| A | B |
|---|
| Bus | A paralell collection of conductors that carry data or control signals from one unit to another. |
| Data Bus | A bidirectional pathway linking the CPU to memory and I/O devices. |
| Address Bus | A pathway that caries the data generated by the CPU to the various memory and I/O elements of the computer. |
| PC Bus | The bus architectures used in the first IBM PCs, originally an 8-bit bus expanded to a 16-bit bus. |
| ISA | The 8 and 16 bit original connectors used in PCs. Runnning at 8 MHz. Modems and sound cards use this because of their low-bandwidth needs. |
| EISA | The 16 bit bus was expanded to a 32 bit bus. |
| PCI | A high - performance 32/64 bit bus. |
| PnP | Makes adding hardware components to your PC as easy as plugging them in. |
| Bandwidth | A measure in some amounts in bits per second that data can be sent over a cable bus or interface. |
| Bus Master | Any class of microprocessor that has the ability to take control of the system buses of a computer. |
| Bus Speed | A measurement, usually in MHz of how many times per second that data can be sent over a bus per second. |
| Expansion Slot | Refers to a slot that an expansion card can be inserted into. Generally limited to ISA EISA PCI and PCMCIA. |
| Legacy | Describes older computers and their components. |
| Firewire | High speed bus that can be used to connect up to 63 devices. Primarily used for digital video. |
| Jumper | It fits on 2 metal connectors. It provides an electrical connection between two wires to enable a semi-permanent hardware configuration. |
| Adapter | A device that allows one system to connect to another. |
| Interrupt | A signal that gets the attention of the processor |
| I/O Address | A three digit hexadecimal number used to identify a peripheral device. |
| AGP | Used for video expansion cards. |
| DMA | Specialized circutry or a dedicated microprocessor that transfers data from adapters to memory w/o using the CPU. |
