Asus A7A266-E - Manual (Page 89)

ASUS A7A266-E User’s Manual 89
7 .
APPENDIX Glossary
7. APPENDIX
7.1 Glossary
1394
1394 is the IEEE designation for a high performance serial bus tht offers data transfers at 100/
200/400 Mbps. This serial bus defines both a back plane physical layer and a point-to-point
cable-connected virtual bus. The primary application of the cable version is the integration of
I/O connectivity at the back panel of personal computers using a low-cost, scalable, high-
speed serial interface. The 1394 standard also provides new services such as live connect/
disconnect capability for external devices including disk drives, printers and hand-held pe-
ripherals such as scanners and cameras. This is a new standard to complement the slower
USB interface and to compete with the more expensive SCSI interface.
AC97 (Audio Codec '97)
AC '97 is the next step in enabling PCs with audio quality comparable to consumer electron-
ics devices. The specification defines new cost-effective options to help integrate the compo-
nents necessary to support next-generation auto-intensive PC applications such as DVD, 3-D
multiplayer gaming and interactive music. The specification also defines new extensions sup-
porting modem and docking to help both desktop and mobile manufacturers adopt these new
technologies more quickly and cost-effectively. This specification uses software emulation to
compete with the PCI SoundBlaster specification.
ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
The ACPI specification defines a cross-platform interface designed to support many operat-
ing systems. ACPI defines a flexible and abstract hardware interface that provides a standard
way to integrate power management features throughout a PC system, including hardware,
operating system and application software. This enables the system to automatically turn ON
and OFF peripherals such as CD-ROMs, network cards, hard disk drives, and printers, as well
as consumer devices connected to the PC such as VCRs, TVs, phones, and stereos. With this
technology, peripherals will also be able to activate the PC. For example, inserting a tape into
a VCR can turn on the PC, which could then activate a large-screen TV and high-fidelity
sound system.
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
An interface specification that enables high-performance 3D graphics on mainstream PCs.
AGP was designed to offer the necessary bandwidth and latency to perform texture mapping
directly from system memory.
Bus Bus Frequency Bandwidth Data Transfer Rate
PCI 33MHz 33MHz 133MByte/sec
AGP 1X 66MHz 66MHz 266MByte/sec
AGP 2X 66MHz 133MHz 512MByte/sec
AGP 4X 66MHz 266MHz 1024MByte/sec
Backup. A copy of a file, directory, or volume on a separate storage device from the original.
This copy is for the purpose of data retrieval in case the original is accidentally erased, dam-
aged, or destroyed.
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
BIOS is a set of routines that affect how the computer transfers data between computer com-
ponents, such as memory, disks, and the display adapter. The BIOS instructions are built into
the computer’s read-only memory. BIOS parameters can be configured by the user through
the BIOS Setup program. The BIOS can be updated using the provided utility to copy a new
BIOS file into the EEPROM.
Bit (Binary Digit)
Represents the smallest unit of data used by the computer. A bit can have one of two values:
0 or 1.