LSI SYM8953U manual Appendix B Glossary of Terms Abbreviations

Appendix B

Glossary of Terms and

Abbreviations

Active	The electrical connection required at each end of the SCSI bus,
Termination	composed of active voltage regulation and a set of termination resistors.
	Ultra and Ultra2 SCSI require active termination.
Address	A specific location in memory, designated either numerically or by a
	symbolic name.
Asynchronous	One of the ways data is transferred over the SCSI bus. It is slower than
Data Transfer	synchronous data transfer.
BIOS	Basic Input/Output System. Software that provides basic read/write
	capability. Usually kept as firmware (ROM based). The system BIOS on
	the mainboard of a computer is used to boot and control the system. The
	SCSI BIOS on your host adapter acts as an extension of the system
	BIOS.
Bit	A binary digit. The smallest unit of information a computer uses. The
	value of a bit (0 or 1) represents a two-way choice, such as on or off,
	true or false, and so on.
Bus	A collection of unbroken signal lines across which information is
	transmitted from one part of a computer system to another. Connections
	to the bus are made using taps on the lines.
Bus Mastering	A high-performance way to transfer data. The host adapter controls the
	transfer of data directly to and from system memory without interrupting
	the computer’s microprocessor. This is the fastest way for multitasking
	operating systems to transfer data.
Byte	A unit of information consisting of eight bits.
CISPR	A special international committee on radio interference (Committee,
	International and Special, for Protection in Radio).

Symbios SYM8953U PCI to Ultra2 SCSI Host Adapter B-1