CompTIA A+® Certification All-In-One For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

1.8. Working with Network Devices

A computer network is a lot more than just a few computers and a tangle of cables. A computer network needs a number of different types of devices to connect the systems or to connect the network to another network. This section identifies the different types of network devices popular in network environments today and covers the devices you will be tested on for the A+ exams.

NOTE

Be familiar with these devices for the A+ exam and understand their benefits.

1.8.1. Network interface card (NIC)

The network interface card (commonly referred to as a network card) is responsible for connecting the computer or device to the network. More importantly, the network card on the sending computer is responsible for converting digital data into an electrical signal for copper or optical signal for fiber that can be placed on the wire. The network card on the receiving computer is responsible for picking up the electrical signal and then converting it back to digital data that can be understood by the computer system.

Each network card has a unique address burned into the ROM chip on the card. This unique address is considered the hardware address of the network card because the manufacturer of the card burns it into the card. The address uniquely identifies your system on the network. The hardware address is also known as the Media Access Control (MAC) address. An example of a MAC address is 00-20-3F-6B-25-13.

Looking at the example of a MAC address, notice ...