The following is a list of acronyms which appear on the CompTIA A+ exams. Candidates are encouraged to review the complete list and attain a working knowledge of all listed acronyms as a part of a comprehensive exam preparation program.
The definitions posted here are based primarily on information found in Wikipedia. Links to the original documents or home pages in the case of specific companies or organizations have been provided.
| |
| AC |
Alternating Current - In alternating current (AC, also ac), the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current (DC, also dc), the flow of electric charge is only in one direction.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ACL |
Access Control List - In computer security, an access control list (ACL) is a list of permissions attached to an object. The list specifies who or what is allowed to access the object and what operations are allowed to be performed on the object.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ACPI |
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface - ACPI defines platform-independent interfaces for hardware discovery, configuration, power management and monitoring. The specification is central to Operating System-directed configuration and Power Management (OSPM), a term used to describe a system implementing ACPI, which removes device management responsibilities from legacy firmware interfaces.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ACT |
Audio Format - A lossy ADPCM 8 kbit/s compressed audio format recorded by most Chinese MP3 and MP4 players with a recording function, and voice recorders.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ADSL |
Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line - A form of DSL, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| AGP |
Accelerated Graphics Port - A high-speed point-to-point channel for attaching a video card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| AMD |
Advanced Micro Devices - An American multinational semiconductor company based in Sunnyvale, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for commercial and consumer markets. Its main products include microprocessors, motherboard chipsets, embedded processors and graphics processors for servers, workstations and personal computers, and embedded systems applications.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| APIPA |
Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing - A common alternative to the use of the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to request and retrieve an Internet Protocol (IP) address for a host. APIPA simplifies the assignment of IP address and subnet-mask configuration information to hosts in small networks. When APIPA is used, the operating system allows the assignment of a unique IP address to each station on a small local area network (LAN).
- More From Microsoft - Back to Top - |
| APM |
Advanced Power Management - An API developed by Intel and Microsoft which enables an operating system running an IBM-compatible personal computer to work with the BIOS to achieve power management.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ARP |
Address Resolution Protocol - In computer networking, the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is the standard method for finding a host's hardware address when only its network layer address is known.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ASR |
Automated System Recovery - A feature of the Windows XP operating system that can be used to simplify recovery of a computer's system or boot volumes.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ATA |
Advanced Technology Attachment - An interface standard for the connection of storage devices such as hard disks, floppy drives, and optical disc drives in computers.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ATAPI |
Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface - A protocol that has been applied to ATA that allows a greater variety of devices to be connected to a computer than ATA would allow.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ATM |
Asynchronous Transfer Mode - A cell relay, packet switching network and data link layer protocol which encodes data traffic into small (53 bytes; 48 bytes of data and 5 bytes of header information) fixed-sized cells. ATM provides data link layer services that run over Layer 1 links.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ATX |
Advanced Technology eXtended - A motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT form factor.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| A/V |
Audio Video - Refers to; works with both a sound and a visual component, the production or use of such works, or the equipment used to create and present such works.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| BIOS |
Basic Input/Output System - The BIOS software is the first code run by a PC when powered on. First the BIOS initializes system devices such as the video display card, keyboard and mouse, hard disk drive, optical disc drive and other hardware. Then loads and executes boot loader software giving it control of the PC. This process is known as booting, or booting up, which is short for bootstrapping.
BIOS software is stored on a non-volatile ROM chip on the motherboard. It is specifically designed to work with each particular model of computer, interfacing with various devices that make up the complementary chipset of the system. In modern computer systems the BIOS chip's contents can be rewritten without removing it from the motherboard, allowing BIOS software to be upgraded in place.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| BNC |
Bayonet-Neill-Concelman or British Naval Connector - The BNC connector is used for RF signal (typically pro-video) connections, both for analog and Serial Digital Interface video signals.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| BTX |
Balanced Technology Extended - A form factor for motherboards, originally intended to be the replacement for the aging ATX motherboard form factor in late 2004 and early 2005. It was designed to alleviate some of the issues that arose from using newer technologies (which often demand more power and create more heat) on motherboards compliant with the circa-1996 ATX specification.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| CAPTCHA |
Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart - A type of challenge-response test used in computing as an attempt to ensure that the response is generated by a person. The process usually involves a computer asking a user to complete a simple test which the computer is able to grade. These tests are designed to be easy for a computer to generate, but difficult for a computer to solve, so that if a correct solution is received, it can be presumed to have been entered by a human. A common type of CAPTCHA requires the user to type letters or digits from a distorted image that appears on the screen, and such tests are commonly used to prevent unwanted internet bots from accessing websites.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CCFL |
Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp - Used for backlighting of LCD displays, for example computer monitors and television screens.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CD |
Compact Disc - An optical disc used to store digital data. Standard CDs have a diameter of 120 millimetres (4.7 in) and can hold up to 80 minutes of uncompressed audio or 700 MB of data.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CD-ROM |
Compact Disc Read-Only Memory - A pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CD-RW |
Compact Disc Rewritable - A rewritable optical disc.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CDFS |
Compact Disc File System - A file system for read-only and write-once CDROMs. The file system provided for the creation, modification, renaming and deletion of files and directories on a write-once media.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CFS |
Central File System, Common File System, Command File System - The Cooperative File System (CFS) is a new peer-to-peer read-only storage system that provides provable guarantees for the efficiency, robustness, and load-balance of file storage and retrieval.
- More From MIT - Back to Top - |
| CMOS |
Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor - A technology for constructing integrated circuits. CMOS technology is used in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static RAM, and other digital logic circuits.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CNR |
Communications and Networking Riser - A slot found on certain PC motherboards, used for specialized networking, audio, and telephony equipment. A motherboard manufacturer can choose to provide audio, networking, or modem functionality in any combination on a CNR card. CNR slots were once commonly found on Pentium 4-class motherboards, but have since been phased out in favor of on-board or embedded components.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| COMx |
Communication Port (x=port number) - An application or process specific software construct serving as a communications endpoint in a computer's host operating system. A port is associated with an IP address of the host, as well as the type of protocol used for communication and is identified for each address and protocol by a 16-bit number, commonly known as the port number. The port number completes the destination address for a communications session.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CPU |
Central Processing Unit - The central processing unit (CPU) is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CRIMM |
Continuity Rambus Inline Memory Mode - The design of many common Rambus memory controllers dictated that memory modules be installed in sets of two. Any remaining open memory slots must be filled with continuity RIMMs (CRIMMs.) These sticks provide no extra memory, and only served to propagate the signal to termination resistors on the motherboard instead of providing a dead end where signals would reflect. CRIMMs appear physically similar to regular RIMMs, except they lack integrated circuits.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| CRT |
Cathode Ray Tube - A vacuum tube containing an electron gun (a source of electrons or electron emitter) and a fluorescent screen used to view images.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| DAC |
Discretionary Access Control - A type of access control defined as a means of restricting access to objects based on the identity of subjects and/or groups to which they belong. The controls are discretionary in the sense that a subject with a certain access permission is capable of passing that permission on to any other subject (unless restrained by mandatory access control).
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DB-25 |
Serial Communications D-shell Connector, 25 Pins - The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smaller connectors used on computer systems. DB25 denotes a D-sub with a 25-position shell size and a 25-position contact configuration.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DB-9 |
9 Pin D Shell Connector - The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smaller connectors used on computer systems. DB9 nearly always refers to a 9-pin connector with an E size shell.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DC |
Direct Current - Direct current (DC) is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by sources such as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DDOS |
distributed denial of service - An attempt to make a computer or network resource unavailable to its intended users, generally consisting of the concerted efforts of a person, or multiple people to prevent an Internet site or service from functioning efficiently or at all, temporarily or indefinitely.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DDR |
Double Data-Rate - A computer bus operating with double data rate transfers data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal. This is also known as double pumped, dual-pumped, and double transition.
DDR should not be confused with dual channel, in which each memory channel accesses two RAM modules simultaneously. The two technologies are independent of each other and many motherboards use both, by using DDR memory in a dual channel configuration.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DDR RAM |
Double Data Rate Random Access Memory - A type of very fast computer memory. DDR RAM is based on the same architecture as SDRAM, but utilizes the clock signal differently to transfer twice the data in the same amount of time.
- More From Wise Geek - Back to Top - |
| DDR SDRAM |
Double Data-Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory - A class of memory integrated circuits used in computers.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DFS |
Distributed File System - Any file system that allows access to files from multiple hosts sharing via a computer network. This makes it possible for multiple users on multiple machines to share files and storage resources.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DHCP |
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - A network configuration protocol for hosts on Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Computers that are connected to IP networks must be configured before they can communicate with other hosts. The most essential information needed is an IP address, and a default route and routing prefix. DHCP eliminates the manual task by a network administrator. It also provides a central database of devices that are connected to the network and eliminates duplicate resource assignments.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DIMM |
dual inline memory module -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DIN |
Deutsche Industrie Norm -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DIP |
dual inline package -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DLT |
digital linear tape -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DLP |
digital light processing -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DMA |
Direct Memory Access - A feature of modern computers that allows certain hardware subsystems within the computer to access system memory independently of the central processing unit.
With DMA, the CPU would initiate the transfer, do other operations while the transfer is in progress, and receive an interrupt from the DMA controller once the operation has been done.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DMZ |
Demilitarized Zone - In computer security, a DMZ (sometimes referred to as a perimeter network) is a physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization's external services to a larger untrusted network, usually the Internet. The purpose of a DMZ is to add an additional layer of security to an organization's local area network (LAN); an external attacker only has access to equipment in the DMZ, rather than any other part of the network.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DNS |
Domain Name Service / Domain Name Server / Domain Name System - A hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities. Most importantly, it translates domain names meaningful to humans into the numerical identifiers associated with networking equipment for the purpose of locating and addressing these devices worldwide.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DoS |
Denial of Service - An attempt to make a computer or network resource unavailable to its intended users, generally consisting of the concerted efforts of a person, or multiple people to prevent an Internet site or service from functioning efficiently or at all, temporarily or indefinitely.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DRAM |
dynamic random access memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DSL |
Digital Subscriber Line - A family of technologies that provides digital data transmission delivered simultaneously with wired telephone service on the same telephone line.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DVD |
digital video disc or digital versatile disc -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DVD-RAM |
digital video disc-random access memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DVD-ROM |
digital video disc-read only memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DVD-R |
digital video disc-recordable -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DVD-RW |
digital video disc-rewritable -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| DVI |
digital visual interface -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| ECC |
Error Correction Code - An error-correcting code (ECC) or forward error correction (FEC) code is a system of adding redundant data, or parity data, to a message, such that it can be recovered by a receiver even when a number of errors (up to the capability of the code being used) were introduced, either during the process of transmission, or on storage.
Error-correcting codes are frequently used in lower-layer communication, as well as for reliable storage in media such as CDs, DVDs, hard disks, and RAM.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ECP |
extended capabilities port -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EEPROM |
electrically erasable programmable read-only memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EFS |
Encrypting File System - A feature introduced in version 3.0 of NTFS[1] that provides filesystem-level encryption. The technology enables files to be transparently encrypted to protect confidential data from attackers with physical access to the computer.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EIDE |
enhanced integrated drive electronics -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EMI |
Electromagnetic Interference - Disturbance that affects an electrical circuit due to either electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic radiation emitted from an external source.[1] The disturbance may interrupt, obstruct, or otherwise degrade or limit the effective performance of the circuit. These effects can range from a simple degradation of data to a total loss of data.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EMP |
electromagnetic pulse -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EPROM |
erasable programmable read-only memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EPP |
enhanced parallel port -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ERD |
Emergency Repair Disk - A Microsoft Windows Emergency Repair Disk is a specially formatted bootable media that contains information about a particular Windows installation. This disk can be used to restore a computer to a bootable state if the registry or other fundamental system components are damaged due to a malware infection or anything else that could make the operating system unbootable.
Windows 2000 uses what is called an Emergency Repair Disk but it is not bootable. Windows XP uses something very similar to the Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Disk, but it is called Automated System Recovery.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ESD |
Electrostatic Discharge - Electrostatic discharge is a serious issue in solid state electronics, such as integrated circuits which can suffer permanent damage when subjected to high voltages. One of the causes of ESD events is static electricity. Static electricity is often generated through tribocharging, the separation of electric charges that occurs when two materials are brought into contact and then separated. Examples of tribocharging include walking on a rug, rubbing a plastic comb against dry hair, rubbing a balloon against a sweater, ascending from a fabric car seat, or removing some types of plastic packaging. In all these cases, the friction between two materials results in tribocharging, thus creating a difference of electrical potential that can lead to an ESD event.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EVGA |
extended video graphics adapter/array -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| EVDO |
evolution data optimized or evolution data only -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| FAT |
File Allocation Table - A computer file system widely used on computer systems and memory cards. The initial version of FAT designed for 16-bit microprocessors is now referred to as FAT12.
FAT file systems are commonly found on floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital cameras, and many other portable devices because of their relative simplicity. FAT was also commonly used on hard disks throughout the DOS and Windows 9x eras, but its use has declined since the introduction of NTFS.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FAT12 |
12-bit file allocation table -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FAT16 |
16-bit file allocation table -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FAT32 |
32-bit file allocation table -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FDD |
floppy disk drive -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| Fn |
Function (referring to the function key on a laptop) -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FPM |
fast page-mode -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FQDN |
Fully Qualified Domain Name / Fully Qualified Distinguished Name - A fully qualified domain name (FQDN), sometimes also referred as an absolute domain name,[1] is a domain name that specifies its exact location in the tree hierarchy of the Domain Name System (DNS). It specifies all domain levels, including the top-level domain and the root domain. A fully qualified domain name is distinguished by its unambiguity; it can only be interpreted one way.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FRU |
field replaceable unit -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FSB |
Front Side Bus - A front-side bus is a computer interface used to carry data between the central processing unit (CPU) and a memory controller hub, known as the northbridge. The speed of the front side bus is often used as an important measure of the performance of a computer.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| FTP |
File Transfer Protocol - A standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control (tcp port 21) and data (tcp port 20) connections between the client and server. FTP operates on the application layer of the OSI model, and transfers files using TCP/IP.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| Gb |
gigabit -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| GB |
gigabyte -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| GDI |
graphics device interface -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| GHz |
Gigahertz - In computing, most central processing units (CPU) are labeled in terms of their clock rate expressed in megahertz or gigahertz (109 hertz). This number refers to the frequency of the CPU's master clock signal ("Clock rate").
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| GUI |
graphical user interface -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| GPS |
global positioning system -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| GSM |
global system for mobile communications -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| HAL |
hardware abstraction layer -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HAV |
Hardware Assisted Virtualization -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HCL |
hardware compatibility list -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HDD |
Hard Disk Drive - A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. Hard disk drives are the dominant device for secondary storage of data in computers.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HDMi |
high definition media interface -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HPFS |
high performance file system -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HTML |
hypertext markup language -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HTPC |
Home Theater PC -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HTTP |
Hypertext Transfer Protocol - An application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP functions as a request-response protocol in the client-server computing model and is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web. HTTP is an upper level Application Layer protocol that typically uses TCP port 80.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| HTTPS |
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a combination of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) with SSL/TLS protocol. It provides encrypted communication and secure identification of a network web server. HTTPS connections are often used for payment transactions on the World Wide Web and for sensitive transactions in corporate information systems. HTTPS uses port 443 by default. - More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| I/O |
input/output -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ICMP |
Internet Control Message Protocol - One of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. It is chiefly used by the operating systems of networked computers to send error messages indicating, for example, that a requested service is not available or that a host or router could not be reached. ICMP differs from transport protocols such as TCP and UDP in that it is not typically used to exchange data between systems. It is assigned protocol number 1.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ICR |
intelligent character recognition -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IDE |
Integrated Drive Electronics - The first version of what is now called the ATA/ATAPI interface was developed by Western Digital under the name Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE).
The term Integrated Drive Electronics refers not just to the connector and interface definition, but also to the fact that the drive controller is integrated into the drive, as opposed to a separate controller on or connected to the motherboard.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IDS |
Intrusion Detection System - A device or software application that monitors network and/or system activities for malicious activities or policy violations and produces reports to a Management Station. Some systems may attempt to stop an intrusion attempt but this is neither required nor expected of a monitoring system. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) are primarily focused on identifying possible incidents, logging information about them, and reporting attempts. In addition, organizations use IDPSes for other purposes, such as identifying problems with security policies, documenting existing threats, and deterring individuals from violating security policies. IDPSes have become a necessary addition to the security infrastructure of nearly every organization.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IEEE |
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - A non-profit professional association that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. The IEEE serves as a major publisher of scientific journals and organizer of conferences, workshops, and symposia. It is also a leading standards development organization for the development of industrial standards.
- IEEE Home Page - Back to Top - |
| IIS |
Internet Information Services - A web server application and set of feature extension modules created by Microsoft for use with Microsoft Windows. The current shipping version of IIS is IIS 7.5, included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. IIS 7.5 supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, SMTP and NNTP. It is an integral part of Windows Server family of products, as well as certain editions of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. IIS is not turned on by default when Windows is installed.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IMAP |
internet mail access protocol -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IP |
Internet Protocol - The principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams (packets) across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite. Responsible for routing packets across network boundaries, it is the primary protocol that establishes the Internet.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IPCONFIG |
internet protocol configuration -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IPP |
internet printing protocol -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IPSec |
Internet Protocol Security - A protocol suite for securing Internet Protocol (IP) communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a communication session. IPsec also includes protocols for establishing mutual authentication between agents at the beginning of the session and negotiation of cryptographic keys to be used during the session.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IR |
infrared -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IrDA |
Infrared Data Association -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| IRQ |
interrupt request -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ISA |
Industry Standard Architecture - A computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers introduced to support its Intel 8088 microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor.
The ISA bus was further extended for use with 32-bit processors as Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA).
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ISDN |
Integrated Services Digital Network - A set of communications standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network. It also provides access to packet switched networks, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires, resulting in potentially better voice quality than an analog phone can provide.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ISO |
Industry Standards Organization -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ISP |
Internet Service Provider - A company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers (colocation). Transit ISPs provide large amounts of bandwidth for connecting hosting ISPs to access ISPs.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| JBOD |
Just a Bunch Of Disks - Used to refer to concatenation, where all the physical disks are concatenated and presented as a single disk. Concatenation or spanning of disks is not one of the numbered RAID levels, but it is a popular method for combining multiple physical disk drives into a single virtual disk. It provides no data redundancy.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| Kb |
kilobit - A multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage equal to 1,000 bits.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| KB |
Kilobyte or knowledge base - A multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol kB or KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 (210) bytes or 1000 (103) bytes in the fields of computer science and information technology.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| LAN |
Local Area Network - A computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building using network media.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LBA |
Logical Block Addressing - A common scheme used for specifying the location of blocks of data stored on computer storage devices, generally secondary storage systems such as hard disks.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LC |
Lucent connector -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LCD |
liquid crystal display -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LDAP |
lightweight directory access protocol - An application protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an IP network. Directory services may provide any organized set of records, often with a hierarchical structure, such as a corporate electronic mail directory.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LED |
Light Emitting Diode - A semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| Li-on |
lithium-ion -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LPD/LPR |
line printer daemon / line printer remote -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LPT |
line printer terminal -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| LVD |
low voltage differential -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| MAC |
Mandatory Access Control / Media Access Control - In the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking, media access control (MAC) data communication protocol is a sublayer of the data link layer, which itself is layer 2. The MAC sublayer provides addressing and channel access control mechanisms that make it possible for several terminals or network nodes to communicate within a multiple access network that incorporates a shared medium, e.g. Ethernet. The hardware that implements the MAC is referred to as a medium access controller. The MAC sublayer acts as an interface between the logical link control (LLC) sublayer and the network's physical layer. The MAC layer emulates a full-duplex logical communication channel in a multi-point network. This channel may provide unicast, multicast or broadcast communication service.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MAPI |
messaging application programming interface -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MAU |
media access unit, media attachment unit -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| Mb |
megabit -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MB |
megabyte -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MBR |
Master Boot Record - A type of boot sector that consists of a sequence of 512 bytes located at the first sector of a data storage device such as a hard disk. The MBR may hold a partition table of a storage device or may be used for bootstrapping an operating system. The BIOS loads the MBR from the storage device and passes execution to machine code instructions at the beginning of the MBR.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MBSA |
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MFD |
multi-function device -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MHz |
megahertz -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MicroDIMM |
micro dual inline memory module -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MIDI |
musical instrument digital interface -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MIME |
multipurpose internet mail extension -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MIMO |
Multiple Input Multiple Output -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MMC |
Microsoft management console -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MMX |
multimedia extensions -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MP3 |
Moving Picture Experts Group Layer 3 Audio -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MP4 |
Moving Picture Experts Group Layer 4 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MPEG |
Moving Picture Experts Group -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MSCONFIG |
Microsoft configuration -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MSDS |
material safety data sheet -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| MUI |
multilingual user interface -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| NAC |
Network Access Control - A computer networking solution that uses a set of protocols to define and implement a policy that describes how to secure access to network nodes by devices when they initially attempt to access the network. NAC might integrate the automatic remediation process (fixing non-compliant nodes before allowing access) into the network systems, allowing the network infrastructure such as routers, switches and firewalls to work together with back office servers and end user computing equipment to ensure the information system is operating securely before interoperability is allowed.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NAS |
Network Attached Storage - File-level computer data storage connected to a computer network providing data access to clients.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NAT |
Network Address Translation - The process of modifying IP address information in IP packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NetBEUI |
Network Basic Input / Output Extended User Interface - An enhanced version of the NetBIOS protocol used by network operating systems such as LAN Manager, LAN Server, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95 and Windows NT. Netbeui was originally designed by IBM for their Lan Manager server and later extended by Microsoft and Novell. See NetBIOS below.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NetBIOS |
networked basic input/output system - A service related to the session layer of the OSI model allowing applications on separate computers to communicate over a local area network.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NFS |
Network File Service - A distributed file system protocol allowing a user on a client computer to access files over a network in a manner similar to how local storage is accessed.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NIC |
Network Interface Card - A computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network. Early network interface controllers were commonly implemented on expansion cards that plug into a computer bus; the low cost and ubiquity of the Ethernet standard means that most newer computers have a network interface built into the motherboard.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NiCd |
nickel cadmium -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NiMH |
nickel metal hydride -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NLX |
new low-profile extended -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NNTP |
network news transfer protocol -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NTFS |
new technology file system - A proprietary file system developed by Microsoft Corporation for its Windows line of operating systems. NTFS supersedes the FAT file system as the preferred file system for Microsoft’s Windows operating systems.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NTLDR |
new technology loader -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| NTP |
Network Time Protocol - A networking protocol for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| OCR |
optical character recognition -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| OEM |
original equipment manufacturer -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| OLED |
Organic Light Emitting Diode -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| OS |
Operating Systems - A set of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs. The operating system is a vital component of the system software in a computer system. Application programs require an operating system to function.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| PAN |
personal area network -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PATA |
parallel advanced technology attachment -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PC |
Personal Computer - Any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PCI |
peripheral component interconnect -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PCIe |
peripheral component interconnect express -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PCIX |
peripheral component interconnect extended -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PCL |
printer control language -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PCMCIA |
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PDA |
personal digital assistant -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PGA |
pin grid array -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PGA2 |
pin grid array 2 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PII |
Personally Identifiable Information -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PIN |
personal identification number -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PKI |
Public Key Infrastructure - A set of hardware, software, people, policies, and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates. In cryptography, a PKI is an arrangement that binds public keys with respective user identities by means of a certificate authority (CA). The user identity must be unique within each CA domain.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PnP |
Plug and Play -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| POP3 |
Post Office Protocol version 3 - An application-layer Internet standard protocol used by local e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a remote server over a TCP/IP connection. POP and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) are the two most prevalent Internet standard protocols for e-mail retrieval. Virtually all modern e-mail clients and servers support both.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PoS |
Point of Sale -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| POST |
power-on self test -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| POTS |
Plain Old Telephone System - The voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PPP |
Point-to-Point Protocol - A data link protocol commonly used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes. It can provide connection authentication, transmission encryption, and compression.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PPTP |
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol - A method for implementing virtual private networks. PPTP uses a control channel over TCP and a GRE tunnel operating to encapsulate PPP packets. The PPTP specification does not describe encryption or authentication features and relies on the PPP protocol being tunneled to implement security functionality.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PRI |
Primary Rate Interface - A standardized telecommunications service level within the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) specification for carrying multiple DS0 voice and data transmissions between a network and a user. PRI is the standard for providing telecommunication services to offices. It is based on the T-carrier (T1) line in the US and Canada, and the E-carrier (E1) line in Europe. The T1 line consists of 24 channels, while an E1 has 31.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PROM |
programmable read-only memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PS/2 |
personal system/2 connector -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PSTN |
Public Switched Telephone Network - The network of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks. It consists of telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables, all inter-connected by switching centers, thus allowing any telephone in the world to communicate with any other. Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital in its core and includes mobile as well as fixed telephones.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PSU |
power supply unit -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PVC |
Permanent Virtual Circuit - A permanent virtual circuit (PVC) is a virtual circuit established for repeated/continuous use between the same DTE. In a PVC, the long-term association is identical to the data transfer phase of a virtual call. Permanent virtual circuits eliminate the need for repeated call set-up and clearing.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| PXE |
preboot execution environment -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| QoS |
Quality of Service - Several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements. In particular, much technology has been developed to allow computer networks to become as useful as telephone networks for audio conversations, as well as supporting new applications with even stricter service demands.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| RAID |
redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) discs -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RAM |
random access memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RAS |
Remote Access Service - Any combination of hardware and software to enable the remote access tools or information that typically reside on a network of IT devices. A RAS server is a specialized computer which aggregates multiple communication channels together.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RDRAM |
RAMBUS® Dynamic Random Access Memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RDP |
Remote Desktop Protocol - A proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, which provides a user with a graphical interface to another computer.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RF |
radio frequency -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RFI |
Radio Frequency Interference - Disturbance that affects an electrical circuit due to either electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic radiation emitted from an external source.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RGB |
red green blue -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RIMM |
RAMBUS® inline memory module -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RIP |
Routing Information Protocol - A distance-vector routing protocol, which employs the hop count as a routing metric. RIP prevents routing loops by implementing a limit on the number of hops allowed in a path from the source to a destination.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RIS |
remote installation service -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RISC |
reduced instruction set computer -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RJ |
Registered Jack - A standardized physical network interface for connecting telecommunications or data equipment to a service provided by a local exchange carrier or long distance carrier.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RJ-11 |
registered jack function 11 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RJ-45 |
registered jack function 45 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RMA |
returned materials authorization -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ROM |
read only memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RS-232 or RS-232C |
recommended standard 232 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| RTC |
real-time clock -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| SAN |
storage area network -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SAS |
Serial Attached SCSI -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SATA |
serial advanced technology attachment -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SC |
subscription channel -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SCP |
secure copy protection -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SCSI |
Small Computer System Interface - A set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it can connect a wide range of other devices, including scanners and CD drives.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SCSI ID |
small computer system interface identifier -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SD card |
secure digital card -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SDRAM |
synchronous dynamic random access memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SEC |
single edge connector -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SFC |
system file checker -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SFF |
Small Form Factor -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SGRAM |
synchronous graphics random access memory -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SIMM |
single inline memory module -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SLI |
scalable link interface or system level integration or scanline interleave mode -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| S.M.A.R.T. |
self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SMB |
server message block or small to midsize business -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SMTP |
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - An Internet standard for electronic mail (e-mail) transmission across Internet Protocol (IP) networks. SMTP uses TCP port 25.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SNMP |
Simple Network Management Protocol - An "Internet-standard protocol for managing devices on IP networks." Devices that typically support SNMP include routers, switches, servers, workstations, printers, modem racks, and more. It is used mostly in network management systems to monitor network-attached devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SoDIMM |
Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SOHO |
Small Office / Home Office - Refers to the category of business that involves from 1 to 10 workers.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SP |
service pack -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SP1 |
service pack 1 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SP2 |
service pack 2 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SP3 |
service pack 3 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SP4 |
service pack 4 -
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| S/PDIF |
Sony / Philips Digital Interface Format - A type of digital audio interconnect cable used in consumer audio equipment to output audio over relatively short distances. The signal is transmitted over either a coaxial cable with RCA connectors or a fibre optic cable with TOSLINK connectors. S/PDIF interconnects components in home theatres and other digital high fidelity systems.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SPGA |
Staggered Pin Grid Array - A type of integrated circuit packaging. In a PGA, the package is square or roughly square, and the pins are arranged in a regular array on the underside of the package. The pins are commonly spaced 2.54 mm (0.1") apart, and may or may not cover the entire underside of the package. PGAs are often mounted on printed circuit boards using the through hole method or inserted into a socket. PGAs allow for more pins per integrated circuit than older packages such as dual in-line package (DIP).
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SRAM |
Static Random Access Memory - A type of semiconductor memory that uses bistable latching circuitry to store each bit. The term static differentiates it from dynamic RAM (DRAM) which must be periodically refreshed. SRAM exhibits data remanence, but is still volatile in the conventional sense that data is eventually lost when the memory is not powered.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SSH |
Secure Shell - A network protocol for secure data communication, remote shell services or command execution and other secure network services between two networked computers that it connects via a secure channel over an insecure network: a server and a client (running SSH server and SSH client programs, respectively).
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SSID |
Service Set Identifier - A 32-character unique identifier attached to the header of packets sent over a WLAN that acts as a password when a mobile device tries to connect to the BSS. The SSID differentiates one WLAN from another, so all access points and all devices attempting to connect to a specific WLAN must use the same SSID. A device will not be permitted to join the BSS unless it can provide the unique SSID. Because an SSID can be sniffed in plain text from a packet it does not supply any security to the network. An SSID is also referred to as a network name because essentially it is a name that identifies a wireless network.
- Back to Top - |
| SSL |
Secure Sockets Layer - A cryptographic protocol that provides communication security over the Internet. TLS and SSL encrypt the segments of network connections at the Application Layer for the Transport Layer, using asymmetric cryptography for key exchange, symmetric encryption for privacy, and message authentication codes for message integrity.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
ST |
Straight Tip or Snap Twist - A high-performance fiber-optic connector with round ceramic ferrules and bayonet locking features.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| STP |
Shielded Twisted Pair - Twisted pair cables are often shielded in an attempt to prevent electromagnetic interference. Because the shielding is made of metal, it may also serve as a ground. However, usually a shielded or a screened twisted pair cable has a special grounding wire added called a drain wire.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SVGA |
Super Video Graphics Array - A graphics display controller implementing any superset of the standard IBM VGA display adapter. When used as a resolution specification, in contrast to VGA or XGA for example, the term SVGA normally refers to a resolution of 800 × 600 pixels.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| SXGA |
Super Extended Graphics Array - A standard monitor resolution of 1280×1024 pixels.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| TB |
Terabyte - A multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The prefix tera means 1012 in the International System of Units (SI), and therefore 1 terabyte is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, or 1 trillion bytes, or 1,000 gigabytes.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| TCP |
Transmission Control Protocol - one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is one of the two original components of the suite, complementing the Internet Protocol (IP), and therefore the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP. TCP provides reliable, ordered delivery of a stream of octets from a program on one computer to another program on another computer. TCP is the protocol used by major Internet applications such as the World Wide Web, email, remote administration and file transfer. Other applications, which do not require reliable data stream service, may use the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), which provides a datagram service that emphasizes reduced latency over reliability.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| TCP/IP |
transmission control protocol/internet protocol - The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols used for the Internet and similar networks, and generally the most popular protocol stack for wide area networks. It is commonly known as TCP/IP, because of its most important protocols: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP), which were the first networking protocols defined in this standard.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| TDR |
Time Domain Reflectometer - An electronic instrument used to characterize and locate faults in metallic cables (for example, twisted wire pairs, coaxial cables). It can also be used to locate discontinuities in a connector, printed circuit board, or any other electrical path. The equivalent device for optical fiber is an optical time-domain reflectometer.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| TFTP |
Trivial File Transfer Protocol - A file transfer protocol notable for its simplicity. It is generally used for automated transfer of configuration or boot files between machines in a local environment. Compared to FTP, TFTP is extremely limited, providing no authentication, and is rarely used interactively by a user.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| TKIP |
Temporal Key Integrity Protocol - A security protocol used in the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standard. TKIP was designed by the IEEE 802.11i task group and the Wi-Fi Alliance as a solution to replace WEP without requiring the replacement of legacy hardware. This was necessary because the breaking of WEP had left WiFi networks without viable link-layer security, and a solution was required for already deployed hardware.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| TPM |
Trusted Platform Module - In computing, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is both the name of a published specification detailing a secure cryptoprocessor that can store cryptographic keys that protect information, as well as the general name of implementations of that specification, often called the "TPM chip" or "TPM Security Device". The Trusted Platform Module offers facilities for the secure generation of cryptographic keys, and limitation of their use, in addition to a random number generator. Software can use a Trusted Platform Module to authenticate hardware devices. Pushing the security down to the hardware level in conjunction with software provides more protection than a software-only solution.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| UAC |
User Account Control - A technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed version also present in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It aims to improve the security of Microsoft Windows by limiting application software to standard user privileges until an administrator authorizes an increase or elevation.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| UART |
Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter - A type of "asynchronous receiver/transmitter", a piece of computer hardware that translates data between parallel and serial forms. UARTs are commonly used in conjunction with communication standards such as EIA, RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485. The universal designation indicates that the data format and transmission speeds are configurable and that the actual electric signaling levels and methods typically are handled by a special driver circuit external to the UART.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| UDMA |
Ultra Direct Memory Access - A method used to transfer data between the computer (through the ATA controller) and an ATA device.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| UDP |
User Datagram Protocol - One of the core members of the Internet protocol suite, the set of network protocols used for the Internet. With UDP, computer applications can send messages, in this case referred to as datagrams, to other hosts on an Internet Protocol (IP) network without requiring prior communications to set up special transmission channels or data paths.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| UNC |
Universal Naming Convention - Specifies a unique location in a file system.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| UPS |
Uninterruptible Power Supply - An electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power, fails. A UPS differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator in that it will provide near-instantaneous protection from input power interruptions, by supplying energy stored in batteries or a flywheel. The on-battery runtime of most uninterruptible power sources is relatively short (only a few minutes) but sufficient to start a standby power source or properly shut down the protected equipment.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| URL |
Uniform Resource Locator - A specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| USB |
Universal Serial Bus - An industry standard that defines the cables, connectors and communications protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| USMT |
user state migration tool - A Microsoft command line utility program intended to allow advanced users, comfortable with Scripting language, to transfer files and settings between PCs.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| UTP |
Unshielded Twisted Pair - Twisted pair cabling is a type of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purposes of canceling out electromagnetic interference (EMI) from external sources; for instance, electromagnetic radiation from unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables, and crosstalk between neighboring pairs. UTP cable is the most common cable used in computer networking. Modern Ethernet, the most common data networking standard, utilizes UTP cables. Twisted pair cabling is often used in data networks for short and medium length connections because of its relatively lower costs compared to optical fiber and coaxial cable.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| UXGA |
Ultra Extended Graphics Array - A standard monitor resolution of 1600×1200 pixels.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| VESA |
Video Electronics Standards Association - An international standards body for computer graphics formed in 1988.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| VFAT |
Virtual File Allocation Table - A virtual installable files system driver used in Windows for Workgroups and Windows 95. VFAT operates in protected mode and serves as an interface between applications and the File Allocation Table (FAT).
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| VGA |
Video Graphics Array - The display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987,[1] but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640×480 resolution itself. While this resolution was superseded in the personal computer market in the 1990s, it is becoming a popular resolution on mobile devices.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| VM |
Virtual Machine - A completely isolated guest operating system installation within a normal host operating system. Modern virtual machines are implemented with either software emulation or hardware virtualization. In most cases, both are implemented together.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| VoIP |
Voice Over Internet Protocol - The communication protocols, technologies, methodologies, and transmission techniques involved in the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| VPN |
Virtual Private Network - A private computer network that interconnects remote (and often geographically separate) networks through primarily public communication infrastructures such as the Internet. VPNs provide security through tunneling protocols and security procedures such as encryption.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| VRAM |
Video Random Access Memory - A dual-ported variant of dynamic RAM (DRAM), which was once commonly used to store the framebuffer in some graphics adapters.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| WAN |
Wide Area Network - A telecommunication network that covers a broad area (i.e., any network that links across metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries).
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WAP |
Wireless Access Point - A device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards. The WAP usually connects to a router (via a wired network) if it's a standalone device, or is part of a router itself.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WAP |
Wireless Application Protocol - A technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network. A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones (called "cellular phones" or "mobile phones") that uses the protocol.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WEP |
Wired Equivalent Privacy - A security algorithm for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Introduced as part of the original 802.11 standard ratified in September 1999, its intention was to provide data confidentiality comparable to that of a traditional wired network. WEP, recognizable by the key of 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits, is widely in use and is often the first security choice presented to users by router configuration tools. Although its name implies that it is as secure as a wired connection, WEP has been demonstrated to have numerous flaws and has been deprecated in favor of newer standards such as WPA2.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WIFI |
Wireless Fidelity - A popular technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data wirelessly (using radio waves) over a computer network, including high-speed Internet connections. The Wi-Fi Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any "wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards".
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WINS |
Windows Internet Name Service - Microsoft's implementation of NetBIOS Name Service (NBNS), a name server and service for NetBIOS computer names. Effectively WINS is to NetBIOS names what DNS is to domain names — a central mapping of host names to network addresses. Like DNS it is broken into two parts, a Server Service (that manages the encoded Jet Database, server to server replication, service requests, and conflicts) and a TCP/IP Client component which manages the client's registration and renewal of names, and takes care of queries.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WLAN |
Wireless Local Area Network - A wireless local area network (WLAN) links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method (typically spread-spectrum or OFDM radio), and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network. Most modern WLANs are based on IEEE 802.11 standards, marketed under the Wi-Fi brand name.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WPA |
Wi-Fi Protected Access - Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) are two security protocols and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| WUXGA |
Wide Ultra Extended Graphics Array - A display resolution of 1920×1200 pixels (2,304,000 pixels) with a 16:10 screen aspect ratio.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| XGA |
Extended Graphics Array - An IBM display standard introduced in 1990.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| |
| |
| ZIF |
Zero Insertion Force - A concept used in the design of IC sockets and electrical connectors invented to avoid problems caused by applying force upon insertion and extraction.
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
| ZIP |
Zigzag Inline Package - A short-lived packaging technology for integrated circuits, particularly dynamic RAM chips. It was intended as a replacement for dual in-line packaging (DIL or DIP). A ZIP is an integrated circuit encapsulated in a slab of plastic, measuring about 3 mm x 30 mm x 10 mm. The package's pins protrude in two rows from one of the long edges. The two rows are staggered by 1.27 mm (0.05"), giving them a zig-zag appearance, and allowing them to be spaced more closely than a rectangular grid would allow. The pins are inserted into holes in a printed circuit board, with the packages standing at right-angles to the board, allowing them to be placed closer together than DIPs of the same size. ZIPs have now been superseded by surface-mount packages such as the thin small-outline packages (TSOPs) used on single-in-line memory modules (SIMMs) and dual-in-line memory modules (DIMMs).
- More From Wikipedia - Back to Top - |
