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boot priority (startup sequence): The order in which the computer
searches its disk drives to locate the startup files. Under the standard
boot priority, a computer looks for the startup files in the floppy disk
drive before checking the primary hard disk.
briefcase: A Windows 95/98 and NT feature that allows you to update
multiple versions of a file located on different computers.
buffer: An area of memory where information is held until it can be
processed. Buffers are frequently used to compensate for the fact
that some parts of the system are faster than others. For example, the
computer sends information to a printer much faster than even the
fastest printer can handle it. A print buffer stores printer information,
enabling the computer to continue with other tasks. As the printer
prints a page, it looks in the buffer to see what to do next.
bus: An electrical circuit that connects the microprocessor with other
parts of the computer, such as the video adapter, disk drives and
ports. It is the highway along which data flows from one device to
another. See also local bus.
bus speed: The speed at which the central processing unit (CPU)
communicates with the other elements of the computer. For
example, the speed at which data moves between the CPU and the
serial ports.
byte: A sequence of eight bits. A byte is the smallest addressable unit of
data. Each byte represents an integer up to 255 in decimal
(11111111 in binary, or FF in hexadecimal), or a character (such as
a letter, numeral, or other symbol). See also binary, bit, gigabyte,
hexadecimal, kilobyte, megabyte.
C
cache: An area of very fast memory in which frequently used or recently
accessed information is duplicated for quick retrieval. Accessing
data from cache is faster than accessing it from system RAM. See
also disk cache.
cache buffer: A block of memory in a file server used as temporary
storage for data being transferred to and from a workstation. File
server performance is greatly increased with cache buffers which
allow workstations to access data from memory rather than disk.
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Glossary
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