Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms: port
port
- to adapt a program from one kind of computer to another. For example, some IBM PC programs have been ported to the Macintosh.
- a connection where a computer can be connected to an external device, such as a modem, printer, or tape drive. See serial; parallel; SCSI; USB.
- a unique number used by a microprocessor to identify an input output device. For example, the hexadecimal number 3F8 is the port address for part of the circuitry that controls the first serial port (COM1) on PC-compatible computers.
- a number identifying the type of connection requested by a remote computer on the Internet. See URL.
