What This Port Is
Port 20013 falls within the registered ports range (1024-49151), also called "User Ports." These are ports assigned by IANA for specific services upon application by requesting entities.1 Unlike well-known ports (0-1023) that require special privileges, registered ports can be used by ordinary user processes.
This port was used by FileWave, a device management system for deploying software and managing endpoints across organizations. But here's the thing: port 20013 is now deprecated.2
The Migration Story
FileWave originally used port 20013 for client-to-booster communication. When you configured port 20013, it automatically configured SSL ports 20014 (port + 1) and 20018 (port + 5).2
At some point, FileWave deprecated port 20013 entirely. Now port 20014 is used where 20013 was set. The old port number remains in documentation, in firewall rules that haven't been updated, in configuration files on servers that got set up years ago and still work fine.
This is how ports die. Not with an announcement or a funeral. They just quietly stop being the recommended option, and everyone moves one number up.
What Range This Port Belongs To
Port 20013 is part of the User Ports range (1024-49151).3 This is the main range for applications and services that need a known, stable port number across all hosts. Companies and developers can register ports in this range with IANA to avoid conflicts with other services.
The three port ranges are:
- System Ports (0-1023): Well-known ports requiring elevated privileges
- User/Registered Ports (1024-49151): Assigned by IANA for specific services
- Dynamic/Private Ports (49152-65535): Temporary ports for ephemeral connections
Why Unassigned Ports Matter
Most ports in the registered range are like 20013—either unassigned, used by a single vendor application, or claimed and then abandoned. This isn't a weakness of the system. It's a feature.
The 48,128 ports in this range provide room for every piece of software that needs a consistent address. Database systems, game servers, development tools, enterprise applications—they all need somewhere to listen. The registered ports range is that somewhere.
When a port gets deprecated like 20013, it doesn't disappear. It just becomes available again. Another application might claim it someday. Or it might sit empty forever, a number that once meant something specific to the people running FileWave deployments.
How to Check What's Listening
On Linux or macOS:
On Windows:
If something is listening on port 20013, you'll see the process ID and application name. Probably FileWave, or some other software that chose this port because it was available.
The Empty Addresses
Port 20013 is one of thousands of registered ports that most people will never interact with. It had a purpose. It served FileWave users for however many years. Then it got replaced by port 20014, and now it's just a number in a range.
But that's the thing about the Internet's addressing system. There's room for ports to be claimed, used, deprecated, and freed up again. Room for software to evolve and migrate. Room for numbers that once carried production traffic to sit quietly in case they're needed again.
Port 20013 is still there. Still part of the registered range. Still available. Still listening—or not listening—depending on what's running on your system.
That's what unassigned ports are. Not emptiness, but possibility.
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