Ports
Connectors
Fundamental I.T. Inventions
Acronyms
Networking Hardware
100

DNS

What is 53?

100

This three-letter acronym represents the universal connector used to charge smartphones, transfer data, and connect peripherals.

What is USB?

100

Created at Bell Labs in 1947 this electrical component has become instrumental to computing with it's ability to amplify and switch electrical signals.

What is the Transistor?

100

VPN

What is Virtual Private Network?

100

This device forwards data packets between computer networks, typically operating at Layer 3 of the OSI model.

What is a router?

200

DHCP

What is 67 and 68?

200

Introduced in 2003, this digital connector replaced DVI as a standard for connecting computers to monitors, offering higher resolutions and refresh rates.

What is DisplayPort?

200

Developed by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn in the 1970s, this protocol became the foundation of the internet, defining how data is transmitted between devices on a network.

What is TCP/IP?

200

NAS

What is Network Attached Storage?

200

This type of switch operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model, forwarding data based on MAC addresses.

What is a switch?

300

SSH

What is 22?

300

This connector type, developed by Intel and Apple, combines data, video, and power in a single port and is commonly found on high-end laptops.

What is Thunderbolt?

300

This 1970s invention by Dennis Ritchie and Brian Kernighan gave rise to a programming language that would become foundational for systems programming and modern applications.

What is the C programming language?

300

SAN

What is Storage Area Network?

300

This device, used to extend the range of a wireless network, retransmits the signal to reach further distances.

What is a wireless range extender or wireless repeater?

400

*Daily Double* SMTP, POP3, IMAP

What are 25, 110, and 143?

400

This three-letter acronym describes a legacy connector standard for audio and video, using yellow, white, and red plugs.

What is RCA?

400

This 1983 invention by Paul Mockapetris provided a way to automatically map hostnames to IP addresses, greatly simplifying network navigation.

What is the Domain Name System (DNS)?

400

DORA

What is Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledgement?

400

This type of device is used to manage traffic on a network by preventing congestion and improving the efficiency of data transfer between devices.

What is a network load balancer?

500

319, 320

What is PTP?

500

This high-speed data transfer standard, also known as IEEE 1394, was heavily promoted by Apple in the early 2000s and often used for connecting video cameras and multimedia devices.

What is FireWire?

500

This 1956 event at Dartmouth College is considered the birthplace of artificial intelligence as a field of study.

What is the Dartmouth Conference?

500

PTP

What is Precision Time Protocol? 

500

This device, typically found in larger networks, can segment traffic into different virtual networks, improving network efficiency and security.

What is a VLAN-capable switch?

M
e
n
u