What is UDP port 137?
UDP port 137 is a well-known port used in network communication protocols, specifically the NetBIOS name service. UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol, which is a lightweight communication protocol that allows for the exchanging of data between applications or devices over a network.
NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) is a protocol used on local area networks (LANs) that enables communication between computers and allows for the sharing of resources. The NetBIOS name service, which operates on UDP port 137, is responsible for name resolution of NetBIOS-enabled devices on a network.
In a NetBIOS environment, each computer is assigned a unique NetBIOS name that is used to identify it within the network. The NetBIOS name service, running on port 137, facilitates the process of resolving these names to their corresponding network addresses (IP addresses) so that communication can take place.
When a NetBIOS-enabled device wants to communicate with another device on the network using its name, it sends a query over UDP port 137 to the NetBIOS name service. The name service then searches its database to find the IP address associated with the requested name. Once the IP address is obtained, further communication between the devices can proceed.
It’s worth noting that UDP is a connectionless protocol, meaning that it does not establish a dedicated connection before transmitting data. This makes it ideal for simple, low-latency communications where reliability is not critical, as is the case with the NetBIOS name service.
In conclusion, UDP port 137 is used for the NetBIOS name service, which is responsible for resolving names to IP addresses in NetBIOS-enabled networks. Understanding the role of this port can be useful for network administrators and anyone dealing with network communication protocols.
Reference Articles
Read also
[Google Chrome] The definitive solution for right-click translations that no longer come up.