FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions. A document containing basic questions and answers.

FAT file system
A file system based on a file allocation table, maintained by the operating system, to keep track of the status of various segments of disk space used for file storage.

FAT32
An enhancement of the File Allocation Table file system that supports large drives with improved disk space efficiency.

Fiber distributed data interface (FDDI)
A standard for high-speed fiber-optic LANs.

File Allocation Table (FAT)
An area on the disk (floppy or logical drive) set aside to reference file locations on that disk. The table is a chain identifying where each part of a file is located. It acts similarly to a table of contents for a book.

File Control Block (FCB)
A small block of memory temporarily assigned by a computer's operating system to hold information about an opened file.

Firewall
A system or combination of systems that enforces a boundary between two or more networks and keeps hackers out of private networks. Firewalls serve as virtual barriers to passing packets from one network to another.

Font mapping
Matching screen fonts to printer fonts.

Frame
In broadcast television, a single screen-sized image that can be displayed in sequence with other slightly different images to animate drawings. For NTSC video, a video frame consists of two interlaced fields of 525 lines; NTSC video runs at 30 frames per second. For PAL or SECAM video, a video frame consists of two interlaced fields of 625 lines; PAL and SECAM video runs at 25 frames per second.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol. The Internet standard high-speed protocol for downloading, or transferring, files from one computer to another.