TYAN THUNDER X Manual page 100

Appendix C
Glossary
PCI-to-PCI bridge
PCI slot.
Pipeline burst SRAM
cache because SRAM is slower than SDRAM, but usually larger. Data is
cached first to the faster primary cache, and then, when the primary cache is
full, to the slower secondary cache.
Pipelining
improves system performance by allowing the CPU to begin
executing a second instruction before the first is completed. A pipeline can be
likened to an assembly line, with a given part of the pipeline repeatedly
executing a set part of an operation on a series of instructions.
PM timers
(Power Management timers) are software timers that count
down the number of seconds or minutes until the system times out and enters
sleep, suspend, or doze mode.
PnP
is an acronym for Plug and Play, a design standard that has become
ascendant in the industry. Plug and Play devices require little setup to use.
Novice end users can simply plug them into a computer that is running on a
Plug and Play-aware operating system (such as Windows 95), and go to work.
Devices and operating systems that are not Plug and Play require you to
reconfigure your system each time you add or change any part of your
hardware.
RAM
The term (Random Access Memory), while technically referring to a
type of memory where any byte can be accessed without touching the
adjacent data, is often used to refer to the system's main memory. This memory
is available to any program running on the computer.
ROM
(Read-Only Memory) is a storage chip which contains the BIOS (Basic
Input/Output System), the basic instructions required to boot the computer
and start up the operating system.
SDRAM
(Synchronous Dynamic RAM) is so-called because it can keep two
sets of memory addresses open simultaneously. By transferring data alter-
nately from one set of addresses, and then the other, SDRAM cuts down on
the delays associated with non-synchronous RAM, which must close one
address bank before opening the next.
allows you to connect multiple PCI devices onto one
is a fast secondary cache. It is used as a secondary
C-6
http://www.tyan.com