MPE/iX Glossary of Terms and Acronyms (32650-90887)

10 Chapter1
Glossary of Terms
alpha character A character in the range of A through Z (or a-z).
alphanumeric character A character in the range of A through Z (or a-z), or 0 through
9.
alpha test The designation given when the reliability of a computer system is tested
by internal users. For example, internal Hewlett-Packard users test and
verify a new product before external customer tests are conducted.
alternate boot path The hardware path used when booting the system from a boot tape.
See boot path.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A nongovernmental agency that
establishes standards, including those for data processing.
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII, USASCII) The
standard method of representing character data (seven data bits plus one
that is sometimes used for parity). This method was established by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to achieve compatibility
between data devices when they are interchanging information.
analog Data that varies continuously rather than in discrete steps. When used in
reference to circuits, it means those circuits that produce an output
varying as an uninterrupted function of the input. The opposite of digital.
append To join all or part of one existing file to the end of another existing file.
application A set of computer instructions or programs that accomplish tasks for the
end user, rather than control the computer (that is what the operating
system does). Examples of applications include spreadsheets, word
processing programs, graphics, database management, and
communications.
application layer Layer seven of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network
model. Application layer tasks include the user interface to remote
services.
application program A set of computer instructions that guides the computer through a
specific set of tasks (usually for the end user). Applications include
spreadsheets, word processing, graphics, database management, and data
communication programs.
architecture 1. The unique set of machine instructions, registers, and components, as
well as the way they interact, that provides the basis of the operation of
the computer's CPU.
2. In networking, a structured modular network design in which different
data communications tasks are assigned to different layers or levels.
See Open Systems Interconnection.
archive mode A DBCore mode of logging that enables both rollback and rollforward
recovery for HP SQL databases.
archiving Storing infrequently used or out-of-date files onto tape and permanently
removing them from the system disks at the same time.
arithmetic logic unit (ALU) The part of a system that performs arithmetic and logic