Discover the wide range of computer connections
Computer portsare an essential feature of all computing devices.
Ports provide the input and output interfaces the unit needs to communicate withperipheralsandcomputer networks.
Physical Ports
A port can be either physical or virtual.
Lifewire / Kyle Fewel
Ports are physically connected in one way or another to themotherboard.
However, wired and wireless networking can blend via physical computer ports.
Internet Protocol Ports
Virtual ports are an essential component ofInternet Protocol (IP)networking.
These ports allowsoftwareapplications to share hardware resources without interfering with each other.
In IP networking, these virtual ports are structured viaport numbers, from 0 through 65535.
For example, port 80 lets you access websites through yourweb web app, andport 21is associated with FTP.
Issues With Ports in Computer Networking
Physical ports can stop functioning for several reasons.
The speed and specification level of a physical port can also not be determined by physical inspection.
Similarly, some USB connectors supportversion 3.0while others only supportUSB 2.xor sometimesUSB 1.x.
The most common challenge with virtual ports is connection security.
Internet attackers regularlyprobe the portsof websites, routers, and any other networkgateways.
A online grid firewall helps guard against these attacks by limiting access to ports based on their number.
