IBM 865741Y Handbook - Page 263

lines and columns on the monitor screen or the number of pels per unit of area. ROM. Read-only memory. S SCSI. Small computer system interface. segment. A section of cable between components or devices. A segment may consist of a single patch cable, several patch cables that are connected, or a combination of building cable and patch cables that are connected. SMP. symmetric multiprocessing. socket. A receptacle for a microchip. software. (1) All or part of the programs, procedures, rules, and associated documentation of a computer. Software is an intellectual creation that is independent of the medium on which it is recorded. (2) Contrast with hardware. startup sequence. In personal computers, the order that the computer uses to search the direct access storage devices for an operating system. serial port. An access point through which a computer transmits or receives data, one bit at a time. Contrast with parallel port. storage. A functional unit into which data can be placed, in which it can be retained, and from which it can be retrieved. server. (1) A functional unit that provides shared services to workstations over a network. (2) In a network, a data station that provides facilities to other stations. SIMM. Single-inline memory module. slot. (1) A position in a device used for removable storage media. (2) One of several receptacles in the rear panel of the system unit into which a user can install an adapter. small computer system interface (SCSI). A standard input/output interface used by personal computers. straight-through cable. A type of 10BASE-T cable in which the transmit and receive data pairs are wired so that each signal wire is terminated at the same pin position at each end of the cable. A straight-through cable is used to connect the 10BASE-T port on an Ethernet controller to a 10BASE-T port on a repeater that performs the crossover function. subsystem. In computers, a secondary or subordinate system, usually capable of operating independently of a controlling system, and usually having a single purpose, such as displaying video or reading from and writing to hard disks. A subsystem can be Glossary 245