Port 2163: Navisphere Secure — The Storage Array's Management Port

What Port 2163 Is

Port 2163 sits in the registered port range (1024–49151), the middle tier of the port number space. These ports are not reserved for the operating system, but they're not freely ephemeral either. IANA registers services here to reduce collisions — when developers or vendors pick a port, they can check the registry and avoid stepping on someone else.

Port 2163, though, has a split identity. Many databases list it as unassigned. But network administrators who manage enterprise storage hardware know this port by name: Navisphere Secure, the management protocol for EMC CLARiiON and VNX storage arrays.

The EMC Navisphere Connection

EMC (now Dell EMC) built its CLARiiON and VNX line of SAN (Storage Area Network) arrays as the backbone of enterprise data centers through the 2000s and 2010s. Managing these arrays required a command-line interface called NaviSecCLI — the Navisphere Secure CLI.

NaviSecCLI communicates over two ports:

• Port 443 — the standard HTTPS port, used when available
• Port 2163 — the fallback, and in many environments, the primary management port

During storage system initialization, the array and the management workstation negotiate which port to use. If port 443 is occupied or restricted, the system falls back to 2163. In practice, many organizations specifically open port 2163 in their storage network firewalls because it's less likely to conflict with web traffic.¹

The companion port 2162 handles outbound initialization traffic, while 2163 handles the incoming side. Both must be open for the initialization utility to function.²

What Range This Port Belongs To

The registered port range runs from 1024 to 49151. The general rules:

• Ports 0–1023 (well-known): Reserved for system services. Opening one typically requires root/administrator privileges.
• Ports 1024–49151 (registered): Available for applications and services. IANA maintains a registry to reduce conflicts, but registration isn't mandatory.
• Ports 49152–65535 (dynamic/ephemeral): Assigned temporarily by the OS for outgoing connections. They're the return address on packets, not services.

Port 2163 belongs to the registered range — it's a legitimate place for an application to set up shop, but without an exclusive claim.

How to Check What's on This Port

If you're seeing traffic on port 2163 and want to know the source:

On Linux/macOS:

# Show what process is listening on port 2163
sudo ss -tlnp | grep 2163

# Or with lsof
sudo lsof -i :2163

On Windows:

netstat -ano | findstr :2163

The process ID in the output can be matched against Task Manager or Get-Process in PowerShell.

If the port appears in firewall logs: Traffic on 2163 in an enterprise network is almost certainly Navisphere CLI — someone managing a Dell EMC storage array. In other contexts, investigate carefully; any port can be claimed by any process.

Why Unassigned Ports Matter

The port number space is a shared resource with no central enforcement. IANA's registry is a coordination mechanism, not a law. Any application can open any port — the registry just helps avoid accidental collisions.

Ports like 2163 illustrate how enterprise software often operates: a vendor picks a number, ships it in products for years, and the port becomes "known" through use rather than registration. Storage administrators add it to firewall allowlists. Monitoring systems watch it. Documentation references it. The formal paperwork may never exist, but the protocol has an address.

The honest advice: if you see port 2163 in your environment and you're not running EMC storage hardware, find out what's using it. Unknown listeners on non-standard ports deserve attention.