Terms

account

A combination of name, directories, password, and shell of a login user.

alias

A mechanism that enables a replacement of a word in a shell command by another string. To list all defined aliases, type alias at the shell prompt.

ARP

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), which is used to map IP addresses to MAC addresses of equipment in a local area network.

batch

A processing mode in which a processor executes a series of jobs without manual intervention until it is ready to receive another series of jobs.

boot

A process in which the operating system is loaded into memory after completion of power-on self-tests.

bootdisk

A removable digital data storage medium from which a computer can load and run (boot) an operating system or utility program.

BSD

Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) is a Unix operating system derivative developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) of the University of California, Berkeley.

buffer

A memory region with fixed capacity to load region mode files, system partition tables, processes that are being executed, and so on.

buffer cache

An embedded memory through which external devices read or write data from or into buffers.

CHAP

Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), a communication protocol used by ISP to verify its clients. Unlike the Password Authentication Protocol (PAP), CHAP periodically initiates verification after the initial verification.

client

A program or computer that connects temporarily to other programs or computers and issues instructive commands or information requests to the latter. It is a part of client/server system.

client/server system

A system architecture composed of a server and one or more clients.

compilation

The act of transforming source code written in a human-readable programming language such as the C language into binary files that can be recognized by machines.

completion

A feature of command line interpreters, in which shell automatically fills in partially typed commands.

compression

A method of encoding information using fewer characters or smaller files than the original representation. Common compressors include compress, zip, gzip, and bzip2.

console

A machine used by users to operate a super computer and often referred to as a terminal. The console to operate a PC is the keyboard and screen.

cookies

A small piece of data sent from a website and stored in the user's web browser while the user is browsing. Every time the user loads the website, the browser sends the cookie back to the server to notify the user's previous activity.

DHCP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a communication protocol used within a local area network to allocate IP addresses dynamically to DHCP clients.

DMA

Direct memory access (DMA), a feature of computer systems that allows interface devices to access main system memory independently of the central processing unit (CPU).

DNS

Domain Name System (DNS), a mechanism of mapping machine names to IP addresses recognizable for network devices, or conversely.

DPMS

Display Power Management System (DPMS), a standard for managing power supply of monitors. Example usage includes shutting off the monitor after a period of idle time to save power.

editor

A type of program used for editing plain text files. Popular GNU/Linux editors include Emacs and VIM.

email

A method of exchanging digital messages between users in the same network. The addresses of the sender and recipients must be correct.