A legacy port is a computer port

Computer port (hardware)

In computer hardware, a port serves as an interface between the computer and other computers or peripheral devices. Physically, a port is a specialized outlet on a piece of equipment to which a plug or cable connects...

 or connector that is considered fully or partially superseded. The replacement ports usually provide the functionality of the legacy ports with higher speeds, more compact design, or plug and play and hot swap for greater ease of use; special USB adapter

Adapter (computing)

In computing, adapter is a hardware device or software component that converts transmitted data from one presentation form to another. The data presentation can be, for example, a message sent between objects in an application or a packet sent through a network.In modern personal computer, almost...

s are often used to replicate the connectors for older devices. Modern motherboard

Motherboard

In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...

s utilize separate Super I/O

Super I/O

Super I/O is a class of I/O controller integrated circuits that began to be used on personal computer motherboards in the late 1980s, originally as add-in cards, later embedded on the motherboards. A super I/O chip combines interfaces for a variety of low-bandwidth devices...

 controllers to provide legacy ports since current chipset

Chipset

A chipset, PC chipset, or chip set refers to a group of integrated circuits, or chips, that are designed to work together. They are usually marketed as a single product.- Computers :...

s do not offer direct support for them. A category of computers called legacy-free PC

Legacy-free PC

A legacy-free PC is a type of personal computer that lacks a floppy drive, legacy ports, an ISA bus...

s omits these ports, typically retaining only USB for external expansion.

Common legacy ports

• Centronics
  Centronics
  Centronics Data Computer Corporation was a pioneering American manufacturer of computer printers, now remembered primarily for the parallel interface that bears its name.-The beginning:Centronics began as a division of Wang Laboratories...
  
   Parallel port
  Parallel port
  A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripherals. In computing, a parallel port is a parallel communication physical interface. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics port...
  
   (typical uses: printer)http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/lf.mspx
• External Parallel SCSI
  Parallel SCSI
  Parallel SCSI is one of the interface implementations in the SCSI family. In addition to being a data bus, SPI is a parallel electrical bus: There is one set of electrical connections stretching from one end of the SCSI bus to the other. A SCSI device attaches to the bus but does not interrupt it...
  
  
• AT connector
  AT keyboard
  The AT keyboard was a keyboard with 84 keys introduced with the IBM PC/AT computer. It succeeded the 83-key PC/XT keyboard and therefore did not have many of the features seen on modern keyboards such as arrow keys and dual ctrl and alt keys. It was later replaced with the 101-key Enhanced keyboard...
  
   / DIN
  DIN connector
  A DIN connector is a connector that was originally standardized by the , the German national standards organization. There are DIN standards for a large number of different connectors, therefore the term "DIN connector" alone does not unambiguously identify any particular type of connector unless...
  
   (typical uses: keyboard)
• Serial port
  Serial port
  In computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
  
   / RS-232
  RS-232
  In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
  
   (typical uses: console
  System console
  The system console, root console or simply console is the text entry and display device for system administration messages, particularly those from the BIOS or boot loader, the kernel, from the init system and from the system logger...
  
  , modem, mouse)http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/lf.mspx
• PS/2 connector
  PS/2 connector
  The PS/2 connector is a 6-pin Mini-DIN connector used for connecting some keyboards and mice to a PC compatible computer system. Its name comes from the IBM Personal System/2 series of personal computers, with which it was introduced in 1987...
  
   / 6 Pin mini-DIN (typical uses: keyboard, mouse)http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,537054,00.asphttp://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1778354,00.asphttp://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/lf.mspx
• Game port
  Game port
  The game port is a device port found on IBM PC compatible systems throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was the traditional connector for joystick input devices until superseded by USB in the 21st century....
  
   / DA-15 (typical uses: MIDI, gaming devices such as joysticks)http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/lf.mspx
• Apple Desktop Bus
  Apple Desktop Bus
  Apple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
  
   / mini-DIN (typical uses: low speed external peripherals; such as keyboard, mouse, or joystick)
• Localtalk
  LocalTalk
  LocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
  
   / mini-DIN (typical uses: OldWorld Macintosh
  Macintosh
  The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
  
   printer and LAN
  Län
  Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
  
  )
• Industry Standard Architecture
  Industry Standard Architecture
  Industry Standard Architecture is a computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers introduced with the IBM Personal Computer to support its Intel 8088 microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor...
  
   / ISA bus (typical uses: connect peripheral cards to motherboard)http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/lf.mspx
• VGA
  VGA connector
  A Video Graphics Array connector is a three-row 15-pin DE-15 connector. The 15-pin VGA connector is found on many video cards, computer monitors, and some high definition television sets...
  
   / DE-15 (typical uses: display connector)http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,838251,00.asp