As a rule, people learn about the existence of such a thing as a closed port not in the most pleasant circumstances. Most often this happens when a computer program refuses to work as it should. A message about the need to open 443 ports may appear in the window of the program itself. It can also be found on the forum dedicated to this issue. In any case, we suggest that you go a little deeper into this topic and, accordingly, understand what port 443 is, how to open it and whether it should be done.
What kind of “ports” are these?
The fact that each computer has its own IP address on the network is hardly something little known today. At the same time, the majority of users are not aware of the so-called “ports”.
So, to understand the essence of the term "port", it is worth imagining a long building with a huge number of doors. For a more consistent reality, the number of these doors should be equal to 65 536, and each door should have its own serial number, starting from zero. In this case, the large building is your computer on the network, and the ports are the same doors.
Why do you need so many ports?
Most of them do not carry anything special and are used for different purposes. For example, when you download a file or watch movies online, your computer establishes a connection between any of its free ports and the server port from which you receive information. As soon as the data transfer ends, the port is freed.
At the same time, some (including port 443) have quite clear purposes. For example, 99.99% of sites are viewed through port number 80. That is, when you want to go, for example, to Odnoklassniki, your computer “knocks” at the door number 80 of the Odnoklassnikov server and asks to give it a page.
What is port 443?
As you might have guessed, our port also has a special purpose, otherwise why would you devote an entire article to it? However, we already talked about its purpose - this port is also most often used for browsing websites, however, while its 80th colleague gives out information as is, the 443rd port encrypts it beforehand so that no one is on the long way from the server to your computer I couldn’t intercept the page, much less make changes to it.
Previously, the services of this port were used only by Internet banking systems that do not want to disclose information about monetary transactions, while today the same Odnoklassniki or VKontakte use a “safe” port in the most common cases, for example, when you browse your messages or “like” other people's photos.
Why can the port be closed?
So why can port 443 be closed? There are several possible reasons for this:
- access to it is blocked by the firewall program (or firewall);
- the port may be blocked by the administrator of your network;
- the port may not be “registered” on the router.
Arguing that port 443 is closed, you can keep in mind several things: firstly, this may mean that the program on your computer cannot access the server port, and secondly, the computer cannot access the port of your computer from the outside . Each of these cases, as well as the reasons for its occurrence, require a rather detailed consideration, so do not expect detailed instructions from us. Nevertheless, we can tell you where to "dig."
How to open a port in a firewall?
Let's start with a simple firewall program. This application is available on every modern computer and is used to ensure that programs do not "break" anywhere. Despite the fact that port 443 is rarely included in the blocked list, it still makes sense to add it to the number of allowed ones. Let's look at how this can be done with the example of Windows 7/8 / 8.1.
To open port 443, do the following:
- Open the control panel. A universal way to do this is to press Win + R keys, enter the word control in the window that appears and click "OK";
- Make sure that the “Large Icons” display mode is enabled in the upper right corner (see the figure above), then click on the item “Windows Firewall”;
- Now you have several scenarios for further actions: either you turn off the firewall completely, or give full access to your program.
A window similar to this should appear on your screen:
To disable the firewall, click on the option “Turn Windows Firewall On or Off”. It is on the left, in the middle of the list. Next, put all the switches in the positions that are circled in the following figure, and then click the "OK" button. After the problem is resolved, we would recommend returning everything to its original position. After all, if you leave the firewall disabled, there is a certain risk that various "crap" that gets on your computer will be able to report this to its creator and begin actions that are of little use to you.
To add a specific program to the allowed list and allow it access to port 443, as well as any others, select the item that is circled in red in the picture above. In the list that appears, you should look for an application that does not want to work as it should, and then put checkmarks in all fields in front of it. So you give the operating system the opportunity to understand that this program can "communicate" with both your home devices and the world. Ends our “operation” with an elegant click on the “OK” button and closing all now unnecessary windows.
What to do if the port is closed by the administrator?
How to open ports 443, 80, 21, etc., if they were blocked by the system administrator? A similar question most often worries office workers who cannot take advantage of the familiar workplace program. In this case, there are only two options for solving the problem: if the program is needed for work, you can contact the management or the administrator personally, so that it provides you with the opportunity to work fruitfully, if the program is needed for entertainment, you can only put up or look for approaches to the bearded uncle in a sweater. Hint: admins eat and drink, no matter how strange it sounds.
How to open a port on a router?
If you decide to create a small web or mail server on your home computer, then the question of how to open ports 443, 80, 110, 25 and others should be consulted with the instructions for your router. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question, since the solution to this problem depends on the equipment manufacturer, device control panel, and many other factors.