G-3
Glossary
ECC Memory
(
e
rror
c
orrecting
c
ode memory
)
A type of memory that contains special circuitry for testing the accuracy of data and correcting
the errors on the fly.
IDE
(
I
ntegrated
D
rive
E
lectronics
)
A type of disk-drive interface widely used to connect hard disks, CD-ROMs and tape drives
to a PC, in which the controller electronics is integrated into the drive itself, eliminating the
need for a separate adapter card. The IDE interface is known as the ATA (AT Attachment)
specification.
IEEE 1394
A new, high speed external bus standard, also known as
FireWire
or
iLink
, which supports
data transfer rates of up to 400 Mbps for connecting up to 63 external devices.
IrDA
(
I
nfra
r
ed
D
ata
A
ssociation
)
A group of device vendors, including computer, component and telecommunications, who
have developed a standard for transmitting data via infrared light waves. This enables you to
transfer data from one device to another without any cables.
LAN
(
l
ocal
a
rea
n
etwork
)
A computer netwoek that covers a relatively smaller area, such as in a building or an enterprise.
It is made up of servers, workstations, shared resources, a network operating system and a
communications link. These individual PCs and devices on a LAN are known as “nodes”, and
are connected by cables to access data and devices anywhere on the LAN, so that many users
can share expensive devices and data.
LED
(
l
ight
e
mitting
d
iode
)
A semiconductor device that converts electrical energy into light. Since it lights up (usually
red) when electricity is passed through it, it is usually used for the activity lights on computer’s
component, such as disk drivers.
LPT
(
l
ine
p
rinter
t
erminal
)
Logical device name for a line printer; a name reserved by the MS-DOS for up to three parallel
printer ports: LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3. It is frequently used by the OS to identify a printer.
PCI
(
P
eripheral
C
omponent
I
nterconnect
)
A local bus standard developed by Intel that first appeared on PCs in late 1993. PCI provides
“plug and play” capability and allows IRQs to be shared. The PCI controller can exchange data
with the system's CPU either 32 bits or 64 bits at a time.
