TYAN S1846 - Page 81

S1846 Tsunami ATX
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Firmware is low level software that controls the system hardware.
Form factor is an industry term for the size, shape, power supply type,
and external connector type of the PCB (personal computer board) or
motherboard. The standard form factors are the AT and ATX, although
TYAN also makes some Baby-AT boards.
A Global timer is an onboard hardware timer, such as the Real Time
Clock.
Handshaking is a form of encryption. One system, typically the server,
sends an encryption scheme to another agent, typically a client. Thus, the
client’s data is protected during transmittal to the server.
HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive.
H-SYNC controls the horizontal properties of the monitor.
IC (Integrated Circuit) is the formal name for the computer chip.
IDE Integrated Device (or Drive) Electronics is a simple, self-contained
hard drive interface. It can handle drives up to 8.4GB in size. Almost all
IDEs sold now are in fact Enhanced IDEs (EIDEs).
IDE INT (IDE Interrupt) is a hardware interrupt signal that goes to the
IDE.
I/O Input/Output is the connection between your computer and another
piece of hardware (mouse, keyboard, etc.).
IRQ An Interrupt Request is an electronic request that runs from a hard-
ware device to the CPU. The interrupt controller assigns priorities to incom-
ing requests and delivers them to the CPU. It is important that there is only
one device hooked up to each IRQ line; doubling up devices on IRQ lines can
lock up your system. Happily, Plug and Play operating systems take care of
these details for you.
SYSTEM