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Glossary 195
cache
A fast storage area that keeps a copy of data or instructions
for quicker data retrieval. For example, your computer's
BIOS may cache ROM code in faster RAM. Or, a disk-
cache utility may reserve RAM in which to store frequently
accessed information from your computer's disk drives;
when a program makes a request to a disk drive for data
that is in the cache, the disk-cache utility can retrieve
the data from RAM faster than from the disk drive.
capability
Refers to the actions that an object can perform, or
actions that can be taken on a managed object. For
example, if a card is hot-pluggable, it is capable of being
replaced while the system power is ON.
CDRAM
Abbreviation for cached DRAM, which is a high-speed
DRAM memory chip developed by Mitsubishi that
includes a small SRAM cache.
CD-ROM
Abbreviation for compact disc read-only memory. CD
drives use optical technology to read data from CDs.
CDs are read-only storage devices; you cannot write
new data to a CD with standard CD drives.
certificate authority
A certificate authority is an industry-recognized entity
that verifies the identity of an organizations requesting
credentials to identify them to other systems over
networks or the Internet. Before issuing a certificate to
an applicant, the certificate authority requires proof of
identity and other security information.
chip
A set of microminiaturized, electronic circuits that are
designed for use as processors and memory in
computers. Small chips can hold from a handful to tens
of thousands of transistors. They look like tiny chips of
aluminum, no more than 1/16" square by 1/30" thick,
which is where the term "chip" came from. Large chips,
which can be more than a half inch square, hold
millions of transistors. It is actually only the top one
thousandth of an inch of a chip's surface that holds the
circuits. The rest of it is just a base.
CIM
Acronym for Common Information Model, which is a
model for describing management information from
the DMTF. CIM is implementation independent,
allowing different management applications to collect
the required data from a variety of sources. CIM
includes schemas for systems, networks, applications
and devices, and new schemas will be added. It provides
mapping techniques for interchange of CIM data with
MIB data from SNMP agents and MIF data from
DMI-compliant systems.
CIMOM
Acronym for common information model object manager.
CI/O
Acronym for comprehensive input/output.
cm
Abbreviation for centimeter(s).
CMOS
Acronym for complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor. In computers, CMOS memory chips
are often used for NVRAM storage.
COMn
The device names for the first through fourth serial
ports on your computer are COM1, COM2, COM3,
and COM4. The default interrupt for COM1 and
COM3 is IRQ4, and the default interrupt for COM2
and COM4 is IRQ3. Therefore, you must be careful
when configuring software that runs a serial device so
that you don't create an interrupt conflict.
component
As they relate to DMI, manageable components are
operating systems, computer systems, expansion cards,
or peripherals that are compatible with DMI. Each
component is made up of groups and attributes that
are defined as relevant to that component.