<communications, hardware> (DTE) A device which acts as the
source and/or destination of data and which controls the
communication channel. DTE includes terminals, computers,
protocol converters, and multiplexors.
DTE is usually connected via an EIA-232 serial line to
Data Communication Equipment (DCE), typically a modem. It
is necessary to distinguish these two types of device because
their connectors must be wired differently if a
"straight-through" cable (pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2 etc.)
is to be used. DTE should have a male connector and should
transmit on pin three and receive on pin two. It is a curious
fact that many modems are actually "DTE" according to the
original standard.
(1995-02-28)
Nearby terms:
data striping « data structure « Data Structures Language « Data Terminal Equipment » Data Terminal Ready » DATA-TEXT » data transfer rate
