LaCie SAFE - Manual (Page 44)

LaCie SAFE Hard Drive
User Manual page
Glossary
Fingerprint – An impression on a surface of the
curves formed by the ridges on a fingertip, espe-
cially such an impression made in ink and used as a
means of identification.
Firmware – Permanent or semi-permanent in-
structions and data programmed directly into the
circuitry of a programmable read-only memory or
an electronically-erasable, programmable read-only
memory chip. Used for controlling the operation
of the computer or tape drive. Distinct from the
software, which is stored in random access memory
and can be altered.
Folder – A list created on a disk to store files. Cre-
ating folders and sub-folders enables you to orga-
nize the storage of your files in a logical, hierarchi-
cal manner so that you can find and manage them
more easily.
Format, -ting, -ted – This is a process where a de-
vice is prepared to record data. In this process, the
hard disk writes special information onto its own
recording surfaces into areas (blocks) that are ready
to accept user data. Since this operation causes all
current user data stored on the hard disk to be lost,
this is an infrequent operation that usually only
happens at the v that created the hard disk. It is
unusual for something to happen to a hard disk
that requires the end-user to initially perform this
operation.
GB (GigaByte) – This value is normally associated
with data storage capacity. Basically, it means a
thousand million or a billion bytes. In fact, it equals
1,073,741,824 bytes (or 1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024).
Hardware – Physical components of a computer
system, including the computer itself and peripher-
als such as printers, modems, mice, etc.
Interface – The protocol data transmitters, data re-
ceivers, logic and wiring that link one piece of com-
puter equipment to another, such as a hard drive to
an adapter or an adapter to a system bus. Proto-
col means a set of rules for operating the physical
interface, such as: do not read or write before the
drive is ready.
I/O (Input/Output) – Refers to an operation,
program or device whose purpose is to enter data
into or to extract data from a computer.
Kb (Kilobit) – Equivalent to 1,000 bits.
Kb/s – Kilobits per second. 480Kb/s is equal to
60KB/s.
KB (KiloByte) – Basically, this means 1,000 bytes,
but it is actually 1,024 bytes.
KB/s – Kilobytes per second. A means of measur-
ing throughput.
Mb (Megabit) – Equivalent to 1,000,000 bits.
Mb/s – Megabits per second. A means of measur-
ing throughput. 480Mb/s is equal to 60MB/s.
MB (Megabyte) – Basically means one million
bytes, but is actually 1,024 Kilobytes or 1,024 x
1,024 bytes, which equals 1,048,576 bytes.
MB/s – Megabytes per second. A means of mea-
suring throughput.
Operating System (OS) – Software that controls
the assignment and use of hardware resources such
as memory, processor time, disk space and periph-