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Internet Message Format | 1994-04-12 | 60.1 KB

Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!news.moneng.mei.com!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!chpc.chpc.org!chpc.chpc.org!not-for-mail From: ralf@chpc.org (Ralph Valentino) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.comm,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.cd-rom,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.networking,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc,comp.answers,news.answers Subject: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.* Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Part 4/5 Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc Date: 11 Apr 1994 01:34:00 -0400 Organization: Center For High Performance Computing Lines: 1549 Sender: ralf@chpc.chpc.org Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Distribution: world Expires: 11 May 1994 00:00:00 GMT Message-ID: <2oang8$qif@chpc.chpc.org> Reply-To: ralf@wpi.edu NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.chpc.org Summary: This is a monthly posting containing a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) pertaining to hardware and IBM PC clones. It should be read by anyone who wishes to post to any group in the comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.* hierarchy. Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video:6702 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.comm:2488 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage:5014 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.cd-rom:3345 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems:2889 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.networking:1850 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips:5016 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc:4923 comp.answers:4847 news.answers:17891 Archive-name: pc-hardware-faq/part4 Last-modified: 1994/04/10 Version: 1.3 S) 8.0 Misc Q) 8.1 What is the pin out for ...? [From: ralf@wpi.wpi.edu (Ralph Valentino)] This is a list of the pinouts to the more common PC hardware interfaces. It is by no means complete. While I have taken care not to make any mistakes, I urge you to take caution when using these tables. Also, please keep in mind that these are only tables, they are not a guide to hardware hacking and do not attempt to explain drive capabilities, signal timings, handling care, or other interface issues. As always, make sure you know what you're doing before you start hooking wires to your PC. 5pin DIN Male DB15-S Male --+-- ---------------------- / ^ \ \ 1 2 3 4 5 / | 1 3 | \ 6 7 8 9 10 / \ 425 / \ 11 12 13 14 15 / ----- ---------------- DB9 Male DB15 Male ------------- -------------------------- \ 1 2 3 4 5 / \ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / \ 6 7 8 9 / \ 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 / --------- ---------------------- DB25 Male IDC-50 Male ------------------------------ ------------------- \ 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 ... 13 / | 1 3 5 7 ... 49 | \ 12 13 14 15 16 .......25 / | 2 4 6 8 ... 50 | -------------------------- ------------------- (Power Connector) Male __________ / \ | 4 3 2 1 | ------------ 30 pin SIMM 72 pin SIMM ------------------------------- --------------------------------------- | | | | ) | ) _ | --|||||||||||||||||||||||||--- --|||||||||||||||/ \|||||||||||||||--- 1 30 1 36 37 72 EISA/ISA/VLB ----------------------------------------------- | (component side) | | | | VLB __ ISA-16bit __ ISA-8bit __| ||||||||| ||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||| A1(front)/B1(back) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <-EISA C1/D1 E1(front)/F1(back) G1/H1 PCI Cards Universal/3.3V/5V and 32/64 bit. PCI Universal Card 32/64 bit ---------------------------------------------------------------- | PCI Component Side (side B) | | | | | | optional | | ____ mandatory 32-bit pins 64-bit pins _____| |___| |||||||--|||||||||||||||||--|||||||--|||||||||||||| ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ b01 b11 b14 b49 b52 b62 b63 b94 PCI 5V Card 32/64 bit | optional | | ____ mandatory 32-bit pins 64-bit pins _____| |___| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||--|||||||--|||||||||||||| PCI 3.3V Card 32/64 bit | optional | | ____ mandatory 32-bit pins 64-bit pins _____| |___| |||||||--||||||||||||||||||||||||||--|||||||||||||| Power Connector Male pin assignment 1 +12V 2 +12V return 3 +5V return 4 +5V MIDI 5pin DIN MIDI In MIDI Out pin assignment pin assignment 1 N/C 1 N/C 2 N/C 2 GND 3 N/C 3 N/C 4 Current Src 4 Current Sync 5 Current Sync 5 Current Src Floppy Disk Controller IDC-34 Male pin assignment pin assignment 1 GND 2 Density Select 3 GND 4 (reserved) 5 GND 6 (reserved) 7 GND 8 Index 9 GND 10 Motor Enable A 11 GND 12 Drive Sel B 13 GND 14 Drive Sel A 15 GND 16 Motor Enable B 17 GND 18 Direction 19 GND 20 Step 21 GND 22 Write Data 23 GND 24 Floppy Write Enable 25 GND 26 Track 0 27 GND 28 Write Protect 29 GND 30 Read Data 31 GND 32 Head Select 33 GND 34 Disk Change Game Port DB15-Female pin assignment pin assignment 1 +5V DC 2 Button 4 (A_PB1) 3 Position 0(A_X) 4 GND 5 GND 6 Position 1 (A_Y) 7 Button 5(A_PB2) 8 +5V DC 9 +5V DC 10 Button 6 (B_PB1) 11 Position 2(B_X) 12 GND 13 Position 3(B_Y) 14 Button 7 (B_PB2) 15 +5V DC Serial Port DB9-Male DB25-Male 9-pin 25-pin assignment 1 8 DCD (Data Carrier Detect) 2 3 RX (Receive Data) 3 2 TX (Transmit Data) 4 20 DTR (Data Terminal Ready) 5 7 GND (Signal Ground) 6 6 DSR (Data Set Ready) 7 4 RTS (Request To Send) 8 5 CTS (Clear To Send) 9 22 RI (Ring Indicator) Parallel Port DB25-Female pin assignment pin assignment 1 -Strobe 2 Data 0 3 Data 1 4 Data 2 5 Data 3 6 Data 4 7 Data 5 8 Data 6 9 Data 7 10 -Ack 11 Busy 12 Paper Empty 13 Select 14 -Auto Feed 15 -Error 16 -Init 17 -Slct in 18 GND 19 GND 20 GND 21 GND 22 GND 23 GND 24 GND 25 GND AT Keyboard Connector 5pin-DIN Xt Keyboard Connector 5pin-DIN pin assignment pin assignment 1 CLK/CTS (open-collector) 1 CLK/CTS (open-collector) 2 RxD/TxD/RTS (open-collector) 2 Keyboard Data 3 N/C 3 Reset 4 GND 4 GND 5 +5V 5 +5V IDE Hard Disk Interface IDC-40 Male pin assignment pin assignment 1 -Reset 2 GND 3 Data 7 4 Data 8 5 Data 6 6 Data 9 7 Data 5 8 Data 10 9 Data 4 10 Data 11 11 Data 3 12 Data 12 13 Data 2 14 Data 13 15 Data 1 16 Data 14 17 Data 0 18 Data 15 19 GND 20 Key 21 (reserved) 22 GND 23 -IOW 24 GND 25 -IOR 26 GND 27 IO Chrdy 28 Ale 29 (reserved) 30 GND 31 IRQ14 32 -IOCS16 33 Addr 1 34 (reserved) 35 Addr 0 36 Addr 2 37 -CS0 (1F0-1F7) 38 -CS1 (3f6-3f7) 39 -Active 40 GND VGA DB15-S Female DB9 Female 15-pin 9-pin assignment 1 1 Red 2 2 Green 3 3 Blue 4 - Monitor ID bit 2 5 - N/C 6 6 GND (red return) 7 7 GND (green return) 8 8 GND (blue return) 9 - N/C 10 - GND 11 - Monitor ID bit 0 12 - Minitor ID bit 1 13 4 Horizontal Sync 14 5 Vertical Sync 15 - N/C Monitor ID bit 0: reserved Monitor ID bit 1: GND = mono, OPEN = color Monochrome monitors use the green signal CGA DB9 Female pin assignment 1 GND 2 GND 3 Red 4 Green 5 Blue 6 Intensity 7 (reserved) 8 Horizontal Sync 9 Vertical Sync ISA Bus Connector EISA Bus Connector ----------------- ------------------ Back Side Component Side Back Side Component Side pin assignment |pin assignment |pin assignment |pin assignment B1 GND |A1 CHCHK# |F1 GND |E1 CMD# B2 Reset DRV |A2 SD7 |F2 +5V |E2 START# B3 +5V |A3 SD6 |F3 +5V |E3 EXRDY B4 IRQ9 |A4 SD5 |F4 --- |E4 EX32# B5 -5V |A5 SD4 |F5 --- |E5 GND B6 DRQ2 |A6 SD3 |F6 ACCESS KEY |E6 ACCESS KEY B7 -12V |A7 SD2 |F7 --- |E7 EX16# B8 NOWS# |A8 SD1 |F8 --- |E8 SLBURST# B9 +12V |A9 SD0 |F9 +12V |E9 MSBURST# B10 GND |A10 CHRDY |F10 M/IO# |E10 W/R# B11 SMWTC# |A11 AEN |F11 LOCK# |E11 GND B12 SMRDC# |A12 SA19 |F12 (reserved) |E12 (reserved) B13 IOWC# |A13 SA18 |F13 GND |E13 (reserved) B14 IORC# |A14 SA17 |F14 (reserved) |E14 (reserved) B15 DACK3# |A15 SA16 |F15 BE3# |E15 GND B16 DRQ3 |A16 SA15 |F16 ACCESS KEY |E16 ACCESS KEY B17 DACK1# |A17 SA14 |F17 BE2# |E17 BE1# B18 DRQ1 |A18 SA13 |F18 BE0# |E18 LA31# B19 REFRESH# |A19 SA12 |F19 GND |E19 GND B20 BCLK |A20 SA11 |F20 +5V |E20 LA30# B21 IRQ7 |A21 SA10 |F21 LA29# |E21 LA28# B22 IRQ6 |A22 SA9 |F22 GND |E22 LA27# B23 IRQ5 |A23 SA8 |F23 LA26# |E23 LA25# B24 IRQ4 |A24 SA7 |F24 LA24# |E24 GND B25 IRQ3 |A25 SA6 |F25 ACCESS KEY |E25 ACCESS KEY B26 DACK2# |A26 SA5 |F26 LA16 |E26 LA15 B27 T/C |A27 SA4 |F27 LA14 |E27 LA13 B28 BALE |A28 SA3 |F28 +5V |E28 LA12 B29 +5V |A29 SA2 |F29 +5V |E29 LA11 B30 OSC |A30 SA1 |F30 GND |E30 GND B31 GND |A31 SA0 |F31 LA10 |E31 LA9 |H1 LA8 |G1 LA7 D1 M16# |C1 SBHE# |H2 LA6 |G2 GND D2 IO16# |C2 LA23 |H3 LA5 |G3 LA4 D3 IRQ10 |C3 LA22 |H4 +5V |G4 LA3 D4 IRQ11 |C4 LA21 |H5 LA2 |G5 GND D5 IRQ12 |C5 LA20 |H6 ACCESS KEY |G6 ACCESS KEY D6 IRQ15 |C6 LA19 |H7 D16 |G7 D17 D7 IRQ14 |C7 LA18 |H8 D18 |G8 D19 D8 DACK0# |C8 LA17 |H9 GND |G9 D20 D9 DRQ0 |C9 MRDC# |H10 D21 |G10 D22 D10 DACK5# |C10 MWTC# |H11 D23 |G11 GND D11 DRQ5 |C11 SD8 |H12 D24 |G12 D25 D12 DACK6# |C12 SD9 |H13 GND |G13 D26 D13 DRQ6 |C13 SD10 |H14 D27 |G14 D28 D14 DACK7# |C14 SD11 |H15 ACCESS KEY |G15 ACCESS KEY D15 DRQ7 |C15 SD12 |H16 D29 |G16 GND D16 +5V |C16 SD13 |H17 +5V |G17 D30 D17 MASTER16# |C17 SD14 |H18 +5V |G18 D31 D18 GND |C18 SD15 |H19 MAKx |G19 MREQx VESA Standard Feature Connector pin assignment pin assignment 1 PB 2 PG 3 PR 4 PI 5 SB 6 SG 7 SR 8 SI 9 Dot Clock 10 Blank 11 HSync 12 VSync 13 GND 14 GND 15 GND 16 GND 17 Ext Video Sel 18 Ext Sync Sel 19 Ext DotClock Sel20 N/C 21 GND 22 GND 23 GND 24 GND 25 N/C 26 N/C Null Modem: Connector 1 to Connector 2 DTR DSR/DCD DSR/DCD DTR RTS CTS CTS RTS TXD RXD RXD TXD GND GND Bidirectional ("Laplink") Parallel Cable DB-25 male to DB-25 male Connector 1 to Connector 2 2 15 3 13 4 12 5 10 6 11 10 5 11 6 12 4 13 3 15 2 The remainder connect directly through. 30 pin Fast Page Mode SIMM 256kx8 256kx9 1Mx8 1Mx9 4Mx8 4Mx9 pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment 1 Vcc |9 Gnd |17 A8 |25 DQ7 2 -CAS |10 DQ2 |18 A9 |26 QP 3 DQ0 |11 A4 |19 A10 |27 -RAS 4 A0 |12 A5 |20 DQ5 |28 -CASP 5 A1 |13 DQ3 |21 -WE |29 DP 6 DQ1 |14 A6 |22 Gnd |30 Vcc 7 A2 |15 A7 |23 DQ6 8 A3 |16 DQ4 |24 N/C Notes: QP, CASP and DP are N/C on all x8 bit modules a9 is a N/C on 256k modules a10 is a N/C on 256k and 1M modules 72 pin Fast Page Mode SIMM 256k/512k/1M/2M/4M/8M x 32/36 bit pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment 1 Gnd |19 A10 |37 MP1 |55 DQ11 2 DQ0 |20 DQ4 |38 MP3 |56 DQ27 3 DQ16 |21 DQ20 |39 Gnd |57 DQ12 4 DQ1 |22 DQ5 |40 -CAS0 |58 DQ28 5 DQ17 |23 DQ21 |41 -CAS2 |59 Vcc 6 DQ2 |24 DQ6 |42 -CAS3 |60 DQ29 7 DQ18 |25 DQ22 |43 -CAS1 |61 DQ13 8 DQ3 |26 DQ7 |44 -RAS0 |62 DQ30 9 DQ19 |27 DQ23 |45 -RAS1 |63 DQ14 10 Vcc |28 A7 |46 N/C |64 DQ31 11 N/C |29 N/C |47 -WE |65 DQ15 12 A0 |30 Vcc |48 N/C |66 N/C 13 A1 |31 A8 |49 DQ8 |67 PD1 14 A2 |32 A9 |50 DQ24 |68 PD2 15 A3 |33 -RAS3 |51 DQ9 |69 PD3 16 A4 |34 -RAS2 |52 DQ25 |70 PD4 17 A5 |35 MP2 |53 DQ10 |71 N/C 18 A6 |36 MP0 |54 DQ26 |72 Gnd Notes: MP0,MP1,MP2,MP3 are N/C on all x32 bit modules a9 is a N/C on 256k and 512k modules a10 is a N/C on 256k, 512k, 1M and 4M modules RAS1/RAS3 are N/C on 256k, 1M and 4M modules SCSI Connector Pinouts (Single Ended) IDC-50 Male pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment 01 GND |02 -DB0 |27 GND |28 GND 03 GND |04 -DB1 |29 GND |30 GND 05 GND |06 -DB2 |31 GND |32 -ATN 07 GND |08 -DB3 |33 GND |34 GND 09 GND |10 -DB4 |35 GND |36 -BSY 11 GND |12 -DB5 |37 GND |38 -ACK 13 GND |14 -DB6 |39 GND |40 -RST 15 GND |16 -DB7 |41 GND |42 -MSG 17 GND |18 -DBP |43 GND |44 -SEL 19 GND |20 GND |45 GND |46 -C/D 21 GND |22 GND |47 GND |48 -REQ 23 GND |24 GND |49 GND |50 -I/O 25 (open) |26 TERMPWR SCSI Connector Pinouts (Differential) IDC-50 Male pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment|pin assignment 01 (open) |02 GND |27 GND |28 GND 03 +DB0 |04 -DB0 |29 +ATN |30 -ATN 05 +DB1 |06 -DB1 |31 GND |32 GND 07 +DB2 |08 -DB2 |33 +BSY |34 -BSY 09 +DB3 |10 -DB3 |35 +ACK |36 -ACK 11 +DB4 |12 -DB4 |37 +RST |38 -RST 13 +DB5 |14 -DB5 |39 +MSG |40 -MSG 15 +DB6 |16 -DB6 |41 +SEL |42 -SEL 17 +DB7 |18 -DB7 |43 +C/D |44 -C/D 19 +DBP |20 -DBP |45 +REQ |46 -REQ 21 DIFFSENS |22 GND |47 +I/O |48 -I/O 23 GND |24 GND |49 GND |50 GND 25 TERMPWR |26 TERMPWR PCI Cards Universal/3.3V/5V and 32/64 bit pin assignment |pin assignment |pin assignment |pin assignment B1 -12V |A1 TRST# |B48 AD[10] |A48 Ground B2 TCK |A2 +12V |B49 Ground |A49 AD[09] B3 Ground |A3 TMS |B50 (KEYWAY2) |A50 (KEYWAY2) B4 TDO |A4 TDI |B51 (KEYWAY2) |A51 (KEYWAY2) B5 +5V |A5 +5V |B52 AD[08] |A52 C/BE[0]# B6 +5V |A6 INTA# |B53 AD[07] |A53 +3.3V B7 INTB# |A7 INTC# |B54 +3.3V |A54 AD[06] B8 INTD# |A8 +5V |B55 AD[05] |A55 AD[04] B9 PRSNT1# |A9 reserved |B56 AD[03] |A56 Ground B10 reserved |A10 +Vi/o |B57 Ground |A57 AD[02] B11 PRSNT2# |A11 reserved |B58 AD[01] |A58 AD[00] B12 (KEYWAY1) |A12 (KEYWAY1) |B59 Vi/o |A59 +Vi/o B13 (KEYWAY1) |A13 (KEYWAY1) |B60 ACK64# |A60 REQ64# B14 reserved |A14 reserved |B61 +5V |A61 +5V B15 Ground |A15 RST# |B62 +5V |A62 +5V B16 CLK |A16 Vi/o |B63 reserved |A63 Ground B17 Ground |A17 VNT# |B64 Ground |A64 C/BE[7]# B18 REQ# |A18 Ground |B65 C/BE[6]# |A65 C/BE[5]# B19 +Vi/o |A19 reserved |B66 C/BE[4]# |A66 +Vi/o B20 AD[31] |A20 AD[30] |B67 Ground |A67 PAR64 B21 AD[29] |A21 +3.3V |B68 AD[63] |A68 AD[62] B22 Ground |A22 AD[28] |B69 AD[61] |A69 Ground B23 AD[27] |A23 AD[26] |B70 +Vi/o |A70 AD[60] B24 AD[25] |A24 Ground |B71 AD[59] |A71 AD[58] B25 +3.3V |A25 AD[24] |B72 AD[57] |A72 Ground B26 C/BE[3]# |A26 IDSEL |B73 Ground |A73 AD[56] B27 AD[23] |A27 +3.3V |B74 AD[55] |A74 AD[54] B28 Ground |A28 AD[22] |B75 AD[53] |A75 +Vi/o B29 AD[21] |A29 AD[20] |B76 Ground |A76 AD[52] B30 AD[19] |A30 Ground |B77 AD[51] |A77 AD[50] B31 +3.3V |A31 AD[18] |B78 AD[49] |A78 Ground B32 AD[17] |A32 AD[16] |B79 +Vi/o |A79 AD[48] B33 C/BE[2]# |A33 +3.3V |B80 AD[47] |A80 AD[46] B34 Ground |A34 FRAME# |B81 AD{45] |A81 Ground B35 IRDY# |A35 Ground |B82 Ground |A82 AD[44] B36 +3.3V |A36 TRDY# |B83 AD[43] |A83 AD[42] B37 DEVSEL# |A37 Ground |B84 AD[41] |A84 +Vi/o B38 Ground |A38 STOP# |B85 Ground |A85 AD[40] B39 LOCK# |A39 +3.3V |B86 AD[39] |A86 AD[38] B40 PERR# |A40 SDONE |B87 AD[37] |A87 Ground B41 +3.3V |A41 SBO# |B88 +Vi/o |A88 AD[36] B42 SERR# |A42 Ground |B89 AD[35] |A89 AD[34] B43 +3.3V |A43 PAR |B90 AD[33] |A90 Ground B44 C/BE[1]# |A44 AD[15] |B91 Ground |A91 AD[32] B45 AD[14] |A45 +3.3V |B92 reserved |A92 reserved B46 Ground |A46 AD[13] |B93 reserved |A93 Ground B47 AD[12] |A47 AD11] |B94 Ground |A94 reserved Notes: Pins 63-94 exist on 64 bit PCI implementation only KEYWAY1 exists on Universal and 3.3V boards, they are Ground on 5V boards KEYWAY2 exists on Universal and 5V boards, they are Ground on 3.3V boards +Vi/o is 3.3V on 3.3V boards, 5V on 5V boards, and define signal rails on the Universal board. (Still need to add MFM/RLL, VLB) Q) 8.2 *Where are benchmark programs located. What do they mean? Q) 8.3 What is Plug and Play? [From: leefi@microsoft.com (Lee Fisher)] Plug and Play is the name of a technology that lets PC hardware and attached devices work together automatically, reducing end-user complexity. Plug and Play technology is implemented in hardware, in operating systems, and in supporting software such as drivers and in the systemboard's BIOS. Microsoft will support Plug and Play starting with Windows "Chicago" and Windows NT "Cairo". Today there is a solution for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows 3.x using software from Intel which works with the Plug and Play hardware. There are a variety of Plug and Play technologies, today including BIOS, ISA cards, SCSI, IDE CD-ROM, PCMCIA, drivers. Many specifications are available via anonymous ftp at ftp.microsoft.com:/drg/Plug-and-Play. Email the PlayList@Microsoft.COM alias to get on a list for announcements regarding new specifications, informations on workshops, etc. The Compuserve Plug and Play forum (GO PLUGPLAY) is available for technical support issues regarding hardware and driver design issues. For more related information, on ftp.microsoft.com, see /drg/Plug-and-Play/readme and /drg/Developer-Info/devinfo.zip. Microsoft is starting a "Plug and Play Hardware Catalog" to showcase Plug and Play hardware, entries are being accepted for the initial issue. Send hardware and company information to: Plug and Play Catalog c/o Microsoft Corporation Hardware Vendor Relations Group, building 6 One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98053-6399 USA Q) 8.4 What size should I set my DOS partitions to be? [From: Mike Long <mike.long@analog.com>] [Some corrections by: Osmo Ronkanen <ronkanen@cc.helsinki.fi>] This depends on what cluster size you want. A smaller cluster size is better, because a small file takes up a whole cluster if there is even one byte in it; the leftover space is called "slack." If you have N files on your drive, and your cluster size is S bytes, then you can expect to lose N*S/2 bytes to slack space on the average. The table below shows the maximum partition size to get clusters of a given size. You cannot format a hard drive under DOS with a cluster size less than 2K. +-------------------+-----------+-------+ | Cluster size | Partition | FAT | Notes | | size | type | +-------------------+-----------+-------+ | 4K (4096 bytes) | 16 MB | FAT12 | | 2K (2048 bytes) | 32 MB | FAT16 | (DOS versions < 4.0) | 2K (2048 bytes) | 128 MB | FAT16 | (DOS versions >= 4.0) | 4K (4096 bytes) | 256 MB | FAT16 | | 8K (8192 bytes) | 512 MB | FAT16 | | 16K (16384 bytes) | 1 GB | FAT16 | | 32K (32768 bytes) | 2 GB | FAT16 | | 64K (65536 bytes) | 4 GB | FAT16 | +-------------------+-----------+-------+ Another consideration is backup. If you backup to tape, you should have disk partitions smaller than the capacity of a single tape for ease in backup. [From: Osmo Ronkanen <ronkanen@cc.helsinki.fi>] The 32 MB limit actually didn't have anything to do with the cluster size or FAT it was because the number of sectors in the partition was stored in boot record as a 16 bit number. Q) 8.5 Why won't my system boot from the hard drive? If you can boot from a floppy and see the files on your hard drive, then chances are there's something wrong with your MBR (Master Boot Record) / partition table. The first thing you should try is: "FDISK /MBR". This will fix the master boot record without effecting the contents of your disk. If this doesn't work, the next thing to try is verifying that you have your Primary DOS Partition set active. To do this, enter "FDISK" and chose "Set active partition" (usually the second option) then pick "Primary DOS Partition". Then exit and reboot. This too will not effect the contents of your disk. The next thing to try is replacing the files required for DOS to boot; they may have been corrupted or deleted. To do this, run "SYS C:". This may or may not be possible as DOS versions before 5.0 required these files be located at a certain place on your hard drive and that spot may no longer be available. Either way, this will not otherwise effect the contents of your disk. If neither of these things work, then the next thing to try is reformatting your hard drive (FORMAT C: /SYS). Note that this will erase all of the files on your hard drive, so back up anything you want to save first!!! If all three of these suggestions fail, then chances are you have a more serious problem. Q) 8.6 How do I clean my computer? Clean the outside with a damp (not wet) cloth with a mild dish washing detergent after unplugging the system. Let it dry completely before plugging your system in. Do not clean the inside - computer components are not susceptible to common house hold dust. Unless you have special equipment, you will more likely cause more harm than help to your computer if you try. Q) 8.7 *What OS's are available for the PC? Which are free? [this section being worked on] Q) 8.8 *How can I transfer files between my PC and a Unix system? [this section being worked on] Q) 8.9 What tape backup software is available? [From: herbst@techunix.technion.ac.il (Herbst OMR)] JUMBO TAPE ---------- Small. Not many features but does the job. Seems to work only with Colorado drives. Latest version is 4.03 and can be found by Archie jumbo403.zip. >From "Stan Faullin": Useful DOS program. Has very basic Backup (total, modified, selected), Restore, Compare, Erase and Format functions. Some versions come with a Windows scheduler, but it will NOT run in the background in a DOS window. The compression scheme used in some previous versions is NOT compatible with their latest release, so you may not be able to read backups made with version 3.x with version 4.x. Separate versions of this software are available for their internal model or the parallel port model. Windows: The Lite version supports both parallel port versions and internal versions. The only Windows backup program for a parallel port device, but only supports the Colorado Trakker unit. Can run in the background. Can be found by Archie, cbwlite.exe. >From "gregb@oclflt.den.mmc.com (gregb)": CMS Trakker 250 is supplied with a "generic" software package: it performs backup, restore, selective backup & restore, compression, compare. It works with DOS and Windows 3.1. For an additional $49.95 ($39?) you can purchase their fancier version. Central-Point backup -------------------- Large with many, many features and confusing directory selections. Works with most drives. Conner Basic 1.0 ---------------- >From "Moshe Braner braner@emba.uvm.edu": useless -- only backs up entire drive. Conner Basic 1.1 ---------------- >From: pjk@netcom.com (Phil Koenig) If you got the low-power backup software bundled in -- Conner Backup Basics -- and it is V1.0, you are entitled to a free upgrade from Conner. The new version has an only slightly better addendum to the manual, but the software now is about as flexible as most users would want -- partial backup and restore by directory or file, etc. It has worked well for us, and I recommend that you ask for your copy. >From: dmiller@im.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller) I emphasize that v1.1 of Conner Backup Basics fixes many of the prior problems, although its prompts, on-line help and printed documentation still deserve improvement. Conner Exec ----------- >From "Moshe Braner braner@emba.uvm.edu": Very large (2.5 megs for DOS version, windows version even larger). Did not work with my parallel-port Conner 250meg QIC-80 drive. QICstream==Conner "Simply Safe Software Backup Basics version 3.0P" ------------------------------------------------------------------- Small and works fine. Works with parallel port Conner drive. Symantec Norton Backup ---------------------- This is included with Norton Desktop for Windows, which is a much better deal than purchasing Norton Backup for Windows alone. Symantec Norton Backup for Windows ---------------------------------- GNU-Tar ------- Q) 8.10 Why doesn't my new device work as fast as it should? The performance of individual components in your system are highly dependent the rest of your system. For instance, the transfer rate of drives, usually measured in megabytes per second, can depend on the drive controller, bus type and OS. Video card speed, sometime measured in Winmarks, highly depends on the speed of your main CPU as well as the OS. When ever you see a statement on the speed of the device, be sure to check the small print to determine what type of system and under what conditions the speed was measured. Don't be fooled by benchmark numbers. Another important corollary of this is *never* post benchmarks - they offer little to no information for comparison with other systems. Benchmarks are only useful for comparison purposes when run in a controlled environment, and even then to a limited degree. Q) 8.11 My drive lists a MTBF of 300,000 hours. Will it really last 34 years? [From: swwalters@fl51mail.space.honeywell.com (Steve Walters)] Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is a statistical calculation indicating the mean time between randomly occurring hardware failures. Two parameters are necessary to fully describe how long a piece of hardware will last. The first parameter is MTBF which is a measure of frequency in which random hardware failures will occur. The second parameter is mean operating life which defines how long the hardware will last before an anticipated wearout phenomena will occur. These two parameters combined together give the true projection of the 'real' life of the drive. As an example of how these parameters interrelate, assume your drive has an MTBF of 300,000 hours and an operating life of 5 years. The drive will operate uninterrupted until failure (such as a file server, for example). This is telling you that your drive should be very reliable until wearout occurs since the MTBF greatly exceeds the mean life. However, after 5 years (on the average), expect it to fail due to wearout. In this example, the actual chances of the drive lasting 3 years is 92%, 4 years is 88%, 5 years is 56% and 6 years is 35%. Q) 8.12 How do I find pin 1 on my chip/card/cable/connector? Pin 1 is always marked in one way or another to avoid confusion due to symmetry (after which known numbering schemes can be used). The most important thing to note is that the orientation of the letters or numbers printed on the chip have absolutely nothing to do with the actual orientation of the pins. Never assume that all chips should be readable from the same angle! The most obvious marking for pin 1 is a small number '1'. The first thing you should do is look very carefully for it. Ribbon cables are often marked with a blue or red stripe on pin 1. Some chips are marked with a dot, notch or small angled cut in the material just above pin 1. Rectangular chips are usually marked with a notch on one of ends; the first pin counter clockwise from this notch is pin 1. If you can't find a marking on the socket or connector, then try looking at the pads (the holes in the board the socket or connector is soldered into). For through-hole devices, pin 1 has a square pad, the rest should be round. Q) 8.13 I've run out of power connectors, what can I do? Assuming your power suply is actually strong enough to power all of your devices, you can pick up a Y-adapter at your local Radio Shack. S) 9.0 References Q) 9.1 What other FAQ's are out there? The following is a partial list of official FAQs which may be useful for more information on PC related items. All of these FAQs are archived on news.answers, though the frequency in posting and availability are subject to the maintainers' whims. If you are retrieving these by anonymous ftp, those items listed with Archive-name's can be found under the news.answers directory under the archive name. The others can be found in their respective hierarchy's directory under the Subject line's name. For more information on how to retrieve these items and how to find other FAQs, refer to the article "Introduction to the *.answers groups" periodically posted to news.announce.newusers. Note: all *.answers groups have been removed from the Newsgroups lines ------ Hardware Related FAQs ------ Subject: Personal Computer CHIPLIST From: offerman@einstein.et.tudelft.nl (A. Offerman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips Summary: This list contains the various CPU's and NPX's and their features, used in the IBM PC, IBM PC/XT, IBM PC/AT, IBM PS/2 and compatbles, and the differences between them. Archive-name: pc-hardware-faq/chiplist -- Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.comm Subject: MS-Windows COM and Ns16550A UART FAQ From: rjn@fc.hp.com (Bob Niland) Summary: Improving Windows 3.x COM performance and reliability. Archive-name: windows-com-faq -- Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: The Serial Port, rel. *, part * / * From: chbl@stud.uni-sb.de (Christian Blum) -- Subject: Mac & IBM Info-Version * From: bgrubb@scf.nmsu.edu (Bruce Grubb) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc, comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy, comp.sys.intel,comp.sys.mac.advocacy,comp.sys.mac.hardware -- Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard Subject: Generic IBM PC Soundcard FAQ periodic posting From: plutchak@porter.geo.brown.edu (Joel Plutchak) Archive-name: PCsoundcards/generic-faq Summary: Non-product-specific information about IBM PC soundcards -- Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard,comp.music,rec.music.synth, comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: FAQ: Gravis Ultrasound ("GUS") FAQ v* From: Matthew E. Bernold <MEB117@psuvm.psu.edu> Archive-name: PCsoundcards/gravis-ultrasound/faq Summary: A list of Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) concerning the Gravis Ultrasound (GUS) sound card for IBM PC's. -- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps,comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.system, comp.sys.mac.wanted,comp.sys.mac.hardware Subject: Introductory Macintosh frequently asked questions (FAQ) From: erh0362@tesla.njit.edu (Elliotte Rusty Harold) Archive-name: macintosh/general-faq Summary: This document answers a number of the most frequently asked questions on Usenet about Macintosh computers. To avoid wasting bandwidth and as a matter of politeness please familiarize yourself with this document BEFORE posting. -- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Macintosh PowerPC FAQ From: Schechter.1@osu.edu Archive-name: macintosh/PowerPC-FAQ Summary: This posting contains a list of questions and (often speculative) answers about PowerPC and its relation to the Macintosh. -- Newsgroups: comp.1.sys5.r4,comp.1.pc-clone.32bit,comp.sys.intel, comp.os.linux.announce Subject: PC-Clone UNIX Hardware Buyer's Guide From: esr@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond) Archive-name: pc-1/hardware Summary: Tips on how and where to buy hardware for your UNIX. ------ OS Related FAQs ------ Newsgroups: comp.1.questions,comp.1.shell Subject: Unix - Frequently Asked Questions (Contents) [Frequent posting] From: tmatimar@empress.com (Ted M A Timar) Archive-name: 1-faq/faq/contents -- Newsgroups: comp.1.questions,comp.1.shell Subject: Unix - Frequently Asked Questions (* / *) Digest [Frequent posting] From: tmatimar@empress.com (Ted M A Timar) Archive-name: 1-faq/faq -- Newsgroups: comp.1.sys5.r4,comp.1.pc-clone.32bit,comp.1.bsd, comp.os.linux.announce Subject: PC-clone UNIX Software Buyer's Guide From: esr@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond) Archive-name: pc-1/software Summary: A buyer's guide to UNIX versions for PC-clone hardware -- Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.announce Subject: FAQ: 386BSD/NetBSD Compatible tape drive list From: Bob Kemp <rsk@ecs.southampton.ac.uk> -- Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.announce Subject: [comp.os.386bsd] Berkeley Net Release/2 derived BSD for PCs FAQ (Part * of *) From: burgess@hrd769.brooks.af.mil (Dave Burgess) Archive-name: 386bsd-faq/part1 -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux Subject: ** Linux Documents Explained for Newbies ** Weekly Post From: jay-m@equinox.unr.edu (J.A. MacDonald) -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce Subject: LILO FAQ, version * From: almesber@nessie.cs.id.ethz.ch (Werner Almesberger) -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce Subject: Linux FTP and BBS List #* (LONG) From: Zane H. Healy <healyzh@holonet.net> -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux Subject: [comp.os.linux.announce] Guidelines for posting From: mdw@sunSITE.unc.edu (Matt Welsh) Archive-name: linux/announce/guide -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.admin Subject: Linux * HOWTO From: vince@victrola.wa.com (Vince Skahan) Comment: The following article are currently being posted (archive names, in parentheses, are in the "linux/howto" archive directory): Electronic Mail (mail); News (news); UUCP (uucp). Archive-name: linux/howto/mail -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.help,comp.os.linux.admin Subject: Linux * HOWTO From: mdw@sunsite.unc.edu (Matt Welsh) Summary: HOWTO on configuration of TCP/IP networking and SLIP under Linux. Archive-name: linux/howto/networking -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.help,comp.os.linux.admin Subject: Linux HOWTO Index From: mdw@sunsite.unc.edu (Matt Welsh) Archive-name: linux/howto/index Summary: Index of HOWTO documents about Linux. -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.admin Subject: Linux Ethernet HOWTO From: Paul Gortmaker <paul@cain.mmtc.rmit.oz.au> Archive-name: linux/howto/ethernet -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.admin Subject: Linux Printing HOWTO From: gtaylor@cs.tufts.edu Archive-name: linux/howto/printing Summary: HOWTO on printing under Linux -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.help Subject: Linux Frequently Asked Questions with Answers From: ijackson@nyx.cs.du.edu (Ian Jackson) Archive-name: linux/faq Summary: Please read this before posting to comp.os.linux.help. -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.help Subject: Linux INFO-SHEET From: johnsonm@stolaf.edu Summary: This posting contains a quick summary of the features and abilities of the Linux operating system. It is a supplement to the comp.os.linux FAQ and META-FAQ, and should be read by those wishing to learn about and/or install Linux. Archive-name: linux/info-sheet -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.help Subject: Linux META-FAQ From: johnsonm@stolaf.edu Summary: This is a quick summary of the information available about the Linux operating system, explaining where other information can be found. This should be read by anyone wishing to install Linux, and by anyone who wishes to find other sources for information on Linux. Archive-name: linux/meta-faq -- Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.os.linux.help, comp.os.linux.development,comp.os.linux.admin,comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Welcome to the comp.os.linux.* hierarchy! From: mdw@TC.Cornell.EDU (Matt Welsh) Archive-name: linux/announce/intro -- Newsgroups: comp.os.mach Subject: comp.os.mach Frequently Asked Questions From: fgray@owlnet.rice.edu (Frederick Earl Gray) Archive-name: mach-faq Summary: Answers to questions frequently asked on the USENET newsgroup comp.os.mach -- Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: Changes to MINIX Frequently Asked Questions From: overby@plains.nodak.edu (Glen Overby) -- Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: Changes to MINIX Information Sheet From: overby@plains.nodak.edu (Glen Overby) Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know about Minix on the networks, but never dared to ask! -- Newsgroups: comp.1.msdos Subject: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for comp.1.msdos From: fnx!vpix-faq@uunet.UU.NET (VP/IX FAQ maintainance) -- Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer Subject: comp.os.msdos.programmer FAQ part * of * From: brown@NCoast.ORG (Stan Brown) Archive-name: msdos-programmer-faq/part3 -- Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc,comp.os.os2.apps Subject: OS/2 Frequently Asked Questions List Rel. * (* of *) From: sip1@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples) Archive-name: os2-faq/user/part1 -- Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.programmer.misc,comp.os.os2.programmer.porting Subject: FAQ: OS/2 Programming FAQ v* From: jgarzik@pantera.atl.ga.us (Jeff Garzik) ------ Windowing System Related FAQs ------ Newsgroups: comp.sources.x Subject: How to get X sources for free. From: argv@sun.com (Dan Heller) -- Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: X Servers for DOS, Microsoft Windows, OS/2, Macs, Amigas, Atari From: mccoy@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov (Daniel J. McCoy) -- Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: comp.windows.x Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) * / * From: dbl@visual.com (David B. Lewis) Summary: useful information about the X Window System Archive-name: x-faq/part* -- Newsgroups: comp.windows.x.i386unix,comp.1.pc-clone.32bit, comp.1.bsd,comp.windows.x Subject: X on Intel-based Unix Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] From: steve@ecf.toronto.edu (Steve Kotsopoulos) Archive-name: Intel-Unix-X-faq Summary: X options for Intel-based Unix (SYSV/386, 386BSD, Linux, Mach) -- Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.apps, comp.os.ms-windows.setup,comp.os.ms-windows.misc, comp.os.ms-windows.nt.setup,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.misc, comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.tools, comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.win32, comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.misc,bit.listserv.win3-l Subject: INFO: A guide to the Windows newsgroups From: tomh@metrics.com (Tom Haapanen) Archive-name: ms-windows/newsgrp.guide -- Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.apps,comp.os.ms-windows.misc, comp.os.ms-windows.setup,bit.listserv.win3-l Subject: Windows FAQ: How to get it From: tomh@metrics.com (Tom Haapanen) Archive-name: ms-windows/faqwin.how-to -- Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.desqview Subject: DESQview/QEMM Frequently Asked Questions: READ BEFORE POSTING From: danb@bunt.sps.mot.com Archive-name: desqview-faq Summary: FAQ list for the MS-DOS multitasker DESQview and memory manager QEMM ------ Miscellaneous FAQs ------ Subject: How to find sources From: jik@security.ov.com (Jonathan I. Kamens) Newsgroups: comp.sources.wanted,alt.sources.wanted Archive-name: finding-sources -- Subject: Standards FAQ Newsgroups: comp.std.internat,comp.std.misc,comp.protocols.iso From: unrza3@cd4680fs.rrze.uni-erlangen.de (Markus Kuhn) Archive-name: standards-faq Summary: Answers to questions such as what are ISO standards, where can I get standards, what are ISO/ITU/ANSI/etc., what standards are there relevant to computing, ...? This is a periodic posting in comp.protocols.iso, comp.std.misc and comp.std.internat. -- Subject: PC GAMES FAQ <- Guide To The Gaming World (Part * of *) From: appelo@dutiba.twi.tudelft.nl (Jurgen Appelo) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.announce,rec.games.misc Archive-name: PC-games-faq/part1 Summary: This FAQ has answers to common questions and other useful information that all new readers of the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.* newsgroups should read before posting. -- Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: VIRUS-L/comp.virus Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) From: "Kenneth R. van Wyk" <krvw@cert.org> Archive-name: computer-virus-faq Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and their answers, about computer viruses. It should be read by anyone who wishes to post to VIRUS-L/comp.virus. -- Newsgroups: misc.forsale Subject: Welcome to Misc.forsale - Frequently Asked Questions (please read!) From: murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) -- Newsgroups: misc.forsale.computers,misc.forsale.computers.d Subject: misc.forsale.computers.d FAQ From: "Peter W. De Bonte" <pwd+@CMU.EDU> -- Newsgroups: comp.archives.msdos.announce,comp.archives.msdos.d Subject: comp.archives.msdos.{announce,d} FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) From: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi) Archive-name: msdos-archives/faq -- Newsgroups: comp.archives.msdos.d,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.wanted, comp.os.msdos.apps,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Useful MSDOS Programs at SIMTEL20 and Garbo (Part * of *) From: sko@wimsey.bc.ca (Samuel Ko) Archive-name: msdos-archives/part* Summary: A list of recommended msdos programs available from major ftp sites -- Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc Subject: v*inf*: charter, CBIP newsgroups charter (part * / *) From: cbip@cs.uml.edu (CBIP Moderator) Archive-name: admin/charter -- Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript Subject: PostScript monthly FAQ v* *-*-* [* of *] From: jgm@cs.brown.edu (Jonathan Monsarrat) Summary: Useful facts about the PostScript graphics programming language Archive-name: postscript/faq/part* -- Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi Subject: comp.periphs.scsi FAQ From: vail@tegra.com (Johnathan Vail) Archive-name: scsi-faq Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) about SCSI. It should be read by anyone who wishes to post to the comp.periphs.scsi newsgroup. -- Newsgroups: comp.protocols.nfs,comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: (PC)NFS & related topics FAQ [part * / *] From: rawn@lead.aichem.arizona.edu (Rawn Shah) Archive-name: pcnfs-faq/part1 Summary: This is the FAQ list about PC & Macintosh based NFS & TCP/IP products for readers of comp.protocols.nfs & comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc -- Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc Subject: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) From: aboba@netcom.com (Bernard Aboba) Archive-name: ibmpc-tcp-ip Summary: Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) about TCP/IP on PC-compatible computers. -- Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom,comp.multimedia Subject: alt.cd-rom FAQ From: rab@cdrom.com Summary: Frequently asked questions about CD-ROMs Archive-name: cdrom-faq -- Newsgroups: alt.emulators.ibmpc.apple2 Subject: alt.emulators.ibmpc.apple2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) From: vera@anna.stanford.edu (James Vera) Archive-name: emulate-apple2-faq Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) about emulating Apple ][ computers (or //e ...) on other computers (like PCs or UNIX boxes). Please read before posting questions. Q) 9.2 +What do the industry acronyms stand for? [From ralf@wpi.wpi.edu (Ralph Valentino)] This is a list of 280+ acronyms which commonly come up in discussion of hardware. It does not contain abbreviations or names that don't stand for anything, nor does it attempt to explain exactly what the technology does, where it can be found, nor even how to use it in a sentence. So, is it completely useless? Well, sometimes just knowing what an acronym stands for is enough to tell you what people are talking about or where to go to get more information about it. If anyone has any additions, comments, or corrections, please forward them to me directly. Keep in mind that I have tried to avoid software topics except where they overlap with hardware ones, so don't bother telling me what BASIC stands for as it is outside the scope of this list. AC Alternating Current AE Applications Engineer AFS Andrew File System AI Artificial Intelligence ALU Arithmetic-Logic Unit AM Amplitude Modulated AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMI American Megatrends Inc. ANSI American National Standards Institute ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit ASPI Advanced SCSI Programming Interface AT Advanced Technology ATDM Asynchronous Time Division Multiplexing ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode AUI Attached Unit Interface BBS Bulletin Board System BCC Block Check Character BCD Binary Coded Decimal BE Back End BiCMOS Bipolar Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor BIOS Basic Input / Output System BNC Bayonet Nut Connector BPS/bps Bytes/bits Per Second BSC Binary Synchronous Communications BSD Berkeley Standard Distribution BTU British Thermal Units CAD Computer Aided Design CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing CAM Content Addressable Memory CAS Column Address Strobe CBX Common Branch eXtender CCD Charge Coupled Device CCITT Consultative Committee of International Telephony and Telegraphy CD Carrier Detect CDDI Copper Distributed Data Interface CDROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory CGA Color Graphics Array CISC Complex Instruction-Set Computer CLA Carry Lookahead Adder CMOS Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor CP/M Control Program / Monitor CPI Clocks Per Instruction CPU Central Processing Unit CR Carriage Return CRC Cyclical redundancy check CRQ Command Response Queue CRT Cathode Ray Tube CS Chip Select CSMA Carrier Sense Multiple-Access CSMA/CD Carrier Sense Multiple-Access with Collision Detect CSR Command Status Register CTS Clear To Send DAT Digital Audio Tape DC Direct Current DCD Data Carrier Detect DCE Data Circuit-terminating Equipment DEC Digital Equipment Corporation DES Data Encryption Standard DID Direct Inward Dial DIN Deutsche Industrie Norm DIP Dual-In-line Package DIS Draft International Standard DMA Direct Memory Access DOS Disk Operating System DPE Data Parity Error DPSK Differential Phase Shift Keying DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory DSP Digital Signal Processor DSR Data Set Ready DTC Data Terminal Controller DTE Data Terminating Equipment DTMF Dual-Tone MultiFrequency DTR Data Terminal Ready EBCDIC Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code ECC Error Correction Code ECL Emitter-Coupled Logic ECO Engineering Change Order ECU EISA Configuration Utility EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory EGA Enhanced Graphics Array EIA Electronic Industries Association EISA Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture EMI Electro-Magnetic Interference EMF Electro-Magnetic Force EMS Expanded Memory Specification EOF End Of File EOL End Of Line EOS Electrical Overstress EPROM Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory ESD Electro-Static Discharge ESDI Enhanced Small Devices Interface FAT File Allocation Table FCC Federal Communications Commission FDD Fixed Disk Drive (or Floppy Disk Drive) FDDI Fiber Distributed Data Interface FDM Frequency Division Multiplexing FDX Full-Duplex Transmission FE Front End FEP Front End Processor FF Form Feed FIFO First-In First-Out FILO First-In Last-Out (same as LIFO) FM Frequency Modulation FPGA Field Programmable Gate Array FPU Floating Point Unit FRU Field-Replaceable Unit FSF Free Software Foundation FSK Frequency Shifty Keying FTP File Transfer Program GAS Gallium Arsenide GFLOPS Billions of FLOating Point Operations Per Second ("GigaFlops") GNU Gnu's Not Unix GUI Graphical User Interface HDD Hard Disk Drive HDX Half-Duplex Transmission HFS Hierarchical File System HPFS High Performance File System HS Helical Scan I/O Input / Output IBM International Business Machines Corp. IC Integrated Circuit IDC Insulation Displacement Connector IDE Integrated Device Electronics IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers IMP Interface Message Processor IPC InterProcess Communication IRQ Interrupt ReQuest ISA Industry Standard Architecture ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network ISO International Standards Organization JFS Journaled File System KVA KiloVolt-Amps LAN Local Area Network LAPM Link Access Procedure M LCD Liquid Crystal Display LED Light Emitting Diode LF Line Feed LIM Lotus/Intel/Micosoft Expanded Memory Manager Specification LRU Least-Recently Used LSB/lsb Least Significant Byte/bit LSI Large Scale Integration LUN Logical Unit Number MAN Metropolitan Area Network MB/Mb Mega Bytes/bits MBR Master Boot Record MCA Micro Channel Architecture MCGA Multi-Color Graphics Array MCM Multi-Chip Module MFLOPS Millions of FLOating Point Operations per Second ("MegaFlops") MFM Modified Frequency Modulated MHz MegaHertz MICR Magnetic Ink Character Recognition MIDI Musical Instrument Data Interface MIMD Multiple-Instruction Multiple-Data MIPS Millions of Instructions per Second MISD Multiple-Instruction Single Data MMU Memory Management Unit MNP Microcom Network Protocol MODEM MOdulator / DEModulator MOPS Millions of Operations Per Second MOS Metal-Oxide Semiconductor MP MultiProcessor MPP Massively Parallel Processor MSB/msb Most Significant Byte/bit MSDOS Microsoft Disk Operating System MSI Medium Scale Integration MTBF Mean Time Between Failure N/C No-Connect NBS National Bureau of Standards NEMA National Electrical Manufacturers Association NFS Network File System NFU Not-Frequently Used NMI Non-Maskable Interrupt NMOS Negatively doped Metal-Oxide Semiconductor NOP No OPeration NRU Not-Recently Used NSF National Science Foundation NVRAM NonVolatile Random Access Memory OCR Optical Character Recognition ODI Open Datalink Interface OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer OS Operating System OSF Open Software Foundation OSI Open Systems Interconnect PAL/PLA Programmable Array Logic (Logic Array) PB Push Button PBX Private Branch eXtender PC Personal Computer, Program Counter PCB Printed Circuit Board PCI Peripheral Component Interface PCM Pulse Code Modulation PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association PE Processor Element PFF Page Fault Frequency PGA Pin Grid Array PIC Programmable Interrupt Controller PIO Programmed Input/Output PLCC Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier PLL Phase Locked Loop PM Preventive Maintenance PMOS Positively doped Metal-Oxide Semiconductor POST Power On Self Test PPP Point-to-Point Protocol PROM Programmable Read-Only Memory PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network PTE Page Table Entry QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation QFP Quad-FlatPack QIC Quarter Inch Cartridge RAID Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks RAM Random Access Memory RAMDAC Random Access Memory Digital to Analog Converter RAS Row Address Strobe RCA Radio Corporation of America RCC Routing Control Center RFC Request For Comments RFI Radio Frequency Interference RI Ring Indicator RISC Reduced Instruction-Set Computer RLL Run Length Limited RMM Read Mostly Memory (same as EPROM) RMS Root Mean Squared RMW Read Modify Write ROM Read-Only Memory RPC Remote Procedure Call RPM Rotations Per Minute RTC Real Time Clock RTS Request To Send SAM Sequential Access Memory SASI Shugart Associates Standard Interface SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface SDLC Synchronous Data Link Control SDLC Synchronous Data Link Control SE Systems Engineer SIMD Single-Instruction Multiple-Data SIMM Single Inline Memory Module SIPP Single Inline Pinned Package SISD Single-Instruction Single-Data SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol SMD Surface Mount Device SNA System Network Architecture SNR Signal to Noise Ratio SO/SOL Small OutLine SOIC Small Outline Integrated Circuit SPOOL Simultaneous Peripheral Operation On Line SPT Sectors Per Track SPU Single Processor Unit SRAM Static Random Access Memory STDM Synchronous Time Division Multiplexing STN Super Twisted Nematic STU Streaming Tape Unit SVGA Super Video Graphics Array TCM Trellis Code Modulation TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol TDM Time Division Multiplexing TI Texas Instruments TIA Telecomm. Industry Assocation TLB Translation-Lookaside Buffer TPI Tracks Per Inch TSR Terminate and Stay Resident TTL Transistor-Transistor Logic TUV Technischer Ueberwachuags Verein UART Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter UDP User Datagram Protocol UMB Upper Memory Block UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply USL Unix System Labs UUCP Unix to Unix Copy Program VCR Video Cassette Recorder VESA Video Enhanced Standards Association VGA Video Graphics Array VLB VESA Local Bus VLIW Very Long Instruction Word VLSI Very Large Scale Integration VM Virtual Memory VME Versa Module Eurocard VRAM Video Random Access Memory VTR Video Tape Recorder WAN Wide Area Network WATS Wide Area Telephone Service WD Western Digital WORM Write-Once Read-Many WS Wait State XGA eXtended Graphics Array XMS Extended Memory Specification XOR Exclusive-Or XT eXtended Technology ZIF Zero Insertion Force Q) 9.3 Where can I get the ISA/EISA/VLB/PCI/etc specs? [From: cls@truffula.sj.ca.us (Cameron Spitzer): _EISA Specification_ BCPR Services Inc. POB 11137 Spring TX 77391 (713)251-4832 This book *specifies* the Extended ISA. The expansion slot and motherboard IO deviced are described. Also, a file format is defined for describing the configuration of an EISA-compatible Adapter. [From: comins@tecrus.enet.dec.com] Questions concerning PCI specifications or membership can be sent to: PCI Special Interest Group M/S JF2-51 5200 N.E. Elam Young Parkway Hillsboro, Oregon 97124-6497 (503)696-6111 Non-members of the PCI SIG may request a PCI Local Bus Specification for $25 + shipping costs by calling: 1-800-433-5177 [From: herbst@techunix.technion.ac.il (Herbst OMR)] Quarter-Inch Cartridge Drive Standards, Inc. 311 East Carrillo Street Santa Barbara, California 93101 Telephone (805) 963-3853 Fax (805) 962-1541 Q) 9.4 What books are available for the PC architecture? Edward Solari _ISA & EISA_ Theory and Operation Annabooks, San Diego CA USA ISBN 0-929392-15-9 This is an excellent book on the EISA and ISA architectures. Everything you need to know to make your own card, from timing to ECU config files. Tom Shanley _EISA System Architecture_ MindShare, Inc, Richardson, TX USA ISBN 1-881609-03-0 This book is good for an overview of the EISA and, in part, ISA systems. It doesn't go into enough detail to design boards from, but, as a quote from the sleeve says "The co-ops in the group have found them to be especially useful." Tom Shanley _PCI System Architecture_ MindShare, Inc, Richardson, TX USA ISBN 1-881609-06-5 [From: cls@truffula.sj.ca.us (Cameron Spitzer): Edward Solari _AT Bus Design_ Annabooks, San Diego CA USA ISBN 0-929392-08-6 This book describes the expansion slot which appeared in IBM's Personal Computer AT. This bus is now known as the Industry Standard Architecture Bus, or just ISA. It gives enough functional and timing detail for the hardware designer to ensure a new Adapter's compatibility. It does not discuss any of the defacto-standard Adapters, peripherals, or BIOS features, and gives only an overview of the memory and IO layout. The timing details are for the nominal 8 MHz bus clock. Recent practice of drastically increasing this clock rate is not discussed. Q) 9.5 What books are available on network programming? [From: p00736@psilink.com (Frederick J. Ingham)] In response to several queries, the following books are excellent resources on network programming: Roetzheim, William H., A C Programmers's Guide to the IBM Token Ring, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1991 Nance, Barry, Network Programming in C, QUE Corporation, Carmel, IN, 1990. (covers Netware NCP, IPX/SPX, and NetBIOS) Schwaderer, W. David, C Programmer's Guide to NetBIOS, IPX, and SPX, SAMS Publishing, Carmel, IN, 1992. Davis, Ralph, Windows Network Programming 'How to survive in a World of Windows, DOS, and Networks', Addison Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts, 1993. (covers NetBIOS, IPX/SPX, VINES Sockets, TCP/IP, Windows Sockets, Several NOS APIs, Mailslots, Named Pipes, etc.) Comer, Douglas E., Internetworking with TCP/IP, Client - Server Programming and Applications, Vol III, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1993. IBM, Local Area Network, Technical Reference, Document SC30-3383-03, IBM Corporation, 1990. (covers the IBM Token Ring Direct Interface, DLC, and NetBIOS programming) IBM, Operating System/2, Local Area Network Server, Application Programmer's Reference, Document S04G-1046-00, IBM Corporation, 1991. (covers the IBM LAN Server API and Microsoft LAN Manager API) Microsoft, LAN Manager Programmer's Reference, Microsoft Press, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington, 1990. (covers the Microsoft LAN Manager API) Microsoft, Intel, Microsoft Networks/OpenNET, File Sharing Protocol, v2.0, 1988. Microsoft, Microsoft Networks, SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions v2.0, 1988. Microsoft, Microsoft Networks, SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions v3.0, 1989. (all of the above cover the Server Message Block protocol used by Microsoft LAN Manager and IBM LAN Server. they are available via ftp from ftp.microsoft.com) =============== Ralph Valentino (ralf@chpc.org) (ralf@wpi.wpi.edu) Hardware Engineer, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Center for High Performance Computing, Marlborough MA