A Network Interface Controller (NIC), also known as a or , is a hardware component that allows a computer or other device to connect to a . NICs can be built into the or added as an expansion card in a computer. They are essential for establishing communication between devices on a local area network (LAN) or the . NICs operate at the of the OSI model. They handle the framing of data packets, , and, in some cases, error correction.
The primary function of a NIC is to transmit and receive data over a . It converts data from the computer into a format suitable for transmission over the network medium (like , Wi-Fi, etc.). NICs have a unique (MAC) address, a hardware address that identifies the device on a network. The MAC address is used by switches and other network devices to data to the correct destination. NICs can operate at different speeds (e.g., Mbps for Ethernet) and in full-duplex or half-duplex modes.
There are several types of NICs, including , used for wired networking, connecting devices using Ethernet cables, and , which allow devices to connect to networks. Fiber Optic NICs are employed in networks where fiber optic cables are used for higher data transfer speeds and longer . Additionally, are used in virtual machines, providing them with network connectivity without a physical NIC.
NIC features include , which allows a computer to be remotely powered on or awakened from sleep mode using a network message. TCP enables certain processing tasks to be offloaded from the CPU to the NIC, improving performance in high-speed networks. VLAN Support allows the NIC to be used in a , which can segment network traffic for security and efficiency.
Keywords
network adapter | distances | route | ethernet | offloading | media access control | ethernet nics | virtual nics | motherboard | 10/100/1000 | network interface card | network | error detection | wireless nics | data link layer | virtual lan | network | internet | wake-on-lan | wi-fi |
