Download network interface card

NAME: ADEYEMO ADEWALE
COLLEGE: ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
COURSE CODE: GST 115
TEN EXAMPLE OF CONNECTIVITY HARDWARE
They include:
1. HUB
2. MODEM
3. BUS
4. NETWORK INTERFACE CARDS (NIC)
5. NETWORK CABLES
6. ROUTERS
7. GATEWAYS
8. SWITCH
9. BRIDGE
10. MULTIPLEXER
To explain;
HUB
A hub is the device that connects all the segments of that network together. Every device in the
network connects directly to the hub through a single cable. Any transmission received on one port
will be rebroadcast to all the other ports in the hub. So, if one station sends it, all the others receive
it, but only the intended recipient listens to it. A hub is a common connection point for devices in
a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple
ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the
LAN can see all packets.
What Hubs Do
Hubs and switches serve as a central connection for all of your network equipment and handles a
data type known as frames. Frames carry your data. When a frame is received, it is amplified and
then transmitted on to the port of the destination PC.
In a hub, a frame is passed along or "broadcast" to every one of its ports. It doesn't matter that the
frame is only destined for one port. The hub has no way of distinguishing which port a frame
should be sent to. Passing it along to every port ensures that it will reach its intended destination.
This places a lot of traffic on the network and can lead to poor network response times.
MODEM
The term “MODEM” stands for MOdulator DEModulator .A modem is a device or program that
enables a computer to transmit data over, telephone or cable lines. Computer information
transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analog waves. A modem converts
between these forms. Fortunately, there is one standard interface for connecting external modems
to computers called RS-232. Consequently, any external modem can be attached to any computer
that has an RS-232 port, which almost all personal computers have. There are also modems that
come as an expansion board that you can insert into a vacant expansion slot. These are
sometimes called onboard or internal modems
BUS
A bus is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or
between computers. This expression covers all related hardware components (wire, optical fiber,
etc.) and software, including communication protocols. Early computer buses were parallel
electrical wires with multiple connections, but the term is now used for any physical arrangement
that provides the same logical function as a parallel electrical bus. Modern computer buses can
use both parallel and bit serial connections, and can be wired in either a multidrop (electrical
parallel) or daisy chain topology, or connected by switched hubs, as in the case of USB.
NETWORK INTERFACE CARD
A Network interface card, NIC, or Network card is an electronic device that connects a
computer to a computer network, usually a LAN. It is considered a piece of computer hardware.
Today, most computers have network cards. Network cards enable a computer to exchange data
with the network. To achieve the connection, network cards use a suitable protocol, for example
CSMA/CD. Network cards usually implement the first two layers of the OSI model, that is the
physical layer, and the data link layer. The network interface card (NIC), as its name suggests, is
the expansion card you install in your computer to connect, or interface, your computer to the
network. This device provides the physical, electrical, and electronic connections to the network
media. NICs are either an expansion card (the most popular implementation) or built in to the
motherboard of the computer. In most cases, a NIC connects to the computer through expansion
slots. An expansion slot connects expansion cards that are plugged in to a slot in the main
computer assembly through a deceptively simple-looking connector, which is known as a bus. In
some notebook computers, NIC adapters can be connected to the printer port or through a PC card
slot.
Today, most network cards use Ethernet. Other network types are ARCNET, introduced in
1977, Local Talk or Token Ring. There are many network cards which are compatible to only
respective software. depending on your computer architecture you have to find a compatible
network card.
A network interface card (NIC) is a circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that
it can be connected to a network. A network interface card provides the computer with a
dedicated, full-time connection to a network.
NETWORK CABLES
Networking cables are networking hardware used to connect one network device to other
network devices or to connect two or more computers to share printers, scanners etc. Different
types of network cables, such as coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, and twisted pair cables, are
used depending on the network's physical layer, topology, and size. The devices can be separated
by a few meters (e.g. via Ethernet) or nearly unlimited distances (e.g. via the interconnections of
the Internet).
There are several technologies used for network connections. Patch cables are used for short
distances in offices and wiring closets. Electrical connections using twisted pair or coaxial cable
are used within a building. Optical fiber cable is used for long distances or for applications
requiring high bandwidth or electrical isolation. Many installations use structured cabling
practices to improve reliability and maintainability. In some home and industrial applications
power lines are used as network cabling. The types of network cables include;
Twisted pair,
Fiber optic cable,
Coaxial cables,
Power line cables
Patch cables
ROUTER
A router is a network device that connects multiple, often dissimilar, network segments into an
internetwork. The router, once connected, can make intelligent decisions about how best to get
network data to its destination based on network performance data that it gathers from the
network itself.
GATEWAYS
A gateway is any hardware and software combination that connects dissimilar network
environments. Gateways are the most complex of network devices because they perform
translations at multiple layers of the OSI model. For example, a gateway is the device that connects
a LAN environment to a mainframe environment. The two environments are completely different.
LAN environments use distributed processing, baseband communications, and the ASCII character
set. Mainframe environments use centralized processing, broadband and baseband
communications, and the EBCDIC character set. Each of the LAN protocols is translated to its
mainframe counterpart by the gateway software. Another popular example is the e-mail gateway.
Most LAN-based e-mail software, such as Novell’s GroupWise and Microsoft’s Exchange, can’t
communicate directly with Internet mail servers without the use of a gateway. This gateway
translates LAN-based mail messages into the SMTP format that Internet mail uses.
SWITCH
It is similar to a hub, though;a switch connects multiple segments of a network together, with one
important difference. Whereas a hub rebroadcasts anything it receives on one port to all the others,
a switch makes a direct link between the transmitting device and receiving device. Any party not
involved in that communication will not receive the transmission. The benefit of a switch over a
hub is that the switch increases performance because it doesn’t suffer from the wasted bandwidth
of the extra transmissions.
BRIDGE
A bridge is a network device that connects two similar network segments together. The primary
function of a bridge is to keep traffic separated on both sides of the bridge. Traffic is allowed to pass
through the bridge only if the transmission is intended for a station on the opposite side. The main
reason for putting a bridge in a network is to connect two segments together, or to divide a busy
network into two segments.
MULTIPLEXER
Multiplexer is used to share a communication line among a number of users by
converting and combining signals from multiple users for simultaneous
transmission over a single line.