Acronym for basic input/output system. The commands used to tell a CPU how it will communicate with the rest of the computer.

An illustration in which essential units of any system are drawn in the form of blocks and their relationship(s) to each other are indicated by appropriate interconnecting lines. (2) In computer programming or business/manufacturing process flow(s), a graphical representation of data processing or workflow within a system.

The natural limits of a process, defined as where the process begins and where the process ends.

A conductor, usually composed of some element of carbon, serving to maintain an electrical connection between stationary and moving parts of a machine (i.e.,commutator of a dc motor). This brush is mounted in a spring-loaded holder and positioned tangent to the commutator segments against which it "brushes." Pairs of brushes are equally spaced around the circumference of the commutator.

A programming process that takes a user keyboard command (source code) and converts it into hexadecimal format to generate an object code for program execution.

                                                        Bumpless -ability to change processors controlling a process (changeover) without affecting the process.<br />

A network topology that uses a single communications link to connect three or more terminals. Also called a Multi-Drop Network.

(1) A fixed number of bits, often corresponding to a single character and processed as a unit.
(2) A collection of eight bits capable of representing an alphanumeric or special character.