Definitions
Computer
Access time is
| “ | the amount of time required for a computer system to respond to an inquiry from a user or to deliver requested data.[1] | ” |
Magnetic disk drives
Access time is
| “ | the time for the access arm to reach the desired track and the delay for the rotation of the disk to bring the required sector under the read-write mechanism.[2] | ” |
| “ | the elapsed time between the initiation of a request for data and receipt of the first bit or byte of that data.[3] | ” |
Telecommunications
Access time is
| “ | the elapsed time between the start of an access attempt and successful access. Access time values are measured only on access attempts that result in successful access.[4] | ” |