Portwell Glossary
From embedded computing and industrial automation to networking and system integration, Portwell uses a wide range of technical terms and industry standards. Explore the glossary to understand the technologies, interfaces, standards and concepts used across our products and solutions.
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ATX
Advanced Technology eXtended
A form factor standard for motherboards and power supplies, also used in industrial systems.
Backplane
Backplane
A board with slots that connects system host boards and expansion cards without its own processing capability.
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System
The firmware that starts a system and hands over to the operating system. Industrial boards often allow customised BIOS settings.
Box PC
Box PC
A compact industrial computer in a closed housing, usually mounted on a wall, rail or machine rather than in a rack.
CAPA
Corrective and Preventive Action
The formal process of removing the cause of a quality problem and preventing its recurrence.
Related: MES
Carrier Board
Carrier Board
The base board a Computer-on-Module plugs into. It carries the connectors, power supply and application-specific circuitry.
Related: COM · COM Express · SMARC
Related ProductsCOM
Computer-on-Module
A Computer-on-Module carries the computing core on a small module that plugs into a carrier board. The carrier holds the application-specific interfaces.
Related: COM Express · SMARC · Qseven · Carrier Board
Related ProductsCOM Express
PICMG COM Express
A PICMG module standard for Computer-on-Modules. Portwell builds Type 6, Type 7 and Type 10 modules for different interface sets.
Related: COM · Type 6 · Type 7 · Type 10 · PICMG
Related ProductsCOM-HPC
Computer-on-Module High Performance Computing
Related ProductsA PICMG module standard for higher performance and bandwidth than COM Express — for edge servers and demanding client systems.
DDI
Digital Display Interface
The digital display output of a module, configurable as DisplayPort, HDMI or DVI.
Related: eDP · HDMI
DMS
Design and Manufacturing Services
Explore ServicesEngineering and manufacturing services that adapt standard platforms to a specific application — from design-in to production.
DPI
Deep Packet Inspection
Inspection of the content of network packets, not just their headers — the basis for application-aware filtering.
ECC
Error-Correcting Code Memory
Memory that detects and corrects single-bit errors — relevant wherever a system has to run unattended.
Related: SO-DIMM
Edge AI
Edge Artificial Intelligence
AI inference that runs on the device where the data is produced instead of in a data centre — for latency, bandwidth and data protection.
Related: Inference · Edge Computing · GPU
Explore SolutionsEdge Computing
Edge Computing
Processing data close to where it is created rather than centrally, to reduce latency and the amount of data to transfer.
eDP
Embedded DisplayPort
The display interface between board and built-in panel, the successor to LVDS.
EOL
End of Life
The point at which a product is no longer produced. Long-term availability is what distinguishes embedded platforms from consumer hardware.
Related: Lifecycle
Fanless
Fanless Design
A design without moving fans. Heat is carried away through the housing, which removes the most common wear part and keeps dust out.
GbE
Gigabit Ethernet
Ethernet at one gigabit per second, the common network interface on embedded boards and appliances.
GPIO
General Purpose Input/Output
Freely programmable signal pins used to read sensors or switch outputs in a machine.
Related: SBC
GPU
Graphics Processing Unit
A processor for parallel computation. In embedded systems it handles displays as well as AI inference.
HMI
Human Machine Interface
The interface through which people operate a machine — in embedded systems usually a panel with display and touch input.
Related: Panel PC
IDS
Intrusion Detection System
A system that watches network traffic for patterns that indicate an attack and reports them.
Inference
Inference
Running a trained AI model on new data. Unlike training, inference has to be fast and fits on embedded hardware.
IPC
Industrial PC
A computer built for continuous operation in industrial environments: wider temperature range, longer availability and industrial interfaces.
Related: Fanless · Box PC · Rackmount
Related ProductsIPMI
Intelligent Platform Management Interface
A management interface that allows monitoring and control of a system independently of its operating system.
Lifecycle
Product Lifecycle
The planned availability of a platform, from introduction through long-term supply to end of life.
LVDS
Low-Voltage Differential Signaling
A display interface widely used in industrial panels, increasingly replaced by eDP.
M.2
M.2 Interface
A compact slot for storage, wireless modules or AI accelerators. The key (A, B, E, M) defines which modules fit.
MES
Manufacturing Execution System
A system that controls and documents production — which board was built when, with which components and test results.
Mini-PCIe
Mini PCI Express
The predecessor of M.2 for compact expansion cards, still common for wireless and I/O modules.
Network Appliance
Network Appliance
A computing platform built for network and security functions, with many Ethernet ports and expansion options.
Related: SD-WAN · NGFW · UTM · uCPE
Related ProductsNGFW
Next Generation Firewall
A firewall that inspects traffic beyond ports and protocols — including applications, users and content.
NIC
Network Interface Controller
The component that connects a system to a network — on board or as an expansion card.
NVMe
Non-Volatile Memory Express
A protocol for solid-state storage over PCI Express — considerably faster than SATA.
ODM
Original Design Manufacturer
Related ServicesA manufacturer that designs and produces a product which another company sells under its own name.
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer
Related ServicesA company that integrates components or systems into its own product and sells it under its own brand.
OOB
Out-of-Band Management
Administration over a separate channel that works even when the operating system is down.
Related: IPMI
Panel PC
Panel PC
Related ProductsAn industrial computer with an integrated display, often with a touchscreen, for machine operation.
PCB
Printed Circuit Board
The board that carries and connects the electronic components of a system.
Related: SMT
PCIe
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
The standard interface for expansion cards and fast internal connections, counted in lanes (x1, x4, x8, x16) and generations.
PICMG
PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group
The industry consortium behind embedded standards such as COM Express, COM-HPC and the PICMG backplane specifications.
Related: COM Express · COM-HPC · SHB
PoE
Power over Ethernet
Power supplied over the same cable that carries the network data, so cameras or access points need no separate power line.
Qseven
Qseven Module Standard
A small Computer-on-Module standard for low-power designs, defined by SGeT.
Rackmount
Rackmount System
A system built for a 19-inch rack, measured in height units (1U, 2U …).
Related: Network Appliance · IPC
Related ProductsRJ45
RJ45 Connector
The eight-pin connector used for Ethernet over twisted-pair copper cable.
RoHS
Restriction of Hazardous Substances
The EU directive that restricts hazardous substances in electrical equipment.
Related: PCB
SATA
Serial ATA
The established interface for hard disks and SSDs in embedded and industrial systems.
SBC
Single Board Computer
A Single Board Computer integrates the essential components of a computer — processor, memory, interfaces and system logic — onto one circuit board.
Related: SHB · COM Express · PICMG
Related ProductsSD-WAN
Software-Defined Wide Area Network
A networking approach that uses software-based management to control and optimise connectivity across distributed locations.
Related: Network Appliance · uCPE · Edge Computing
Explore SolutionsSFP+
Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus
A pluggable transceiver slot for fibre or copper network links, typically at 10 Gbit/s.
SGeT
Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies
The group that maintains embedded module standards such as SMARC and Qseven.
SHB
System Host Board
A System Host Board provides the main processing and system functionality within an industrial computing platform, usually on a passive backplane.
SMARC
Smart Mobility ARChitecture
Related ProductsA compact module standard maintained by SGeT, common for low-power ARM and x86 designs in embedded systems.
SMT
Surface-Mount Technology
The process that places and solders components directly onto the surface of a circuit board.
Related: PCB
SO-DIMM
Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module
The compact memory module format used on embedded boards, available with or without ECC.
Related: ECC
TDP
Thermal Design Power
The heat a processor can produce under load — the figure a cooling concept has to be designed for.
TPM
Trusted Platform Module
A security chip that stores keys and measures the integrity of the boot process.
Type 10
COM Express Type 10
The smallest COM Express pin-out (Mini), for compact and power-efficient embedded designs.
Related: COM Express · SMARC
Related ProductsType 6
COM Express Type 6
The COM Express pin-out for graphics-oriented designs: display interfaces, USB and PCI Express lanes for client and edge systems.
Related: COM Express · DDI · eDP
Related ProductsType 7
COM Express Type 7
The COM Express pin-out for server and network designs: many Ethernet and PCI Express lanes instead of display outputs.
Related: COM Express · GbE · NIC
Related ProductsuCPE
Universal Customer Premises Equipment
A standard platform at the customer site that runs several network functions as software instead of separate appliances.
Related: SD-WAN · Network Appliance
USB
Universal Serial Bus
The general-purpose interface for peripherals. Embedded boards list the generation and the number of ports, as speed differs widely.
Related: PCIe
UTM
Unified Threat Management
A platform that combines several security functions — firewall, intrusion detection, content filtering, anti-virus — in one system.
VPN
Virtual Private Network
An encrypted connection across a public network, so remote sites and users can work as if they were on the same local network.
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