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Glossary
ACPI
The
Advanced Configuration and Power
Interface (ACPI) specificatio
n provides an
open standard for unified operating
system-centric device configuration and
power management. The ACPI defines
platform-independent interfaces for
hardware discovery, configuration, power
management, and monitoring. The specifi-
cation is central to Operating
System-directed configuration and Power
Management (OSPM), a term used to
describe a system implementing ACPI,
which therefore removes device manage-
ment responsibilities from legacy firmware
interfaces.
adapter
The board that interfaces between the
host system and the
devices.
Adapter is synonymous with
Host Bus
Adapter
,
Host Channel Adapter
,
host
adapter
, and
adapter board
.
adapter port
A port on the adapter board.
address resolution protocol
See
advanced configuration and power
interface
See
.
API
Application programming interface. A set
of routines, protocols, and tools for
building software applications. API simpli-
fies development by providing the building
blocks.
application-specific integrated circuit
arbitrated loop
A circular (ring) topology (versus
) where two or more
s
can be interconnected, but only two ports
can communicate at a time. All communi-
cation passes through all ports connected
to the loop.
ARP
Address resolution protocol. A TCP/IP
function to associate an IP address with a
link-level address.
ASIC
Application-specific integrated circuit. A
microchip designed for special applica-
tions such as Fibre Channel, a transmis-
sion protocol, or a computer.
