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 (Layer 2) of the OSI model. They handle the framing of data packets, error detection, 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 Media Access Control () address, a hardware address that identifies the device on a network. The MAC address is used by and other network devices to route data to the correct destination. NICs can operate at different speeds (e.g., for Ethernet) and in full-duplex (sending and receiving data simultaneously) or half-duplex (either sending or receiving at a time) modes.
There are several types of NICs, including , which are used for wired networking, and , which allow devices to connect to Wi-Fi networks. Additionally, are used in networks where fiber optic cables are employed for higher data transfer speeds and longer distances. Virtual NICs are used in , providing them with network connectivity without a physical NIC. Some key features of NICs include Wake-on-LAN, which allows a computer to be remotely powered on or awakened from sleep mode using a network message, and TCP Offloading, which offloads certain processing tasks from the CPU to the NIC, improving performance in high-speed networks.
Keywords
network interface card | switches | virtual machines | ethernet | fiber optic nics | 10/100/1000 mbps | ethernet nics | network adapter | wireless nics | data link layer | mac | network | internet |
