Glossary 5
Abbreviation for direct memory access. A
DMA channel allows certain types of data
transfer between RAM and a device to
bypass the processor.
Abbreviation for Desktop Management
Interface . DMI enab les the m anagement
of your comp uter system’s so ftware and
hardware. DMI collects information about
the system’s components, such as the
operating system, memory, peripherals,
expansion cards, and asset tag. Informa-
tion about the system’s components is
displayed as a MIF file or through the
Dell OpenManage Client Administrator
program.
Abbreviation for Desktop Management
Task Force, a consortium of companies
represen ting ha rdw are an d s oftw are pro-
viders, of wh ich Dell Computer
Corporation is a member.
Abbreviation for dots per inch.
Abbreviation for Display Power Manage-
ment Sig naling. A sta ndard develop ed by
the Video Electronics Standards Associa-
tion (VESA®) that defines the hardware
signals sent by a video controller to acti-
vate power management states in a
monitor. A monitor is said to be DPMS-
compliant when it is designed to enter a
power m anagement state after receivi ng
the approp riate sign al from a computer’s
video controller.
Abbrevia tion for dynamic random-acces s
memory. A computer’s RAM is usually
made up entirely of DRAM chips. Be-
cause DRAM chips cannot store an
elec tri cal charge indefinitely, your com-
puter continually refreshes each DRAM
chip in the computer.
Your computer can recognize a number of
specific hard-disk drives. Each is assigned
a drive-type number that is stored in
NVRAM. The hard-disk drive(s) specified
in your computer’s System Setup pro-
gram must matc h the actual dri ve(s)
installed in the computer. The System
Setup program also allows you to specify
physical parameters (logical cylinders,
logical heads, cylinder number, and logical
sectors per pack ) for drives not included
in the table of drive types stored in
NVRAM.
Abbreviation for data terminal equipment.
Any device, such as a computer system,
that can send data in digital form by
means of a cable or communications line.
The DTE is connected to the cable or
commu nications lin e throu gh a data com-
munications equipment (DCE) device,
such as a modem.
Abbreviation for error checking and
correction.
Abbreviation for Extended Capabilities
Port.
Acronym for electrically erasable pro-
grammable read-only memory.
Abbreviati on for enhanc ed inte gra t ed
drive electronics. EIDE devices add one
or more of the following enhancements
to the traditional IDE standard:
Data transfer rates of up to
16 MB/sec
Support fo r drives othe r than just
hard-disk drives, such as CD-ROM
and tape drives
Support for hard-disk drives with
capacities greater than 528 MB
Support for up to two controllers,
each with up to two devices
attached