Serial ports have been used on computers for decades. In the past, standard baud rates for most serial ports were around 19.2K. Now that systems and peripherals have become more demanding, higher-speed devices are necessary to meet the needs of the newest generation of serial ports.
This section summarizes the hardware design features for PC 98 serial ports. The PC 98 general device requirements are defined in the “System Requirements for I/O Ports and Devices” section earlier in this chapter, including the requirements for a device ID, automated software-only settings for device configuration, device drivers and Windows-based installation, and icons for external connectors.