Appendix A
Glossary of Terms
| BIOS | Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS is software that provides basic |
| read/write capability. It is usually stored as firmware. The system BIOS |
| on the main board of a computer boots and controls the system. The |
| BIOS on the storage adapter acts as an extension of the system BIOS. |
| Configuration | Refers to the way a computer is set up; the combined hardware |
| components (computer, monitor, keyboard, and peripheral devices) that |
| make up a computer system; or the software settings that allow the |
| hardware components to communicate with each other. |
| Device Driver | A program that allows a microprocessor (through the operating system) |
| to direct the operation of a peripheral device, such as a disk drive. |
| Host | The computer system in which a storage adapter is installed. The host |
| uses the storage adapter to transfer information to and from devices |
| attached to the storage adapter. |
| PCI | Peripheral Component Interconnect. A high performance local bus |
| specification that allows connection of devices directly to computer |
| memory. |
| RAID | Redundant Array of Independent Disks. An array of multiple independent |
| hard disk drives that yields better performance than a Single Large |
| Expensive Disk (SLED). A RAID disk subsystem improves I/O |
| performance on a server using only a single drive. The RAID array |
| appears to the host server as a single storage unit. I/O is expedited |
| because several disks can be accessed simultaneously. |
| Serial ATA | Serialized AT Attachment. The Serial ATA bus is a |
| bus that provides a low pin count, low voltage level bus for device |
| connections between a host adapter and a Serial ATA device. |
| Storage Adapter | A circuit board that provides a device connection between the host and |
| the storage devices attached to the storage adapter. |
MegaRAID SATA 150 Storage Adapters User’s Guide |
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