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AA (see application architecture and automated attendant)
AAC (ATM access concentrator)
A device used to concentrate a variety of services (such as frame relay, Internet Protocol and video) over a single asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network access connection. See ATM.
AAL (ATM adaptation layer)
The asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) layer where non-ATM data is converted to ATM format. The AAL serves as the "glue" that connects traditional packet and frame structures with short, fixed-length ATM cells. It forms the top layer of the ATM version of the Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN) protocol stack. See ATM and B-ISDN.
ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming)
The core development tool in SAP's R/3 system.
ABC (activity-based costing)
An approach to understanding where and why costs are incurred within an enterprise. It provides the information for activity-based management, which focuses on the decisions and actions needed to reduce costs and increase revenue. ABC differs from traditional cost accounting in explicitly recognizing that not all cost objects place an equal demand on support resources.
ABEND (abnormal end)
A type of system error in which a task or program fails to execute properly (i.e., "abnormally ends"). The term is also used as the name for a type of error message that indicates such a failure has occurred.
ABI (application binary interface)
A set of specifications that enables an application written for one target operating system (OS) and hardware platform to run on a different OS and platform, where the two hardware platforms share the same processor type. ABIs enable compatibility only among products built on the same microprocessor architectures.
ABM (activity-based management)
The use of activity-based costing (ABC) principles in the ongoing management of costs and resources. See ABC.
ABR (available bit rate)
An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) service category. ABR service is conceptually similar to that of a frame relay network — a minimal cell rate is guaranteed, and bursts can be supported if the network resources allow it. See ATM.
Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (see ASN.1)
AC (alternating current)
A type of power supply in which the current periodically reverses direction, as distinguished from a direct current (see DC).
ACA (Australian Communications Authority)
The Australian government body that regulates the nation's communications industries.
Accelerated Graphics Port (see AGP)
access charge
The charge assessed to communications users for access to the local or regional exchange to send or receive calls. It also includes access to specialized telecommunications services and access to the customer's local access and transport area.
access code
The digit or digits that a user must dial to be connected to an outgoing trunk facility.
access control
Functions and administrative tasks related to system or network access, including user identification and access recording.
Access Control Facility 2 (see ACF2)
access control list (see ACL)
access line
The connection to the customer's local telephone company for origination of local and long-distance calls. Also known as a local loop or trunk.
access method
1. The portion of a computer's operating system responsible for formatting data sets and their direction to specific storage devices. Examples from the mainframe world include Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) and Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM). See VSAM and ISAM. 2. In local-area networks (LANs), the technique or program code used to arbitrate stations' use of the LAN by granting access selectively to individual stations. Examples include carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) and token passing. See CSMA/CD and token passing.
access point
The basic building block of a wireless local-area network infrastructure. Access points attach to a wired backbone and provide wireless connectivity to all devices within range. In a roaming infrastructure, as devices move out of the range of one access point, they move into the range of another.
access router
An access device with built-in basic routing protocol support, specifically designed to allow remote network access to corporate backbone networks. Access routers are not designed to replace backbone routers or to build backbone networks. They usually have limited protocols, few ports and low speed.
accounting rate
The charge per traffic unit — a unit of time or information content — covering communications between zones controlled by different telecommunications authorities. Accounting rates are used to establish international tariffs.
Accredited Standards Committee (see ASC)
ACD (automatic call distributor)
A specialized phone system that handles many incoming calls. ACDs are used for a variety of order-taking functions, such as calls to help desks or dispatching of service technicians. They are designed to distribute a large volume of incoming calls uniformly to operators or agents (for example, for airline reservations).
ACE (Advanced CMOS-ECL)
A high-end processor technology introduced by Hitachi in the 1990s.
ACF (Advanced Communications Function)
A family of IBM communications programs that handle tasks such as resource sharing and distribution of functions. They include ACF/Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (ACF/VTAM) and ACF/Network Control Program (ACF/NCP). IBM eventually dropped the "ACF/" prefix from many of these program names; for example ACF/VTAM is now known simply as "VTAM."
ACF2 (Access Control Facility 2)
A host-based security subsystem from Computer Associates; also known as CAACF2.
ACH (automated clearinghouse)
A type of funds transfer network that processes debit and credit transactions between accounts from participating financial institutions.
ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability)
Four well-established tests for verifying the integrity of business transactions in a data-processing environment.
ACL (access control list)
Manages users and their access to files and directories. Access control requires linking users with content. User information is stored in a directory, and content is referenced in ACLs.
ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)
An educational and scientific computing society, founded in 1947, whose membership today includes more than 80,000 computing professionals and students worldwide.
ACMS (Application Control and Management System)
A transaction-processing monitor from Compaq (now part of Hewlett-Packard); originally a product of Digital Equipment, which Compaq acquired in 1998.
ACP (array control processor)
A type of processor used in storage systems.
ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
A standard developed by Intel, Microsoft and Toshiba to improve PC power management and plug-and-play capabilities.
A-CPR (ambulatory computer-based patient record)
A computer-based patient record (CPR) used exclusively in the ambulatory/outpatient care delivery environments of healthcare. See CPR.
ACR (attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio)
A measure of signal quality in network cabling.
Acrobat
A product from Adobe Systems used to display documents in digital form as they appeared in their original, paper format. As an Internet plug-in, it is often used display documents, such as brochures, on the Web.
ACS (Affiliated Computer Services)
A business process and IT outsourcing provider headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
ACSLS (Automated Cartridge System Library Software)
A Unix-based tape-library-sharing system from Storage Technology.
Active Data Warehouse (see ADW)
Active Directory
The directory service portion of the Windows 2000 operating system. Active Directory manages the identities and relationships of the distributed resources that make up a network environment. It stores information about network-based entities (such as applications, files, printers and people) and provides a consistent way to name, describe, locate, access, manage and secure information about these resources.
Active Directory Services Interface (see ADSI)
Active Server Pages (see ASP)
ActiveX
A Microsoft technology that facilitates various Internet applications, and therefore extends and enhances the functionality of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. Like Java, ActiveX enables the development of interactive content. When an ActiveXaware browser encounters a Web page that includes an unfamiliar feature, it automatically installs the appropriate applications so the feature can be used.
ActiveX Data Objects (see ADO)
activity-based costing (see ABC)
activity-based management (see ABM)
actuator
A disk drive mechanism. The actuator positions the disk read-write head over the selected track.
AD (application development)
The function of creating applications for an enterprise. The term refers not simply to programming, but to the larger overall process of defining application requirements, planning the application structure, developing the code, monitoring development progress and testing results.
A/D (analog-to-digital)
The term used to describe a type of converter used to bridge analog and digital circuitry. A/D converters can be either stand-alone microcomponents, or included in the functionality embedded in certain advanced processor types.
adapter
A type of middleware that combines design tools and runtime software to act as "glue" to link applications to the enterprise nervous system (ENS). Adapters perform a variety of tasks, including recognizing events, collecting and transforming data, and exchanging data with the ENS. They also handle exceptions and can often dynamically accommodate new revisions of back-end applications. See middleware
and ENS.
Adaptive Application Architecture (see A3)
adaptive differential pulse code modulation (see ADPCM)
adaptive routing
Routing that automatically adjusts to network changes, such shifts in network traffic, to find the most efficient path for transmission.
ADC (analog-to-digital converter)
Component used to bridge the digital and analog circuitry contained in certain advanced integrated circuits. Also known as an A/D converter (see A/D).
ADC (automated data collection)
The automated conversion of disparate types of information into computer records. ADC devices and technologies include bar code systems, optical character recognition and speech recognition.
address
1. Coded representation of the origin or destination of data on the Internet or another type of network. Each Web site, or each terminal on a communications line, has a unique address. 2. In software, a location in memory that can be specifically referred to in a program.
Address Resolution Protocol (see ARP)
address translation
The process of changing the identifier associated with an item of data, or an instruction, to the actual location in main storage where it is held.
ADE (application development environment)
An product that offers a range of tools or features (for example, for programming, interface development and testing) to provide a complete "environment" for developing applications.
ADF (Application Development Facility)
An IBM program for developing Information Management System (IMS) applications. See IMS.
ADMF (Asynchronous Data Mover Facility)
A IBM mainframe feature designed to enhance system performance in data moves between central and expanded storage.
admission, discharge and transfer (see ADT)
ADO (ActiveX Data Objects)
A high-level data access object model introduced by Microsoft in 1996.
ADP (Automatic Data Processing)
A check-processing and payroll services company based in Roseland, New Jersey.
ADPCM (adaptive differential pulse code modulation)
A speech-coding method that calculates the difference between two consecutive speech samples in standard pulse code modulation (PCM) coded telecommunications voice signals. This calculation is encoded using an adaptive filter and, as a result, allows analog voice signals to be carried on a 32 Kbps digital channel in half the space PCM uses.
ADSI (Active Directory Services Interface)
A Microsoft Active Directory feature that enables Windows 2000 applications to interact with other directory services — such as NetWare or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories — without the need to know the details of the underlying protocols. See Active Directory and LDAP.
ADSI (Analog Display Services Interface)
A protocol developed by Bellcore in the 1990s. ADSI enables information communicated over an analog phone line to be displayed on the screen of an ADSIcompatible device.
ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line)
ADSL allows cable TV, video, telephony and other multimedia services to be sent over voice-grade twisted-pair cable carrying from 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) to 8 Mbps downstream, and from 16 kilobits per second (Kbps) to 640 Kbps upstream (hence the designation "asymmetric"), over distances ranging from two to six kilometers without the use of repeaters. ADSL uses adaptive digital filtering, which adjusts to compensate for noise and other problems on the line.
ADSM (ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager)
An IBM software product for managing storage, data access and backup across multivendor enterprisewide networks. Following IBM's acquisition of Tivoli Systems in the 1996, ADSM was taken over by IBM Tivoli and eventually renamed Tivoli Storage Manager.
ADSTAR (Automated Document Storage and Retrieval)
IBM's name for its storage products business in the 1990s.
ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager (see ADSM)
ADT (admission, discharge and transfer)
A category of hospital software. An ADT system records admissions to, discharges from and transfers within a hospital, and maintains the hospital census.
Advanced Business Application Programming (see ABAP)
Advanced CMOS-ECL (see ACE)
Advanced Communications Function (see ACF)
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (see ACPI)
Advanced Function Printing (see AFP)
Advanced Intelligent Network (see AIN)
Advanced Intelligent Tape (see AIT)
Advanced Interactive Executive (see AIX)
Advanced Metal Evaporated (see AME)
Advanced Micro Devices (see AMD)
Advanced mobile phone service (see AMPS)
Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (see APPN)
Advanced Planner and Optimizer (see APO)
Advanced Program-to-Program Communication (see APPC)
Advanced Queuing (see AQ)
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (see ARPANET)
advance ship notice (see ASN)
advanced technology
A technology that is still immature but promises to deliver significant value, or that has some technical maturity but still has relatively few users; also known as an "emerging technology." Current examples include artificial intelligence, biometrics, etags, grid computing and wearable computers.
Advanced Technology Attachment (see ATA)
advanced technology group (see ATG)
Advanced Visual Systems (see AVS)
ADW (Active Data Warehouse)
A relational database from i2 Technologies. The ADW serves as an operational data store for the data used in systems such as i2's Supply Chain Planner tool.
AEC (architecture, engineering and construction)
A market category for computer-aided design and engineering applications.
AFC (antiferromagnetically coupled)
A type of storage media that uses an advanced magnetic coating expected to dramatically increase hard disk drive (HDD) capacity. IBM shipped the first AVCbased storage products in 2001.
affiliate
An enterprise that sells products of other manufacturers or retailers (i.e., sponsoring merchants) on its Web site. Users select products at the affiliate Web site, but the sale is actually transacted at the sponsoring merchant's site. Affiliates are similar in concept to industry-based manufacturing representatives that sell multiple manufacturers' product lines.
Affiliated Computer Services (see ACS)
AFP (Advanced Function Printing)
An IBM all-points-addressable enterprisewide print architecture.
agent
Software that acts as an intermediary for a person by performing an activity. Intelligent agents can "learn" an individual's preferences and act in the person's best interest. For example, an agent for a purchasing manager could learn corporate specifications, determine when inventory is low, search the Internet for the lowestcost supplier, and even negotiate and complete transactions. See intelligent agent.
aggregator
An entity that enables buyers within a market to select among competitors by aggregating information about the market and its suppliers and providing this information via a Web site. Aggregators may provide decision-support applications that integrate supplier information with third-party information and with user requirements or preferences to allow users to differentiate the services and features of various competitors. Content aggregators aggregate information and match it to user preferences. These preferences may be declared actively (that is, if the user explicitly specifies them) or passively (for example, the software discerns preferences from patterns of user behavior or interest).
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
An Intel technology for desktop systems. It increases system performance by offloading graphic requirements from the system bus to a bus dedicated to video processing.
AHP (analytical hierarchy process)
A process that uses hierarchical decomposition to deal with complex information in multicriterion decision making, such as information technology vendor and product evaluation. It consists of three steps:
1. Developing the hierarchy of attributes germane to the selection of the IT vendor.
2. Identifying the relative importance of the attributes.
3. Scoring the alternatives' relative performance on each element of the hierarchy.
Developed by Thomas Saaty while he was teaching at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, the AHP is recognized as the leading theory in multicriterion decision making.
AI (artificial intelligence)
A wide-ranging discipline of computer science that seeks to make computers become "intelligent" by enabling them to employ processes similar to those used by the human mind. The term was coined by John McCarthy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956. AI involves the capability of a machine to learn (to remember results produced on a previous trial and to modify the operation accordingly in subsequent trials) or to reason (to analyze the results produced in similar operations and select the most favorable outcome). Today's AI applications include voice recognition, robotics, neural nets and expert systems.
AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group)
An association of automotive companies which has defined a number of standards, including the E-5 standard for sending e-commerce transactions over the Automotive Network Exchange, an IP-based commerce network. The group's electronic data interchange (EDI) standards work includes implementation guides for X12 transactions, and the contribution of content to the AS2 specification. See EDI and
AS2.
AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
A U.S. association for accounting professionals. In the United States, the AICPA is the primary governing body for the interpretation of accounting rules. This group publishes guidelines and rulings designed to ensure consistent treatment of complex accounting issues, such as software revenue recognition.
AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management)
A Maryland-based organization dedicated to promoting development of systems that store, retrieve and manage document images.
AIM (AOL Instant Messenger)
The instant messaging (IM) technology offered in America Online's (AOL's) Internet service. AIM is among the most widely used IM services, with more than 60 million registered users worldwide.
AIN (Advanced Intelligent Network)
Introduced by AT&T Network Systems in 1991, AIN enables service providers to define, test and introduce new multimedia messaging, personal-communication and cell-routing services. See intelligent network.
AIT (Advanced Intelligent Tape)
An eight-millimeter helical-scan tape drive designed and manufactured by Sony. Sony has differentiated its AIT drive from other 8-millimeter tape drives with a unique media feature on the tape cartridge called memory in cassette (MIC). See
MIC.
AIX (Advanced Interactive Executive)
A Unix-based operating system from IBM.
A/L (Archive Link)
An interface that enables enterprises to link traditional storage archives with SAP R/3. A/L is the product of a partnership between SAP and iXOS Software.
Alert
A message displayed by an application or operating system to notify the user of certain conditions.
algorithm
A process for calculations involving the manipulation of numbers.
ALL-IN-1
A VAX/VMS-based office information system that was a dominant player in corporate messaging in the late 1980s, from Digital Equipment (acquired in 1998 by Compaq Computer, which in turn was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2002).
Alpha
A 64-bit reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor from Compaq (now part of Hewlett-Packard), which acquired the technology with its 1998 purchase of Digital Equipment.
alternate mark inversion (see AMI)
alternate routing
Method of routing wherein a secondary communications path is used if the usual one is not available (also called "alternative routing").
alternating current (see AC)
alternative routing (see alternate routing)
ALU (arithmetic logic unit)
A central processing unit's (CPU's) core element, which carries out arithmetic computations. See CPU.
AM (amplitude modulation)
A means of modulating a wave signal to carry information. With AM, the amplitude of the carrier wave is varied in accordance with the information to be transmitted. See
FM.
AM (see asset management)
AMA (automatic message accounting)
A function that automatically documents billing data related to subscriber-dialed long-distance calls.
ambient noise
Communications interference present in a signal path at all times.
ambulatory computer-based patient record (see A-CPR)
ambulatory suite
A healthcare application suite consisting of practice management, contract management and ambulatory computer-based patient record (A-CPR) application
components. See A-CPR.
AMD (Advanced Micro Devices)
A microprocessor manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
AME (Advanced Metal Evaporated)
A media formulation manufactured by Sony for use in its consumer and computer product lines.
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (see AICPA)
American Management Systems (see AMS)
American Medical Informatics Association (see AMIA)
American National Standards Institute (see ANSI)
American Society for Testing and Materials (see ASTM)
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (see ASCII)
America Online (see AOL)
AMI (alternate mark inversion)
A digital signaling method in which the signal carrying the binary value alternates between positive and negative polarities; zero and one values are represented by the signal amplitude at either polarity, while no-value "spaces" are at zero amplitude. Also called bipolar.
AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association)
A not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development and application of medical informatics in the support of patient care, teaching, research and healthcare administration. The AMIA serves as an authoritative body in the field of medical informatics and represents the United States in the informational arena of medical systems and informatics in international forums.
AMIS (Audio Messaging Interchange Specification)
An enhanced key system feature for voice/call processing that enables enterprise locations to transfer and forward voice messages between systems. It is a voice processing standard that specifies the procedures to network voice processing systems, regardless of who manufactures the system.
amplifier
An electronic component that boosts the strength or amplitude of a transmitted, usually analog, signal; functionally equivalent to a repeater in digital transmissions.
amplitude
A departure of the value of a wave or alternating current from its average value.
amplitude modulation (see AM)
AMPS (advanced mobile phone service)
An AT&T-developed analog cellular radio technology, operating in the 800 megahertz frequency band.
AMS (American Management Systems)
A business and IT consulting firm headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.
AMS (Application Management Specification)
A set of application programming interfaces that enable the consistent definition of applications for deployment and management, from IBM's Tivoli subsidiary.
analog
Information presented in the form of a continuously varying signal (see analog signal) — in contrast to digital transmission, where information is conveyed in the form of discrete, digital units (see digital).
analog signal
A signal in the form of a continuous, wave-like pattern, with variations in the signal's properties (such as voltage) reflecting variations in the information carried (such as loudness of the human voice). An analog signal conveys information by modulating (i.e., varying) the frequency, amplitude or phase of the signal's carrier wave. Analog signaling is used in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and other audio and radio frequency facilities, such as broadcasting. A digital baseband signal generated by a data network must be converted to analog form to be transmitted over an analog facility, such as a voice grade telephone line. This process is performed by a modulation device, such as a modem. See modem, modulation and PSTN.
analog-to-digital (see A/D)
analog-to-digital converter (see ADC)
analog transmission
Transmission of a continuously variable signal, as opposed to a discretely variable (e.g., digital) one. See analog signal.
analysis of variance (see ANOVA)
analytical hierarchy process (see AHP)
ANDF (Architecture-Neutral Distribution Format)
The Open Group's format enabling distribution of a single version of an application to computers with different hardware and software architectures. Launched in the 1990s, ANDF failed to achieve widespread adoption.
ANI (automatic number identification)
A series of digits, in either analog or digital form, which tells a user the originating number of the incoming phone call. Caller ID is the most familiar form of ANI.
angle of arrival (see AOA)
ANOVA (analysis of variance)
A form of statistical analysis.
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
In the United States, ANSI serves as a quasi-national standards organization. It provides "area charters" for groups that establish standards in specific fields. These groups include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). ANSI is unique among the world's standards groups as a nongovernmental body granted the sole vote for the United States in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This status is part of the reason ANSI bends over backward to limit its role to that of facilitator, or catalyst, in the production of standards. See IEEE, EIA and ISO.
ANSI X9.9 (see X9.9)
ANSI X12 (see X12)
antenna
A device used to transmit or receive radio waves. The physical design of the antenna determines the frequency range of transmission and reception.
antiferromagnetically coupled (see AFC)
ANX (Automotive Network Exchange)
Established by the Automotive Industry Action Group to offer extranet-based applications to suppliers of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.
AOA (angle of arrival)
Based on triangulation, a method of processing cellular phone signals, AOA allows the physical position of switched-on wireless devices to be located. The position is determined by comparing the AOA of the existing reverse control channel at various cell sites.
AOL (America Online)
A company (now a subsidiary of Time Warner) that offers Web access, e-commerce and related Internet products and services. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, AOL initially offered limited, non-Web online services, but grew rapidly (to over 30 million subscribers) after making its services Web-based and aggressively marketing them as a simple, easy-to-use Internet access option for mass-market consumers. In 2000, AOL acquired media conglomerate Time Warner for over $300 million — at the time, the largest merger in U.S. corporate history.
AOL Instant Messenger (see AIM)
AP (see access point)
Apache
An open-source Web server platform.
APACS (Association for Payment Clearing Services)
The organization that manages U.K. payment systems.
API (application programming interface)
A set of calling conventions that defines how a service is invoked through software. An API enables programs written by users or third parties to communicate with certain vendor-supplied software.
APO (Advanced Planner and Optimizer)
A supply-chain-planning suite from SAP.
APPC (Advanced Program-to-Program Communication)
The programming interface to LU 6.2, IBM's protocol for peer-to-peer program communication under Systems Network Architecture (SNA). See LU 6.2 and SNA.
Apple Computer
A computer hardware and software vendor based in Cupertino, California. Apple revolutionized the personal-computing business in the 1980s with the launch of the Macintosh computer and its user-friendly interface and operating system. Although Apple remains a strong competitor in some computer markets (such as the consumer, education, graphic arts and publishing segments), it is no longer a major player in the mainstream business PC market, which is now dominated by IBMcompatible PCs running Microsoft Windows.
AppleShare
An Apple Computer operating-system feature that enables the sharing of files and network services.
AppleTalk
A proprietary network protocol from Apple Computer. AppleTalk has become a legacy network environment, as Apple now recommends that Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) be used to network Mac-based systems. See
TCP/IP.
applet
A small program that runs within an application. Applets are commonly used to make otherwise static Web pages more interactive. Examples include animated graphics, games, configurable bar charts and scrolling messages. See Java applet.
appliance (see computing appliance)
Applicability Statement 1 (see AS1)
Applicability Statement 2 (see AS2)
applicant tracking system
An application used to track resumes and data on job applicants. Typically, these applications include matching features, which rank candidates by matching them to criteria specified in the requisition for an open position.
application
A specific use for a computer or program, such as for accounts payable or payroll. The term is commonly used in place of the terms "application program," "software" or "program." Examples of programs and software include pre-packaged productivity software (such as spreadsheets and word processors) and larger, customized packages designed for multiple users (such as e-mail and workgroup applications).
application architecture
An architecture that describes the layout of an application's deployment. This generally includes partitioned application logic and deployment to application server engines. Application architectures rely less on specific tool or language technology than on standardized middleware options, communications protocols, data gateways, and platform infrastructures such as Component Object Model (COM), JavaBeans and Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). The application architect is tasked with specifying the architecture and supporting the deployment implementation.
application binary interface (see ABI)
Application Control and Management System (see ACMS)
application database
The initial point of capture for much of the data that enters an enterprise. Application databases are accessed and updated by end users through online transaction processing (OLTP) applications. These databases tend to contain detailed and up-todate data; however, because OLTP applications normally support specific business processes, application databases tend to be process-specific, rather than enterprisewide, in nature. They may support some degree of data analysis, but this tends to be secondary to OLTP activity. An application database is often a source for refinement of data into one or several of the other database implementation styles, such as a data warehouse or operational data store (ODS). See database, data
warehouse and ODS.
application development (see AD)
application development environment (see ADE)
Application Development Facility (see ADF)
application generator
A type of fourth-generation language (4GL) development tool used to create production applications. See 4GL.
application hosting
A service in which a vendor will house shared or dedicated servers and applications for an enterprise at the provider's controlled facilities. The vendor is responsible for day-to-day operations and maintenance of the application. Application hosting is typically based on service arrangements in which vendors provide the hardware, software and networking infrastructure that enables enterprises to run applications externally by connecting electronically using a browser. A vendor may offer the services directly or, more commonly, through an arrangement with an application service provider (ASP). See hosting and ASP.
application integration
The process of enabling independently designed applications to work together. This can range from simple approaches — such as providing users with access to data and functionality from multiple applications through a single user interface — to more sophisticated approaches involving integration brokers or middleware. See integration broker and middleware.
application layer
The top layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network model, offering an interface to, and largely defined by, the network user. See OSI.
application management outsourcing (see AMO)
Application Management Specification (see AMS)
application outsourcing
An outsourcing arrangement for a wide variety of application services including new development, legacy system maintenance, offshore programming, management of packaged applications and staff augmentation. While this form of outsourcing generally involves a transfer of staff, the use of the term has recently broadened to include arrangements where this is not the case, as in staff augmentation. It does not include system integration activities.
application platform suite (see APS)
application portfolio
The group of applications used and maintained by an enterprise — whether internally developed or externally sourced.
application program
A software program that performs a specific task or function — as differentiated from supervisory program (i.e., an operating system or other type of system software). Application programs (generally known by the less formal term "applications") contain instructions that transfer control to the system software to perform input/output and other routine operations, working through an application programming interface.
application programming interface (see API)
Application Response Measurement (see ARM)
application server
1. A hardware server designated to run applications (but not a database). 2. System software used to host the business logic tier of applications. In three-tier applications, the application server manages business logic and enables it to be accessed from the user interface tier. In a service-oriented architecture (SOA), an application server hosts the application services and also plays the role of a fundamental enabling technology. Transaction-processing monitors (TPMs) and object transaction monitors (OTMs) are examples of native application server products. See SOA, OTM and TPM.
Application Server Evaluation Model (see ASEM)
application service provider (see ASP)
application sharing
The ability of two or more network-connected participants to have simultaneous control over the content of a document running in an application (such as a wordprocessing or spreadsheet application). A component of data conferencing, application sharing enables users in different locations to collaborate on creating or editing documents.
application-specific integrated circuit (see ASIC)
application-specific standard product (see ASSP)
Application System/400 (see AS/400)
APPN (Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking)
An extension of IBM's Systems Network Architecture (SNA) that provides dynamic, multipath routing among computers in an SNA network. IBM launched APPN as a successor to Advanced Program-to-Program Communication (APPC), which requires more system configuration. APPN enables computers to dynamically exchange information, making it simpler to configure and maintain SNA networks. See SNA.
APS (advanced planning and scheduling)
A subcomponent of supply chain planning (SCP) that focuses on manufacturing planning and scheduling. See SCP.
ARAD (architected rapid application development)
An emerging approach that charts a middle ground between the rapid application development (RAD) approach used for small, short-lived projects and the "architected" approach used in large, heavily designed and systematic development efforts. The ARAD approach provides some reuse-based productivity, but with a preference for smaller and faster application efforts. With predefined design patterns and an architectural framework, application developers can determine whether projects are consistent with other applications in place or in progress. See RAD.
Archie
An early Internet search tool, used to locate document files via File Transfer Protocol. The name was derived from "archive."
architected rapid application development (see ARAD)
architecture
1. The overall design of a hardware, software or network system and the logical and physical relationships among its components. The architecture specifies the hardware, software, access methods and protocols used throughout the system. 2. A set of principles, guidelines and rules used by an enterprise to direct the process of acquiring, building, modifying and interfacing IT resources throughout the enterprise. These resources can include equipment, software, communications, development methodologies, modeling tools and organizational structures.
architecture, engineering and construction (see AEC)
Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (AVVID)
Architecture-Neutral Distribution Format (see ANDF)
Archive Link (see A/L)
Arden Syntax
A de facto standard in healthcare for coding clinical information (e.g., to generate clinical alerts, suggest interpretations or diagnoses, and guide compliance with protocols).
Ariba
A business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform and network services provider. Among the early players in Internet-based procurement, Ariba is one of the largest B2B e-marketplace technology providers, which also include Commerce One and RosettaNet. It offers an XML-centric transactional infrastructure based on its Commerce XML (cXML) specification. (See cXML, Commerce One and RosettaNet.)
arithmetic logic unit (see ALU)
ARM (Application Response Measurement)
A set of application programming interfaces enabling enterprises to measure application transaction response times across a distributed-computing infrastructure. Developed by Tivoli and Hewlett-Packard in the mid-1990s and approved as a standard by the Open Group, ARM enables enterprise management tools to be extended directly to applications, thus creating end-to-end management capabilities that include measuring application availability, performance, usage and response times.
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)
An Internet Protocol (IP) specification used to map an IP address to a Media Access Control (MAC) address. See IP and MAC.
ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network)
The ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, was a pioneering long-haul network funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency. It served as the test bed for many areas of internetworking technology development and testing, and acted as the central backbone during the development of the Internet. The ARPANET was built using packet-switching computers interconnected by leased lines.
ARQ (automatic repeat request)
A network error control technique that requires retransmission of a data block containing detected errors.
array control processor (see ACP)
ARS (automatic route selection)
Automatic routing of voice communications transmissions over the most economical facilities.
artificial intelligence (see AI)
artificial life
A field of artificial intelligence (also called "emergent computation") that focuses on producing complex behavior from the interaction of many simple behaviors (as in societies of ants and bees). Uses include simulation and planning.
Art Technology Group (see ATG)
AS (see ambulatory suite)
AS (autonomous system)
A network administrative domain, within which all members that share route information can handle traffic to and from any destination. An AS is typically a network or group of networks owned and managed by a single entity, such as a carrier, Internet service provider, enterprise or university. It is the construct under which autonomous system numbers (ASNs) are assigned. See ASN.
AS1 (Applicability Statement 1)
An Internet Engineering Task Force draft specification for the secure exchange of electronic data interchange (EDI) data over the Internet. Based on Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), AS1 supports security features such as digital signatures, encryption and digitally signed return receipts. AS1 was last tested in November 1999. See AS2, EDI and SMTP.
AS2 (Applicability Statement 2)
A second IETF draft specification (after AS1 — see separate entry) to address security and interoperability issues in the exchange of electronic data interchange (EDI) data over the Internet. Based on Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP), AS2 expands on AS1 to include support for additional security features, such as digital signing via Secure Multipurpose Internet Messaging Extensions (S/MIME) and Open Specification for Pretty Good Privacy (OpenPGP). See EDI, HTTP, S/MIME and OpenPGP.
AS/400 (Application System/400)
A midrange computer system introduced by IBM in 1988 as a replacement for its System/36 and System/38 product families.
ASA (average speed of answer)
A standard quantitative method for measuring the speed at which call center calls are answered.
ASC (Accredited Standards Committee)
An organization, certified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), that produces standard communication protocols for electronic data interchange (EDI). See ANSI and EDI.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
A standard table of seven-bit designations for digital representation of uppercase and lowercase Roman letters, numbers and special control characters in teletype, computer and word processor systems. Some IBM systems use similar code called Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code (see EBCDIC). Since most computer systems use a full byte to send an ASCII character, many hardware and software companies have made their own nonstandard and mutually incompatible extensions of the official ASCII 128-character set into a 256-character set.
ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit)
An integrated circuit in which the pattern of connections has been set up exclusively for a specific function.
ASN (advance ship notice)
An electronic data interchange (EDI) message sent from the shipper to the receiver prior to a shipment's arrival. The message includes complete information about the shipment and its contents.
ASN (autonomous system number)
A number assigned to a local network, registered into the carrier's routing community and placed under the umbrella of an administrative domain called an autonomous system (see AS).
ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation 1)
A specification language adopted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), described in ITU recommendations X.208 and X.209. ASN.1 notation is used to define the structure of various types of network messages.
ASP (Active Server Pages)
A technology introduced by the Mesa Group in1997 and now owned by Microsoft (which acquired Mesa Group in 1998). ASP automatically senses whether the user's browser supports ActiveX. If it does, an applet is downloaded; if not, ASP runs the applet on the server and broadcasts the result to the client.
ASP (application service provider)
A company that provides the use of applications and associated services across a network to multiple customers. ASPs deliver standardized software via a network — usually, but not necessarily, the Internet — through an outsourcing contract predicated on usage-based transaction pricing. ASPs may host applications on their customers' sites, but most do so in their own data centers, where they are responsible for maintaining the applications and all associated hardware, software and network services to link the applications to the customer base. Despite early promise that the ASP model would suit a broad range of application types, most ASP services to date have been limited to e-mail or enterprise resource planning.
ASP (average selling price)
A metric used in market research and asset valuation, representing the average price at which an item is sold over a specified period of time.
ASR (automatic speech recognition)
Another name for speech recognition technology. See speech recognition.
asset management
A system of practices to efficiently manage information technology and related assets throughout the life cycle phases of requisition, procurement, deployment, maintenance and retirement. At its core is an integrated data repository that contains:
• Asset tracking — technical information about the equipment or software
• Portfolio information — acquisition and financial details
• A contract database — summarizing key licensing and maintenance contract terms and conditions
Association for Computing Machinery (see ACM)
ASSP (application-specific standard product)
An integrated circuit (IC) dedicated to a specific application market and sold to more than one user. A type of embedded programmable logic, ASSPs combine digital, mixed-signal and analog products. "application-specific integrated circuits" (see ASIC).
ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)
An organization responsible for the development and publication of standards in a variety of industries and technical fields. Several key healthcare IT standards have been published by the ASTM's E31 Committee on Healthcare Informatics, including:
• E1460-92, covering the use of Arden Syntax in coding clinical information
• E1714-00, specifying the properties of a universal healthcare identifier (UHID)
• E1985-98, on user authentication and authorization to access healthcare information systems
• E2087-00, specifying quality indicators used in controlled medical vocabularies (CMVs) See Arden Syntax, authentication, CMV and UHID.
asymmetric cryptography (see public-key cryptography)
asymmetric digital subscriber line (see ADSL)
asynchronous
1. Characterized by having a variable, rather than constant (i.e., synchronous), time interval between successive bits, characters or events. In asynchronous transmission, each information character — and sometimes each word or small block — is individually synchronized, usually through the use of start and stop bits. See synchronous and start-stop.
2. Designating processes or information exchanges that do not occur simultaneously. For example, e-mail is a form of asynchronous interpersonal communication, because the sending and receiving parties are not communicating at the same time.
Asynchronous Data Mover Facility (see ADMF)
asynchronous transfer mode (see ATM)
ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment)
A disk drive interface standard, also known as Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE). See IDE.
ATE (automatic test equipment)
A type of equipment used to test electronic systems and components.
ATG (advanced technology group)
A group charged with researching, tracking and evaluating emerging technologies for an enterprise, and with prototyping and piloting advanced-technology projects prior to deployment.
ATG (Art Technology Group)
A developer of online customer relationship management applications, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
ATL (automated tape library)
A system used for high-capacity, tape-based data storage. ATLs typically have dozens of drives and can accommodate hundreds tape cartridges.
ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)
A wide-area network (WAN) technology. ATM is a transfer mode for switching and transmission that efficiently and flexibly organizes information into cells; it is asynchronous in the sense that the recurrence of cells depends on the required or flexibility lies in its ability to provide a high-capacity, low-latency WAN switching fabric that is protocol-, speed- and distance-independent, and that can support multiple types of information (including data, video, image and voice). The greatest benefit of ATM is its ability to provide support for a wide range of communications services while providing transport independence from those services.
ATM (automated teller machine)
A public banking machine that customers can access by inserting or swiping a magnetic card and entering a password. ATMs are usually connected to central computers through leased local lines and multiplexed data networks.
ATM access concentrator (see AAC)
ATM adaptation layer (see AAL)
ATM Forum
An international body, mostly composed of networking vendors, that sets standards for — and promotes the use of — asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networking. See ATM.
ATO (assemble to order)
A strategy allowing a product or service to be made to meet the custom requirements of a specific order, where a large number of such customized products can be assembled in various forms from common components. This requires sophisticated planning processes to anticipate changing demand for internal components or accessories while focusing on product customizations for individual customers.
atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability (see ACID)
ATP (available to promise)
The uncommitted portion of a company's inventory or planned production. This figure is frequently calculated from the master production schedule and is maintained as a tool for order promising.
attachment unit interface (see AUI)
attenuation
A decrease in the magnitude of the current, voltage or power of a signal in transmission between points because of the transmission medium. Attenuation is usually expressed in decibels.
attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio (see ACR)
Audio Messaging Interchange Specification (see AMIS)
audiotex
Technology used to offer automated, phone-based services to callers (such as listening to prerecorded messages or engaging in group conversations) for entertainment or informational purposes. Callers are typically billed on a per-minute or per-call basis.
AUI (attachment unit interface)
A type of 15-pin connector used to connect Ethernet cables to network interface cards.
Australian Communications Authority (see ACA)
authentication
The use of passwords, tokens (such as smart cards), digital certificates or biometrics to verify the identity of users before granting them access to a system, or entry into a facility.
autodiscovery
A category of tools that collect physical data on an enterprise's networked IT assets (such as memory, processor and software version), and record a history of changes made to the asset. The data collected by these tools is typically reconciled and fed into a repository for reporting, or it is often accessed by the IT service desk for rapid user profile identification.
auto-identification technologies
Technologies used to identify physical objects (including humans) automatically and transparently. They allow an object to declare its identity to an auto-identification reading device. Examples include:
• Bar code scanners
• Biometrics (for example, machine recognition of a unique human voice)
• Radio frequency identification (see RFID)
Auto Industry Action Group (see AIAG)
A device, typically attached to a private branch exchange or voice mail system, that answers incoming calls.
automated backup
A function that automates most basic form of storage availability — recoverable data. With automated backup, labor-intensive, departmental data backup processes can be replaced with automated, enterprise-level solutions to increase availability.
Automated Cartridge System Library Software (see ACSLS)
automated clearinghouse (see ACH)
automated data collection (see ADC)
automated document factory (see ADF)
automated tape library (see ATL)
automated teller machine (see ATM)
Automated Work Distributor (see AWD)
automatic call distributor (see ACD)
Automatic Data Processing (see ADP)
automatic message accounting (see AMA)
automatic number identification (see ANI)
automatic repeat request (see ARQ)
automatic restart
Also known as "warm recovery," this is the resumption of operation after a system failure with minimal loss of work or processes (as opposed to a "cold" restart, which requires a complete reload of the system with no processes surviving).
automatic route selection (see ARS)
automatic speech recognition (see ASR)
automatic test equipment (see ATE)
Automotive Network Exchange (see ANX)
auto-negotiation (see auto-sensing)
autonomous system (see AS)
autonomous system number (see ASN)
auto-sensing
A feature (also called "auto-negotiation") that enables network equipment to automatically sense and adjust to different transmission types or speeds.
auto-topology
A feature of network management systems that automates the creation of a graphical network configuration map.
available bit rate (see ABR)
available to promise (see ATP)
availability
The proportion of time a system is up an running, as compared to the time it is inoperable due to failures, natural disasters or malicious attacks. Also known as "uptime."
average selling price (see ASP)
average speed of answer (see ASA)
AVS (Advanced Visual Systems)
A vendor of data visualization technology, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data)
An architectural approach for integrating enterprise voice, video and data traffic over IP-based networks, introduced by Cisco Systems in 1999.
AWD (Automated Work Distributor)
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