What is a Port?

To the uninitiated or the otherwise-gifted computer user, technical geek-speak can be rather frustrating and
aggravating. When instructions are filled with such things as "port," "TCP," "UP," and other acron!ms or
technical terminolog!, the user feels more isolated and rarel! finds a solution or comprehension. "ortunatel!,
comprehension is #ust moments awa!.
Port
Picture a ba! where there are lots of private boats are docked. The overall location is called a seaport, literall! a
port at or on the sea. $ver!one wanting to dock there%re&uesting landing services%uses the same port. 'eaports
work with berth numbers assigned to individual boats. The port name and the berth number combine into the
"who, what, and where" of boat identification.
(n geek-speak, berth numbers on the (nternet are (nternet Protocol or (P addresses, a user)s numerical identifier
on the (nternet. epending on connection t!pe and service provider, a user)s (P address ma! or ma! not remain
the same with each connection to or "docking" on the (nternet.
* computer port is a t!pe of electronic, software- or programming-related docking point through which
information flows from a program on !our computer or to !our computer from the (nternet or another computer
in a network. +* network, b! the wa!, is a series of computers that are ph!sicall! or electronicall! linked.,
(n computer terms, a computer or a program connects to somewhere or something else on the (nternet via a port.
Port numbers and the user)s (P address combine into the "who does what" information kept b! ever! (nternet
'ervice Provider.
Ports are numbered for consistenc! and programming. The most commonl! used and best known ports are those
numbered - to .-/0 dedicated for (nternet use, but the! can e1tend far higher for speciali2ed purposes. $ach
port set or range is assigned speciali2ed #obs or functions, and that)s generall! all the! do. Usuall!, all identical
s!stem services or functions use the same port numbers on the receiving servers.
"or e1ample, all computers accessing or re&uesting 3uote of the a! will alwa!s use port .4, because that port
is officiall! reserved for that purpose, and onl! re&uests for that service use port .4. 5utgoing information is
channeled through a different or private port, keeping the "incoming line" open for others. $mail received on a
local computer generall! uses a TCP port /6. "ile Transport Protocol or "TP uses port /., to name onl! a few
port assignments.
TCP/UDP
TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol, and UP is the abbreviation for User atagram Protocol. 7oth
pertain to data transmissions on the (nternet, but the! work ver! differentl!.
TCP is considerabl! more reliable. (t is connection-based transmission of data. There must be anchored points
between sending location to receiving location, and data * that is sent first will alwa!s arrive at the destination
prior to data 7 which was sent second. The onl! transmission that fails is one that is broken +for instance, if the
transmitting point)s (nternet connection was lost or a receiver)s website is down or an email address is no longer
valid. The email server is the receiving point that counts there%not the user name.,
UP is connectionless protocol. ata is sent regardless of the receiving destination)s status. Unfortunatel!, there
is no guarantee that the data will ever be received, in what order, or in what condition.
*n e1ample between the two might involve mailing two sets of two letters. 'et * comprises 8etters . and /. 'et
* is sent via the postal service called TCP that has a permanent, pre-defined route with no derivation. 8etters .
and / will arrive, and the!)ll arrive in order.
9eanwhile, 'et 7 comprises 8etters 0 and : which were sent on chronological da!s via the postal service
nicknamed UP. 7ecause the! were sent with the routing and deliver! instructions, ";et there when !ou can b!
whatever route !ou might find%ma!be. <ust do the best !ou can," 8etter : arrives torn, water-stained, bent,
folded, and generall! well mutilated= 8etter 0 never shows up at all and is never returned to the sender.
*nother difference between TCP and UP surrounds data streaming. ata sets sent via TCP are sent
seamlessl!= there is no separation between bits of data which allows for a smoother viewing or listening
e1perience.
UP streaming data sets or packages are guaranteed to arrive, but the! do so individuall!. 'lightl! lagging or
#erking pictures or sound ma! result as each separatel! arriving package is received, read, and pla!ed. While
seeming to contradict the above, the difference is in the data "packaging" aspect. 7its of data, those individual
letters, aren)t guaranteed to arrive or in what shape. The streaming data is packaged "in bulk," and bo1es are
sent, not envelopes. The streaming data "bo1es" are sent along more reliabl!, and if the!)re re&uested, the!)ll be
delivered. Consider the deliver! of a higher priorit!, air travel versus ground transportation or certified mail
versus standard mail.
The previousl! uninitiated in geek-speak can comfortabl! brag that the! no longer take an! port in a computer
storm, metaphoricall! speaking, but the! know whether to have a program transmit or receive via a TCP or a
UP connection, which is progress, indeed.
Port Range Groups
0 to 1023 - Well known port numbers. 5nl! special companies like *pple 3uickTime, 9'>, '38 'ervices,
;opher 'ervices and other prominent services have these port numbers.
1024 to 49151 - ?egistered ports= meaning the! can be registered to specific protocols b! software corporations.
49152 to 65536 - !namic or private ports= meaning that the! can be used b! #ust about an!bod!.