LAN — local area network — A computer network covering a small area. A LAN usually is confined to a building or a few nearby buildings. A LAN can be connected to another LAN over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves to form a wide area network (WAN).
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Local bus — A data bus that provides a fast throughput for devices to the microprocessor.
LPT — Line print terminal — The designation for a parallel connection to a printer or other parallel device.
M
Mb — megabit — A measurement of memory chip capacity that equals 1024 KB.
Mbps — megabits per second — One million bits per second. This measurement is typically used for transmission speeds for networks and modems.
MB — megabyte — A measurement of data storage that equals 1,048,576 bytes. 1 MB equals 1024 KB. When used to refer to hard drive storage, the term is often rounded to mean 1,000,000 bytes.
MB/sec — megabytes per second — One million bytes per second. This measurement is typically used for data transfer ratings.
Memory — A temporary data storage area inside your computer. Because the data in memory is not permanent, Dell recommends that you frequently save your files while you are working on them, and always save your files before you shut down the computer. Your computer can contain several different forms of memory, such as RAM, ROM, and video memory. Frequently, the word memory is used as a synonym for RAM.
Memory address — A specific location where data is temporarily stored in RAM.
Memory mapping — The process by which the computer assigns memory addresses to physical locations at
MHz — megahertz — A measure of frequency that equals 1 million cycles per second. The speeds for computer microprocessors, buses, and interfaces are typically measured in MHz.
Microprocessor — A computer chip that interprets and executes program instructions. Sometimes the microprocessor is referred to as the processor or the CPU (central processing unit).
Modem — A device that allows your computer to communicate with other computers over analog telephone lines. Three types of modems include: external, PC Card, and internal. You typically use your modem to connect to the Internet and exchange
Monitor — The
Mouse — A pointing device that controls the movement of the cursor on your screen. Typically you roll the mouse along a hard, flat surface to move the pointer or cursor on your screen.
ms — millisecond — A measure of time that equals one thousandth of a second. Access times of storage devices are often measured in ms.
N
Network adapter — A chip that provides network capabilities. A computer may include a network adapter on its system board or it may contain a PC Card with an adapter on it. A network adapter is also referred to as a NIC (network interface controller).
NIC — See network adapter.
Notification area — The section of the Windows taskbar that contains icons for providing quick access to programs and computer functions, such as the clock, volume control, and print status. Also referred to as system tray.
ns — nanosecond — A measure of time that equals one billionth of a second.
NVRAM — nonvolatile random access memory — A type of memory that stores data when the computer is turned off or loses its external power source. NVRAM is used for maintaining computer configuration information such as date, time, and other system setup options that you can set.
P
Parallel connector — An I/O port often used to connect a parallel printer to your computer. Also referred to as an LPT port.
Partition — A physical storage area on a hard drive that is assigned to one or more logical storage areas known as logical drives. Each partition can contain multiple logical drives.
PCI — peripheral component interconnect — PCI is a local bus that supports 32- and
PIO — programmed input/output — A method of transferring data between two devices through the microprocessor as part of the data path.
Pixel — A single point on a display screen arranged in rows and columns to create an image. A video resolution, such as 800 x 600, is expressed as the number of pixels across by the number of pixels up and down.
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