Dumb question about comm ports

[vetran]

com ports have male connectors (sticky out pins) . Lpt will have female (holes).

Com1 was traditionally a nine pin and com2 25 pin on clones but it varies.

Quickest way to test is to use a loopback connector and hyperterminal (or weapon of choice). Or some sort of serial device modem etc and check via plug & pray.

Is it a particular make? They tended to have preferences and documentation.

[Weltchy]

If they are not labeled, the only way your gonna find out is either by trial and error or taking a look at the motherboard.

[doodab]

Establish which is which via trial and error. You can tell Windows which one to send debug to in boot.ini

[suityou01]

They are also normally labelled.

Shove it freaky dinosaur man.

HTH

[suityou01]

Unless I'm misuderstanding you, this is a pretty basic question.

The 9-pin port is the serial (com) port.
The 25-pin port is the parallel (lpt) port.

Well now, the thread title was "Dumb question about comm ports" so in actuality this is a pretty basic question. I am truly sorry this passed you buy. Perhaps I am not so simple

Surprisingly comm ports also come in 25 pin variety. Hard to believe I know, but it does happen. So when you are faced with two ports, one 25 pin and one 9 pin side by side it's hard to know which is comm 1 and which is comm2. Hence the question.

[Clippy]

They are also normally labelled.

[suityou01]

I need to connect two machines via null modem cable (9 pin) to run a kernel mode debugger. One of the machines has a 25 pin and 9 pin port on the back.

How on earth do you know which is comm 1 and which is comm 2?