VX 680 REFERENCE GUIDE 181
GLOSSARY
Access Code A code number dialed to gain
access to a telephone line, such as dialing the
number 9 to reach an outside line.
Application ID An alphanumeric code that
identifies an application program downloaded to a
terminal from a download computer. For ZonTalk
2000 application downloads, the application ID is
stored in the CONFIG.SYS record which begins with
the *ZA key. A VX 680 application ID can be up to 21
characters long. For VeriCentre Download
Management Module, the application ID, as well as
other CONFIG.SYS variables, may differ from those
used for ZonTalk 2000.
Application program The ordered set of
programmed instructions by which a computer
performs an intended task or series of tasks.
Application prompt The information shown on
the terminal’s display panel when power is applied to
the terminal, assuming that an application program
has already been downloaded into the terminal’s
memory and authenticated by the file authentication
module. The application prompt often contains a
graphical logo, and date and time, but it can consist
of anything the programmer chooses for that
purpose.
ASCII Abbreviation for American Standard Code for
Information Interchange. A 7-bit code (with no parity
bit) that provides a total of 128 bit patterns. ASCII
codes are widely used for information interchange in
data processing and communication systems.
Back-to-back application download The
process of copying the contents of one terminal’s
application memory to another terminal’s application
memory. A terminal-to-terminal application upload
require that the sending and receiving terminal be
connected to each other by a serial cable. The same
operation as a terminal-to-terminal application
upload.”
Baud The number of times per second that a
system, especially a data transmission channel,
changes state. The state of a system may represent
a bit, digit, or symbol. For a POS terminal, the baud
rate indicates the number of bits per second that are
transmitted or received by the terminal’s serial ports
or modem.
Bit Short for binary digit. Either of the two digits 0
and 1 in the binary number system. Also, a unit of
information equal to one binary decision. The bit is
the smallest unit of storage and hence of information
in any binary system within a computer.
Block A collection of data units such as words,
characters, or records (generally more than a single
word) that are stored in adjacent physical positions
in memory or on a peripheral storage terminal. A
block can therefore be treated as a single unit for
reading, writing, and other data communication
operations.
Boot loader Also called a bootloader or bootstrap
loader. A short program, stored in non-volatile
memory, that allows the terminal to continue
operating during an operating system download
procedure, until the new operating system is
downloaded into terminal memory.
Buffer A temporary memory area for data, normally
used to accommodate the difference in the rate at
which two devices can handle data during a transfer.
Byte A term developed to indicate a measurable
number of consecutive binary digits that are usually
operated on as a unit. For the VX 680 modem
dongle to, a byte consists of eight bits. See also Bit.
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