Activity 1-3: Identifying Connection Interfaces

COM Port

(Communications Port) Windows' representation of a computer's serial port(s), numbered sequentially (COM1, COM2...).

RJ-45 Connector

(Registered Jack) An eight-position connector that uses all four pairs of wires. It is usually used for network connectivity.

SATA

(Serial ATA) The most widely used interface for hard disks on desktop and laptop computers. It uses a 7-pin data connector with one device per port. There are three SATA standards specifying bandwidths of 1.5 Gbps, and 6 Gbps, respectively. SATA drives also use a new 15-pin power connector , though adaptors for the old style 4-pin Molex connectors are available. External drives are also supported via the eSATA interface.

SCSI

(Small Computer Systems Interface) A legacy expansion bus standard allowing for the connection of internal and external devices. SCSI 1 defines the originl 8-bit bus with a transfer rate of 5 MBps. SCSI 2 features a 16-bit data bus implementation (Wide SCSI) and a faster transfer rate (Fast SCSI) while maintaining backward compatibility with most of the original devices. SCSI 3 introduces further data rate enhancements (Ultra SCSI) and a serial SCSI standard (Firewire). Eavh device on a SCSI bus must be allocated a unique ID. The bus must also be terminated at both ends.

TB

(Thunderbolt) It can be used as a dispaly interface (like a DisplayPort) and as general peripheral interface (like USB 3) The lastest version uses USB-C connectors.

USB

(Universal Serial Bus) The main type of a connection interface used on PCs. A larger Type A connector attaches to a port on the host; Type B and mini- or Micro-Type B connectors are used for devices. USB 1.1 supports 12 Mbps and is backward compatible with 1.1 devices (which run at the slower speed). USB devices are hot swappable. A device can draw up to 2.5 W of power. USB 3.0 and 3.1 define 5 Gbps (SuperSpeed) and 10 Gbps (SuperSpeed+) rates and can deliver 4.5 W of power.

eSATA

(external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) An external interface for SATA connections, enabling you to connect eternal SATA drives to PCs.

What type of device would you connect a Molex cable to?

A Molex cable is a power cable. Normally, devices such as disk drives and optical drives require more power than can be delivered over the data bus. Note that most drives actually use SATA power connectors these days.

USB On the Go (OTG)

A USB standard that allows at port to function as either a host or a device.

USB 2.0 (HighSpeed) standard

A USB standard that operates at up to 480 Mbps.

I/O Port

A device connection through which data can be sent and recieved.

Host Controller

A hardware component of the USB subsystem responsible for recognizing when a USB device is attached or removed from the system, monitors the device status, provides power to the USB devices, and controls the flow of data between the USB host and USB devices.

Port

A hardware connection interface on a personall computer that enables devices to be connected to the computer.

You are speaking with a junior technician. He is not sure what is meant by a "keyed" connector. Can you tell him?

A keyed coonnector has a catch or slot to ensure that it cannot be inserted the wrong way round or used with an incompatible port.

eSATAp

A non-standard powered port used by some vendors that is compatible with both USB and SATA (with an eSATAp cable).

Female Port

A port that has hole connectors.

Male Port

A port that has pin connectors.

Keyed Port

A port with physical attributes that prevent a connector from being inserted into the port the wrong way around.

Molex Connector

A power connector that is used to supply power to Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) drives, optical drives, and SCSI drives.

Expansion Cards

A printed curcuit board that is installed in a slot on a system board to provide special functions for customizing or extending a computer's capabilities. Also referred to as adapter card, I/O card, add-in, add-on, or board.

RS-232

A serial port that uses a 25-pin male D connector.

RJ-11 Connector

A six-position connector that uses just one pair of wires. It is used in telephone system connections.

DB-9

Although the original serial port used a 25-pin male D connector, most PCs today use a male DB-9 (9-pin) port.

Hub

An OSI layer 1 (Physical) network device used to implement a star network topology on legacy Ethernet networks. Hubs may also be known as "multiport repeaters" or concentrators. They are the central points of connection for segments and act like repeaters so that every segment receives signals sent from any other segment.

Serial Port

Asychroous serial transmission (RS-232) is one of the oldest PC bus standards. A serial port is a legacy port that can be used to connect devices such as modems, mice, and Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS). Serial ports transmit data bit-by-bit using a single data line at a speed of u to abouot 115 Kbps. Although the original serial port used a 25-pin male D connector, most PCs today use a male DB9 (9 pin) port. The serial port is now little used but does provide an "out-of-band" means of configuring network appliances such as switches and routers.

True or False? USB-C ports and cables are compatible with Apple Lightening ports and cables

False.

What is the nominal data rate of a USB port supporting SuperSpeed+?

Normally 10 Gbps, but devices supporting USB 3.2 can use up to 20 Gbps over USB-C cabling.

Lightning Ports

Proprietary connector and interface for Apple devices.

USB SuperSpeed

The USB 3.0 standard that operates at up to 5 Gbps and makes the link full duplex.

USB SuperSpeed+

The USB 3.1 standard that operates at up to 10 Gbps.

Connections

The physical access points that enable a computer to communicate with internal or external devices.

Interface

The point at which two devices connect and communicate with each other.

Why would you install an I/O adapter card?

To make more or different kinds of ports available (SCSI, USB, or SATA typically).