| iCOMP |
(Intel COmparative
Microprocessor Performance) An index of CPU performance from Intel. iCOMP
Version 1.0 tests a mix of 16-bit and 32-bit integer, floating point, graphics and video
operations. Versions 2.0 and 3.0 are geared for 32-bit processors, and indexes are not
compatible with each other.
CPU Clock Original
Model Speed iCOMP
386SX 16MHz 22
386SX 20MHz 32
386SX 25MHz 39
386SL 25MHz 41
386DX 25MHz 49
386DX 33MHz 68
486SX 25MHz 100
486DX 25MHz 122
486SX 33MHz 136
486DX 33MHz 166
486DX2 50MHz 231
486DX 50MHz 249
486DX2 66MHz 297
486DX4 75MHz 319
486DX4 100MHz 435
CPU Clock iCOMP iCOMP
Model Speed iCOMP 2.0 3.0
Pentium 60MHz 510
Pentium 66MHz 567
Pentium 75MHz 610 67
Pentium 90MHz 735 81
Pentium 100MHz 815 90
Pentium 120MHz 1000 100
Pentium 133MHz 1110 111
Pentium 150MHz 1176 114
Pentium 166MHz 1308 127
Pentium 200MHz 1575 142
Pentium MMX 166MHz 160
Pentium MMX 200MHz 182
Pentium MMX 233MHz 203
Celeron 266MHz 213
Celeron 300MHz 226
Celeron 333MHz 318
Pentium Pro 180MHz 197
Pentium Pro 200MHz 220
Pentium II 233MHz 267
Pentium II 266MHz 303
Pentium II 300MHz 332
Pentium II 333MHz 366
Pentium II 350MHz 386
Pentium II 400MHz 440 1130
Pentium II 450MHz 483 1240
Pentium III 450MHz 1500
Pentium III 500MHz 1630
Pentium III 550MHz 1780
Pentium III 600MHz 1930
Pentium III 650MHz 2270
Pentium III 700MHz 2420
Pentium III 750MHz 2540
Pentium III 800MHz 2690
Pentium III 866MHz 2890
Pentium III 933MHz 3100
Pentium III 1.0GHz 3280
|
|
| IDE |
(2) (Integrated
Development Environment) A set of programs run from a single user interface.
For example, programming languages often include a text editor, compiler and debugger,
which are all activated and function from a common menu.
(1) (Integrated Drive Electronics) A type of hardware
interface widely used to connect hard disks, CD-ROMs and tape drives to a PC. IDE is very
popular because it is an economical way to connect peripherals. Starting out with 40MB
capacities years ago, 20GB IDE hard disks have become entry level, costing less than half
a cent per megabyte. To learn about the other major hardware interface used for disks, see
SCSI.
With IDE, the controller electronics are built into the drive itself, requiring a simple
circuit in the PC for connection. IDE drives were attached to earlier PCs using an IDE
host adapter card. Today, two Enhanced IDE (EIDE) sockets are built onto the motherboard,
and each socket connects to two devices via a 40-pin ribbon cable. Starting with ATA-66
drives, the cable uses 80 wires and 39 pins. It plugs into the same socket with one pin
removed.
The IDE interface is officially known as the ATA (AT Attachment)
specification. ATAPI (ATA Packet Interface) defines the IDE
standard for CD-ROMs and tape drives. ATA-2 (Fast ATA) defined the faster transfer rates
used in Enhanced IDE. ATA-3 added interface improvements, including the ability to report
potential problems (see S.M.A.R.T.). Starting with ATA-4, either
the word "Ultra" or the transfer rate was added to the name in various
combinations. For example, at 33 Mbytes/sec, terms such as Ultra
ATA, Ultra DMA, UDMA, ATA-33, DMA-33, Ultra ATA-33 and Ultra DMA-33 have all been
used. Following are the transfer rates for the various ATA modes. See Cable Select.
. |
IDE
Drive
Type |
PIO
Mode
|
Transfer
Rate
MBytes/sec |
DMA
Mode |
Transfer
Rate
MBytes/sec |
|
ATA
|
0
1
2
|
3.3
5.2
8.3
|
0
|
4.2
|
|
ATA-2,
3
|
|
|
1
2
|
13.3
16.6 |
|
| ATA-4
(ATA-33) |
|
|
2
|
33.3 |
|
ATA-5
ATA-5
ATA-5 (ATA-33)
ATA-5
ATA-5 (ATA-33)
|
|
|
0
1
2
3
4 |
16.6
25.0
33.3
44.4
66.6 |
|
| ATA-6
(ATA-100) |
|
|
5 |
100.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| IEEE |
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers, New York, www.ieee.org) A membership organization that includes engineers,
scientists and students in electronics and allied fields. Founded in 1963, it has more
than 300,000 members and is involved with setting standards for computers and
communications.
The Computer Society of the IEEE is a separate entity that has more than 100,000 members.
It holds meetings and technical conferences on computers (visit www.computer.org). |
|
| IEEE 1284 |
An IEEE standard for an enhanced parallel port
that is compatible with the Centronics port commonly used on PCs. Instead of just data, it
can send addresses, allowing individual components in a multifunction device (printer,
scanner, fax, etc.) to be addressed independently. IEEE 1284 also defines the required
cable type that increases distance to 32 feet.
EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) mode increases
bi-directional transfer from the Centronics 150 Kbytes/sec to between 600 Kbytes/sec and
1.5 Mbytes/sec. Nibble and byte modes provide slower rates. ECP (Enhanced
Capabilities Port) mode is designed for printers. It uses DMA channels, which
reduces CPU overhead, and also provides a FIFO buffer. The peripheral driver determines
which mode to use. |
|
|
|
| ink jet printer |
A printer that propels droplets of ink
directly onto paper. Today, almost all ink jet printers produce color, or at least have a
color option. Low-end ink jets use three ink colors (cyan, magenta and yellow), but
produce a composite black that is often muddy. Four-color ink jets (CMYK) use black ink
for pure black printing. Ink jet printers are affordable, quiet and very popular.
The cost for ink cartridges in some low-priced ink jets can make the less-expensive model
more costly in the long run. For example, if the black ink does not come in a separate
cartridge, you have to replace the entire four-color unit when you run out of black. Also,
for resolution quality, look at text, not graphics. For color quality, be sure that
samples from different models are printed on the same kind of paper. Clay-coated and other
specialty papers greatly improve the printed results, because they do not absorb the ink
like regular copy paper, but they cost more. Ink and paper costs are on-going expenses,
which must be taken into consideration.
Large-format ink jet printers are used to produce final output for commercial posters and
banners. Using special coated paper, their output is quite extraordinary. Such devices
have mostly replaced the older pen plotters used to "draw" engineering and
architectural renderings.
Continuous Ink Vs. Drop on Demand
The first ink jet mechanism that was developed sprays a continuous
stream of droplets that are aimed onto the paper. Although still used, most ink jets use
the drop on demand method, which forces a drop of ink out of a chamber by heat or
electricity. The thermal method used by HP, Canon and others heats a resistor that forces
a droplet of ink out of the nozzle by creating an air bubble in the ink chamber. Epson and
others use a piezoelectric technique that charges crystals which expand and
"jet" the ink.
Continuous Ink Jet Technology This method sprays continuous droplets of ink that
either reach the paper or wind up in the return gutter. The nozzle uses a piezoelectric
crystal to synchronize the chaotic droplets that arrive from the pump. The charging tunnel
selectively charges the drops that are deflected into the gutter. The uncharged droplets
make it to the paper. The diagram depicts a single nozzle.
Thermal Drop on Demand Method The thermal drop on demand ink jet technology is very
popular. Used by HP, Canon and others, droplets of ink are forced out of the nozzle by
heating a resistor, which causes an air bubble to expand. When the bubble collapses, the
droplet breaks off and the system returns to its original state.
Drop on Demand Printheads There are two ways to "jet" the ink in drop on
demand systems. The thermal method heats a resistor and expands an air bubble. The
piezoelectric method charges crystals that expand.
Letter Size The majority of desktop ink jet printers support standard letter-size
paper. This is an example of one of HP's earlier DeskJets, which popularized the ink jet
printer and helped bring prices down for the home and small business. (Image courtesy
of Hewlett-Packard Company.)
Larger Paper Many ink jet printers can print on large paper. This earlier unit from
Tally handles cut sheets up to 17" wide. (Image courtesy of Tally Printer
Corporation.)
The Largest Wide format ink jet printers such as this have revolutionized the
printing industry, enabling large, attractive graphics to be created one at a time. (Image
courtesy of CalComp, Inc.) |
|
| Internet domain name |
An organization's unique name on the
Internet. As of early 2001, there were more than 20 million registered domain names. The
name chosen by the organization combined with a top level domain (TLD) makes up the
Internet domain name. For example, computerlanguage.com is the domain name for the
publisher of this Encyclopedia.
In order to access the Computer Language site, you have to type in www.computerlanguage.com,
because the "www" is the name given to the computer that actually hosts the
site. WWW is commonly used for uniformity on the Web, but different names are also widely
used. For example, demo.computerlanguage.com could be just as valid a name.
Technically, computerlanguage.com is a "second level domain," because the top
level domain is .com. Computerlanguage.com is also known as a "root domain." In
practice, both computerlanguage.com and www.computerlanguage.com are called domain names.
Internet domain names are registered with any of several dozen registrars. To find out if
a name is already taken, visit www.netsol.com or www.icann.org. See DNS,
IP address and FQDN.
Generic TLDs
Following are the "generic" top level domains. The .com is the most desired
because all major U.S. corporations adopted it early on, and it became trendy. The .com,
.net and .org TLDs are not restricted. If a .com name is already taken, a .net or .org TLD
is often chosen instead.
.com commercial
.net network
.org organization
.edu U.S. educational only
.gov U.S. government only
.mil U.S. military only
.int international treaties
between
governments
only
New Domain Names
In November 2000, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) announced the following new top level domains. Top level domains are
not added at Internet speed. The last time new domains were introduced was in 1989. Stay
tuned! More TLDs are expected.
.biz
a business
.aero aerospace
.coop
cooperative
.pro
professional
.museum museum
.info
information service
.name
individual/personal
Country Codes
Country codes such as .ca for Canada and .uk for the United
Kingdom are widely used top level domains. The U.S. country code (.us) is also used
but not widespread. See country codes A-E for the
complete list. |
|
| IP |
| (1) (Internet Protocol)
The network layer protocol in the TCP/IP communications protocol suite (the "IP"
in TCP/IP). IP contains a network address and allows messages to be routed to a different
network or subnet. IP does not ensure delivery of a complete message, and the TCP
transport layer is used to provide that guarantee (see TCP/IP
for more details). See TCP/IP abc's, IP
address and IP on Everything. |
|
| IP address |
(Internet Protocol
address) The address of a computer attached to a TCP/IP network. Every client and server
station must have a unique IP address. Client workstations have either a permanent address
or one that is dynamically assigned to them each dial-up session. IP addresses are written
as four sets of numbers separated by periods; for example, 204.171.64.2.
The TCP/IP packet uses 32 bits to contain the IP address, which is made up of a network
and host address (netid and hostid). The more bits used for network address, the fewer
remain for hosts. Certain high-order bits identify class types and some numbers are
reserved. The following table shows how the bits are divided. The Class Number is the
decimal value of the high-order eight bits, which identifies the class type.
. |
| Class |
Class
Number |
Maximum
Networks |
Maximum
Hosts |
Bits
in-----
NetID |
Bits in-----
HostID |
|
| A |
1-127 |
127 |
16,777,214 |
7 |
24 |
|
| B |
129-191 |
16,383 |
65,534 |
14 |
16 |
|
| C |
192-223 |
2,097,151 |
254 |
21 |
8 |
|
.
Class C addresses have been expanded using the CIDR addressing scheme, which uses a
variable network ID instead of the fixed numbers shown above. Network addresses are
supplied to organizations by ARIN (previously by InterNIC).
Logical
or Physical?
An IP address is somewhat of a hybrid, which can be thought of as either
logical or physical, depending on how you view it. It is a unique number assigned to a
node, which makes it seem physical, especially because there is so much name-to-IP address
resolution going on in the network. Yet, there is also the Ethernet address that is built
into the network adapter. That is indeed physical, and it does not change, which is very
typical of physical device names. However, since IP addresses can be dynamically assigned,
causing the same client workstation to have a different IP address every day, the IP
address seems more like a logical address. Regardless of what it is, it would make a great
debate in a computer science class. |
|
| IPX |
| (Internetwork Packet EXchange)
The network layer protocol in the NetWare operating system. Similar to the IP layer in
TCP/IP, it contains a network address and allows messages to be routed to a different
network or subnet. IPX does not guarantee delivery of a complete message. Just like IP
packets, NetWare IPX packets can get dropped from overloaded routers, thus either the
application has to ensure delivery of the entire message or NetWare's SPX protocol must be
used. See SPX and NetWare. IPX Vs. IP IPX and SPX are the network and transport layers, equivalent
to IP and TCP in a TCP/IP network. Comparing NetWare to the OSI model, one obvious
difference is the LSL layer, which provides a common interface to network drivers. ODI and
NDIS are the two most commonly used LSL implementations. IPX and SPX are the network and transport layers, equivalent
to IP and TCP in a TCP/IP network. Comparing NetWare to the OSI model, one obvious
difference is the LSL layer, which provides a common interface to network drivers. ODI and
NDIS are the two most commonly used LSL implementations. |
|
| ISA |
(1) (Industry Standard Architecture)
Pronounced "eye-suh." An expansion bus commonly used in PCs. It accepts plug-in
boards that control the sound, video display and other peripherals. Most PCs today have a
combination of ISA and PCI slots; however, many no longer support ISA, and it is expected
to be obsolete by the mid 2000s.
Originally called the "AT bus," it was first used in the IBM AT, extending the
8-bit bus to 16 bits. Earlier ISA PCs provided a mix of 8 and 16-bit slots. Today, PCs
have only 16-bit ISA slots. See PC data buses.
ISA Slots This diagram shows a motherboard with three 16-bit ISA slots.
Mixed ISA Slots Earlier motherboards came with a mix of 8-bit (left) and 16-bit
(right) slots such as this one.
Types of Expansion Boards ISA boards are still widely used, but they are giving way
to the PCI bus. The AGP bus is used for
the display adapter, and EISA, Micro
Channel and VL-bus have all but disappeared.
|
|
| Itanium |
The CPU family from Intel
that is based on its next-generation, 64-bit IA-64 architecture. The
operating systems that are available for Itanium computers are
Windows Server 2003, HP-UX and Linux.
Itaniums run IA-64 applications in the CPU's native mode, and they
run IA-32 (x86) and HP PA-RISC applications in an emulation mode.
IA-32 programs are executed directly in the Itanium's hardware layer
or via a software layer in the operating system. HP PA-RISC
applications are run via a software translator.
Following are the various Itanium models that have been released
along with their code names (in parentheses) as well as models
expected in the future.
First Itanium (Merced)
The first Itanium chips were introduced in 2001 with a clock speed
of 733MHz and a 180 nanometer process technology. L3 cache sizes
were up to 4MB.
Itanium 2 (McKinley, Madison, Deerfield, Fanwood)
Starting in 2002, the Itanium 2 line was released with clock speeds
starting at 900MHz and increasing to 1.7GHz. Memory bandwidth was
increased from the first Itanium's 2.1 Gbps to 6.4 Gbps. Starting
with the Madison chips in 2003, the process technology was reduced
to 130 nanometers. L3 cache sizes reached to 9MB.
Itanium 3? (Montecito, Millington)
In the 2005-2006 time frame, the third generation Itanium models are
expected with dual cores, up to 24MB L3 cache and as many as 1.7
billion transistors. The process technology is expected to be
reduced to 90 nanometers.
Itanium 4? (Shavano, Dimona, Tukwila)
In the 2007-2008 time frame, Itaniums with four cores are expected
along with a reduction to 65 nanometers at some point. |
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