Network Ports

1. Can our local device acquire well-known ports?

Yes, we can acquire well-known ports on our local device because these ports are used on a server, however, servers aren’t just large and powerful computers. Server is a role that is fulfilled by a device, no matter its specifications. Our computer can also act as a server for other computers to connect to. If we run netstat with a -an subcommand, we might see port 21 or port 80 that are either listening or have an established connection.

For example, if we will be running an FTP service or running a website on our computer we’re going to see port 21 and port 80 that are either listening or have an established connection because we can configure your computer to act as a server that accepts incoming connections.

2. What are some important Netstat commands?

Here are the most common:

netstat -a : Displays all active connections and the TCP and UDP ports on which the computer is listening.

netstat -b : Displays the binary (executable) program’s name involved in creating each connection or listening port.

netstat -e : Displays ethernet statistics, such as the number of bytes and packets sent and received.

netstat -f : Displays fully qualified domain names for foreign addresses (only available on Windows Vista and newer operating systems).

netstat -i : Displays network interfaces and their statistics.

netstat -m : Displays the memory statistics for the networking code (STREAMS statistics on Solaris).

netstat -n : Displays active TCP connections, however, addresses and port numbers are expressed numerically and no attempt is made to determine names.

netstat -o : Displays active TCP connections and includes the process id (PID) for each connection.

3. What is a server?

Server is basically a dedicated computer that provides services on behalf of clients, such as ordinary desktop computers or workstations. So it’s a centralized machine where multiple clients connect to, either over the Internet or in a local area network, and they connect to a server for a specific service.

Now when people talk about a server generally they are referring to a powerful centralized computer that clients connect to over a network, and they would be correct on that. However a server is not just a physical computer. A server is actually a role that a computer takes. Because any ordinary desktop computer can be set up as a server and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a powerful computer.

4. Can you explain port forwarding?

Port forwarding is a networking technique where incoming network traffic destined for a particular port is redirected to another device or port. It is commonly used to enable external access to services hosted on private networks, such as forwarding external web traffic to an internal web serve.

5. What is Full Form of IANA?

IANA stands for Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and works on globally coordinating IP address, ports, etc

In today’s technological age, data stands out as a crucial asset, and to make regular advancements, we need to share data among ourselves. We can share data in two ways either using wired connections or the internet.

In wired connections, we use connectors called physical ports for the transfer of data, power, and signals from one device to another. Example – HDMI, USB, etc.

In the internet, communication among devices relies on a structured system called network ports.

Network ports are virtual endpoints that bridge data transmission among multiple applications, services, or devices within a network. It is a logical connection that is established between multiple devices to transfer and exchange data among them. These ports ensures the smooth flow of information and make sure that data reaches its destined address.

In a practical sense, when we interact with various online services like browsing, streaming, or downloading, network ports are working in the background. It manages the data traffic and ensures to make every process works independently and efficiently.

Each network port will have a unique number that differentiates it from others. This unique number is known as the port number.