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A network interface card (NIC) is a
printed circuit board that provides network communication capabilities
to and from a personal computer.
 Also called a LAN adapter, it resides
in a slot on the motherboard and provides an interface connection to
the network media. The type of NIC must match the media and protocol
used on the local network.
The NIC communicates with the network
through a serial connection and with the computer through a parallel
connection. The NIC uses an Interrupt Request (IRQ), an I/O
address, and upper memory space to work with the operating system. An
IRQ is a signal informing the CPU that an event needing attention has
occurred. An IRQ is sent over a hardware line to the microprocessor
when a key is pressed on the keyboard. Then the CPU enables
transmission of the character from the keyboard to RAM. An I/O address
is a location in the memory used to enter data or retrieve data from a
computer by an auxiliary device. Upper memory refers to the memory
area between the first 640 kilobytes (KB) and 1 megabyte (MB) of RAM.
When selecting a NIC, consider the
following factors:
- Protocols – Ethernet, Token Ring, or FDDI
- Types of media –
Twisted-pair, coaxial, wireless, or fiber-optic
- Type of system bus – PCI or ISA
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