Port

• "Port" is a computing term for socket or jack. The Ethernet port is usually located on the side of a laptop computer or at the back of a desktop computer. The socket is a little larger than a telephone jack. The words socket and jack are often applied to the port, as in "Ethernet socket," "Ethernet jack."
  
  

RJ-45

• Cable connectors were standardized by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States and dubbed "Registered Jacks." The Ethernet port uses the connector designated as Registered Jack 45, or RJ-45. It was originally designed as a type of telephone connector and looks very similar to a standard telephone socket. The plug that fits into the socket has a plastic spring on the top that holds the connector in place inside the socket. The bottom of the plug has a series of eight groves, each containing a copper strip. These strips contact eight corresponding copper strips inside the socket to form a connection. The Ethernet port is also sometimes known as an "RJ-45 socket," an "RJ-45 jack" or an "RJ-45 port."
  
  

Network Adapter

• The Ethernet port connects directly to the network adapter of the computer. The network adapter is responsible for converting computer data into a format required by the physical medium of the network. These requirements are outlined in the Ethernet standards. As the port gives access to the network adapter, it is sometimes referred to by that name. It is also known as a "network port," "a "network jack" or a "network socket." The network adapter used to be known as a "network interface card," and the socket connected to it is sometimes referred to by that name because it is the only visible part of the card/adapter.
  
  

8P8C

• As well as Ethernet port, the socket can be called the "Ethernet connector." The Ethernet port does not strictly follow the RJ-45 standard. RJ-45 is actually a wiring standard rather than a physical description of the plug or the socket. The Ethernet standards used the size and shape of the RJ-45 but made an internal difference in the plug's layout. An RJ-45 connector used for telephone systems contains eight pins but only two contacts and is known as "8P2C." The Ethernet version has eight contacts and so is known as "8P8C."