serial port
<hardware, communications> (Or "com port") A connector on a computer to
which you can attach a serial line connected to peripherals which communicate
using a serial (bit-stream) protocol. The most common type of serial port is a
25-pin D-type connector carrying EIA-232 signals. Smaller connectors (e.g. 9-pin
D-type) carrying a subset of EIA-232 are often used on personal computers. The
serial port is usually connected to an integrated circuit called a UART which
handles the conversion between serial and parallel data.
In the days before bit-mapped displays, and today on multi-user systems, the
serial port was used to connect one or more terminals (teletypewriters or VDUs),
printers, modems and other serial peripherals. Two computers connected together
via their serial ports, possibly via modems, can communicate using a protocol
such as UUCP or CU or SLIP.
(1995-01-12)
Nearby terms:
Serial Line Internet Protocol « Serial Line IP «
Serial Peripheral Interface « serial port »
Serial Presence Detect » serial processing » Serial
Storage Architecture
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