Chapter 1: Introduction to Networking

Network Card Configuration

These notes guide you configuring a network card.

Introduction
Network Card Overview
Network Card Installation
Network Card Configuration
PCMCIA Network Cards
Dial-up Connections and Modems
Summary

Introduction

On completion of these notes you should be

• State the function of a network card
• Understand the steps involved in NIC installation
• Understand the purpose of a modem
• Be aware of the Ethernet adapter used in laptops

Network Card Overview

A network adapter is a hardware device that connects your computer to a network. There are different types of adapters but internal Ethernet network cards are the most common.

The picture to the right shows a typical internal PCI network card. Unless a network card has already been installed for you, you need to open up your computer base unit to install an internal network adapter card. Modern internal network adapters are inserted into a PCI slot on the motherboard.

Be aware that different types of networks require different types of adapters. The most common type of LANs are Ethernet LANs, which require Ethernet network cards. Other types of networks like Token Ring and FDDI require different kinds of network adapter cards.

Installing a Network Card

Once a network card is physically installed into an appropriate adapter slot on the motherboard, the next step is to ensure the network card software drivers are installed properly.

When buying a network card, the software drivers are usually included on a floppy or CD-ROM. Different software drivers will be included for different operating systems. Quite often, if the network card is by a well know manufacturer, the operating system will already have a copy of the software driver and will not need the software driver from the disk.

Operating systems like Windows should automatically detect a new device like a network card when it boots up. If it has an appropriate driver for the card cached in its drivers folder, it will install the driver for you. If the OS cannot find the correct driver for the card it may prompt you for a driver, which will be on the disk.  If the OS does not detect the new network card you can install the driver manually from disk using Device Manager or Add/Remove Hardware.

If the operating system does install the driver for you, it is always best to check everything is working properly in Device Manager.

Network card installation is usually straightforward these days. Perhaps you may come across an older type of network card where you have to set jumpers. Depending on the BIOS configuration of your PC and Operating System, you may also have to assign an IRQ number to the device.

Network Card Configuration

To configure a network card, you need to set the TCP/IP values.

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. TCP/IP is one of the the most commonly used set of network protocols.

Without going into too much detail here, one of the most important settings of TCP/IP is...

• the IP address of the network adapter

Every computer connected to the Internet has a unique identifying number called an IP address. Here is an IP address example …. 204.146.144.253. Without an IP address the computer would not be able to communicate with any other computer over the Internet.

Other TCP/IP settings include

• the subnet mask
• the address of the default gateway
• the address of the domain name server
• various other settings

If a computer called a DHCP server exists on a network, it will configure your PC's TCP/IP settings automatically. Otherwise they have to be set manually. It is usually the network administrator who knows what the TCP/IP values should be set to. For home users, it will be the ISP who has this information.

If TCP/IP is not configured properly then you may not be able to connect to the Internet from within a LAN. Home users who use dial-up modems do not use network cards, but will still be assigned an IP address by their ISP every time they connect to the Internet.

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Configuring a Network Card in XP

PCMCIA Network Cards

Since laptops are so much smaller than desktop computers, they need smaller adapter cards. The adapter expansion slots in laptops are called PCMCIA slots. PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association.

The picture to the right shows a typical PCMCIA adapter card. The card is actually a wireless network card PCMCIA cards are quite small; about the size of a credit card.

Dial-Up Connections and Modems

Modems were introduced in the 1960s and provided data communications over telephone lines. They still provide many users today with a way to connect to the Internet.

The basic equipment required to set up an Internet connection with a modem are... Computer Modem Telephone line

When you dial up to the Internet you are likely to be using a normal analogue telephone line. However, computers store and transmit data in digital form. Digital means there are discrete on-off states whereas an analogue signal is a continuously varying signal. A thermometer is an example of a device that shows analogue information.

To send digital computer data over an analogue telephone line it must first be converted to analogue. At the receiving end, the analogue data must be converted back to digital computer data.

A modem MODulates and DEModulate a signal. This means it changes a signal from one form to another. A modem can convert digital signals to analogue and vice-versa. The rate at which modems transfer data is measured in bits per second (bps). Most modern modems transfer data at a rate of 56Kbps

To connect to the Internet you also require an Internet Service Provider (ISP). An ISP provides you with a user account and allows you to connect your personal computer to their modems or other devices. Whenever you attempt to connect to the Internet you are routed through your ISP's devices onto the Internet backbone.

There are other ways of connecting to the Internet apart from modem. Satellite, cable, ISDN are some examples. Another method, Digital Line Subscriber (DSL) is becoming more affordable for home use and transfers data at a rate much higher than a modem. Typical DSL rates are 512 Kbps to over 1Mbps and even faster.

Summary

On completing these notes you should have learned the following key points:-

• A network interface card provides communications between devices on a network
• Software drivers are required when installing a NIC
• A network card's TCP/IP values need to be set properly for it to function properly
• Laptops use PCMCIA network adapter cards
• One way of connecting to the Internet is by using a modem over a public telephone line
• ISDN, DSL Cable and Satellite are faster ways of connecting to the Internet