About port 5190 (AIM)

[soniw23]

Im trying to understand why different ports are associated with and to be specific port 5190. How does port 5190 Can anyone explain this to me. Why does AOL use port 5190? And why is there a port for the internet? Im curious? ^^ ()_()

[thehorse13]

And why is there a port for the internet?

Ummm, What?

Im trying to understand why different ports are associated with and to be specific port 5190

You specify AIM in your post title (About port 5190 (AIM)). This suggests you know exactly what the port is used for. That said, simple questions deserve no less than simple answers.

http://www.iss.net/security_center/a...90/default.htm

[Spyrus]

My good god this question has millions of answers and places for you to start looking....

first LMAO of the horsey, I like the simplistic answer, although

I am pretty sure you are asking what ports are for or why they are needed. You may search this website for TCP/IP basics or networking basics etc....

Different programs utilize different ports as a connection place so they know where to look and how to communicate.

In programming, a port (noun) is a "logical connection place" and specifically, using the Internet's protocol, TCP/IP, the way a client program specifies a particular server program on a computer in a network. Higher-level applications that use TCP/IP such as the Web protocol, Hypertext Transfer Protocol, have ports with preassigned numbers. These are known as "well-known ports" that have been assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Other application processes are given port numbers dynamically for each connection. When a service (server program) initially is started, it is said to bind to its designated port number. As any client program wants to use that server, it also must request to bind to the designated port number.

Port numbers are from 0 to 65536. Ports 0 to 1024 are reserved for use by certain privileged services. For the HTTP service, port 80 is defined as a default and it does not have to be specified in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

Source: http://searchnetworking.techtarget.c...212807,00.html

Check this out too

http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers

thats a list of common ports and their more common programs

there are MANY more resources for you to look at, your internet outbound uses a range of ports to make connections while a webserver uses port 80.

[XTC46]

Ok Im going to go ahead and try and clarify for your questions a little. I think what you are asking is

1) you want to know which programs/processes/etc use different ports.

This link should help you with that.

http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers

2) you want to know why certain programs use certain ports.

Well, as far as I know its an orginizational method. It would be hectic for ALL information being sent and recieved from a computer to be shoved into one place. so Ports were created to organize this a bit. For instance. AIM will only grab the traffic comming on port 5190. Alot of programs allow you to specifiy which port you would like to se, but many wont let you, this is becasue that want standards. Ports like 80, 22, 21, 25, and a bunch of others are all standard ports for things many people use. so they dont really allow you to change that because they want the standardization. this is a very basic answer and for further info do a good search for "tcp/ip ports" and you will get TONS of info.

[Spyrus]

FYI XTC46 AIM DOES allow you to choose what port you want to use. Its just by default set to 5190 for, as you say, a standard. Makes it semi easier for trouble shooting

[Tiger Shark]

Let me try to put it all into English for you....

A computer connected to the internet has an IP Address in the form 123.123.123.123. Picture this as a Post Office. Each computer on the internet can provide a service on any one of 65535 ports. Picture these as PO Boxes.

So I can address a packet and send it out on the internet. It goes to the computer, (Post Office), at 123.123.123.123. If that was all the information I provided the Post Office would "return to sender"... The computer will too. You need to tell it which PO box to put it in. How would you know? You don't need to.... Your computer does because there are certain "standard" PO Boxes. If you want a web page then your computer addresses it to port 80, if you want to get email it addresses it to PO Box 110, send email = PO Box 25 etc. There are tons of "standard" PO Boxes out there. While you will never see it, when you request a web page your computer addresses the packets to 123.123.123.123:80, (note the PO Box at the end after the colon). If the computer at the other end has web pages to serve they will be in PO Box 80 and it will respond appropriately and you will see yahoo or whatever you requested.

In this case the "standard" port, (PO Box), for AIM is 5190. You can change it... But don't expect to connect to the server at the far end unless it serves AIM on the port you specified. By the "standards" it will serve it on port 5190. Requests addressed to the worng port will get a "returned to sender"... ie: a failure.

Clear as mud?

[soniw23]

yey thank you all i needed all of this info and im aware of the fact that there's a lot of info out there for TCP/UPD ports and all. Another quesiton is how can i connect to these ports other than standard ports such as port 80, 110, 22, 25 and so forth. Because if the that server has a firewall then there has to be some way to lets say, "think outside the box" and get around the firewall. There has to be a way. That's what im trying to figure out. I've used telnet to telnet my ip address from another computer but i can't connect to it. Could anyone please explain this also. I have a firewall as well. And no im not giving the IP address.