failure
The inability of a computer
system or related device to operate reliably or to operate at
all. A common cause of system failure is loss of power.
FAQ
Acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A document listing
common questions and answers on particular subject.
fault
tolerance
The ability of a computer or an
operating system to respond to a catastrophic event or fault,
such as a power outage or a hardware failure, in a way that
ensures that no data is lost and any work in progress is not
corrupted. This can be accomplished with a battery-backed
power supply, backup hardware, provisions in the operating
system or any combination of these.
file
A complete, named collection of information that is saved
by a user and stored on a disk. Technically, a file can
contain program code, data used by a program, or a
user-created data. Most commonly, however, the term refers to
data (numbers, words, or images) that a user has created and
then saved for subsequent retrieval, editing or printing.
filename
The name of a file. All
files have names. Different operating systems impose different
restrictions on filenames. Most operating systems, for
example, prohibit the use of certain characters in a filename
and impose a limit on the length of a filename. In addition,
many systems, including DOS and UNIX, allow a filename
extension that consists of one or more characters following
the proper filename.
filename
extension
The filename extension allows a
file's format to be described as part of its name so that
users can quickly understand the type of file it is without
having to "open" or try to use it. The filename extension also
helps an application program recognize whether a file is a
type that it can work with. The extension takes the form of
".xxx" where "xxx" represents a specific number of
alphanumeric characters. Example: Myfilename.doc, where ".doc"
is an extension representing the Microsoft Word application.
firmware
Programming that is
inserted into programmable read-only memory (PROM), thus
becoming a permanent part of a computing device. Firmware is
created and tested like other software. It can also be
distributed like other software and installed in the PROM by
the user. Firmware is sometimes distributed for printers,
modems and other computer devices.
four-digit
year
A date format that uses four digits for
the year and specifies the century in a fully distinguished
form. For example, "1998" is a four-digit year, but "98" is
not.
FTP
Acronym for File Transfer Protocol, the protocol used for
copying files to and from remote computer systems on a
network, such as the Internet, using TCP/IP.
