Light archive
In reference to data storage, an archive that can be accessed by many authorized users. Access to the data is open to all the members of the “community” that have a need for the data.
Lightbox
In digital asset management (DAM) systems, an area within the web site (or web service) or other internal DAM where users can create and store a list of assets they want to reference or use at a later time. Lightboxes are common on stock photo web sites where registered users can store images until they are ready to download them.
Linear tape open
Linear tape open (LTO) is a technology that was developed jointly by HP, IBM, and Certance (Seagate) to provide a clear and viable choice in an increasingly complex array of tape storage options. LTO technology is an “open format” technology, which means that users have multiple sources of product and media. The open nature of the technology also provides a means of enabling compatibility between different vendors’ offerings.
Local area network
A local area network (LAN) is a communications infrastructure—typically Ethernet—designed to use dedicated wiring over a limited distance (typically a diameter of less than five kilometers) to connect a large number of intercommunicating nodes.
Lost cluster
Also called a lost allocation unit, or a lost file fragment. A data fragment that does not belong to any file, according to the system’s file management system, and, therefore, is not associated with a file name in the file allocation table. Lost clusters can result from files not being closed properly, from shutting down a computer without first closing an application, or from ejecting a storage medium, such as a floppy disk, from the disk drive while the drive is reading or writing.
Low-level format
(n.) A formatting method that creates the tracks and sectors on a hard disk. Low-level formatting creates the physical format that dictates where data is stored on the disk. Modern hard drives are low-level formatted at the factory for the life of the drive. A PC cannot perform an LLF on a modern IDE/ATA or SCSI hard disk, and doing so would destroy the hard disk. A low-level format is also called a physical format.
(v.) The process of performing low-level formatting.