In a computer, the adapter is usually built into a card that can be inserted into a slot on the motherboard (there are also external ones), and the adapter information in the card is exchanged with the device supported by the processor and the adapter.

The power adapter is a power supply conversion device for small portable electronic equipment and electronic appliances. It is generally composed of a casing, a power transformer and a rectifier circuit. According to its output type, it can be divided into AC output type and DC output type; according to the connection method, it can be divided into wall plug and desktop. Since mobile PCs do not have batteries, power adapters are particularly important.

Most mobile PC power adapters can automatically detect 100-240V AC (50/60Hz). Basically, all mobile PCs have an external power supply, which is connected to the host with a line, which can reduce the size and weight of the host. Only a very few models have a built-in power supply in the host. There is a nameplate on the power adapter, which is marked with indicators such as power, input and output voltage and current. Pay special attention to the range of input voltage, which is the so-called "travel power adapter".

When MBeans are registered with an MBean server, a protocol is required to interoperate with those MBeans and retrieve information for requests from management applications. This is enabled through a protocol adapter, which converts management application data into standard protocol information.