Dell PowerEdge 6400 - Manual (Page 36)

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I/O Ports and Connectors: Dell™ PowerEdge™ 6400 Systems User's Guide
Overview
The input/output (I/O) ports and connectors on the back panel of the system are the gateways through which the computer system communicates
with external devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, printer, and monitor.
Figure 1 identifies the I/O ports and connectors for your system.
Serial and Parallel Ports
The two integrated serial ports use 9-pin D-subminiature connectors on the back panel. These ports support devices such as external modems,
printers, plotters, and mice that require serial data transmission (the transmission of data one bit at a time over one line).
Most software uses the term COM (for communications) plus a number to designate a serial port (for example, COM1 or COM2). The default
designations of your system's integrated serial ports are COM1 and COM2. COM1 is the bottom connector; COM2 is on the top.
The integrated parallel port uses a 25-pin D-subminiature connector on the system's back panel. This I/O port sends data in parallel format (where
eight data bits, or one byte, are sent simultaneously over eight separate lines in a single cable). The parallel port is used primarily for printers.
Most software uses the term LPT (for line printer) plus a number to designate a parallel port (for example, LPT1). The default designation of the
system's integrated parallel port is LPT1.
Port designations are used, for example, in software installation procedures that include a step in which you identify the port to which a printer is
attached, thus telling the software where to send its output. (An incorrect designation prevents the printer from printing or causes scrambled print.)
Figure 1. I/O Ports and Connectors
Adding an Expansion Card Containing Serial or Parallel Ports
The system has an autoconfiguration capability for the serial ports. This feature lets you add an expansion card containing a serial port that has the
same designation as one of the integrated ports, without having to reconfigure the card. When the system detects the duplicate serial port on the
expansion card, it remaps (reassigns) the integrated port to the next available port designation.
Both the new and the remapped COM ports share the same interrupt request (IRQ) setting, as follows:
COM1, COM3: IRQ4 (shared setting)
COM2, COM4: IRQ3 (shared setting)
Overview Video Connector
Serial and Parallel Ports USB Connectors
Keyboard and Mouse Connectors Integrated NIC Connector
1 Mouse connector
2 Keyboard connector
3 USB connectors (2)
4 NIC connector
5 Serial port 1 connector
6 Parallel port connector
7 Serial port 2 connector
8 Video connector