3Com 10/100BASE-T4 manual Auto Select Media Type, Bus

2GLOSSARY

Auto Select Media Type

A utility that detects the type of network cable connected to the adapter and automatically selects that connection for packet transmission. This function is implemented by all NetWare ODI, Windows for Workgroups, NDIS 2.01, Windows NT, and Windows 95 drivers.

Broadcast architecture

The signaling scheme in which every node receives every broadcast from every other node at the same time.

Bus

An electronic pathway along which signals are transmitted from one area of a computer to another.

Bus master adapter

An adapter that contains its own processor, which allows the adapter to operate independently of the computer’s main processor.

CSMA/CD

Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection.

A media-sharing scheme in which stations listen in to what is happening on the network media. If the cable is not in use, the station is permitted to transmit its message. If two or more nodes simultaneously start to transmit, a collision results. In this case each node stops transmitting for a specified interval of time, and then transmits the signal when the cable is clear.

DMI

Desktop Management Interface. The management scheme, developed by the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF), to make management of a PC easier through standardized means of access to information from managed devices.

The standard supported by the DMI defines how information on PCs is made available and accessible.