User's Manual Part 4

OMNI 3600 REFERENCE MANUAL 143
GLOSSARY
Access code A code number dialed to gain ac-
cess to a telephone line, such as dialing the number
9 to reach an outside line.
Application ID An alphanumeric code that identi-
fies an application program downloaded to a termi-
nal 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. An Omni 3600 application ID can be up to 21
characters long. For VeriCentre Download Manage-
ment 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 pro-
grammed 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 Omni 3300 file au-
thentication 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 pro-
cess of copying the contents of one terminal’s appli-
cation 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 up-
load.”
Bar code Optical binary code imprinted on mer-
chandise in retail stores. To support specific applica-
tions, an optional bar code reader can be attached to
the Omni 3600 to read and process bar codes.
Bar code reader A pencil- or wand-shaped optical
scanner used to read bar codes. To read the code,
you drag the tip of the bar code reader across the
length of the bar code, in a left-to-right or right-to-left
direction.
Base station This unit allows the Omni 3600 ter-
minal to obtain land-line connections and perform
back-to-back downloads.
Baud The number of times per second that a sys-
tem, especially a data transmission channel, chang-
es 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
and modem.
Bit Short for binary digit. Either of the two digits 0
and 1 in the binary number system. Also, a unit of in-
formation 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 device. 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 flash EPROM, that
allows the terminal to continue operating during an
operating system download procedure, until the new
operating system is downloaded into terminal mem-
ory.
Buffer A temporary memory for data, normally used
to accommodate the difference in the rate at which
two devices can handle data during a transfer.