Since the emergence of computing, there have been numerous advances in technology that have been evidenced worldwide. Reason why, There are a wide variety of terminologies associated with this field. which, even though they are completely useful, generate certain confusion or doubts in users who do not know its definition.
Thus, one of these terms, refers to “computer ports”. which are essential for facilitate man-machine communication and that is why it is an expression that has been used since the very emergence of this science. Whereas, they are the solution of many manufacturers to face the fact that How to connect other devices to the computer.
So, thanks to the notable importance of the ports of the computer at a general level, it is important to know How are they defined and what are they for?. Like, its evolution over the years and the types of ports that exist up to now. Being all this, what we will explain below, in detail.
What is a port in computing and what are these elements for?
In computing, a port is defined as a terminal suitable for the connection of peripheralsboth of as well as . Thus, they are an interface, internal or external, that is used to communicate different types of hardware or software elements that allow sending and/or receiving data from one device to another. In this sense, a port in computing also It is an integrated connector on the main card (or motherboard) or on expansion cards of the machine.
Which are designed with special electronic forms and characteristics, in order to support the interconnection of a range of external devices with the computer. Any port on your computer, basically It serves to expand the capacity provided by the equipment with the aim of simplifying the work of man. In this way, it offers the possibility of communicating one or several computing devices in order to, establish communications between said terminals and send or receive information.
History and evolution How have computer ports changed over time?
As we indicated previously, the ports of the computer arose with the emergence of computing as a science. Therefore, they have had a remarkable evolution until today and for this reason, it is necessary to know some details of interest regarding their history and the changes they have presented. In principle, the oldest identifiable port so far, is the “audio jack”. which developed during the year 1878 and it was the starting point of this type of terminals.
Whereas, at present, they continue to be used for connect speakers, headphones, and other audio devices to a computer. Subsequently, the use of a more official form of the ports became evident. beginning in the late 1960swhen the basic connections between computers and other devices known as “peripherals”. Thanks to this, the invention of ports for a connection or real data transfer, it was in 1962.
This, when it went on the market the RS-232 in order to establish lines of communication. Thus, it was used as a physical connection point between computers and modems, until the end of the 20th century. During that century, specifically in the year 1980the well-known ethernet ports were introduced, which allowed more modern and capable communication between computers and modems.
This connection allowed the creation of data packets in the form of frames that contained a header with the source and destination addresses and an integrated error checking system. After that, in the year 1987video data transmission was possible through the use of VGA ports that carried analog components RGBHV (ie: Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal Sync and Vertical Sync). Thus creating, a standard 640×480 video output.
But this was replaced by HDMI ports later, thanks to its high definition. Next, during the year 1994 and by the company Manzanawas released a Firewire port which provided a serial bus interface. Which is similar to the famous USB ports that developed in the year 2000 and they were especially noted for providing highly capable data transfer speeds.
What are all the different ports that a computer has built in and its usefulness?
While it is true, commonly used computer ports, They are characterized by exhibiting various forms (round, square, rectangular, etc.). So that, different types of these ports are distinguished and, since they have unequal profits, need to know what they are. In that sensemainly, serial ports and parallel ports are known.
Next, we indicate what they are about:
- serial ports: Basically, they are those who send and receive one bit at a time over a single pair of wires (+/- and ground). Thus, they are compatible with terminals that require the transmission of one bit information on one line. Generally, the term is used “COM” followed by a number to symbolize a serial port (for use, COM2).
- parallel ports: In this case, they are defined as the ports that have the capacity to send multiple bits simultaneously over multiple sets of wires. Therefore, when data is sent in parallel format, it is usually eight data bits (to form one byte) and are sent on eight individual lines on a single wire. Regarding his appointment, uses the terminology “LPT” followed by a number (example: LPT1).
In addition to this, two types of ports are also distinguished in a general way, which are software and hardware ports.
Next, we specify how they are defined:
- software ports: These too They are called “logical ports” and they are those that are located inside the computer equipment, as its name indicates. Thus, they allow establish communications with different programs and perform the distribution of services between computing devices. Example: the 21 ports who uses the service FTP for file sharing.
- hardware ports: They are ports whose main purpose is to establish communications between physical devices. For this reason, they offer the possibility of communicating peripherals such as speakers, mice, keyboards, routers, modems and other elements to a computer or any computer equipment.
For his part, among the most used hardware portsthere are different computing devices that are widely recognized in the world of computing.
Here, we name and define which are the most traditional:
USB port
It allows you to install peripherals without having to open the machine to link the hardware, so it will be enough to connect the other device to the back of the computer. So it works like an interface to support data transmission and power distribution. Whereas, many of them are capable of transferring data to 12Mbps.
VGA port
simply, this is a standardized port to connect the monitor to the computer and is characterized by being a female-type terminal with 15 connection holes located between three rows of five in total. which, too falls between the classification of ports for video or multimedia.
HDMI port
It is a device that provides an interface between any digital audio and video source. Like, for example, a Blu-ray player, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, a synthesizer and a digital TV.
DVI port
It consists of a video connector designed to amplify the visual quality of digital monitorseither those of computers or digital projectors LCD. In this sense, it is characterized by having one male and one female connector (this is used to connect digital monitors to the PC).
PCI ports
In these slots on the computer motherboard, expansion cards can be linked (sound, video, network, etc.). Taking into account that, generally, the components that are available in this kind of slot include network cards (wireless or not), sound cards, RAID controllers and television capture cards.
memory ports
They are those ports that allow connect or insert RAM cards into the computer. Usually, they have storage capacities that they range from 256 MB to 4 GB. Thus, they are bays that allow data to be exchanged with the processor at a speed greater than that offered by the hard drive, by default.
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