1.

0 INTRODUCTION TO NETWORKING
1.4 Explain the functions of networking hardware

1.4.1 Identify various types of Network Interface Card

a.

OBE Method
1. 2. 3.

The "One Minute Paper" Note Comparison/Sharing Visual Lists / Mind Mapping

Network Interface Cards

The network interface card (NIC) provides the physical connection between the network and the computer workstation.

Most NICs are internal, and they are included in the purchase of most computers.

Network Interface Cards

Network interface cards are a major factor in determining the speed and performance of a network.

It is a good idea to use the fastest network card available for the type of workstation you are using.

The most common network interface connections

are Ethernet cards and wireless adapters

a. Cards on expansion board inside a computer (PCI NIC, PCI Express NIC)

A type of computer hardware that can be installed within a computers case, directly onto the motherboard of the computer. Installed into a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) slot on a computers motherboard. Allow the computer to connect directly to some type of network, either a wired network through an Ethernet or similar cable or a wireless network, depending on the card. Often used for desktop computers, rather than laptops, since internal installations are easier on a desktop.
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b. Cards installed to the computers bus externally (PCMCIA adapter, USB port, FireWire, Compact Flash NIC)
A PCMCIA network card, or PC Card, enables laptop computers to connect to the Internet and Local Area Networks (LAN) via a CAT-5 Ethernet cable or wireless radio. A PCMCIA network card encompasses a multitude of network technologies, including modem, facsimile, Ethernet, and wireless adapters. Using a PCMCIA network card, computers can communicate with other devices connected to the network and access the World Wide Web. Network cards facilitate a variety of functions, including file transfers, web browsing, and resource sharing between systems. PCMCIA network card devices are typically about the size of a credit card and utilize a 68-pin dual row connector interface; the thickness can vary, based on the type of PCMCIA network card. The network cards operate on 5-volt and 3.3-volt sockets and run on a 33 megahertz frequency. 7

d. Wireless NIC Adapters

Abbreviated as WNIC, a wireless network interface card is a network card which is used to connect radio-based computer networks.

WNICs uses an antenna to communicate through microwaves and is

typically connected using the computer's PCI bus or USB port.

Similar to a Network Interface Card (NIC), the WNIC also works on Layer 1

and Layer 2 of the OSI Model.

Wireless adapters are found in most portable devices, such as laptops, smart phones, and tablet devices.

External wireless adapters can be purchased and installed on most computers having an open USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, or unused expansion slot.
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1.4.3 Illustrate the functions of LAN connectivity hardware

Repeaters are simple two-port signal amplifiers.

They are used in a bus topology to extend the

maximum distance that can be spanned on a cable run. The strength of the signal is boosted as it travels down the wire. A repeater will receive a digital signal on one of its ports, amplify it, and transmit it out the other side.

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Repeaters function similar to stereo amplifiers.

They simply boost whatever they receive and send it

on its way. Unfortunately the signal they receive could be a good

frame of data, a bad frame of data, or even

background noise.

A repeater does not discern data quality; it simply

looks at each of the individual digital pulses and

amplifies them.

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Hubs
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Hubs are probably the most common piece of network

hardware after network interface cards.

Physically, they are boxes of varying sizes that have

multiple female RJ-45 connectors.

Each connector is designed to accept one twisted-pair

cable outfitted with a male RJ-45 connector.

This twisted-pair cable is then used to connect a single

server or workstation to the hub.

Hubs
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Hubs are essentially multi-port repeaters that support

twisted-pair cables in a star typology.

Each node communicates with the hub, which in turn

amplifies the signal and transmits it on its remaining ports.

As with a repeater, hubs work at the electrical level. Because hubs have no way to determine if a frame is good

or bad, they should be looked at, when you design your network typology, as functionally identical to repeaters.

Hub & Bridge connections in Network

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Switches
Switches are the marriage of hub and bridge technology.
They resemble stackable hubs in appearance, having multiple RJ-45

connectors for connecting network systems.

Instead of being a dumb amplifier like a hub, however, switches

function as though they have a little miniature bridge built into each port.
A switch will keep track of the MAC addresses attached to each of its

ports and direct traffic destined for a certain address only to the port to which it is attached.
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Switches
Figure 4 shows a switched environment in which the

device will learn the position of each station once a single frame transmission occurs (identical to a

bridge).
Assuming that this has already happened, we now find

that at exactly the same instant station 1 needs to send data to server 1, station 2 needs to send data to server 2 and station 3 needs to send data to server 3.
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Figure 4

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A large network using switches to connect to the backbone

A bridge looks a lot like a repeater; it is a small box

with two network connectors that attach to two separate portions of the network.

A bridge incorporates the functionality of a repeater

(signal amplification), but it actually looks at the frames of data, which is a great benefit.

A common bridge is nearly identical to a repeater except for the indicator lights. A forward light flashes whenever the bridge needs to pass traffic from one collision domain to another.

Bridges
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Routers
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Routers are the traffic directors of the global internet.

All routers maintain complex routing tables which allow them to determine appropriate paths for packets destined for any address.

Routers communicate with each other, and

forward network packets out of or into a

network.

Routers
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While bridges know the addresses of all

computers on each side of the network, routers

know the addresses other routers which in turn

know about their own networks.

Routers can even "listen" to entire networks to determine which sections are busiest -- they can then redirect data around those sections until traffic congestion clears.

Routers
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So, routers are network gateways. They move network packets from one network to another, and many can convert from one network protocol to another as necessary. Routers select the best path to route a message, based on the destination address of the packet. The router can direct traffic to prevent head-on collisions, and is smart enough to know when to direct traffic along back roads and shortcuts.

Gateways
A node on a network that serves as an entrance to another network. In enterprises, the gateway is the computer that routes the traffic from a workstation to the outside network that is serving the Web pages. In homes, the gateway is the ISP that connects the

user to the internet.

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Gateways
In enterprises, the gateway node often acts as a proxy server and a firewall. The gateway is also associated with both a router, which use headers and forwarding tables to

determine where packets are sent, and a switch,

which provides the actual path for the packet in and out of the gateway.
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Gateways
(2) A computer system located on earth that switches data signals and voice signals between satellites and terrestrial networks.

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