Computer Hardware Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

Port Mapped I/I (or Port I/O) is a method of performing input/output between the CPU and I/O devices in a computer. Port-mapped I/O uses a special class of CPU instructions specifically for performing I/O. This is generally found on Intel microprocessors, specifically the IN and OUT instructions which can read and write a single byte to an I/O device. I/O devices have a separate address space from general memory, either accomplished by an extra "I/O" pin on the CPU's physical interface, or an entire bus dedicated to I/O.

Related Terms

Port Mapped I/O