A+ Certification/Exam Objectives/Hardware/Basics/Ports

Ports on the computer are used to send or receive data. Physical ports are usually found in the back of the system and allow connecting devices to the computer.

The most common ports are:

Port name Image Description
9-pin Serial
25-pin Serial
Parallel
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface.
VGA Video Graphics Array. Usually a blue cable or connector to attach a monitor.
DVI Digital Visual Interface. Usually a white cable or connector to attach a monitor.
Audio Used to connect audio devices, such as speakers, microphones, etc.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) An external bus which can support up to 127 peripheral devices daisy chained on a single port. It is quickly replacing serial and parallel ports.
Firewire