Port 649 sits in the well-known port range (0-1023), reserved for standardized system services. But unlike its famous neighbors—HTTP on 80, HTTPS on 443, SSH on 22—port 649 carries services that history mostly forgot.
What Runs on Port 649
Port 649 is officially assigned to two different services:1
TCP port 649: OBEX — OBject EXchange protocol for transferring files and data between devices UDP port 649: CADView-3D — Streaming 3D CAD models over the Internet
Both received official IANA assignments. Neither became widely used.
OBEX: Object Exchange Protocol
OBEX (OBject EXchange) was designed in the late 1990s by the Infrared Data Association for exchanging binary objects between devices.2 Think beaming contacts between Palm Pilots, sending files via infrared, or pushing photos from early Nokia phones.
The protocol works similarly to HTTP—a client connects to a server and requests or provides objects. But instead of web pages, OBEX transferred vCards, calendar entries, files, and other binary data.
OBEX was later adopted by Bluetooth and used over RS-232, USB, and other transports. If you ever used Bluetooth file transfer on a phone in the 2000s, you probably used OBEX without knowing it.
But OBEX rarely used TCP port 649 specifically. Bluetooth implementations used their own transport mechanisms. Infrared didn't need IP ports at all. The official port assignment exists, but finding OBEX running on TCP port 649 in the wild is exceptionally rare.
CADView-3D: Streaming 3D Models
CADView-3D received a UDP port assignment for streaming 3D models over networks. This predated modern web standards for 3D content like WebGL, glTF, and Three.js.
The service appears to have been part of Oracle's infrastructure for viewing CAD models in enterprise systems.3 Like many specialized enterprise protocols from that era, it solved a specific problem for a specific audience and never achieved broad adoption.
The Well-Known Range
Port 649 falls in the well-known port range (0-1023), which IANA reserves for standardized system services.4 On most systems, only root or privileged processes can bind to these ports.
The well-known range contains the Internet's most essential services:
- Port 80: HTTP (web traffic)
- Port 443: HTTPS (encrypted web traffic)
- Port 22: SSH (secure remote access)
- Port 25: SMTP (email transmission)
- Port 53: DNS (name resolution)
And then there's port 649, carrying services that most network engineers have never encountered.
Why Obscure Assignments Matter
Not every port assignment becomes ubiquitous. OBEX and CADView-3D solved real problems for their users, even if those users were few. The assignment prevented port conflicts—no other service could claim 649 without causing problems.
The well-known range is finite. Only 1,024 ports exist below 1024, and many are already assigned. Each assignment represents a bet that a protocol matters enough to deserve permanent reservation. Some bets pay off (HTTP, SSH, DNS). Others become footnotes (OBEX, CADView-3D).
Port 649 is a reminder that official assignment doesn't guarantee adoption. And that the Internet's infrastructure contains layers of history—protocols designed for devices we don't use anymore, solving problems we've long since solved differently.
Security Considerations
Because port 649 is rarely used, finding it open on a system warrants investigation. Legitimate OBEX or CADView-3D services are uncommon enough that an open port 649 could indicate:
- Legacy software still running
- Misconfigured services
- Potentially malicious software using an obscure port
Some security resources note that malware has occasionally used port 649 precisely because it's unexpected.5
Checking What's Listening
To see if anything is listening on port 649:
On Linux/macOS:
On Windows:
If you find something listening and you're not running legacy OBEX or CAD software, investigate further.
Frequently Asked Questions About Port 649
ڇا هي صفحو مددگار هو؟