18-09-2017, 04:58 PM
A network interface controller (NIC, also known as a network interface card, network adapter, LAN adapter, or physical network interface and similar terms) is a hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network.
The first network interface drivers were commonly implemented on expansion cards that were plugged into a computer bus. The low cost and ubiquity of the Ethernet standard means that most newer computers have a built-in network interface on the motherboard.
Modern network interface controllers offer advanced functions such as interrupt and DMA interfaces for host processors, support for multiple queues of reception and transmission, partitioning into multiple logical interfaces and processing of network traffic in controller, such as the download TCP.
The network controller implements the electronic circuitry required to communicate using a specific physical layer and a data link layer standard, such as Ethernet, Fiber Channel or Wi-Fi (in the past: Token Ring, FDDI, ATM, ARCNET). This provides a basis for a complete network protocol stack, allowing communication between small groups of computers on the same local area network (LAN) and large-scale network communications over routable protocols such as Internet Protocol ).
The NIC allows computers to communicate over a computer network, either using cables or wirelessly. The NIC is both a physical layer and a data link layer device because it provides physical access to a network medium and, for IEEE 802 and similar networks, provides a low level addressing system by using MAC addresses assigned exclusively to the network interfaces.
Although other network technologies exist, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) have achieved near-ubiquity as LAN technologies since the mid-1990s.
The first network interface drivers were commonly implemented on expansion cards that were plugged into a computer bus. The low cost and ubiquity of the Ethernet standard means that most newer computers have a built-in network interface on the motherboard.
Modern network interface controllers offer advanced functions such as interrupt and DMA interfaces for host processors, support for multiple queues of reception and transmission, partitioning into multiple logical interfaces and processing of network traffic in controller, such as the download TCP.
The network controller implements the electronic circuitry required to communicate using a specific physical layer and a data link layer standard, such as Ethernet, Fiber Channel or Wi-Fi (in the past: Token Ring, FDDI, ATM, ARCNET). This provides a basis for a complete network protocol stack, allowing communication between small groups of computers on the same local area network (LAN) and large-scale network communications over routable protocols such as Internet Protocol ).
The NIC allows computers to communicate over a computer network, either using cables or wirelessly. The NIC is both a physical layer and a data link layer device because it provides physical access to a network medium and, for IEEE 802 and similar networks, provides a low level addressing system by using MAC addresses assigned exclusively to the network interfaces.
Although other network technologies exist, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) have achieved near-ubiquity as LAN technologies since the mid-1990s.