User's Manual

Glossary 225
NVRAM
Acronym for nonvolatile random-access memory.
Memory that does not lose its contents when you turn
off your computer. NVRAM is used for maintaining the
date, time, and system configuration information.
OEM
Abbreviation for original equipment manufacturer.
An OEM is a company that supplies equipment to
other companies to resell or incorporate into another
product using the reseller's brand name.
OID
Abbreviation for object identifier. An implementation-
specific integer or pointer that uniquely identifies
an object.
online access service
A service that typically provides access to the Internet,
e-mail, bulletin boards, chat rooms, and file libraries.
OTP
Abbreviation for one-time programmable.
parallel port
An I/O port used most often to connect a parallel
printer to your computer. You can usually identify a
parallel port on your computer by its 25-hole connector.
parameter
A value or option that you specify to a program. A
parameter is sometimes called a
switch or an argument .
partition
You can divide a hard drive into multiple physical
sections called
partitions with the fdisk command. Each
partition can contain multiple logical drives.
After partitioning the hard drive, you must format each
logical drive with the
format command.
PCI
Abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect.
A standard for local-bus implementation developed by
Intel Corporation.
PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association. An international trade association that has
developed standards for devices, such as modems and
external hard drives, that can be plugged into
portable computers.
PERC
Acronym for PowerEdge
®
Expandable RAID controller.
peripheral device
An internal or external device—such as a printer, a disk
drive, or a keyboard—connected to a computer.
PGA
Abbreviation for pin grid array, a type of microprocessor
socket that allows you to remove the microprocessor chip.
physical memory array
The physical memory array is the entire physical
memory of a system. Variables for physical memory
array include maximum size, total number of memory
slots on the motherboard, and total number of slots in use.
physical memory array mapped
The physical memory array mapped refers to the way
physical memory is divided. For example, one mapped
area may have 640 KB and the other mapped area may
have between 1 megabyte and 127 megabytes.
PIC
Acronym for programmable interrupt controller.
PIP
Acronym for peripheral interchange program. A CP/M
utility program that was used to copy files.
pixel
A single point on a video display. Pixels are arranged in
rows and columns to create an image. A video
resolution, such as 640 x 480, is expressed as the
number of pixels across by the number of pixels up
and down.