A device that when attached to the PCI bus can bid for and gain control of the bus to perform it's specific task.
A high-performance way to transfer data. The host bus adapter controls the transfer of data directly to and from system memory without bothering the computer's microprocessor. This is the fastest way for multi-tasking operating systems to transfer data.
allows peripheral devices and IDEs to access the system memory without going through the CPU (similar to DMA channels). [] cache is a temporary, fast storage area that holds data from a slower storage device for quick access as needed by an application. Access time is fast using a cache, because the needed information is stored in the SRAM instead of in the slower DRAM. Note that the cache is also much smaller than your regular memory: a typical cache size is 512KB, while you may have as much as 2GB of regular memory.
The ability to process SCSI commands on the SCSI card due to its built-in processor without using the system?s CPU.
A bus design that enables plug-in cards to run independently of the CPU and also to access the computer's memory and peripherals on their own. Busmaster: Describes type of SCSI HBA that has its own on-board CPU chip; this allows the HBA to off-load all drive I/O commands from the server CPU and process them entirely independent of the server.
Allows for peripherals to directly communicate to each other without the help of the CPU. This often results in higher performance as well as less CPU utilization.
Giving a card on a bus (e.g. ISA,PCI) the ability to read/write directly to main memory. This is how DMA is performed on PCI busses.
A method of data transfer which allows data to be moved between a peripheral controller and system memory without interaction with the host CPU or a third party DMA controller. This technique allows the peripheral controller to take control of the system bus and move data at up to 10MB/sec., 33MB/sec. or 132MB/sec. for ISA, EISA and PCI systems respectively.
The ability of a peripheral card to control the bus without requiring intervention of the CPU.
In computing, bus mastering is a feature supported by some bus architectures that enables a controller connected to the bus to communicate directly with other devices on the bus without going through the CPU. Most modern bus architectures, including PCI, support bus mastering because it significantly improves performance.