| a small desktop cabinet, usually containing disk drives and ports for connection to peripherals, into which a laptop may be inserted so as to give it the functionality of a desktop computer. |
| dock·ing station (dŏk'ĭng) n. A small cabinet to which a laptop or notebook computer can be attached for use as a desktop computer, usually having a connector for externally connected devices, such as hard drives or scanners, and ports that can be linked to components such as a keyboard, monitor, and printer. |
docking station hardware
A desktop mains powered unit into which a laptop or other portable computer can be connected via fixed connectors at the rear of the computer to provide quick and convenient connection of peripherals not normally used with a laptop. These can include power supply, expansion cards, additional storage, an external monitor, network card, CD-ROM, full-size keyboard, printer, and mouse. The alternative would require each of the above to be connected to the laptop individually.
(2000-04-10)