Technical Corner > The PC Glossary - Definitions of Computer and Internet Terms
Computer Terms Beginning with "T"
MysteRy:
Target Disk Mode
Target disk mode is a way of booting a Macintosh computer so that it acts as an external hard drive on another computer. When a Mac is booted in target disk mode, the typical boot sequence is bypassed and the operating system is not loaded. Instead, the computer's internal and external hard drives are simply mounted on a connected computer. Target disk mode can be used to manually transfer files between two machines or to copy data from one computer to another using Apple's Migration Assistant.
In order for target disk mode (TDM) to work, two Macintosh computers must be attached to each other via a Firewire cable. One computer should be on and the computer designated for TDM should be off. To boot into target disk mode, hold the "T" key on the keyboard immediately after turning on or restarting the computer. After a few seconds, the screen should display the Firewire icon, which will move around the screen as long as the machine is in target disk mode. You should then see the hard drive(s) of the computer in TDM appear on the Desktop of the connected computer.
Booting a computer in target disk mode makes it easy to transfer files between two machines. Since the hard drives of the computer in TDM automatically mount on the other Mac's desktop, you can simply drag and drop files between them. Also, the computer in target disk mode is not seen as a boot disk, so you don't have to worry about file permissions. You can also run more comprehensive disk diagnostics and repairs. Just be sure not to remove or copy over any important system files on the TDM hard drive(s), since there are no safeguards to protect you from doing so.
Since the hard drives of the TDM machine are mounted on the connected computer, you should make sure to unmount or "eject" the hard drives before you turn off the computer. This can be done by selecting the hard drive on the desktop and choosing "Eject" from the File menu. Once the hard drives are ejected, you can safely turn off the TDM computer. When you turn on the computer again, it should boot normally (as long as you don't hold down the "T" key). Any files you copied to the computer's hard drives should appear in the directories you copied them to.
MysteRy:
Task Bar
The task bar was introduced with Windows 95 and has been part of every version of Windows since then. It is the bar that spans the bottom of the screen and contains the Start button on the left side and the systray on the right. The task bar also includes the current time on the far right side and can hold shortcuts to programs directly to the right of the Start button.
Most of the task bar, however, contains shortcuts to open windows. Whenever you open a program or window, it shows up in the task bar. So if you have Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word open, there will be at least two items in the middle area of the task bar. Since each window gets its own location in the task bar, if there are two Microsoft Word documents open and three Internet Explorer windows open, there will be a total of five items in the task bar. When you click on a window title in the task bar, that window will become active and show up in front of other open windows. You can also cycle through the task bar items by holding the Alt key and pressing Tab a few times.
MysteRy:
TCP/IP
Stands for "Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol." These two protocols were developed in the early days of the Internet by the U.S. military. The purpose was to allow computers to communicate over long distance networks. The TCP part has to do with the verifying delivery of the packets. The IP part refers to the moving of data packets between nodes. TCP/IP has since then become the foundation of the Internet. Therefore, TCP/IP software is built into all major operating systems, such as Unix, Windows, and the Mac OS.
MysteRy:
Tebibyte
A tebibyte is a unit of data storage that equals 2 to the 40th power, or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes.
While a terabyte can be estimated as 10^12 or 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, a tebibyte is exactly 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. This is to avoid the ambiguity associated with the size of terabytes. A tebibyte is 1,024 gibibytes and precedes the pebibyte unit of measurement.
MysteRy:
Technology Services
Example: "The school library provides multiple technology services that allow students to access information."
Technology services are services that make use of modern technology. Examples include Internet service providers (ISPs), Web hosts, and technical support companies. Since many technology services are related to information technology, they are sometimes called "information technology services," or ITS. However, other services like graphic design, audio/video production, and scientific engineering also fall under the scope of technology services. Therefore, while technology services are often related to IT, they may be associated with other forms of technology as well.
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