v2_gls | Glossary s

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Storage

Satellite (Geosynchronous) transmission
- Satellites can also be used to bounce microwave signals around the world.
Scalable font
- Refers to font sizes. Typically 10 or 12.

SDM
- Statistical division Multiplexors a type of Time Division Multiplexer.

Secondary Storage Hardware
- Store Data and programs permanently. For Microcomputers the most important are Floppy Disks and Hard Disks.

Security
- Involves those PROCEDURES necessary to ensure the right to privacy is enforced and is enforceable.

Server mirroring
- Two servers communicating via high speed link, whereby all data and memory are mirrored. Used in cases like medical life support systems.

Serial Data Communications
- a character is broken down into it's component binary digits and sent sequentially
Shadow mask (monitor)
- Like a sieve, is a sheet of metal punched full of holes that focuses the electrons fired from the electron guns. Aperture grille is an alternative technology.

Shareware
- Copyrighted software, distributed by authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors, and copies passed among friends. software, distributed by authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors, and copies passed among friends.

Single in-line memory module
- a small card containing RAM chips. Used to add extra memory to a personal computer.

Slicing and dicing
- in Decision support systems, multidimensional data manipulation.

Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI)
- An interface that controls up to seven devices (including CD-ROM, scanners and some printers), each with it's own individual controller.

Smart card
- A credit card sized device that is capable of storing and changing the data on it. May contain a Computer chip that stores data, or a magnetic strip which is modified

Software
- instructions that tell the computer what to do. (Software ==> Computer)

Sound board (Multimedia)
- An add-in card with software that captures and plays back sound or music. [Ref 26]

Spreadsheet
- A term to describe a grid-like table of data (the worksheet) and the computer program that operates on it. For example a Budget Analysis.

Standard Query Language (SQL)
- a database Language developed about 1975, to enable queries to be applied to a relational database.

Stealth viruses
- hide the changes they make to the operating system, directory structures and file sizes so nothing appears to have been tampered with.

Storage Hardware
- device for saving data electronically. Eg. RAM, Floppy Disk

Cache
- A dedicated bank of high speed memory or reserved section of regular memory that is used to improve performance. Cache is a very expensive method of increasing RAID performance.
Disk array
- Two or more drives that work together
Disk mirroring
- The recording of redundant data for fault-tolerant operation. Data is written on two parts of the same disks in the same system or on two separate computer systems.
Disk striping
- A type of disk array mapping in which consecutive stripes of data are mapped round robin to consecutive array members. A striped array or RAID Level 0 array, provides high I/O performance at low cost. But it also offers lower net data reliability than any of its member disks.
Parity bit
- An extra bit attached to a byte, character or word that is used to detect errors in transmission.
RAID
- See Redundant arrays of inexpensive (or independent) disks.
Redundant arrays of inexpensive (or independent) disks (RAID)
- A category of disk arrays (two or more drives that work together) that provide increased performance and several levels of error recovery and fault tolerance.

Storyboard (Multimedia)
- 1. A visualisation of the order of a piece, using representative frames from each slot or sequence to show a visual skeleton of the piece.
- 2. Documentation for video production that contains audio script and a complete description of the visual content often in the form of pictures or sketches.

Submarine Cable
- A special cable designed for underwater connections(often beneath oceans).

Super Computer
- Very high powered computers designed for extremely fast performance.

Synchronous
- packets of bytes are sent
Synchronous memory (Graphics cards)
- Memory synchronised to work at the same speed as the system bus, which theoretically doubles the speed of the graphics. SDRAM and SGRAM are basically the same but SGRAM includes enhanced graphics features.

Synergism
- A word useful to impress on social occasions. Actually means, the concept that the whole is more than the sum of the parts. For example a computer & human together produce more than they can individually!

System Life Cycle
- 1: Preliminary Investigation, 2. Analysis, 3. Design, 4. Development (includes programming), 5. Implementation, 6. Maintenance

System Software
- required to make the computer go. interacts with application software, includes the Operating System programs. Eg. MS-DOS

System Unit
- Housed within the computer cabinet. Made up of Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Primary Storage (memory).

Systems Integrator
- a firm that designs or optimises the system or network, allowing the customer to retain control of the system and the responsibility for its day-to-day maintenance