board with sockets for expansion cards. In addition to sockets, active backplanes contain logic circuitry that performs computing functions. Passive backplanes, in contrast, contain almost no computing circuitry. Traditionally, most PCs have used active backplanes; in fact, the motherboard and the backplane have become synonymous. Recently there has been a move toward passive backplanes—with the active components, such as the CPU, inserted on an additional card. Passive backplanes make it easier to repair or upgrade the components.

Bus

The electrical pathways inside a computer where signals travel. For example, there is a data bus, an address bus, a control bus, and an expansion bus. There are also external busses, where you can attach peripherals or additional devices. A backbone is a network bus that connects all computers into a single network.

Chip (also integrated circuit or microchip)

The incredibly complex yet tiny modules, manufactured from a silicon wafer, that store computer memory or provide logic circuitry for microprocessors. Many special-purpose chips, known as application-specifi c integrated circuits, are being made today for automobiles, home appliances, telephones, and other devices. The achievement of chip manufacturing technology has spread the use of computer technology throughout society. A chip is also sometimes called an IC or integrated circuit.

Computer

A device that runs programs for displaying and manipulating text, graphics, symbols, audio, video, and numbers. A computer accepts information in the form of digital data. Complex computers also include the means for storing data (including software programs). A program may be built into the computer (in the logic circuitry, located on the microprocessors), or may be loaded into the computer’s storage and then started by an administrator or user. Today’s computers have both kinds of programming. Most histories of the modern computer begin with the Analytical Engine envisioned by Charles Babbage—who followed the mathematical ideas of George Boole, the mathematician who fi rst stated the principles of logic inherent in today’s digital computer.

Starting in the late 1980s, technological advances made it feasible to build smaller-sized computers individuals could use independently at work or at home. A computer system includes peripherals, such as hard and fl oppy disk drives, a monitor, a mouse, the operating system, software, and printer. All of these components are designed to work together. You need a computer to access the Internet, browse the Web, and send or receive e-mail, among other things.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The most powerful microprocessor chip in your computer is the CPU. These chips handle the central management functions of high-powered computers. Sometimes, CPU is used to describe the whole box, including the chip, the motherboard, the expansion cards, the disk drives, the power supply, and so on.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

A business discipline designed to identify, attract, and retain a company’s most valuable customers. It describes improved and increased communication between a company and its customers. First espoused in the 1960’s by management gurus Peter Drucker and Theodore Levitt, CRM is intended to provide a unifi ed, company-wide view of the customer and to cultivate high-quality relationships that increase loyalty and profi ts. Effective CRM requires an integrated sales, marketing, and service strategy, supported by CRM software that provides profi les and histories of each interaction the company has with each customer.

Device

A machine designed for a purpose. Within the context of desktop computer technology, a device is a unit of hardware, outside or inside the case or housing, for the essential computer (the processor, memory, and data paths). A device is capable of providing input to the essential computer, receiving output, or both. Computer devices include keyboards, mice, monitors, hard drives, CD-ROM players, printers, speakers, microphones, and other hardware units. Other devices are standalone, meaning they do not require another computer to operate.

Feature Sets

A function of a device or a software program that enables you to perform specifi c tasks. Advanced feature sets refer to those that go beyond the normally expected functions for a device of a specifi c type; or that deliver the features with greater speed and/or better logic.

LAN (Local Area Network)

A network that connects computers in a relatively small, predetermined area (such as a room, a building, or a set of buildings). LANs can be connected to each other over telephone lines and radio waves. Workstations and personal computers in an offi ce are commonly connected in a LAN. Each computer connected to a LAN is called a node.

Microprocessor

In computer-speak, this term is used interchangeably with CPU. It is frequently described as the brain of a computer because the microprocessor controls the central processing of data in personal computers, servers, workstations and other devices.

Node

A device that is connected to a network. Every node has a unique network address, sometimes called a Data Link Control (DLC) address or Media Access Control (MAC) address. ISYS sometimes also refers to external peripherals as nodes.

Peripheral

Any device connected to, or part of, a computer. Peripherals include monitors, printers, scanners, mice, external hard drives, fl oppy drives, CD-ROM drives, speakers, and keyboards.

Processing Core

The part of a computer that processes information, usually centered around the processing chip. The processing core concept developed by ISYS is defi ned as a computer box (such as the PCU®) that can take on variable processing tasks: general computing, specialized subsystem computing, or any other type of specialized process.

RAM (Random-Access Memory)

Hardware inside your computer that retains memory on a short-term basis and stores information while you work. RAM is one of the things that make your computer run faster. It comes in 32-bit, 64-bit, 128-bit, 256-bit, and higher, and you can add additional “blocks” of RAM, depending on your computer.

ROM (Read-Only Memory)

Built-in computer memory that can be read but not written to. ROM contains the programming that allows your computer to boot up each time you turn it on, and it contains essential system programs that neither you or the computer can erase. Unlike a computer’s random access memory (RAM), ROM does not lose its data when the computer power is turned off. It is sustained by a small, long-life battery.

Scalability

The ability of software or hardware to adapt to increased demands while continuing to work accurately, especially when issues arise at a later time. For example, large-scale hardware manufacturers are commonly concerned with building solutions that can be upgraded or scaled at a later time.

Server

A host computer on a network. It houses information and responds to requests for information (for example, it houses Web sites and executes their links to other Web sites). The term “server” also refers to the software that makes the act of “serving information” possible. Commerce servers, for example, use software to run the main functions of an e-commerce Web site, such as product display, online ordering, and inventory management. A server is the control computer on a LAN, meaning it controls the software, access to printers, and other parts of the network (usually accompanied by workstations that “share the load”).

WAN (Wide Area Network)

A network that uses high-speed, long-distance communications cables or satellites to connect computers over distances greater than those traversed by LANs (which range about two miles). The Internet itself is considered a WAN.

Workstation

A high-performance personal computer optimized for professional applications. These machines offer excellent screen resolution, fast and powerful microprocessors, and lots of memory. They typically run on the Unix platform. A workstation can also be a desktop computer that runs application programs and serves as the access point to a local area network (LAN).