Dictionary.net

/i:-too-oh/ (I2O) A specification which aims toprovide an I/O device driver architecture that isindependent of both the specific device being controlled andthe host operating system. The Hardware Device Module (HDM)manages the device and the OS Services Module (OSM) interfacesto the host operating system. The HDM is portable acrossmultiple operating systems, processors and busses. The HDMand OSM communicate via a two layer message passingprotocol. A Message Layer sets up a communications sessionand runs on top of a Transport Layer which defines how the twoparties share information.I2O is also designed to facilitate intelligent I/O subsystems,with support for message passing between multipleindependent processors. By relieving the host of interruptintensive I/O tasks required by the various layers of a driverarchitecture, the I2O intelligent I/O architecture greatlyimproves I/O performance. I2O systems will be able to moreefficiently deliver the I/O throughput required by a widerange of high bandwidth applications, such as networkedvideo, groupware and client-server processing. I2O doesnot restrict where the layered modules execute, providingsupport for single processor, multiprocessor, andclustered systems.I2O is not intended to replace the driver architecturescurrently in existence. Rather, the objective is to providean open, standards-based approach, which is complementary toexisting drivers, and provides a framework for the rapiddevelopment of a new generation of portable, intelligent I/O. (http://i2osig.org/).