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 in a computer. They are essential for establishing communication between devices on a (LAN) or the . NICs operate at the (Layer 2) of the OSI model. They handle the framing of data packets, , and, in some cases, .
The primary function of a NIC is to transmit and receive data over a network. It converts data from the computer into a format suitable for over the network medium (like Ethernet, 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 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 (either sending or receiving at a time) modes.
There are several types of NICs, including , which are used for wired networking, connecting devices using Ethernet cables. Wireless NICs are used for , allowing devices to connect to Wi-Fi networks. are employed in networks where fiber optic cables are used for higher data transfer speeds, while are utilized in virtual machines to provide network connectivity without a physical NIC.
NICs come with features such as , which allows a computer to be remotely powered on or awakened from sleep mode using a network message. Another feature is , which offloads certain processing tasks from the CPU to the NIC, improving performance in high-speed networks. Additionally, NICs can have , allowing them to be used in a virtual LAN, which can segment network traffic for security and efficiency.
Keywords
error detection | error correction | expansion card | data link layer | wake-on-lan | local area network | transmission | tcp offloading | switches | vlan support | wireless networking | media access control | fiber optic nics | ethernet nics | half-duplex | 10/100/1000 mbps | virtual nics | internet | network adapter | network interface card |
