Bus: a data pathway. The term is used especially to refer to the connection between the processor and system memory, and between the processor and PCI or ISA local buses.
Bus mastering: allows peripheral devices and IDEs to access the system memory without going through the CPU (similar to DMA channels).
Cache: a temporary storage area for data that will be needed often by an application. Using a cache lowers data access times since the information is stored in SRAM instead of slower DRAM. Note that the cache is also much smaller than your regular memory: a typical cache size is 512KB, while you may have as much as 4GB of regular memory.
Closed and open jumpers: jumpers and jumper pins are active when they are “on” or “closed”, and inactive when they are “off” or “open”.
CMOS (Complementary
COM port: another name for the serial port, which is called as such because it transmits the eight bits of a byte of data along one wire, and receives data on another single wire (that is, the data is transmitted in serial form, one bit after another). Parallel ports transmit the bits of a byte on eight different wires at the same time (that is, in parallel form, eight bits at the same time).
DDR (Double Data Rate): a technology designed to double the clock speed of the memory. It activates output on both the rising and falling edge of the system clock rather than on just the rising edge, potentially doubling output.
DIMM (Dual
DIMM bank: sometimes called DIMM socket because the physical slot and the logical unit are the same. That is, one DIMM module fits into one DIMM socket, which is capable of acting as a memory bank.
DMA (Direct Memory Access): channels that are similar to IRQs. DMA channels allow hardware devices (like soundcards or keyboards) to access the main memory without involving the CPU. This frees up CPU resources for other tasks. As with IRQs, it is vital that you do not double up devices on a single line.
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