Glossary - Digital Equipment MicroVAX 3600 Operation

Glossary
Application program
A program designed to meet specific user needs, such as a program that
monitors a manufacturing process.
Backplane
1. The connector block that all MicroVAX printed circuit boards plug into.
2. A printed circuit board containing the bus.
Back up
The process of making copies of the data stored in your disk drivels) so that
you can recover that data after an accidental loss. You make copies on a tape
cartridge and then store them in a safe place.
Backup copy
A duplicate copy of data on your fixed disk that is stored on a tape cartridge.
Baud rate
The speed at which signals are transmitted serially along a communication
line. One baud equals one bit per second.
Binary
A number system that uses only two digits: 0 and 1. These digits are usually
represented in circuitry by two voltage levels.
Bit
A binary digit, the smallest unit of information in a binary system of notation,
designated as a 0 or a 1.
Boot
To use a bootstrap program to start a computer system.
Bootable medium
A fixed disk or magnetic tape containing software (such as an operating
system) that the bootstrap program can load into the system memory.
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