R

R/2

SAP's mainframe enterprise management suite, the precursor to R/3.

R/3

SAP's integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for client/server and

distributed open systems. It was ported (with enhancements) from R/2. See ERP.

RA (registration authority)

An optional component in a public-key infrastructure (PKI) security implementation.

The RA proves an entity's identity before passing its credentials to the certification

authority for certificate creation. See PKI and certification authority.

RACF (Resource Access Control Facility)

A security facility for IBM mainframe environments. RACF originated as a feature of

the Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) operating system in 1976 and, more recently, has

been incorporated into IBM's OS/390 and z/OS environments. See MVS, OS/390

and z/OS.

rack

A framework or structure that holds computer servers or networking equipment,

usually by means of shelves or mounting plates. The height of computer equipment

is expressed in rack units (U), which equal the distance between shelf increments in

a standard rack (see rack unit).

rack unit (U)

A standard increment used to express the height of a piece of rack-mounted

computer or networking equipment, abbreviated as "U" and equal to 1.75 inches. For

example, a server with a height of 4U takes up seven inches of vertical rack space.

The most common dimensions for an industry-standard rack are 42U (73.5 inches)

high and 19 inches wide.

RAD (rapid application development)

An application development approach that includes small teams (typically two to six

people, but never more than 10) using joint application development (JAD) and

iterative-prototyping techniques to construct interactive systems of low to medium

complexity within a time frame of 60 to 120 days. See JAD.

radio channel

A radio frequency (RF) band allocated to a service provider or transmitter. See RF.

radio communications

Communications using electromagnetic frequencies in the approximate range

between 20 kilohertz and 3 gigahertz.

radio frequency (see RF)

radio frequency identification (see RFID)

radiology information system (see RIS)

RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service)

A security protocol used to transport passwords between the access device and the

authentication server.

RAID (redundant array of independent disks)

A method of mirroring or striping data on clusters of low-end disk drives; data is

copied onto multiple drives for faster throughput, error correction, fault tolerance

and improved mean time between failures. With the exception of RAID 0, all RAID

levels provide automated recovery of data in the event of a disk failure. The RAID

levels and their key features are:

• RAID 0 — provides disk striping without parity information; data is written by

segment across multiple disks sequentially until the end of the array is reached,

and then writing starts at the beginning again. Provides greater logical disk

capacity with faster access time on reads (multiple segments read

simultaneously). However, RAID 0 provides no data redundancy — if one drive

fails, the entire disk array subsystem is unavailable.

• RAID 1 — provides fault tolerance by using disk mirroring (also called

shadowing). Each byte of data on a disk is duplicated on another physical drive,

providing 100 percent data redundancy. RAID 1 provides immediate access to

data when either the primary or secondary drive fails, but it has the highest cost

of all RAID types, since duplicate hardware is required.

• RAID 0+1 and 1+0 — combinations of RAID 0 and RAID 1 that provide the

benefits of striping and fault tolerance (disk mirroring). RAID 0+1 (also known as

RAID 01 or RAID 0/1) uses a mirrored configuration of two striped disk sets;

RAID 1+0 (also known as RAID 10 or RAID 1/0) is a stripe across a number of

mirrored sets.

• RAID 2 — eliminates the 100 percent redundancy overhead of RAID 1 by using a

powerful error detection and correction code (Hamming), with bits of the data

pattern written across multiple disks.

• RAID 3 — similar to RAID 2, but uses a single check disk per group that contains

the bit parity of the data disks; data is interleaved across all disks. Because disk

reads are performed across the entire array and all data is transferred to the

controller in parallel, RAID 3 is well suited for applications that require high data

read/write transfer rates for large sequential files.

• RAID 4 — instead of interleaving blocks of data across all drives, writes the first

block on drive 1, the second block on drive 2, and so on. This technique

dramatically improves read time, since many reads are single block (single

drive), freeing other drives for additional read requests.

• RAID 5 — eliminates the dedicated parity drive by writing parity with the data

across all drives in the array. Consequently, the single-write restriction and some

performance degradation of RAID 1 through RAID 4 are eliminated. If a drive

fails, the controller can rebuild the data from the parity and data on the

remaining drives.

• RAID 6 — provides two-disk parity and one spare, so that two simultaneous disk

failures per array of disks can be tolerated. With the occurrence of a failure, a

spare is brought online and transparent reconstruction begins automatically in

the background with negligible impact on performance.

RAM (random-access memory)

A computer's primary memory, which that can be overwritten with new information.

The "random access" part of the name refers to the fact that information bits can be

retrieved from RAM in any order.

RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control)

A line of IBM disk storage technology. When it was introduced in 1957, RAMAC was

the world's first computer disk storage system.

RAMAC Virtual Array (see RVA)

Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory (see RDRAM)

random access

A storage or memory device that allows information or blocks of information to be

read in any order (for example, a disk or solid-state memory chip).

random-access memory (see RAM)

Random Access Method of Accounting and Control (see RAMAC)

rapid application development (see RAD)

RAS (reliability, availability and serviceability)

A reference to a product's quality, availability of optional features, and ease of

diagnosis and repair.

RAS (remote-access server)

A server that facilitates network connections to an enterprise local-area or wide-area

network from users remotely accessing the network over cable or telephone lines

using a modem. The server uses various protocols to authenticate and connect

remote users. It may have multiple network interfaces and include integrated

bridging or routing. Remote access servers are customer premises equipment,

although they can be bought and used by small Internet service providers.

raster

Originally a German word for the screen used in photoengraving; now, the array of

scan lines used to cover a planar area to read or depict image information on that

area (for example, in a printed image or on a video screen).

raster image processor (see RIP)

RBOC (regional Bell operating company)

A local or regional telephone company in one of seven regions of the United States

formed by the divestiture of AT&T. Also known as Bell operating company (see BOC)

or, colloquially, as a "baby Bell ."

RC2 (Rivest Cipher 2)

One of a family of proprietary ciphers developed by Ronald Rivest of RSA Security.

RC2 is a secret-key block cipher — that is, it encrypts data one fixed-size block at a

time — for bulk encryption. See block cipher, RSA and secret key.

RC4 (Rivest Cipher 4)

A secret-key cipher developed in 1987 by Ronald Rivest or RSA Security. Unlike

Rivest Cipher 2 (RC2) and Rivest Cipher 5 (RC5), RC4 is stream cipher —it encrypts

data as a sequence of bits, one bit at a time. See RC2, RC5 and stream cipher.

RC5 (Rivest Cipher 5)

The latest in a family of secret-key cryptographic methods developed by Ronald

Rivest of RSA Security. RC5 is a block cipher; it is more secure than RC4, but slower.

See block cipher, secret key and RC4.

RCM (reliability-centered maintenance)

A formalized approach to the maintenance of physical assets. RCM systematically

applies scheduled inspections, preventive maintenance and other techniques to

increase the efficiency and effectiveness of equipment maintenance programs.

R&D (research and development)

A descriptive term for the function, organization or budget allocation devoted to

researching and developing new products or technologies.

Rdb

A database management system from Hewlett-Packard (originally from Digital

Equipment, and later Compaq Computer). Rdb is integrated with the other Virtual

Address Extension (VAX) Information Architecture products, and is designed to

provide true multiplatform, distributed-database capabilities. See VAX.

RDBMS (relational database management system)

A database management system (DBMS) that incorporates the relational data model,

normally including a Structured Query Language (SQL) application programming

interface. It is a DBMS in which the database is organized and accessed according to

the relationships between data items. In a relational database, relationships between

data items are expressed by means of tables. Interdependencies among these tables

are expressed by data values rather than by pointers. This allows a high degree of

data independence. See DBMS and SQL.

RDD (rigid disk drive) — see HDD (hard disk drive)

RDF (Resource Description Framework)

A proposed World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standard for metadata descriptions.

See W3C and metadata.

RDM (see remote data management)

RDM (Remote Deployment Manager)

An IBM tool (formerly called LANClient Control Manager, or "LCCM") that allows

systems administrators to remotely configure and deploy operating systems and

applications on IBM systems. RDM remotely identifies systems and collects data,

such as system memory, hard disk capacity and BIOS information.

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)

Microsoft's protocol for remote presentation. See remote presentation.

RDRAM (Rambus Dynamic Random-Access Memory)

A memory chip design, from Rambus Inc. ( Los Altos , California ), that speeds up

computer systems by accelerating the exchange of data between memory and

surrounding logic chips.

read-only memory (see ROM)

real-time clock

A hardware clock system powered by battery when the PC is switched off. This clock

is paced by a quartz crystal and operates in a similar fashion to a digital watch,

maintaining information for the year, month, day, hour, minute and second.

real-time enterprise (see RTE)

real-time operating system (see RTOS)

Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (see RTCP)

Real-Time Transport Protocol (see RTP)

real-time variable bit rate (see rt-VBR)

recording density

The number of bits that can be written on a specific area of magnetic media,

generally measured in bits per inch.

record management

The systematic organization and managed storage of diverse information sources

through the end of their life cycles. Record management can be viewed as a subset

of integrated document management (IDM) and is one of the five most important

IDM library service functions. The others are check-in/check-out; version control;

document-level security and attributes; and full-text-index search and retrieval. See

IDM.

recovery point objective (see RPO)

recovery time objective (see RTO)

red book

Informal term for the Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique

(CCITT) standards approved in 1984. See CCITT and International

Telecommunication Union .

reduced instruction set computer (see RISC)

redundancy

1. Portion of the total information contained in a message that can be eliminated

without loss of essential information.

2. Provision of duplicate, backup equipment or links that immediately take over the

function of equipment or transmission lines that fail.

redundant array of independent disks (see RAID)

Reference Information Model (see RIM)

referential integrity

The underlying rules defining the semantic interdependencies among items in a

database. The goal is to define those items declaratively (that is, as businessoriented

assertions) rather than through procedural logic.

refresh rate

The speed at which an image is "painted" onto a monitor screen.

regional Bell operating company (see RBOC)

regional holding company (see RHC)

Registered Jack 11 (see RJ11)

Registered Jack 45 (see RJ45)

registration authority (see RA)

relational database management system (see RDBMS)

relational online analytical processing (see ROLAP)

relationship management

The function in an enterprise or external service provider (ESP) that acts as an

organizational liaison — for example, between an enterprise's IS department and its

business units, or between an ESP and the customer enterprise.

relationship manager (see relationship management)

relay

An electronically operated device that causes abrupt changes in an electrical circuit,

such as breaking the circuit, changing the circuit connection or varying the circuit

characteristics.

reliability, availability and serviceability (see RAS)

reliability-centered maintenance (see RCM)

remote access

The ability to connect to a network from a distant location. Generally, this requires a

computer, a modem and remote-access software to allow the computer to connect to

the network over a public communications network (such as a phone or cable

network).

remote-access server (see RAS)

remote-access VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) that creates encrypted tunnels between remote users

and a campus network. See VPN.

Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (see RADIUS)

remote console

A console facility that enables a remote operator to perform normal operational

tasks, including storage backup, on a running system.

remote control

Control of a computer or its applications from another computer or terminal in a

remote location. Historically, this concept described certain legacy mainframe

applications (for example, those accessed over an IBM 3270 terminal). More

recently, the term is often applied to software that allows a PC to have complete

control over another PC at a different site.

remote data management

A form of client/server computing in which the database management system or file

management system executes on a different computer than the rest of the

application logic. See client/server.

Remote Deployment Manager (see RDM)

Remote Desktop Protocol (see RDP)

Remote Login (see Rlogin)

Remote Method Invocation (see RMI)

Remote Monitoring (see RMON)

remote presentation

A form of client/server computing in which the presentation executes on a different

computer than the rest of the application logic and data management. See

client/server.

remote procedure call (see RPC)

remote system monitoring

Software facilities that enable system operation to be monitored from a remote site,

and that notify remote operators of system conditions that fall outside of specified

parameters.

removable user identity module (see R-UIM)

repeater

A network device that extends the range of a signal by amplifying, re-timing it and

re-transmitting it.

repository

A facility for storing descriptions, definitions and other information on data or

systems in an enterprise. A system repository would include configuration

definitions, tuning parameters and performance goals, while an application repository

would include data definitions.

request for comment (see RFC)

request for information (see RFI)

request for proposal (see RFP)

request for quotation (see RFQ)

research and development (see R&D)

Research in Motion (see RIM)

resolution

The measure of the capability of a visual system (such as a video, fax or printing

system) to reproduce image detail.

Resource Access Control Facility (see RACF)

Resource Description Framework (see RDF)

resource exchange

A Web site that enables enterprises in need of specific talent (for example, database

administration) to select from many suppliers. Resource exchanges focus on putting

the buyer in control. They usually aggregate content from multiple suppliers of staff

and services, and provide decision support tools to help buyers make informed

decisions.

Resource Reservation Protocol (see RSVP)

response time

The time period between a system user's completion of an inquiry and the receipt of

a response. Response time includes the time taken to transmit the inquiry, process it

by the computer, and transmit the response back to the terminal. Response time is

frequently used as a measure of the performance of an interactive system.

Restructured Extended Executor (see REXX)

return on equity (see ROE)

return on investment (see ROI)

reuse

An application development methodology that catalogs and makes available

application components so that they may be incorporated into other applications.

REXX (Restructured Extended Executor)

A structured, interpretive language used to create operator-level command streams

to manage and link applications in IBM mainframe environments.

RF (radio frequency)

The electromagnetic frequency range used for radio communication, i.e., frequencies

between approximately 20 kilohertz and 3 gigahertz.

RFC (request for comment)

A document submitted for comment and put through a review process under the

auspices of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). When accepted, it has the

weight of a standard in the Internet community. Each RFC is given a tracking

number. For example, RFC 822 describes the address format and data definitions for

addressing electronic messages over the Internet, while RFC 1490 is a standard

specification for encapsulating multiple protocols over a wide-area frame relay

network.

RFI (request for information)

Notification of an intended acquisition sent to potential suppliers to determine

interest and gather general descriptive product materials (but not prices). The RFI is

generally used to determine to which vendors to send a formal request for proposal

(RFP). See RFP.

RFID (radio frequency identification)

An analog-to-digital conversion technology that uses radio frequency (RF) waves to

transfer data between a movable item and a reader for identification, tracking or

location purposes. It does not require physical contact or a line of sight between the

reader or scanner and the tagged item. This is one advantage over a bar code

system, while another is that RFID tags can be read over a longer range — 100 feet

or more. A typical RFID system has three components:

• An antenna

• RFID tags (sometimes called transponders or e-tags), which are electronically

programmed with unique information

• An RF module with a decoder (transceiver)

RFP (request for proposal)

An invitation for vendors to bid on supplying goods and services. It defines specific

functions to be provided, the installed computing environment and any project work

in progress.

RFQ (request for quotation)

Solicitation for pricing for a specific software product, service or system.

RHC (regional holding company)

A company created from the AT&T divestiture (originally, there were seven; now

there are five). Each RHC acts as a holding company within a region of the United

States for one or more of the divested Bell operating companies, as well as for their

unregulated subsidiaries. The RHCs are: Ameritech, Verizon (formerly Bell Atlantic),

BellSouth, SBC Communications and US West.

Rich Text Format (see RTF)

RIM (Reference Information Model)

A comprehensive, object-oriented information model for clinical healthcare. RIM

serves as a semantic point of reference for all Health Level Seven (HL7) standards

development efforts. See HL7.

RIM (Research in Motion)

A vendor of wireless communication products based in Waterloo , Ontario . Its

products include the popular BlackBerry handheld device (see BlackBerry).

ring network (see ring topology)

ring topology

A network topology in which each node is connected to two adjacent nodes to form a

continuous-ring configuration.

RIP (raster image processor)

A device that converts computer graphics into a raster image — a grid of small dots

— from which the printing device will re-create them on paper.

RIP (Routing Information Protocol)

An internal router protocol used for informing network computers of changes in

configuration. See router.

RIS (radiology information system)

A system that supports the information-processing and business requirements of

radiology departments and free-standing image centers.

RISC (reduced instruction set computer)

A processor architecture that shifts the analytical process of a computational task

from the runtime execution phase to the preparatory "compile time" phase. By using

less hardware or logic, the system can operate at higher speeds. RISC cuts down on

the number and complexity of instructions, so that each instruction can be accessed

and executed more quickly and less semiconductor "real estate" is required to

process them. The result is that a more powerful microprocessor can be produced

with RISC than with complex instruction set computer (CISC) architectures. See

CISC.

RISC System 6000 (see RS/6000)

risk transfer

The ability to make another party liable for the risk involved in a service function. A

key component of the value of hiring an external service provider (ESP) is the ability

to transfer risk. See ESP.

Rivest Cipher 2 (see RC2)

Rivest Cipher 4 (see RC4)

Rivest Cipher 5 (see RC5)

Rivest-Shamir-Adelman (see RSA)

RJ11 (Registered Jack 11)

The physical specification for the four-wire jack commonly used in U.S. telephone

systems.

RJ45 (Registered Jack 45)

A type of eight-wire connector commonly used in local-area networks.

Rlogin (Remote Login)

A protocol for communication between Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) Unix

systems attached to the same local-area network. It was developed when Telnet did

not support all the services that users required. See BSD and Telnet.

RMI (Remote Method Invocation)

A Java technology that allows one application process to invoke services existing in

another, remote application environment. See Java.

RMON (Remote Monitoring)

A specification that builds on the functionality of Simple Network Management

Protocol (SNMP) by extending the definition of the SNMP management information

base (MIB) to enable network managers to monitor subnetwork devices via the MIB.

RMON also enables the local collection of device data, thereby helping network

administrators address the bandwidth constraints imposed by SNMP's device-polling

design. See SNMP and MIB.

RNIF (RosettaNet Implementation Framework)

A framework that provides generic specifications for sending Extensible Markup

Language (XML) messages securely over the Internet using Hypertext Transport

Protocol (HTTP) or Secure HTTP. RNIF is defined by the RosettaNet consortium. See

XML and RosettaNet.

roaming

A search for available cellular-network carriers performed by mobile phone.

ROE (return on equity)

A measure of a company's financial performance. Expressed as a percentage, ROE is

calculated by dividing net income by the value of the stockholders' equity.

ROI (return on investment)

Financial gain expressed as a percentage of funds invested to generate that gain.

ROLAP (relational online analytical processing)

A type of online analytical processing (OLAP) that uses relational database

management systems (RDBMSs) to store multidimensional data in relational data

tables, and new object types that support multidimensional analysis. ROLAP

databases have the advantage of scalability and flexibility, but typically lack the

query performance of true multidimensional OLAP systems. See RDBMS, OLAP and

MDDB (multidimensional database).

rollback

The return of a system to a previous state. Typically, it is enabled by maintaining

"before" and "after" images of an altered system in a log file so that, if the system

fails, the unsuccessful updates can be backed out or "rolled back."

ROM (read-only memory)

Data stored in computer memory that can be accessed and read by the user, but not

modified. ROM is often permanent, and stores system control software.

RossettaNet

A consortium that provides application standards based on Extensible Markup

Language (XML) to align supply chain business processes. Its standards, which

include the RosettaNet Implementation Framework (RNIF), are widely respected for

their approach to standardizing messages for multistep processes. See RNIF and

XML.

RosettaNet Implementation Framework (see RNIF)

router

A class of network controller that determines the best routing for data transmission

between a transmitter (sender) and a receiver. Routers are typically softwarecontrolled

and can be programmed to provide the least expensive, fastest or least

busy of available routes. Routers operate at Layer 3 of the Open Systems

Interconnection (OSI) network model. See OSI.

Routing Information Protocol (see RIP)

routing table

A table used by a network switch or router to determine the preferred path for a

message to take to reach a given destination on the network.

RPC (remote procedure call)

A mechanism that extends the notion of local application procedure calls to a

distributed computing environment. RPCs enable applications to be distributed

among multiple systems in a way that is highly transparent to the application-level

code.

RPG (Report Program Generator)

An IBM-proprietary procedural-programming language, most commonly used on the

AS/400 family of computers (now known as the eServer iSeries).

RPO (recovery point objective)

A term used in disaster recovery and business continuity planning. The RPO defines

what constitutes an acceptable loss of data — specifically, the required timeliness of

the data that can be recovered using backups, journals or transaction logs.

RS-232

An Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) physical interface specification for serial data

connections. Originally introduced in 1962, RS-232 (sometimes presented as

"RS232") is the most commonly employed interface between computers and

modems. As the EIA and its telecom subgroup, the Telecommunications Industry

Association (TIA), have released updated versions over the years, the formal name

of the specification has changed — for example, to "EIA-232-D," "EIA/TIA-232-E"

and, most recently, "TIA/EIA-232-F." Regardless of the version, however, the

specification is still commonly referred to by the original "RS-232" appelation.

RS-449

An Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) physical interface specification, similar to RS-

232 but supporting higher speeds and more connections. See EIA and RS-232.

RS/6000 (RISC System/6000)

An IBM technical workstation introduced in 1990. It is based on reduced instruction

set computer (RISC) architecture and runs the Unix-based Advanced Interactive

Executive (AIX) operating system. See RISC, Unix and AIX.

RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adelman)

A public-key algorithm invented in 1997 by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard

Adleman. The encryption software company RSA Security, Headquartered in Bedford ,

Massachusetts , once owned the rights the algorithm, which has since entered the

public domain. See public-key encryption.

RSVP (Resource Reservation Protocol)

A transport-layer protocol used to improve network quality of service (QOS) by

reserving the resources (such as bandwidth and buffer space) that applications

require. Developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), RSVP relies on

end devices to request their priority so that resources can be reserved for flows to

facilitate the requested QOS. Each router along the path to the end device attempts

to honor the RSVP request by maintaining connection state information. If this

cannot be honored, service is denied and packets are dropped. See QOS and IETF.

RTC (see real-time clock)

RTCP (Real-Time Transport Control Protocol)

An Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) protocol that works in conjunctions with

Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) to provide services for the transport of real-time

data, such as audio and video. RTCP provides feedback from receiver to sender on

current network performance, helping to optimize coding speeds to varying network

conditions. See RTP, OSI and IETF.

RTE (real-time enterprise)

An enterprise that achieves competitive advantage by using up-to-date information

to progressively remove delays in the management and execution of its critical

business processes.

RTF (Rich Text Format)

A file format that encodes documents so their messages include boldface, italics and

other limited text stylings across platforms and applications. Differences exist

between implementations by Lotus and Microsoft.

RTO (recovery time objective)

Often called the "recovery window," the RTO defines how quickly information

systems, services and processes must be operational for disaster recovery purposes.

RTOS (real-time operating system)

An operating system that responds to an external event within a short and

predictable time frame. Unlike a batch or time-sharing operating system, a real-time

operating system provides services or control to independent, ongoing physical

processes. It typically has interrupt capabilities (so that a less important task can be

put aside) and a priority-scheduling management scheme.

RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol)

An Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) protocol that defines a mechanism for

providing network transport functions suitable for applications transmitting real-time

data, such as audio and video. RTP provides end-to-end delivery services, including

payload type identification, sequence numbering and time stamping, which can be

used by end systems to properly pace audio and video playback. See IETF.

rt-VBR (real-time variable bit rate)

An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) service category, defined by the ATM Forum,

that provides service guarantees for traffic with timing constraints (usually for

compressed voice or video).

R-UIM (removable user identity module)

A smart card —similar to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)

subscriber identity module (SIM) — that is designed to be used in mobile phones

based on code division multiple access (CDMA). It allows roaming across CDMA and

GSM networks. The specifications for R-UIM were introduced by the CDMA

Development Group and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and were

approved for publication by the Telecommunications Industry Association in 2000. RUIMs

will be implemented first on handset shipments in China and subsequently in

other countries where both GSM and CDMA networks are prevalent. See SIM, smart

card, CDMA, GSM and 3GPP.

rule-based technology

Technology that applies a collection of rules to captured information to deduce or

infer new information, using an interface engine. Applications include medical

diagnosis, insurance underwriting, regulatory compliance and customer service.

rule engine — see BRE (business rule engine)

runtime

Literally, the period during which an application or system is running. Traditionally, it

refers to the period during which a program is executing, after it has been compiled

and loaded. Today, the term is often used in the context of middleware and

component-based technologies (such as Java and .NET) that invoke procedures or

create application execution environments during the runtime period. See Java and

.NET.

RVA (RAMAC Virtual Array)

An IBM disk storage system.