What is a term that refers to an assigned number for a process on a computer to be identified by TCP/IP?

The term that refers to an assigned number for a process on a computer, allowing it to be identified by TCP/IP, is a port address. In the context of network communications, the port address is crucial because it specifies the entry point for data to a particular process on a device. Each service or application using TCP/IP protocols is assigned a specific port number, which helps route the data correctly from the transport layer to the correct application at the destination.

By linking the port address to an IP address, data packets can be delivered not just to the correct device on a network but also to the specific application running on that device. This is an essential aspect of network communication, enabling multiple services to run concurrently on the same device, all while using the same IP address but different port numbers.

The other options refer to different aspects of network identification; for example, the IP address is used to identify a device on a network, the MAC address is associated with hardware identification at the data link layer, and the network address typically refers to a broader categorization of devices within a subnet or network. However, none of these serve the specific function that a port address does in the context of directing traffic to the correct process or service on a computer.