TYAN TRINITY KT-A Manual page 63

ESCD (Extended System Configuration Data) is a format for storing information
about Plug and Play devices in the system BIOS. This information helps properly
configure the system each time it boots.
Firmware is low level software that controls the system hardware.
Form factor is an industry term for the size, shape, power supply type, and external
connector type of the PCB (personal computer board) or motherboard. The standard
form factors are the AT and ATX, although TYAN also makes some Baby-AT boards.
FSB (Front Side Bus) is the bus speed in MHz at which the CPU can communicate
with the memory. On Intel platforms, the speed is usually 100 or 133MHz. On AMD
platforms, this speed is 200 or 266MHz (100 and 133MHz, respectively, due to
DDR). The speed is sometimes dependent on the type of memory used, as well as the
CPU used.
A Global timer is an onboard hardware timer, such as the Real Time Clock.
Handshaking is a form of encryption. One system, typically the server, sends an
encryption scheme to another agent, typically a client. Thus, the client's data is
protected during transmittal to the server.
HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive.
H-SYNC controls the horizontal properties of the monitor.
IC (Integrated Circuit) is the formal name for the computer chip.
IDE Integrated Device (or Drive) Electronics is a simple, self-contained hard drive
interface. It can handle drives up to 8.4GB in size. Almost all IDEs sold now are in fact
Enhanced IDEs (EIDEs).
IDE INT (IDE Interrupt) is a hardware interrupt signal that goes to the IDE.
I/O Input/Output is the connection between your computer and another piece of
hardware (mouse, keyboard, etc.).
IRQ An Interrupt Request is an electronic request that runs from a hardware device to
the CPU. The interrupt controller assigns priorities to incoming requests and delivers
them to the CPU. It is important that there is only one device hooked up to each IRQ
line; doubling up devices on IRQ lines can lock up your system. Happily, Plug and
Play operating systems take care of these details for you.
ISA stands for Industry Standard Architecture. ISA is a slower 8- or 16-bit BUS (data
pathway).
S2390B Trinity KT-A
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