A port is a connector on the motherboard or on a separate adapter that allows a device to connectto the computer. Sometimes a motherboard has ports built directly into the motherboard.Motherboards that have ports built into them are called integrated motherboards. A technicianmust be able to identify these common ports readily to ensure that (1) the correct cable plugsinto the port; and (2) the technician can troubleshoot problems in the right area.Many port connections are referred to as male or female. Male ports have metal pins thatprotrude from the connector. A male port requires a cable with a female connector. Female portshave holes in the connector into which the male cable pins are inserted.Many connectors on integrated motherboards are either D-shell connectors or DIN connectors.A D-shell connector has more pins or holes on top than on the bottom, so a cable connectedto the D-shell connector can only be inserted in one direction and not accidentally flipped upsidedown. Parallel, serial, and video ports are examples of D-shell connectors. Many documents representa D-shell connector by using the letters DB, a hyphen, and the number of pins—for example,DB-9, DB-15, or DB-25.A DIN connector is round with small holes and is normally keyed. When a connector is keyedit has an extra metal piece or notch that matches with an extra metal piece or notch on the cable,and the cable can only be inserted into the DIN connector one way. Older keyboard and mouse connectorsare examples of DIN connectors. Today, keyboard and mouse connectors can also be USBconnectors. These are covered later in the chapter. Figure 1.10 shows the back of a computer withan integrated motherboard. There are various DIN and D-shell connectors on the motherboard.
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