| A | B |
|---|
| Bus | a parallel collection of consuctors that carry data or control signals from one unit to ampther |
| Data Bus | a bidirectional pathway linking the CPU to memory and I/O devices |
| Address Bus | a pathway that carries 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 PC's, originally an 8-bit expanded to a 1-bit bus. |
| ISA | Industry standard architecture. The 8- and 16-bit origanly connectors used in PCs |
| EISA | Extended Industry Standards Architecture. 16-bit ISA was extended to 32 bits and called it EISA |
| PCI | Peripheral system interconnect. high-performance 32/64 bit bus. |
| Plug and Play (PnP) | This is a standard that was supposed to make peripherals as easy as plugging and using them. |
| Bandwidth | A measure, n some amount of bits per second, of the amount of data can be sent over a particular cable, interface, or bus. |
| Bus Master | A class of microprocessor with the ability to take control of the system buses of a computer |
| Bus Speed | A measurment, usually in MHz, of how many times data can be transfered over the bus per second |
| Expansion Slot | Refers to any type of slot in a computer that you can plug an expansion slot ino. Generaly, it's limited to ISA, EISA, PCI, and PCMCIA. |
| Legacy | describes older computer systems, hardware, software |
| Fire Wire | High speed serial bus allows for connections of up to 63 devices primarly used for digitla video |
| Adapter | A device that allows one system to connect and work with another |
| Interrupt | a signal that gets the attention of the CPU and is usually generated when I/O is required |
| Jumper | A small plug placed over pins to configure hardware settings |
| DMA | Stands for direct memory access. Specialized circuitry or a dwdicated microprocessor that transfers data from adapterst memory with out using the CPU |
| I/O address | On PC's. a three digit hexadecimal number (2AB, 2AO and so on) used to identify and signal like a serial port, parallel port or sound card |
| AGP | stands for Accelerated Graohics Port. Architecture that is based on the PCI architecture and is specifically desghned to speed up 3D graphics |
