2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
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heartbeat
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2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
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n. 1. The signal emitted by a Level 2 Ethernet transceiver at the end of
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every packet to show that the collision-detection circuit is still
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connected. 2. A periodic synchronization signal used by software or
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hardware, such as a bus clock or a periodic interrupt. 3. The natural
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oscillation frequency of a computer's clock crystal, before frequency
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division down to the machine's clock rate. 4. A signal emitted at regular
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intervals by software to demonstrate that it is still alive. Sometimes
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hardware is designed to reboot the machine if it stops hearing a heartbeat.
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See also breath-of-life packet.
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