DMA LastModified: Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Short for direct memory access, a technique for transferring data from main memory to a device without passing it through the CPU. Computers that have DMA channels can transfer data to and from devices much more quickly than computers without a DMA channel can. This is useful for making quick backups and for real-time applications. Some expansion boards, such as CD-ROM cards, are capable of accessing the computer's DMA channel. When you install the board, you must specify which DMA channel is to be used, which sometimes involves setting a jumper or DIP switch.
PC system resources reference guide  Covers IRQs, DMAs, I/O, and memory addresses, as well as system configuration, resource conflicts, and plug and play. Direct Memory Access (DMA) Channels Describes DMA channel function and operation, with details on each of the 8 DMA channels. This page is from "The PC Guide".	related categories: Memory related terms: backup channel CPU DIP switch expansion board jumper main memory PIO RDMA real time system resource WDM