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Glossary 261
Heat Sink
A piece of heat-conductive metal that can be
attached to the top of a chip, such as the
microprocessor, to draw heat away and allow the chip
to operate at a cooler temperature.
Hot-Swappable
Indicates that a device can be connected to or
disconnected from a computer while the computer is
running. After the hot-swappable device is connected
to the computer, the OS can immediately recognize
and use the device.
hr
Hour(s). A measurement of time that equals 60 min.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language. A set of codes inserted
into an Internet web page intended for display on an
Internet browser. The codes tell the browser how to
display the contents of the web page.
http
Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A protocol for
exchanging files between computers on the Internet.
Each URL begins with http://.
Hz
Hertz. A measurement of frequency that equals 1
cycle per second. Computers and electronic devices
are often measured in kilohertz (kHz), megahertz
(MHz), gigahertz (GHz), or terahertz (THz).
I/O
Input/output. An operation or device that enters
and/or extracts data from the computer. For example,
a keyboard is an input device, and a printer is an
output device.
I/O Address
An address in RAM that is associated with a specific
device (such as a serial port, parallel port, or
expansion slot) and allows the microprocessor to
communicate with that device.
IC
Industry Canada. The Canadian regulatory body
responsible for regulating emissions from electronic
equipment, much as the FCC does in the United
States. IC polices the Canadian marketplace to
ensure that equipment manufactured in or imported
into Canada meet the proper emissions limits.
IC
Integrated circuit. A microelectronic semiconductor
component consisting of many interconnected
transistors and other devices. Also called a chip.
Examples include the microprocessor, hard-drive
controller, and RAM chips.
IDE
Integrated Device Electronics. An ATA specification
for drive interface. This is a common interface used
primarily for hard drives and CD drives. This
interface is commonly integrated directly into the
computer’s system board, and it allows up to four
drives to communicate simultaneously with the
computer. See also EIDE.
IP
Internet Protocol. The protocol governing how data is
sent from one computer to another on the Internet.
See also IP Address and TCP/IP.
IP Address
Each computer on the Internet has at least one IP
address that uniquely identifies it from all other
computers on the Internet. When you send or receive
data on the Internet, it contains both the sender's and
receiver's addresses. See also TCP/IP.
IPX
Internetwork packet eXchange. A networking protocol
from Novell
®
that interconnects networks that use
Novell's NetWare
®
clients and servers. See also SPX
and IPX/SPX.
IPX/SPX
Internetwork Packet eXchange (IPX)/Sequenced
Packet eXchange (SPX). A Novell network