Final answer:
The SATA port on motherboards is characterized by its serial interface, L-shape design, hot-swappable functionality, the ability to connect storage devices, and use with 7-conductor data cables.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic features of a motherboard's SATA port include:
- Serial interface - SATA ports use a serial communication protocol to transfer data between the motherboard and storage devices.
- L-shape design - This design feature prevents improper connector insertion, ensuring the correct orientation of cables.
- Hot-swappable interface - SATA allows for devices to be removed or added while the computer is running, without the need to shut down or reboot.
- Enables connecting storage devices to a motherboard - SATA ports are specifically designed to connect storage devices like hard drives and SSDs to a computer's motherboard.
- Used with 7-conductor data cable connectors - SATA cables have 7 pins used for data transmission, different from the 40-pin connectors used with IDE interfaces.
To answer the student's question, the SATA port characteristics are a serial interface (a), an L-shape design to prevent improper connection (b), a hot-swappable interface (d), enabling the connection of storage devices to a motherboard (f), and the use of 7-conductor data cable connectors (g). The 40-pin connector (c) and parallel interface (e) apply to IDE, not SATA.