Dell Command Line Interface manual Bga, Bios, Bmc, Btu

backup

A copy of a program or data file. As a precaution, you should back up your computer's hard drive on a regular basis. Before making a change to the configuration of your computer, you should back up important start-up files from your operating system.

baud rate

A measurement of data transmission speed. For example, modems are designed to transmit data at one or more specified baud rate(s) through the COM (serial) port of a computer.

BGA

Abbreviation for Ball Grid Array, an IC package that uses an array of solder balls, instead of pins, to connect to a PC board.

binary

A base-2 numbering system that uses 0 and 1 to represent information. The computer performs operations based on the ordering and calculation of these numbers.

BIOS

Acronym for basic input/output system. Your computer's BIOS contains programs stored on a flash memory chip. The BIOS controls the following:

•Communications between the microprocessor and peripheral devices, such as the keyboard and the video adapter

•Miscellaneous functions, such as system messages

bit

The smallest unit of information interpreted by your computer.

BMC

Abbreviation for baseboard management controller, which is a controller that provides the intelligence in the IPMI structure.

boot routine

When you start your computer, it clears all memory, initializes devices, and loads the operating system. Unless the operating system fails to respond, you can reboot (also called warm boot) your computer by pressing <Ctrl><Alt><Del>; otherwise, you must perform a cold boot by pressing the reset button or by turning the computer off and then back on.

bootable diskette

You can start your computer from a diskette. To make a bootable diskette, insert a diskette in the diskette drive, type sys a: at the command line prompt, and press <Enter>. Use this bootable diskette if your computer does not boot from the hard drive.

bpi

Abbreviation for bits per inch.

bps

Abbreviation for bits per second.

BTU

Abbreviation for British thermal unit.

bus

An information pathway between the components of a computer. Your computer contains an expansion bus that allows the microprocessor to communicate with controllers for all the various peripheral devices connected to the computer. Your computer also contains an address bus and a data bus for communications between the microprocessor and RAM.

byte

Eight contiguous bits of information, the basic data unit used by your computer.

C

Abbreviation for Celsius.

CA

Abbreviation for certificate authority.

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Glossary