Terminology - channels and lines

[RoboNuC4]

Hi all, 

Does anyone know the correct way of using the words "channel" and "line", or are they synonymous? I would for example say that "a physical line in an I/O device is represented by a virtual channel in NI-MAX". But I would at the same time say that "an I/O device has 16 analog input channels". How to define a boundary between these words in a scientific paper without confusing the reader? 

[crossrulz]

Well, it isn't quite that clear.  A line is a single Boolean input/output.  Then you have ports, which consist of multiple (usually 8, 16, or 32) lines which are accessed with numerics (U8, U16, or U32).  A channel is a generic DAQmx term for an IO.  For a digital channel, it could be a line or a port.