Reset (Computing)
Encyclopedia
In a computer
or data transmission
system, to reset means to clear any pending errors or events and bring a system to normal condition or initial state usually in a controlled manner. It is usually done in response to an error condition when it is impossible or undesirable for a processing activity to proceed and all error recovery mechanisms fail. A computer storage
program would normally perform a "reset" if a command times out and error recovery schemes like retry or abort
also fail.
Most of the computers have the "reset" bus that brings the device into the startup state and is active for a short time after powering on. Reset is less dangerous for the hardware than power cycling
as the power is not removed. Many computers, especially older models, have the user accessible "reset" button. Out-of-band management
also frequently provides the possibility to reset the remote system.
Many memory-capable digital circuits (flip-flops, registers, counters and so on) accept the reset signal that sets them to the pre-determined state. This signal is often applied after powering on but may also be applied under other circumstances.
The ability for an electronic device to be able to reset itself in case of error or abnormal power loss is an important aspect of embedded system
design and programming. This ability can be observed with everyday electronics such as a television
, audio equipment or the electronics of a car
, which are able to function as intended again even after having lost power suddenly. A sudden and strange error with a device might sometimes be fixed by removing and restoring power, making the device reset. Some devices, such as portable media player
s, very often have a dedicated reset button as they are prone to freezing or locking up. The lack of a proper reset ability could otherwise possibly render the device useless after a power loss or malfunction.
A soft reset is performed by restarting system software
without resetting the hardware.
reset is also an Windows Terminal Server
command
. The syntax is
In addition, reset is a BSD/Linux
/UNIX
command to restore a console to a normal state. This command is an alias of the tset terminal initialization command. http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi?query=tset&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=OpenBSD+Current&arch=i386&format=html
Similar commands include:
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
or data transmission
Data transmission
Data transmission, digital transmission, or digital communications is the physical transfer of data over a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication channel. Examples of such channels are copper wires, optical fibres, wireless communication channels, and storage media...
system, to reset means to clear any pending errors or events and bring a system to normal condition or initial state usually in a controlled manner. It is usually done in response to an error condition when it is impossible or undesirable for a processing activity to proceed and all error recovery mechanisms fail. A computer storage
Computer storage
Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer components and recording media that retain digital data. Data storage is one of the core functions and fundamental components of computers....
program would normally perform a "reset" if a command times out and error recovery schemes like retry or abort
Abort (computing)
In a computer or data transmission system, to abort means to terminate, usually in a controlled manner, a processing activity because it is impossible or undesirable for the activity to proceed. Such an action may be accompanied by diagnostic information on the aborted process.In addition to being...
also fail.
Most of the computers have the "reset" bus that brings the device into the startup state and is active for a short time after powering on. Reset is less dangerous for the hardware than power cycling
Power cycling
Power cycling is the act of turning a piece of equipment, usually a computer, off and then on again. Reasons for power cycling include having an electronic device reinitialize its configuration or recover from an unresponsive state of its mission critical functionality, such as in a crash or hang...
as the power is not removed. Many computers, especially older models, have the user accessible "reset" button. Out-of-band management
Out-of-band management
In computing, out-of-band management involves the use of a dedicated management channel for device maintenance...
also frequently provides the possibility to reset the remote system.
Many memory-capable digital circuits (flip-flops, registers, counters and so on) accept the reset signal that sets them to the pre-determined state. This signal is often applied after powering on but may also be applied under other circumstances.
The ability for an electronic device to be able to reset itself in case of error or abnormal power loss is an important aspect of embedded system
Embedded system
An embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system. often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal...
design and programming. This ability can be observed with everyday electronics such as a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, audio equipment or the electronics of a car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
, which are able to function as intended again even after having lost power suddenly. A sudden and strange error with a device might sometimes be fixed by removing and restoring power, making the device reset. Some devices, such as portable media player
Portable media player
A portable media player or digital audio player, is a consumer electronics device that is capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, video, documents, etc. the data is typically stored on a hard drive, microdrive, or flash memory. In contrast, analog portable audio...
s, very often have a dedicated reset button as they are prone to freezing or locking up. The lack of a proper reset ability could otherwise possibly render the device useless after a power loss or malfunction.
A soft reset is performed by restarting system software
System software
System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software.The most basic types of system software are:...
without resetting the hardware.
reset is also an Windows Terminal Server
Terminal Services
Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2, formerly known as Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 and previous versions, is one of the components of Microsoft Windows that allows a user to access applications and data on a remote computer over a network, using the Remote Desktop...
command
Command (computing)
In computing, a command is a directive to a computer program acting as an interpreter of some kind, in order to perform a specific task. Most commonly a command is a directive to some kind of command line interface, such as a shell....
. The syntax is
RESET { SESSION }.In addition, reset is a BSD/Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
/UNIX
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
command to restore a console to a normal state. This command is an alias of the tset terminal initialization command. http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi?query=tset&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=OpenBSD+Current&arch=i386&format=html
Similar commands include:
stty sane
setterm -reset
See also
- AbortAbort (computing)In a computer or data transmission system, to abort means to terminate, usually in a controlled manner, a processing activity because it is impossible or undesirable for the activity to proceed. Such an action may be accompanied by diagnostic information on the aborted process.In addition to being...
- Abnormal endAbnormal endAn ABEND is an abnormal termination of software, or a program crash.This usage derives from an error message from the IBM OS/360, IBM zOS operating systems. Usually capitalized, but may appear as "abend"...
- HangHang (computing)In computing, a hang or freeze occurs when either a single computer program, or the whole system ceases to respond to inputs. In the most commonly encountered scenario, a workstation with a graphical user interface, all windows belonging to the frozen program become static, and though the mouse...
- Reset buttonReset buttonIn electronics and technology, a reset button is a button that can reset a device. On video game consoles, the reset button restarts the game, losing the player's unsaved progress. On personal computersOn IBM mainframes reset neither clears memory nor initiates an IPL., the reset button clears the...