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Glossary
A
access time
The time period between the supply of an access signal and the
output or acceptance of the data by the addressed system.
Examples are the access times for DRAMs, SRAMs, hard
drives, and CD-ROM drives. Hard drive access time is the time
it takes for a computer to get data from the disk. A hard drive
with an 11 ms access time is fast. A CD-ROM drive with a 280
ms access time is fast.
ACPI
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. A power
management specification developed by Intel, Microsoft, and
Toshiba. When installed on the system, ACPI enables the
operating system to control the amount of power given to each
device attached to the computer. With ACPI, the operating
system can turn off peripheral devices (such as CD-ROM
drives) when they are not in use. As another example, ACPI
enables manufacturers to produce computers that automatically
power up as soon as you touch the keyboard.
adapter
An expansion board or component on the system board that
communicates with peripherals (such as the display monitor or
network devices).
address
A hexadecimal number that represents a location in storage or
memory. Also used to identify communication ports. To
communicate with a storage device.
Glossary 1
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