DMA channel

Some devices require that you specify the Direct Memory Access (DMA) channel that you want the adapter to use. Direct memory access permits data to be transferred between memory and a device without the intervention of the system's central processing unit (CPU). Each DMA chip on the system motherboard has eight circuits (or ``channels'') for conveying data. DMA channel 4 is reserved for use by the system. During configuration, you may choose to use any (or none) of the channels.