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 network. NICs can be built into the motherboard 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, handling the framing of data packets, as well as error detection and correction.
The primary function of a NIC is to and data over a network. It converts data from the computer into a format suitable for transmission over the network medium, such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi. NICs have a unique address, which identifies the device on a network and is used by switches and other network devices to route data to the correct destination. They can operate at different speeds, such as , and in either full-duplex or half-duplex modes.
There are various types of NICs, including , which are used for wired networking and connect devices using Ethernet cables, and , which allow devices to connect to Wi-Fi networks. Fiber optic NICs are utilized in networks that employ fiber optic cables for higher data transfer speeds and longer distances. Virtual NICs are used in virtual machines, providing network connectivity without a physical NIC.
Some key features of NICs include , which allows a computer to be remotely powered on using a network message, and , which improves performance in high-speed networks by offloading certain processing tasks from the CPU to the NIC. Additionally, VLAN support enables the NIC to be used in a virtual LAN, helping to segment network traffic for and efficiency.
Keywords
internet | network interface card | wireless nics | tcp offloading | 10/100/1000 mbps | network adapter | wake-on-lan | data link layer | transmit | media access control (mac) | receive | ethernet nics | security |
