Computer port (hardware)

<h2 id="electrical-signal-transfer">Electrical signal transfer</h2>
<p>Electronically, hardware ports can almost always be divided into two groups based on the signal transfer:
</p>
<ul><li>Analog ports</li>
<li>Digital ports:
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Parallel_port/qpkjH8ts">Parallel ports</a> send multiple bits at the same time over several sets of wires.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Serial_port/VpcrH530">Serial ports</a> send and receive one bit at a time via a single wire pair (Ground and +/-).</li></ul></li></ul>
<p>After ports are connected, they typically require <a href="/facts/Handshake_(computing)/fqKIh1VW">handshaking</a>, where transfer type, transfer rate, and other necessary information is shared before data is sent.
</p><p>Hot-swappable ports can be connected while equipment is running. Almost all ports on personal computers are hot-swappable.
</p><p><a href="/facts/Plug-and-play/LISny9tL">Plug-and-play</a> ports are designed so that the connected devices automatically start handshaking as soon as the hot-swapping is done. <a href="/facts/Universal_Serial_Bus/XcIKWLyg">USB</a> ports and FireWire ports are plug-and-play.
</p><p>Auto-detect or auto-detection ports are usually plug-and-play, but they offer another type of convenience. An auto-detect port may automatically determine what kind of device has been attached, but it also determines what purpose the port itself should have. For example, some <a href="/facts/Sound_card/bxlF4YBa">sound cards</a> allow plugging in several different types of <a href="/facts/Computer_speaker/uYcpD257">audio speakers</a>; then a dialogue box pops up on the computer screen asking whether the speaker is left, right, front, or rear for <a href="/facts/Surround_sound/9FXUKVvs">surround sound</a> installations. The user's response determines the purpose of the port, which is physically a <a href="/facts/Phone_connector_(audio)/KvpIlV94">1/8" tip-ring-sleeve mini jack</a>. Some auto-detect ports can even switch between input and output based on context.
</p><p>As of 2006, manufacturers have nearly standardized colors associated with ports on personal computers, although there are no guarantees. The following is a short list:
</p>
<p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/PC_System_Design_Guide/QRj1Tr9B">PC System Design Guide</a></p>
<ul><li>Orange, purple, or grey: Keyboard PS/2</li>
<li>Green: Mouse PS/2</li>
<li>Blue or magenta: Parallel printer DB-25</li>
<li>Amber: Serial DB-25 or DB-9</li>
<li>Pastel pink: Microphone 1/8" stereo (TRS) minijack</li>
<li>Pastel green: Speaker 1/8" stereo (TRS) minijack</li></ul>
<p>Additionally, USB ports are color-coded according to the specification and data transfer speed, e.g. USB 1.x and 2.x ports are usually white or black, and USB 3.0 ones are blue. SuperSpeed+ connectors are teal in color. <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a>
</p><p><a href="/facts/FireWire/XYdQlxfy">FireWire</a> ports used with video equipment (among other devices) can be either 4-pin or 6-pin. The two extra conductors in the 6-pin connection carry electrical power. This is why a self-powered device such as a camcorder often connects with a cable that is 4-pins on the camera side and 6-pins on the computer side, the two power conductors simply being ignored. This is also why laptop computers usually have only 4-pin FireWire ports, as they cannot provide enough power to meet requirements for devices needing the power provided by 6-pin connections.
</p><p>Optical (light) fiber, microwave, and other technologies (i.e., quantum) have different kinds of connections, as metal wires are not effective for signal transfers with these technologies. Optical connections are usually a polished glass or plastic interface, possibly with an oil that lessens refraction between the two interface surfaces. Microwaves are conducted through a pipe, which can be seen on a large scale by examining <a href="/facts/Microwave_radio_relay/bz9H9Ete">microwave towers</a> with "funnels" on them leading to pipes.
</p><p>Hardware <a href="/facts/Port_trunking/3BE3qHDT">port trunking</a> (HPT) is a technology that allows multiple hardware ports to be combined into a single group, effectively creating a single connection with a higher <a href="/facts/Bandwidth_(computing)/lY6Tb4gX">Bandwidth</a> sometimes referred to as a double-barrel approach. This technology also provides a higher degree of <a href="/facts/Fault_tolerant/rasrYlJk">fault tolerance</a> because a failure on one port may just mean a slow-down rather than a dropout. By contrast, in software port trunking (SPT), two agents (websites, channels, etc.) are bonded into one with the same effectiveness; i.e., <a href="/facts/Integrated_Services_Digital_Network/zcV99rUb">ISDN</a> B1 (64K) plus B2 (64K) equals data throughput of 128K.
</p><p>The USB-C standard, published in 2014, supersedes previous connectors and is reversible (although not electrically), meaning it can be plugged both ways. Reversible plugs have a symmetric pinout. Other reversible connectors include <a href="/facts/Lightning_(connector)/zYvT8Yap">Apple's Lightning</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a>
</p>
<h2 id="types-of-ports">Types of ports</h2>
<h3>Digital Visual Interface</h3>

<h3>DisplayPort</h3>

<h3>eSATA</h3>

<h3>Serial</h3>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Audio_and_video_connector/8A84UUAn">Audio and video connector</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Bus_(computing)/R45TKwS7">Bus (computing)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.drivers.com/update/pc-fix-tips/what-are-pc-ports/">infographic - What are PC Ports?</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Computer port (hardware).

<ul><li><a href="http://www.entechtaiwan.com/dev/hw32/index.shtm">TVicHW32</a>, Direct Port I/O from Win32</li>
<li><a href="http://www.thaiio.com/">Interface Ports I/O form PC</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>"What is a computer port?". TechTarget. 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024. <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/about/copyright" target="_blank">https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/about/copyright</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>"A Brief Introduction to USB Color Code (USB Wire & Port)". PartitionWizard. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2024. <a href="https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/usb-color-code.html" target="_blank">https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/usb-color-code.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>"Definition of reversible plug". PCMag. Retrieved July 12, 2024. <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/reversible-plug" target="_blank">https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/reversible-plug</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"USB Type-C® Cable and Connector | Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). USB-IF. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230309002228/https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/usb_type-c_language_product_and_packaging_guidelines_final.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20230309002228/https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/usb_type-c_language_product_and_packaging_guidelines_final.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Campbell, Mikey (May 9, 2013). "Apple's Lightning connector detailed in extensive new patent filings". Appleinsider. Retrieved July 12, 2024. <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/13/05/09/apples-lightning-connector-finally-detailed-in-patent-filing" target="_blank">https://appleinsider.com/articles/13/05/09/apples-lightning-connector-finally-detailed-in-patent-filing</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Computer port (hardware) open-in-new

Computer port (hardware)