Specifications

Glossary

Advanced Conﬁguration and Power Interface

The Advanced Conﬁguration and Power Interface (ACPI) speciﬁcation is an open in-

dustry standard developed by HP, Intel, Microsoft, Phoenix and Toshiba that deﬁnes

common interfaces for hardware recognition, motherboard and device conﬁguration and

power management [Wik04a] [Hoe04].

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is an industrial speciﬁcation for wireless personal area networks (PANs) ﬁrst

developed by Ericsson, later formalized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).

Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices like per-

sonal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers and digital cameras

via a secure, low-cost, globally available short range radio frequency.

Bluetooth lets these devices talk to each other when they come in range, even if they’re

not in the same room, as long as they are within 10 metres (32 feet of each other) [Wik04e].

Bus

In computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data or power between

computer comp onents inside a computer or between computers. Unlike a point-to-point

connection, a bus can logically connect several peripherals over the same set of wires.

Early computer buses were literally parallel electrical buses with multiple connections,

but the term is now used for any physical arrangement that provides the same logical

functionality as a parallel electrical bus. Modern computer buses can use both parallel

and bit-serial connections, and can be wired in either a multidrop (electrical parallel) or

daisy chain topology, or connected by switched hubs, as in the case of USB. [Wik04h]

Daemon

In Unix and other computer operating systems, a daemon–sometimes called a phantom—

is a particular class of computer program that runs in the background, rather than under

the direct control of a user; they are usually instantiated as processes.

Systems often ”launch” daemons at start-up time: they often serve the function of

responding to network requests, hardware activity, or other programs by performing some

task. Daemons can also conﬁgure hardware, run scheduled tasks and perform a variety of

other tasks [Wik04g].

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard

The ﬁlesystem standard has been designed to be used by Unix distribution developers,

package developers, and system implementors. However, it is primarily intended to be a

reference and is not a tutorial on how to manage a Unix ﬁlesystem or directory hierarchy

[Fsh04].