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Glossary
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Glossary
In glossary definitions, italics are used for items defined elsewhere in the glossary and bold is used for
the items shown in brackets after the main heading of the entry.
address
An address is a data structure or logical convention used to identify a unique entity, such as a
particular process or network device.
arbitrated loop physical address (AL_PA) An AL_PA is a 1-byte value used in an arbitrated loop
topology. This value is used to identify L_Ports. The value then becomes the last byte of the address
identifier for each public L_Port on the loop.
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A 7-bit binary code (0's, 1's) used to
represent letters, numbers, and special characters such as $,!, and /. Supported by almost every
computer and terminal manufacturer.
Attribute Setting that controls access to a specific file. Often used to protect important files (such as
the Registry files) from accidental change or deletion. Set using the ATTRIB command in MS-DOS.
Backplane A printed circuit board incorporated in the chassis assembly to provide logic level signal, and
low voltage power distribution paths.
Bay The slot that a unit or media device fits into.
Bifurcated (power cord) Throughout this user guide, the term is used as the UK equivalent of the US
term furcated.
A bifurcated power cord is a two branched cord joined together by a yoke
bus See channel.
Byte A group of binary digits stored and operated upon as a unit. A byte may have a coded value equal
to a character in the ASCII code (letters, numbers), or have some other value meaningful to the computer.
In user documentation, the term usually refers to 8-bit units or characters.
1 kilobyte (K) is equal to 1,024 bytes or characters; 64K indicates 65,536 bytes or characters.
Cable Throughout this Galaxy 65 user guide this term is used in accordance with the preferred US
context of: “an insulated flexible electric wire used for the transmission of data signals between computer
equipment.”
Note: Cable is UK preferred terminology for either a power cord or a data cable:
channel
A channel is a common physical path composed of wires or other media, across which signals
are sent from one part of a computer to another. A channel is a means of transferring data between
modules and adapters, or between an adapter and SCSI or Fibre Channel devices. A channel topology
network consists of a single cable trunk that connects one workstation to the next in a daisy-chain
configuration. All nodes share the same medium, and only one node can broadcast messages at a time.
Character
A representation, coded in binary digits, of a letter, number, or other symbol.