by Dinesh Thakur Category: Introduction to Computer

Definition - What is Docking Station?: A Docking station also known as universal port replicator or simply dock. It is like a attachment that plugging-in to a laptop or notebook computer, either directly or by cable, providing connects a laptop with more external peripheral devices. Docking station connection interfaces increases the laptop's capabilities almost to that of a standardized desktop computer. A docking station typically includes standard expansion slots, as well as additional ports (sockets or connection interfaces) for connecting a local printer, modem, keyboard, larger storage or backup drives etc.It can also include a NIC Card,a USB port that attaches notebook to LAN.

So if you have a laptop computer and a docking station, you can take your laptop with you wherever you go, accepting its limitations as a laptop. Then when you come home or go back to the office, you can connect your laptop to the docking station (with some units this is like inserting a giant video tape into a VCR). Then your laptop virtually turns into a regular desktop computer, complete with large monitor, large hard disk, more RAM, etc
There are wide range of dockable devices available in the market,that are different from connectors, power signaling, and uses.

Type of Dock

Dock means,How to "plugging-in" an electronic device such as local printer, modem, keyboard, larger storage or backup drives etc to the laptop or notebook computer.Dock are two type:

Cold dock or undock: Before docking/undocking you need to completely shuts the computer.
Hot dock or undock: In the Hot dock,computer remains running when docked/undocked.

Types of Docking station

Port replicator (also called passthroughs): It is similar to cables extension.That expand computer ports.
Breakout dock: Modern computers accomplish docking stations offer a additional number of ports by using proprietary connections.
Docking Port by Eden: This station is Similar to hub that produce multiple connections from one port,it uses an internal chipsets with USB port converters.

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