Interface

A boundary across which two systems communicate. An interface might be a hardware connector used to link to other devices, or it might be a convention used to allow communication between two software systems.

IEEE 1394 (Firewire)

A very fast external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of up to 400 Mbps. A single 1394 port can be used to connect up 63 external devices.

RS232

The identification number of a standard published by the Electronic Industries Association. This standard specifies the electrical characteristics of a serial communications system.

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

An external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of 12 Mbps. A single USB port can be used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices, such as mice, modems, and keyboards. USB also supports Plug-and-Play installation and hot plugging.

USB 2

Also referred to as Hi-Speed USB, USB 2.0 is an external bus that supports data rates up to 480Mbps. USB 2.0 is an extension of USB 1.1. USB 2.0 is fully compatible with USB 1.1 and uses the same cables and connectors.

See also: Computer, Parallel Transfer.