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data center chiller
A data center chiller is a cooling system used in a data center to remove heat from one element and deposit it into another element. Chillers are used by industrial facilities to cool the water used in their heating, ventilation and air-conditioning... Continue Reading
CADE (Corporate Average Data center Efficiency)
CADE (Corporate Average Data center Efficiency) is a metric used to rate the overall energy efficiency of an organization's data centers. CADE was introduced in a joint Uptime Institute and McKinsey report that proposed the metric as a single key ... Continue Reading
GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL)
The GNU General Public License, often shortened to GNU GPL (or simply GPL), lists terms and conditions for copying, modifying and distributing free software. Continue Reading
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U (measurement)
A U is a standard unit of measure for designating the height in computer enclosures and rack cabinets. Continue Reading
Cisco Catalyst Blade Switch 3020
The Cisco Catalyst Blade Switch 3020 is a switch designed for the Hewlett-Packard (HP) BladeSystem c-Class of blade servers... (Continued) Continue Reading
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a distribution of the Linux operating system developed for the business market... (Continued)Continue Reading
IMS (Information Management System)
IMS (Information Management System) is a database and transaction management system that was first introduced by IBM in 1968. Since then, IMS has gone through many changes in adapting to new programming tools and environments.Continue Reading
utility computing
Utility computing is a service provisioning model in which a service provider makes computing resources and infrastructure management available to the customer as needed, and charges them for specific usage rather than a flat rate.Continue Reading
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS Directive)
The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive is a set of criteria formulated by the European Union (EU) to regulate the use of toxic materials in electrical and electronic devices, systems, and toys... (Continued)Continue Reading
event forwarding
Event forwarding is the transmission of information to a centralized computer concerning events that take place on remote computers or servers... (Continued)Continue Reading
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lights-out management (LOM)
Lights-out management (LOM) is the ability for a system administrator to monitor and manage servers by remote control.Continue Reading
compaction
In a data center, compaction is the reduction or consolidation of hardware to make better use of physical floor space.Continue Reading
server consolidation
Server consolidation is an approach to the efficient usage of computer server resources in order to reduce the total number of servers or server locations that an organization requires.Continue Reading
SMP (symmetric multiprocessing)
SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) is the processing of programs by multiple processors that share a common operating system and memory.Continue Reading
sysplex and Parallel Sysplex
A sysplex is IBM's systems complex (the word sysplex comes from the first part of the word system and the last part of the word complex), introduced in 1990 as a platform for the MVS/ESA operating system for IBM mainframe servers.Continue Reading
e-waste
E-waste is any refuse created by discarded electronic devices and components as well as substances involved in their manufacture or use.Continue Reading
e-cycling
E-cycling is the practice of reusing, or distributing for reuse, electronic equipment and components rather than discarding them at the end of their life cycle.Continue Reading
64-bit processor
A 64-bit processor is a microprocessor with a word size of 64 bits, a requirement for memory and data intensive applications such as computer-aided design (CAD) applications, database management systems, technical and scientific applications, and ...Continue Reading
pizza box server
The term "pizza box server" refers to the shape of a computer server enclosed in a rectangular and horizontally-arranged chassis and often installed in a rack with similar servers.Continue Reading
Data center design and infrastructure final exam
This quiz tests knowledge about data center design, site selection, power and cooling and other material related to the data center's physical infrastructure.Continue Reading
Data center facilities all-in-one-guide: Final exam answers
Here are the answers to the SearchDataCenter.com's all-in-one-guide on data center facilities.Continue Reading
Puppy Linux
Puppy Linux is a compact version of Linux, an operating system (OS) that provides computer users with a free or low-cost alternative to Unix. Puppy Linux is one of several similar OSs, all of which together make up a group called skinny Linux... (...Continue Reading
Uptime Institute, Inc.
The Uptime Institute, Inc. is a consortium of companies devoted to maximizing efficiency and uptime in data centers and IT (information technology) organizations... (Continued)Continue Reading
kernel panic
A kernel panic is a computer error from which the operating system (OS) cannot quickly or easily recover. The term applies primarily to Unix-based systems and to Mac OS X... (Continued)Continue Reading
high-performance computing (HPC)
High-performance computing (HPC) is the use of parallel processing for running advanced application programs efficiently, reliably and quickly. The term applies especially to systems that function above a teraflop or 1012 floating-point operations ...Continue Reading
SuSE
SuSE (pronounced soo'-sah) is a German Linux distribution provider and business unit of Novell, Inc.Continue Reading
Debian
Debian is a popular and freely-available computer operating system that uses the Linux kernel and other program components obtained from the GNU project.Continue Reading
shell
Shell is a UNIX term for the interactive user interface with an operating system.Continue Reading
bogomips
Bogomips is a measurement provided in the Linux operating system that indicates in a relative way how fast the computer processor runs.Continue Reading
RAIN (redundant/reliable array of inexpensive/independent nodes)
RAIN (also called channel bonding, redundant array of independent nodes, reliable array of independent nodes, or random array of independent nodes) is a cluster of nodes connected in a network topology with multiple interfaces and redundant storage...Continue Reading
ACF2 or CA-ACF2 (Access Control Facility)
ACF2 (more formally, CA-ACF2; the ACF stands for Access Control Facility) is a set of programs from Computer Associates that enable security on mainframes.Continue Reading
assembler
An assembler is a program that takes basic computer instructions and converts them into a pattern of bits that the computer's processor can use to perform its basic operations.Continue Reading
batch
In a computer, a batch job is a program that is assigned to the computer to run without further user interaction.Continue Reading
job scheduler
A job scheduler is a program that enables an enterprise to schedule and, in some cases, monitor computer 'batch' jobs (units of work, such as the running of a payroll program).Continue Reading
CICS (Customer Information Control System)
CICS (Customer Information Control System) is an online transaction processing (OLTP) program from IBM that, together with the COBOL programming language, has formed over the past several decades the most common set of tools for building customer ...Continue Reading
alien crosstalk (AXT)
Alien crosstalk (AXT) is electromagnetic noise that can occur in a cable that runs alongside one or more other signal-carrying cables.Continue Reading
bash (Bourne Again Shell)
Bash (Bourne Again Shell ) is the free version of the Bourne shell distributed with Linux and GNU operating systems.Continue Reading
Bourne shell
The Bourne shell is the original UNIX shell (command execution program, often called a command interpreter) that was developed at AT&T. Named for its developer, Stephen Bourne, the Bourne shell is also known by its program name, "sh". The shell ...Continue Reading
mainframe (big iron)
A mainframe (also known as 'big iron') is a high-performance computer used for large-scale computing purposes that require greater availability and security than a smaller-scale machine can offer... (Continued)Continue Reading
Cygwin
Cygwin is an open source collection of tools that allows Unix or Linux applications to be compiled and run on a Windows operating system from within a Linux-like interface.Continue Reading
data integrity
Data integrity is the assurance that digital information is uncorrupted and can only be accessed or modified by those authorized to do so. Integrity involves maintaining the consistency, accuracy and trustworthiness of data over its entire life ...Continue Reading
multiprocessing
Multiprocessing is the coordinated processing of programs by more than one computer processor.Continue Reading
back-end
Front-end and back-end are terms used to characterize program interfaces and services relative to the initial user of these interfaces and services.Continue Reading
real-time operating system (RTOS)
A real-time operating system (RTOS) is an operating system that guarantees a certain capability within a specified time constraint. For example, an operating system might be designed to ensure that a certain object was available for a robot on an ...Continue Reading
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
ANSI, American National Standards Institute, organization for fostering, development of technology standards, industry groups, International Organization for Standardization, ISO, International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC, computer standards...Continue Reading
channel
In telecommunications in general, a channel is a separate path through which signals can flow. Depending on the context, this term has various meanings.Continue Reading
distribution
In marketing, distribution is the process of moving a product from its manufacturing source to its customers. In computer software, distribution is the phase that follows packaging.Continue Reading
crontab
crontab is a UNIX command that creates a table or list of commands, each of which is to be executed by the operating system at a specified time.Continue Reading
CRON script
A CRON script is a list of one or more commands to a computer operating system or application server that are to be executed at a specified time.Continue Reading
BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)
BSD (originally: Berkeley Software Distribution) refers to the particular version of the UNIX operating system that was developed at and distributed from the University of California at Berkeley.Continue Reading