TCP, a reliable and connection-oriented protocol, transmits data in a controlled and orderly
manner. This protocol establishes a virtual connection between the sender and receiver,
ensuring that all data is transmitted correctly and error-free. Applications that require stable
and dependable data transmission, such as email and file transfers, utilize TCP.
UDP, in contrast, is an unreliable and connectionless protocol. It does not establish a virtual
connection between the sender and receiver, and it does not guarantee the delivery of data.
Applications that require fast and real-time data transmission, such as online gaming and video
streaming, utilize UDP.
Well-Known Port Numbers
Well-known port numbers, as their name suggests, hold a well-established place in the
world of networking. With a range of 0 to 1023, these port numbers are reserved for
specific services and applications and are assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority (IANA). Services such as HTTP (port 80), HTTPS (port 443), FTP (port 21),
Telnet (port 23), and SMTP (port 25) are just a few examples that make use of these
port numbers. When a device attempts to connect to a service, it leverages the well-
known port number for that specific service to initiate the connection. For instance,
when accessing a website, the browser sends a request to the web server through port
80 for HTTP or port 443 for HTTPS.
21: FTP (File Transfer Protocol);
Web developers commonly use FTP to update various files for a website, including HTML, CSS,
JavaScript, and image files.
22: SSH (Secure Shell) uses public key cryptography to open a secure network channel over an
unsecured network. Many companies have a set of remote servers that host web applications,
databases, and other services. SSH provides system administrators a secure way to access and manage
these servers remotely.
23: Telnet is a network protocol for interactive text-based communication between two devices
over a computer network. It’s important to note that Telnet does not encrypt data.
25: SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) uses TCP port 25 for Internet mail
transmission. SMTP is an internet standard protocol. SMTPS is quite effective because it is one of the
protocols that can utilize SSL. SMTP is responsible for the transmission of email between servers and for
sending email from a client. Other protocols are used by the client to receive email.
53: DNS (Domain Name System) is known for translating human-readable domain names
(like [Link]) into IP addresses that machines on the network can understand.
443: HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure version of HTTP, and is
used to secure the communication between web browsers and web servers by encrypting the data
transferred between them. HTTPS uses protocols like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or its successor, TLS
(Transport Layer Security), to encrypt the data and prevent unauthorized parties from intercepting and
reading the information exchanged between the user's browser and the web server.
Fortunately, for the purposes of the A+ exam, students won’t need to know all 65,535 ports. Instead,
you will need to know the three blocks of ports and how they are divided: well-known (0 to 1023),
registered (1024 to 49,151), and dynamic or ephemeral ports (above 49,151). From there, the exam will
primarily focus on the well-known ports, as these are used every day (e.g., port 80 for web traffic and
port 443 for encrypted web traffic).
Questions are often structured as follows:
What port number is used by SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) when you're sending
email?
Answer: Port 25
What company uses port 3074 for its online gaming service?
Answer: Xbox (for Xbox Live)
Practical Applications and Troubleshooting
Viewing and managing port numbers can be done through various tools and commands in different
operating systems. Here's a basic guide for some commonly used operating systems:
Windows:
Open the Command Prompt and use the command ‘netstat -an’ to display a list of
all active network connections and listening ports.
Open the Resource Monitor (this is located in the Task Manager under the
"Performance" tab). Navigate to the "Network" tab to see the list of active network
connections and associated ports.
*To manage ports related to Windows Firewall, open "Windows Defender Firewall
with Advanced Security." Navigate to "Inbound Rules" or "Outbound Rules" to
allow or block specific ports.*
Linux:
Open the terminal and use the command ‘netstat -tuln’ to display a list of all
listening ports.
Use the ‘lsof -i’ command to list all open internet files (which includes open ports).
*Use tools like ‘iptables’ or ‘ufw’ to manage the firewall settings, including
opening or closing specific port*
macOS
Open the terminal and use the command ‘netstat -an | grep LISTEN’ to display a list
of all listening ports.
Use the ‘sudo lsof -iTCP -sTCP:LISTEN -n -P’ command to list all open TCP
listening ports.
*Use the ‘pfctl’ command to manage the built-in packet filter firewall.*
The CompTIA A+ exam will require a rudimentary understanding of how to troubleshoot port-related
issues in networks. To do that, you’ll have to know how to identify problems with the communication
between devices and understand how data is transmitted through specific ports. Here are common
steps to troubleshoot port-related issues:
Ensure that there is a network connection between the devices.
Verify device IP addresses and ensure they are on the same subnet and can reach each
other.
Check firewall settings on both the sending and receiving devices as firewalls may block
traffic on specific ports. Adjust configurations to allow necessary communication.
Use the ping command to test basic connectivity between devices. If there's no response, it
might indicate a network connectivity issue.
Common Network Ports – CompTIA A+ 220-1001 – 2.1
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