Dell EC280 Owner's Manual page 69

kHz — kilohertz — A measurement of frequency that
equals 1000 Hz.
L
LAN — local area network — A computer network
covering a small area. A LAN usually is confined to a
building or a few nearby buildings. A LAN can be
connected to another LAN over any distance through
telephone lines and radio waves to form a wide area
network (WAN).
LCD — liquid crystal display — The technology used
by portable computer and flat-panel displays.
LED — light-emitting diode — An electronic
component that emits light to indicate the status of
the computer.
local bus — A data bus that provides a fast
throughput for devices to the processor.
LPT — line print terminal — The designation for a
parallel connection to a printer or other parallel
device.
M
Mb — megabit — A measurement of memory chip
capacity that equals 1024 Kb.
Mbps — megabits per second — One million bits per
second. This measurement is typically used for
transmission speeds for networks and modems.
MB — megabyte — A measurement of data storage
that equals 1,048,576 bytes. 1 MB equals 1024 KB.
When used to refer to hard drive storage, the term is
often rounded to 1,000,000 bytes.
MB/sec — megabytes per second — One million
bytes per second. This measurement is typically used
for data transfer ratings.
media bay — A bay that supports devices such as
optical drives, a second battery, or a Dell TravelLite™
module.
memory — A temporary data storage area inside your
computer. Because the data in memory is not
permanent, it is recommended that you frequently
save your files while you are working on them, and
always save your files before you shut down the
computer. Your computer can contain several
different forms of memory, such as RAM, ROM, and
video memory. Frequently, the word memory is used
as a synonym for RAM.
memory address — A specific location where data is
temporarily stored in RAM.
memory mapping — The process by which the
computer assigns memory addresses to physical
locations at start-up. Devices and software can then
identify information that the processor can access.
memory module — A small circuit board containing
memory chips, which connects to the system board.
MHz — megahertz — A measure of frequency that
equals 1 million cycles per second. The speeds for
computer processors, buses, and interfaces are often
measured in MHz.
Mini PCI — A standard for integrated peripheral
devices with an emphasis on communications such as
modems and NICs. A Mini PCI card is a small
external card that is functionally equivalent to a
standard PCI expansion card.
Mini-Card — A small card designed for integrated
peripherals, such as communication NICs. The Mini-
Card is functionally equivalent to a standard PCI
expansion card.
modem — A device that allows your computer to
communicate with other computers over analog
telephone lines. Three types of modems include:
external, PC Card, and internal. You typically use
your modem to connect to the Internet and exchange
e-mail.
module bay — See media bay.
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Glossary