LSI SATA 150 - Manual (Page 41)

MegaRAID SATA 150 Storage Adapters User’s Guide A-1
Copyright © 2002–2006 by LSI Logic Corporation. All rights reserved.
Appendix A
Glossary of Terms
BIOS Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS is software that provides basic
read/write capability. It is usually stored as firmware. The system BIOS
on the main board of a computer boots and controls the system. The
BIOS on the storage adapter acts as an extension of the system BIOS.
Configuration Refers to the way a computer is set up; the combined hardware
components (computer, monitor, keyboard, and peripheral devices) that
make up a computer system; or the software settings that allow the
hardware components to communicate with each other.
Device Driver A program that allows a microprocessor (through the operating system)
to direct the operation of a peripheral device, such as a disk drive.
Host The computer system in which a storage adapter is installed. The host
uses the storage adapter to transfer information to and from devices
attached to the storage adapter.
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect. A high performance local bus
specification that allows connection of devices directly to computer
memory.
RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks. An array of multiple independent
hard disk drives that yields better performance than a Single Large
Expensive Disk (SLED). A RAID disk subsystem improves I/O
performance on a server using only a single drive. The RAID array
appears to the host server as a single storage unit. I/O is expedited
because several disks can be accessed simultaneously.
Serial ATA Serialized AT Attachment. The Serial ATA bus is a high-speed, internal
bus that provides a low pin count, low voltage level bus for device
connections between a host adapter and a Serial ATA device.
Storage Adapter A circuit board that provides a device connection between the host and
the storage devices attached to the storage adapter.