Sarjakäsittely

Sarjakäsittely, in Finnish, refers to the processing of serial data. This is a fundamental concept in computer science and telecommunications, dealing with the transmission of data one bit at a time over a single communication channel. Unlike parallel processing where multiple bits are sent simultaneously, serial processing sends data sequentially. This method is often used for longer distances due to its lower cost and simpler wiring requirements compared to parallel transmission.

Common applications of sarjakäsittely include serial ports found on many computers, such as RS-232, which were historically used for connecting modems, printers, and other peripherals. Modern interfaces like USB (Universal Serial Bus) and Ethernet also rely heavily on serial communication protocols, albeit at much higher speeds and with more sophisticated error checking mechanisms. The underlying principle remains the same: data is broken down into individual bits and sent in a continuous stream, with synchronization mechanisms ensuring the receiver can correctly interpret the sequence of bits. This allows for efficient data transfer over shared communication lines.