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Glossary 205
PCI
Abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect.
A standard for local-bus implementation developed by
Intel Corporation.
PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association. An international trade association that has
developed standards for devices, such as modems and
external hard drives, that can be plugged into
portable computers.
PERC
Acronym for Dell PowerEdge™ Expandable RAID
controller.
peripheral device
An internal or external device—such as a printer, a disk
drive, or a keyboard—connected to a computer.
PGA
Abbreviation for pin grid array, a type of microprocessor
socket that allows you to remove the microprocessor chip.
physical memory array
The physical memory array is the entire physical
memory of a system. Variables for physical memory
array include maximum size, total number of memory
slots on the motherboard, and total number of slots in use.
physical memory array mapped
The physical memory array mapped refers to the way
physical memory is divided. For example, one mapped
area may have 640 KB and the other mapped area may
have between 1 megabyte and 127 megabytes.
PIC
Acronym for programmable interrupt controller.
PIP
Acronym for peripheral interchange program. A CP/M
utility program that was used to copy files.
pixel
A single point on a video display. Pixels are arranged in
rows and columns to create an image. A video
resolution, such as 640 x 480, is expressed as the
number of pixels across by the number of pixels up
and down.
PLCC
Acronym for plastic leaded chip carrier.
Plug and Play
An industry-standard specification that makes it easier
to add hardware devices to personal computers. Plug
and Play provides automatic installation and
configuration, compatibility with existing hardware,
and dynamic support of mobile computing environments.
PME
Abbreviation for Power Management Event. A PME is
a pin on a peripheral component interconnect that
allows a PCI device to assert a wake event.
POST
Acronym for power-on self-test. Before the operating
system loads when you turn on your computer, the
POST tests various system components such as RAM,
the disk drives, and the keyboard.
power supply
An electrical system that converts AC current from the
wall outlet into the DC currents required by the
computer circuitry. The power supply in a personal
computer typically generates multiple voltages.
power unit
A set of power supplies in a system chassis.
ppm
Abbreviation for pages per minute.
PQFP
Abbreviation for plastic quad flat pack, a type of
microprocessor socket in which the microprocessor
chip is permanently mounted.