Technology / Computers Glossary

Trojan: A type of computer virus that is loaded into an unsuspecting users system via a host program such as a free game. The Trojan can be programmed by the author to perform many actions once acti . . . View Full Definition

Troubleshooting: The act of determining the cause of a problem through a series of tests and/or queries.

True Color: Refers to any graphics device or software that uses at least 24 bits to represent each dot or pixel. Using 24 bits means that more than 16 million unique colors can be represented. Since hum . . . View Full Definition

Turnkey System: A system that already contains all the components and programs required for operation. The vendor takes care of installation and configurations so all the user has to do is 'turn the key' to . . . View Full Definition

Twisted Pair: A type of cabling in which two small insulated copper wires are wrapped and twisted around each other to minimize interference. Twisted pair is used in UTP and STP cabling on Ethernet networks.

UDMA: A protocol developed by Quantum Corporation and Intel that supports burst mode data transfer rates of 33.3 MBps. This is twice as fast as the previous disk drive standard for PCs, and is nec . . . View Full Definition

Uniform Resource Locator (URL): The naming scheme used to identify sites and files on the Internet. URLs combine information about the protocol in use (http, ftp, etc), the address of the site, the subdirectory location, a . . . View Full Definition

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS): A backup power unit that provides continuous power when the normal power supply is interrupted. UPS systems can be stand-by, only supplying power when the regular supply is interrupted, or f . . . View Full Definition

Universal Serial Bus (USB): A 12Mbit/sec interface over a four wire connection. Can support up to 127 daisy chained devices. Very common interface for peripherals like keyboards, mice, and printers.

UNIX: This is an operating system developed by AT&T. It's big push it that it allows one server to service many different end users at one time.

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP): The most common and inexpensive network cabling, available for multiple category standards such as 3, 5, 5e and 6. Utilizes twisted copper wires to try and avoid interference on the line.

Uploading: The process of transferring files from a local computer to a remote computer, network or Web server. The usual method of uploading files is done using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Utility.

Upstream: The data flowing from the Cable Modem to the CMTS.

Upstream frequency: The frequency used to transmit data from the CM to the CMTS. Normally in the 5-42 MHz range for US systems and 5-65 MHz for European systems.

User: Someone attached to a server or host.

Utility Program: A program developed to run within an Operating System to perform a specific service.

V.90: A standard for 56-Kpbs modems approved by the International Telecommunication Union(ITU) in February, 1998. The V.90 standard resolves the battle between the two competing 56 Kbps technologi . . . View Full Definition

VBScript: Based on the Visual Basic programming language. VBScript was developed by Microsoft as an answer for Netscape's JavaScript programming language. Like JavaScript, VBScript is embedded in to a . . . View Full Definition

Veronica: Stands for Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives. A database of menu names from a large number of Gopher servers. A quick and easy way to search Gopher resources . . . View Full Definition

Video Graphics Array (VGA): A type of PC video display technology and adapter that supports text and graphics. VGA output is analog with a refresh rate of 31.5 KHz. VGA can also refer to any adapter of display capable . . . View Full Definition

Video Random Access Memory (VRAM): A kind of high-speed memory used for the computer's display. VRAM must be fast to keep up with the speed at which the screen is scanned. The VRAM in a PC is on a display adapter card.VRAM ha . . . View Full Definition

Virtual Device Driver (VDD): In Windows systems, a special type of device driver that has direct access to the operating system kernel. This allows them to interact with system and hardware resources at a very low level . . . View Full Definition

Virtual Disk: A RAM disk in which a section of system memory is set aside to hold data, as though it were a number of disk sectors. Sometimes used for bootable operating systems and applications to function.

Virtual Environment: An environment that uses audio and video computer simulations.

Virtual Machine: A self-contained operating environment that behaves as if it is a separate computer. For example, Java applets run in a Java virtual machine (VM) that has no access to the host operating sys . . . View Full Definition

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