Hardware Handshaking

What Does Hardware Handshaking Mean?

Hardware handshaking is a communication process in which two devices or systems are connected. Two corresponding data signals are sent over different wires, cables or hardware elements to set up communication protocols.

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Techopedia Explains Hardware Handshaking

Different kinds of handshaking protocols can facilitate agreements for information and data transfer rates, troubleshooting, syntax and many others. A general way to think about hardware handshaking and other kinds of handshaking is as a set of signals that enable different types of communication or messaging. For example, handshaking can involve specific signals to either welcome or decline an additional message between devices or systems.

IT professionals contrast hardware handshaking with software handshaking, which uses specific sets of extra data in a data transmission stream. Basically, hardware handshaking is a more mechanical form of the handshaking protocol, where signals typically travel over different physical channels, unlike many kinds of software handshaking.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…