The ability to connect and disconnect peripherals from a computer without restarting the computer. Newer standards such as Firewire and USB allow hot swapping, while older standards such as SCSI and parallel ports do not.

The ability to add and/or remove PC cards without restarting the computer to use the cards.

The process of replacing a module without bringing down the system. This process occurs by sliding an active module into or out of a fully powered unit without shutdown.

Is when a device is enclosed in an enclosure (often called a rack) that allows the device to be removed while the computer system using it remains in operation. This is done by providing a signal to the computer's I/O controller so the device appears to be connected (on-line) while it is being replaced. Hot swapping in combination with RAID technology and frequent backups provides improved disk performance and reduces down-time due to drive failure. This is because the entire system does not need to be shutdown in order to replace a faulty device.

A method in which devices are plugged and unplugged into a computer, usually referring to USB, IEEE 1394, etc devices.

Hot swapping or hot plugging is the ability to remove and replace components of a machine, usually a computer, while it is operating. Once the appropriate software is installed on the computer, a user can plug and unplug the component without rebooting. A well-known example of this functionality is the Universal Serial Bus (USB) that allows users to add or remove peripheral components such as a mouse, keyboard, or printer.