Definition: SMS

(1) (Storage Management System) See HSM.

(2) (Systems Management Server) Windows NT server software. See SCCM and SMS Installer.

(3) (System-Managed Storage) MVS mainframe software from IBM. Introduced in 1988, SMS allocated data to prevent errors when disks became full. See DFSMS.

(4) (Storage Management Services) NetWare server software used to back up data from the network, regardless of file system. See SIDF.

(5) (Short Message Service) SMS is the text messaging service on mobile phones. Due to the billions of cellphones in use, SMS, or "texting" is the most ubiquitous messaging system on the planet. Text messages are limited to 160 characters in length and are sent to regular cellphone numbers. For commercial purposes, texting can be used to retrieve information as well as links to download an app (see short code).

Like instant messaging, SMS transmits the sender's message to the recipient immediately. It also stores and forwards messages later if a recipient's phone was turned off. SMS pricing differs by carrier. It is very often included in the subscriber's plan, or there may be a charge per message.

Traveling over a control channel separate from the voice channel, SMS was introduced in the GSM system in Europe and migrated worldwide to all cellphone carriers (see GSM). Whereas SMS is text only, MMS supports multimedia (see MMS). See text messaging vs. instant messaging and Rich Communication Services.

Regular Cellphone Keypads

Texting can be done on standard cellphones by pressing keys multiple times quickly. For example, press 8-4-4-3-3 for the word "t-h-e." See cellphone keyboard.

The SMS Term Is Used

SMS is a widely used acronym to refer to text messaging; witness this AARP registration dialog.