Burst mode (computing)

Burst mode is a generic computing

Computing

Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...

 term referring to any situation in which a device is transmitting data repeatedly without waiting for input from another device or waiting for an internal process to terminate before continuing the transfer of data.

In the case of DMA

Direct memory access

Direct memory access is a feature of modern computers that allows certain hardware subsystems within the computer to access system memory independently of the central processing unit ....

, the DMA controller

Channel I/O

In computer science, channel I/O is a generic term that refers to a high-performance input/output architecture that is implemented in various forms on a number of computer architectures, especially on mainframe computers...

 and the device are given exclusive access to the bus without interruption; the CPU is also freed from handling device interrupts.

The actual manner in which burst modes work varies from one type of device to another; however, devices which have some sort of standard burst mode include:

• Random access memory (RAM), including EDO, SDRAM
  SDRAM
  Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs...
  
  , DDR SDRAM
  DDR SDRAM
  Double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory is a class of memory integrated circuits used in computers. DDR SDRAM has been superseded by DDR2 SDRAM and DDR3 SDRAM, neither of which are either forward or backward compatible with DDR SDRAM, meaning that DDR2 or DDR3 memory modules...
  
  , and RDRAM
  RDRAM
  Direct Rambus DRAM or DRDRAM is a type of synchronous dynamic RAM. RDRAM was developed by Rambus inc., in the mid-1990s as a replacement for then-prevalent DIMM SDRAM memory architecture....
  
   (only the last three are required to send data in burst mode, according to industry standards)
• Hard disk drive
  Hard disk
  A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
  
   (HDD) interfaces such as SCSI
  SCSI
  Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
  
   and IDE
• Accelerated Graphics Port
  Accelerated Graphics Port
  The Accelerated Graphics Port is a high-speed point-to-point channel for attaching a video card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics. Since 2004 AGP has been progressively phased out in favor of PCI Express...
  
   (AGP) processors (debatable, write-combining
  Write-combining
  Write combining is a computer bus technique for allowing data to be combined and temporarily stored in a buffer -- the write combine buffer -- to be released together later in burst mode instead of writing as single bits or small chunks.Write combining cannot be used for general memory access ...
  
  is similar in purpose and meaning)