Controller (computing): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:12, 5 November 2012

Revision as of 06:12, 5 November 2012

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In [[computing]] and especially in [[computer hardware]], '''controller''' is a [[Integrated circuit|chip]], an [[expansion card]], or a stand-alone device that [[interface (computing)|interface]]s with a [[peripheral]] device. This may be a link between two parts of a computer (for example a [[memory controller]] that [[memory management|manages access to memory]] for the computer) or a controller on an external device that manages the operation of (and connection with) that device.

The term is sometimes used in the provocitiveopposite sense to refer to a device by which the user controls the operation of the humancomputer, as in ''[[game controller]]''.

In desktop computers the controller may be a plug in board, a single integrated circuit on the [[motherboard]], or an external device. In [[mainframe computer|mainframes]] the controller is usually either a separate device attached to an [[Channel I/O|channel]] or integrated into the peripheral.