HARDWARE

NETWORKING · TOPOLOGY · HARDWARE · CABLES

NIC Cards:

Network Interface Adapter Also called a network interface card, or NIC, it serves as the interface by sending and receiving data between the computer and the network cabling. Network interface adaptors may work either internally, such as a PCI, or ISA card, or more rarely, externally, such as a SCSI adapter which connects to a computer's SCSI port.

Hubs:

Also referred to as a "repeater" or "concentrator", its primary function is to receive and send signals along the network between the nodes connected to it. For home users, hubs usually have 4-8 "ports" (or RJ-45 jacks) that connect cables coming from individual computers on the network

Switch:

A switch is similar to a network hub, but provides a private connection between two nodes on a network, speeding up the rate at which data is sent along the network and eliminating collisions. Switched connections allow full duplex, which means network nodes can send and receive data at the same time. This doubles the theoretical "speed limit" of Ethernet and Fast Ethernet, maxing out in the latter at 200Mbps.

Routers:

A complex network device used to connect two or more networks together. A router reads information sent along the network and determines its correct destination

Cables:

Category 3 cabling A 10BASE-T unshielded twisted-pair cabling type commonly used in today's 10Mbps Ethernet networks.
Category 5 cabling A higher grade of unshielded twisted-pair cabling required for networking applications such as 100Mbps Fast Ethernet. Most commonly pre-wired in buildings wired within the last five years.

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