Compatibility Guide

Glossary 159
RAC
Acronym for remote access controller.
RAID
Acronym for redundant array of independent drives.
RAM
Acronym for random-access memory. A system's primary temporary storage area
for program instructions and data. Each location in RAM is identified by a number
called a memory address. Any information stored in RAM is lost when you turn
off your system.
RAMDAC
Acronym for random-access memory digital-to-analog converter.
RAW
Unprocessed. The term refers to data that is passed along to an I/O device without
being interpreted. In contrast, cooked refers to data that is processed before being
passed to the I/O device. It often refers to uncompressed text that is not stored
in any proprietary format. The term comes from UNIX, which supports cooked
and raw modes for data output to a terminal.
RBAC
Abbreviation for role-based access control.
RDRAM
®
Acronym for Rambus™ DRAM
®
. A dynamic RAM chip technology from Rambus,
Inc. Direct RDRAMs are used in systems. Direct RDRAM chips are housed in
RIMM modules, which are similar to DIMMs but have different pin settings. The
chips can be built with dual channels, doubling the transfer rate to 3.2 GB/sec.
read-only file
A read-only file is one that you are prohibited from editing or deleting. A file can
have read-only status if:
• Its read-only attribute is enabled.
• It resides on a physically write-protected diskette or on a diskette in a write-
protected drive.
• It is located on a network in a directory to which the system administrator has
assigned read-only rights to you.