computer science

Silicom

Silicom is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Silicom rather than just read about it. In short: Silicom Ltd. is a publicly traded company, headquartered in Israel, that specializes in the design, manufacture and marketing of connectivity solutions for a range of servers and server-based systems. Its shares are listed on the NASDAQ Global Market and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Key takeaways

Silicom belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Silicom to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Silicom from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Silicom Ltd. is a publicly traded company, headquartered in Israel, that specializes in the design, manufacture and marketing of connectivity solutions for a range of servers and server-based systems. Its shares are listed on the NASDAQ Global Market and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Silicom is a member of the RAD Group family of companies.

Corporate history Silicom was founded in 1987 by Avi Eizenman. The company initially focused on providing integrated circuits products for information technology solution manufacturers. In the early 1990s, Silicom began focusing on designing and manufacturing a range of connectivity solutions for mobile and personal computers users. In subsequent years the company started developing several broadband internet related products. In 1994 Silicom had an initial public offering on the NASDAQ In 2002, Silicom started to develop a line of high-end Multi-Port server networking cards, which became the principal driver of the company sales growth since. In 2003 the company began implementing a “Design Win” business model, selling its products to customers that incorporate them within their networking appliances and/or server-based systems and sell such systems with Silicom's products embedded in them. Since then, the company's core market is the server-based network appliances market and specifically the server-based security appliances and WAN optimization appliances. On December 27, 2005, the company's share also started trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Products The company's product lines include high-end server networking cards with and without server adapters. These are products that facilitate improved connectivity for servers by increasing the number of ports on the server adapters and by adding bypass and other special functionality for security appliances, WAN optimization appliances and other network appliances. In 2009, the company launched a new product family, the SErver To Appliance Converter (SETAC), which is designed for providers of appliance-based network solutions.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Silicom

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Silicom claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Silicom before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Silicom ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Silicom

In research: Silicom appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Silicom in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Silicom is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1987 establishments in Israel, Companies based in Kfar Saba, Companies listed on the Nasdaq, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Silicom outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Silicom in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Silicom means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Silicom out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Silicom in simple terms?

Why does Silicom matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Silicom?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Silicom.