port

adj : on the left-hand side of a vessel or aircraft when facing

forward; "the port side" [syn: {larboard}, {left}]

[ant: {starboard}]

n 1: a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise

can enter or leave a country

2: sweet dark-red dessert wine originally from Portugal [syn: {port

wine}]

3: an opening (in a wall or ship or armored vehicle) for firing

through [syn: {embrasure}, {porthole}]

4: the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone facing the

bow or nose [syn: {larboard}] [ant: {starboard}]

5: (computer science) hardware and associated circuitry that

links one device with another (especially a computer and a

hard disk drive or other peripherals) [syn: {interface}]

v : carry diagonally across the body; "port a canoe"; "port a

rifle"

port

1. A logical channel or channel endpoint in a

communications system. The {Transmission Control Protocol}

and {User Datagram Protocol} {transport layer} protocols used

on {Ethernet} use port numbers to distinguish between

(demultiplex) different logical channels on the same {network

interface} on the same computer.

Each {application program} has a unique port number associated

with it, defined in /etc/services or the {Network Information

Service} "services" database. Some {protocols}, e.g. {telnet}

and {HTTP} (which is actually a special form of telnet) have

default ports specified as above but can use other ports as

well.

2. To translate {software} to

run on a different system or the results of doing so. See

{portability}.

3. An {imperative} language descended from {Zed}

from {Waterloo Microsystems} (now {Hayes} Canada) ca. 1979.

["Port Language" document in the Waterloo Port Development

System].

(1998-02-20)