Network Interface card

1. Network Interface card By Cristian Johnson and Andy Bruner Hour 3

2. Purpose of NIC • Network Interface Cards allows computers to be joined together in a network, usually through Local Area Connection (LAN). • The NIC acts as an interpreter, allowing the computer to send and receive data from a LAN.

3. The role of the NIC is to: • Prepare data from the computer for the network cable. • Send the data to another computer. • Control the flow of data between the computer and the cabling system. • Receive incoming data from the cable and translate it into bytes that can be understood by the computer's CPU.

4. How it works • An Ethernet network interface card is installed in an available slot inside the computer, typically on the motherboard. The NIC assigns a unique Media Access Control (MAC) address to the machine, which is used to direct traffic between the computers on a network. Network cards also change data from a parallel format, used by computers, to a serial format necessary in data transfers; and then back again for received information.

5. Preparing the Data • Before data can be sent over the network, the NIC must change it from a form the computer can understand to a form that can travel over a network cable. Data moves through a computer along paths called busses. These are actually several data paths placed side by side. Because the paths are side by side (parallel), data can move along them in lateral groups instead of in a single (serial) data stream. • The Transceiver converts the parallel data to serial data on the network. This is accomplished through the translation of the computer's digital signals into electrical or optical signals that can travel on the network's cables.

6. Sending and Controlling Data • Before the sending NIC actually sends data over the network, it carries on an electronic dialog with the receiving NIC so that both cards agree on the following: • The maximum size of the groups of data to be sent • The amount of data to be sent before confirmation of receipt is given • The time intervals between sending data chunks • The amount of time to wait before confirmation is sent • How much data each card can hold before it overflows • The speed of the data transmission • When newer, more sophisticated cards communicate with older, slower cards, both find a common speed at which to communicate. • After all the communication details have been determined, the two cards begin to send and receive data.

7. Transportation • The physical layer controls the data flow by changing the amount of voltage being used depending on if it’s reading the data as 1’s or 0’s.

8. History • Token Ring (token ring cards) – One of the original network configurations and protocols was called token ring. Token ring was a proprietary protocol developed by IBM. Token ring adapters, or interface cards, allowed computers to be connected in a ring configuration, where data had two paths to reach its eventual destination. Although token ring networks, and, as such, token ring network adapters are rarely used, a few manufacturers are still making adapters that are certified to work with current versions of Windows. • 5-Base T - The Ethernet standard was initially developed in 1973. The original protocol was capable of transmitting a paragraph of text over a thick, coaxial cable over a distance of about 1,000 meters. Although the speed was slow by modern standards, this original configuration eventually resulted in a five megabit per second (mbps) network protocol that ran over coaxial cable. This networking standard was called 5-base T.

9. Cont. • 10-Base T - Limitations in the ability of coaxial cable to carry data over its single core triggered the creation of a new networking standard in 1987 called 10-base T. 10-base T transmitted data over twisted pairs of telephone cables, using the twists to minimize interference and cross-talk. By using multiple wire pairs, the standard was able to transmit data at much higher data rates than was possible with coaxial cable. 10-base T network adapters were common in the 1990s. • 100-Base T - 100-base T network adapters took advantage of advances in network cabling technology that allowed much faster data transfer speeds over twisted pairs of wire designed for very low interference and cross-talk. • 1000-Base T (gigabyte Ethernet) - In the late 1990s, a new protocol called "gigabit Ethernet" was introduced. With the installation of a gigabit Ethernet card, sometimes called 1000-base T or other permutations of the 1000-base name schema, computers increase available networking bandwidth 10 times. Gigabit Ethernet is capable of transmitting 1,000 mbps of data over standard networking cables.

10. Cont. with price • FDDI - Ethernet and token ring networks have distance limitations on cables. In cases where data needs to be sent over a long distance, in some cases miles, a fiber data digital interface (FDDI) adapter can be installed in a computer. An FDDI adapter converts data to optical pulses and transmits them over fiber optic lines. FDDI is a 100 mbps distributed network that uses a token ring-type architecture. FDDI frames can easily re-encapsulate Ethernet data for retransmission over great distances. • Depending on how fast you want your network card to be, it costs a dollar, or up to $2500.

11. FDDI types • Multimode fiber- numerous modes or light rays are carried simultaneously through the wave guide. • Single-mode fiber- carries one wave light, higher data capacity

12. Different types • 100/1000 Ethernet- These are networking cards that are utilized often in home or small office setting. As name implies, they are able of speeds up to 100 or 1000 megabits per second, not to be confused with megabytes per second. • Gigabyte Ethernet- Gigabit Ethernet NICs give network transfer speeds of up to one Gigabit per second. These NICs are more frequently created to use fiber optic cables for utilize in enterprise solutions like web servers or data storage centers. • Fiber Optic- They can achieve speeds of 10 gigabits per second, with a requirement below review to push this limit to 100 gigabits per second. These NICs are frequently, though not always, exterior devices that attach to servers or workstations. These NICs are a significant financial investment and need much service and maintenance. • Wireless NICs - Wireless NICs give similar networking capabilities as wired counterparts, though they have their own transfer capabilities. Speeds of 54 Mb/s are usually available to wireless NICs without teaming some NICs together. • Wireless Dongles- There is a wireless networking device utilized by individual machines that have access to a main PC that is attached to a wireless router. These are the usb NICs that you use to connect to your wireless network with your PC.

13. Manufactures • Intel • Hewlett-Packard • Transition Networks • QLogic Corp • IBM • STARTECH • Add-On Computer Products • Allied Telesis, Inc • ASUS • ATTO Technology • Belkin • Brocade • Cisco • Cisco Systems, Inc. • CP TECHNOLOGIES • D-Link • EDIMAX • EMC Corporation • Emulex • Encore • Intellinet Network Solutions • Lenovo • Linksys • Mellanox Technologies • Netgear Inc.   • Netis Systems • Qnap • Rosewill • SEDNA • SIIG, Inc • Socket Mobile, Inc. • Solarflare Communications, Inc. • Sonnet Technologies • SuperMicro • Syba • Tenda • TP-LINK • TRENDnet

14. Work Cited http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-network-interface-card.htm http://www.erg.abdn.ac.uk/~gorry/eg3567/lan-pages/10b5.html http://pluto.ksi.edu/~cyh/cis370/ebook/ch02c.htm