National Instruments NI-VXI User Manual

Page 137

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Glossary

NI-VXI User Manual

G-14

© National Instruments Corporation

System Controller

A functional module that has arbiter, daisy-chain driver, and MXIbus
cycle timeout responsibility. Always the first device in the MXIbus
daisy-chain.

system hierarchy

The tree structure of the Commander/Servant relationships of all
devices in the system at a given time. In the VXIbus structure, each
Servant has a Commander. A Commander can in turn be a Servant to
another Commander.

T

TIC

Trigger Interface Chip; a proprietary National Instruments ASIC used
for direct access to the VXI trigger lines. The TIC contains a 16-bit
counter, a dual 5-bit tick timer, and a full crosspoint switch.

tick

The smallest unit of time as measured by an operating system.

trigger

Either TTL or ECL lines used for intermodule communication.

tristated

Defines logic that can have one of three states: low, high, and
high-impedance.

TTL

Transistor-Transistor Logic

U

unasserted

A signal in its inactive false state.

UINT8

An 8-bit unsigned integer; may also be called an unsigned char.

UINT16

A 16-bit unsigned integer; may also be called an unsigned short or
word.

UINT32

A 32-bit unsigned integer; may also be called an unsigned long or
longword.

unsigned integer

n bit pattern interpreted such that the range is from 0 to 2

n

-1.

UnSupCom

Unsupported Command; a type of Word Serial Protocol error. If a
Commander sends a command or query to a Servant which the Servant
does not know how to interpret, an Unsupported Command protocol
error is generated.

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