Updated: July 13, 2020 (June 2, 2003)

  Charts & Illustrations

NGSCB Terminology Guide

Since the introduction of the Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) concept under the code name Palladium in early 2002, Microsoft has changed much of the terminology it uses to refer to the system and its components. This chart shows the old names and the current names. Further changes are likely. The term nexus, for example, is already used in other computing contexts.

New name Old name Description
Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) Palladium Long-term plan to create PCs with restricted memory, secure data storage, and secure input/output
Nexus Trusted Operating Root (TOR) OS component that will boot separately from the rest of the OS; once booted, will manage access to restricted memory, perform cryptographic functions, manage secure input/output, and control applications’ access to secure data, among other functions
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Security chip New motherboard chip containing cryptographic

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