Network Connections

Networking Hardware

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Objectives

 Identify the functions of LAN connectivity hardware

 Install and configure a NIC (network interface card)
 Identify problems associated with connectivity hardware

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Objectives (continued)

 Describe the factors involved in choosing a NIC, hub, switch, or

router
 Discuss the functions of repeaters, hubs, bridges, switches, routers,
and gateways, and the OSI Model layers at which they operate
 Describe the use and types of routing protocols

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NICs (Network Interface Cards)

 Connectivity devices that enable workstations, servers, printers, or

other nodes to receive and transmit data over network media
 Usually contain data transceiver
 Belong to Physical and Data Link layers
 Apply data signals to wire
 Assemble and disassemble data frames
 Interpret physical addressing information
 Determine which node has right to transmit data at any given instant

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Network Interface Card (NIC)

 Hardware device used to connect different computers on Network

 Serves as a link for sending and receiving data on a network
 MAC address is address assigned by IEEE to identify network card

NIC Types

Ethernet Card Token Ring Card

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Ethernet Card

 Used in devices which are connected using Ethernet technology

 Two types of Ethernet network card – Wired and wireless
 The choice depends on type of network used

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Types of NICs

 NICs come in variety of types depending on:

 Access method
 Network transmission speed
 Connector interfaces
 Type of compatible motherboard or device
 Manufacturer

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Types of Ethernet Card - I

 10Base-5 (Thicknet) NIC

 10Base-2

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Types of Ethernet card - II

 10BaseT

 Fiber –optic

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Token Ring Card

 Used to connect to a token ring network

 Assigned a MAC address by IEEE
 Maximum of two token ring
cards can be installed at any
node
 Consists of 9 pin DIN
type connector which connects
card to network cable

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Physical Connections

 Physical Connections
 NIC either connected on a PCI or PCI-X slot
 NIC cards can be connected to an USB port or can have a PC card
connection
 Depends on one of the cable connectors:
 BNC connector
 ST-fiber optic connector
 RJ-45 connector

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Lights on NIC and hub

 Different LEDs on NIC:

 Link LED
 ACT LED
 Speed LED
 Collision LED

 LEDs on Hub:
 Power LED
 Port LED

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MAC Address

 Also known as hardware or physical address

 Used to identify nodes at lower levels of the OSI model
 ID assigned by IEEE
 Hardware address hard-coded into NIC
 Nodes on network identified by MAC address
 Is a 12 digit hexadecimal number (48 bit address)

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MAC vs IP address

MAC address IP address

Functions at data link layer Functions at network layer

It is a physical address It is a logical address

It is fixed It changes with the relocation of device

from one network to another

It is a 48 bit address It is a 32 bit address

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Internal Bus Standards

 Bus: circuit used by motherboard to transmit data to computer’s

components
 Including memory, processor, hard disk, and NIC
 Capacity defined principally by:
 Width of data path (number of bits that can be transmitted in parallel)
 Clock speed
 Expansion slots allow devices to connect to computer’s expanded
bus
 Devices found on circuit board called an expansion card

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Internal Bus Standards (continued)

 Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI): 32- or 64-bit bus with 33-

or 66-MHz clock speed
 Maximum data transfer rate is 264 MBps
 Industry Standard Architecture (ISA): original PC bus type
 PCI Express specifies 64-bit bus with 133-MHz clock speed
 Capable of up to 500 MBps per data path
 Efficient data transfer, support for quality of service distinctions, error
reporting and handling, and compatibility with current PCI software

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Internal Bus Standards (continued)

Figure : A motherboard with multiple expansion slots

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Peripheral Bus Standards

 Personal Computer Memory Card International Association

(PCMCIA) adapter: connect external devices to most laptop
computers
 PC Card: First PCMCIA adapter
 Specified 16-bit interface running at 8 MHz

 CardBus: 32-bit interface running at 33 MHz

 ExpressCard: 26-pin interface, offering data transfer rates of 250 MBps
in each direction

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Peripheral Bus Standards (continued)

Figure : A CardBus NIC

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Peripheral Bus Standards (continued)

 USB: standard interface used to connect multiple types of

peripherals
 USB 1.1 and USB 2.0

 FireWire: modified by IEEE as IEEE 1394

 Can be used to connect many types of peripherals
 Can connect computers on a small network
 4-pin and 6-pin connectors

 Compact Flash: most likely found connecting devices too small to

handle PCMCIA slots

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Peripheral Bus Standards (continued)

Figure : A USB NIC

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On-board NICs

 Some peripheral devices connect directly to motherboard using on-

board ports
 e.g., a mouse

 Many new computers use on-board NICs

 Integrated into motherboard

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Wireless NICs

Figure : Wireless NICs

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Installing NICs

 First install hardware, then software

 May have to configure firmware
 Set of data or instructions saved to a ROM [electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
(EEPROM)]
 Always read manufacturer’s documentation and follow proper safety procedures
 Multiple NICs may be installed
 Jumper: plastic piece with metal receptacle
 Dual inline package (DIP) switch indicates parameter setting
 Different factors while choosing NIC:
 Bus type (Expansion slot)
 Speed
 Connection type (cabling)
 Hardware Requirements:
 Pentium I/233MHz
 32 MB RAM
 2 GB of available hard disk

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Direct Cable Connection

 One device acts as a host and other acts as a guest

 Can also use infrared connection, if both nodes have required hardware
 All the latest versions of windows provide a software which allows a user to
have a direct serial-to-serial, parallel-to-parallel, or infrared-to-infrared
connection with the other PC.
 To establish a connection using serial ports, a cable known as null modem
is use

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Installing and Configuring NIC Hardware

Figure : A properly inserted NIC

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Installing and Configuring NIC Hardware (continued)

Figure : Installing a PCMCIA-standard NIC

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Installing and Configuring NIC Software

 Device driver: software enabling attached device to communicate

with computer’s OS
 Must ensure that correct device driver installed and configured properly
for the NIC

 To install from Windows XP interface, need Windows XP software

and NIC’s device drivers
 Can usually download NIC software from manufacturer’s Web site

 Installing NIC drivers on UNIX or Linux depends somewhat on OS

version

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Installing and Configuring NIC Software (continued)

Figure : Fedora Core Linux Network Configuration window

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Interpreting LED Indicators

 NICs may have one or more of following lights:

 ACT: if blinking, indicates that NIC is either transmitting or receiving
data
 If solid, heavy network traffic volume

 LNK: if lit, NIC is functional

 In some models, if blinking, NIC detects network but cannot communicate
with it

 TX: if blinking, NIC is functional and transmitting frames

 RX: if blinking, NIC is functional and receiving frames

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IRQ (Interrupt Request)

 Message to computer instructing it to stop what it is doing and pay

attention to something else
 Interrupt: circuit board wire over which device issues voltage to
signal IRQ
 IRQ number: means by which bus understands which device to
acknowledge
 Range from 0 to 15

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IRQ (continued)

 Symptoms possibly indicating two devices attempting to use same

IRQ:
 Computer locks up either upon starting or when OS is loading
 Computer runs much more slowly than usual
 Devices such as USB or parallel ports stop working
 Video or sound card problems
 Computer fails to connect to network
 Intermittent data errors during transmission

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IRQ (continued)

 If IRQ conflicts occur, must reassign device’s IRQ

 Through OS
 Through adapter’s EEPROM configuration utility or computer’s CMOS
configuration utility

 Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS): microchip that

stores settings pertaining to computer’s devices
 Basic input/output system (BIOS): instructions enabling computer to
initially recognize hardware

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Memory Range

 Indicates area of memory that NIC and CPU use for exchanging
(buffering) data
 Hexadecimal notation

 Some memory ranges reserved for specific devices

 NICs typically use memory range in high memory area
 A0000–FFFFF
 Some manufacturers prefer certain ranges

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Base I/O Port

 Specifies area of memory that will act as channel for moving data
between NIC and CPU
 Hexadecimal notation
 Device’s base I/O port cannot be used by any other device

 Most NICs use two memory ranges for this channel

 Base I/O port settings identify beginning of each range

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Firmware Settings

 Modify NIC’s transmission characteristics

 When changing firmware settings, actually writing to NIC’s
EEPROM chip
 Need bootable disk containing configuration or install utility shipped with
NIC

 NIC configuration utilities:

 View IRQ, I/O port, base memory, node address
 Perform diagnostics
 To perform entire group of diagnostic tests on utility disk, must have
loopback plug

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Choosing the Right NIC

Table : NIC characteristics

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Choosing the Right NIC (continued)

Table (continued): NIC characteristics

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Repeaters and Hubs

 Repeaters: simplest type of connectivity devices that regenerate a

digital signal
 Operate in Physical layer
 Cannot improve or correct bad or erroneous signal

 Regenerate signal over entire segment

 One input port and one output port
 Suited only to bus topology networks

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Repeaters and Hubs (continued)

 Hub: repeater with more than one output port

 Multiple data ports
 Operate at Physical layer
 Uplink port: allows connection to another hub or other connectivity
device
 On Ethernet networks, can serve as central connection point of star or
star-based hybrid topology
 On Token Ring networks, hubs are called Multistation Access Units
(MAUs)

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Repeaters and Hubs (continued)

 Hubs (continued):
 Connected devices share same amount of bandwidth and same
collision domain
 Logically or physically distinct Ethernet network segment on which all
participating devices must detect and accommodate data collisions
 Types of hubs:
 Passive
 Intelligent
 Standalone
 Stackable

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Bridges

 Connect two network segments

 Analyze incoming frames
 Make decisions about where to direct them based on each frame’s MAC
address

 Operate at Data Link layer

 Protocol independent
 Can move data more rapidly than traditional routers

 Extend Ethernet network without extending collision domain or segment

 Can be programmed to filter out certain types of frames

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Switches

 Subdivide network into smaller logical pieces (segments)

 Can operate at levels 2, 3, or 4 of OSI model
 Multiport bridges
 Most have internal processor, OS, memory, and several ports

 Each port on switch acts like bridge

 Each connected device effectively receives own dedicated channel

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Installing a Switch

Figure : Connecting a workstation to a switch

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Installing a Switch (continued)

Figure : A switch on a small network

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Cut-Through Mode

 Switch running in cut-through mode reads frame’s header and

decides where to forward the data before receiving the entire packet
 Cannot read FCS before transmission
 Cannot detect corrupt packets

 Can detect runts

 Erroneously shortened packets

 Biggest advantage is speed

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Store and Forward Mode

 Switch reads entire data frame into memory and checks for
accuracy before transmitting
 Transmits data more accurately
 Slower than cut-through mode
 Can transfer data between segments running different transmission
speeds

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Using Switches to Create VLANs

 Virtual LANs (VLANs) logically separate networks within networks

 Use switches to group a number of ports into a broadcast domain
 Combination of ports making up a Layer 2 segment
 In TCP/IP, referred to as a subnet

 VLANs created by properly configuring switch’s software

 VLAN configuration requires careful planning

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Higher-Layer Switches

 Layer 3 switches (routing switch) and Layer 4 switches

 Ability to interpret higher-layer data enables switches to perform
advanced filtering, statistics keeping, and security functions

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Routers

 Multiport connectivity devices that direct data between nodes on a

network
 Can integrate LANs and WANs
 Running at different transmission speeds
 Using variety of protocols
 Reads incoming packet’s logical addressing information
 Determines where to deliver packet
 Determines shortest path to that network
 Operate at Network layer
 Protocol-dependent

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Router Features and Functions

 Typical router has internal processor, OS, memory, various input

and output jacks, and management console interface
 Modular router: multiple slots to hold different interface cards or
other devices
 All routers can:
 Connect dissimilar networks
 Interpret Layer 3 addressing and other information
 Determine the best path for data to follow
 Reroute traffic

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Router Features and Functions (continued)

 Other router functions:

 Filter out broadcast transmissions
 Prevent certain types of traffic from getting to a network
 Support simultaneous local and remote connectivity
 Provide high network fault tolerance through redundant components
 Monitor network traffic and report statistics
 Diagnose internal or other connectivity problems

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Router Features and Functions (continued)

 Interior router directs data between nodes on autonomous LANs

 Exterior router directs data between nodes external to given
autonomous LAN
 Border routers connect autonomous LAN with a WAN
 Static routing: network administrator programs router to use specific
paths between nodes
 Dynamic routing automatically calculates best path between two
nodes
 Accumulates information in routing table

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Router Features and Functions (continued)

Figure : The placement of routers on a LAN

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Routing Protocols: RIP, OSPF, EIGRP and BGP

 Best path: most efficient route between nodes

 Routers communicate via routing protocols
 Characterized according to convergence time
 Time taken to recognize best path

 Routing Information Protocol (RIP) for IP and IPX

 Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) for IP
 Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) for IP, IPX, and
AppleTalk
 Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for IP

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Brouters

 Bridge routers
 Routers that take on some characteristics of bridges
 Can forward nonroutable protocols
 Connect multiple network types through one device

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Gateways

 Connect two systems using different formatting, communications

protocols, or architecture
 Repackage information to be read by another system
 Operates at multiple OSI Model layers

 E-mail gateway
 Internet gateway
 LAN gateway
 Voice/data gateway
 Firewall

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Summary

 Network adapters come in a variety of types depending on access

method, network transmission speed, connector interfaces, type of
compatible motherboard, and manufacturer
 Desktops or tower PCs may use an expansion card NIC, which
must match the system’s bus
 NICs are designed to be used with either wire-bound or wireless
connections
 Firmware combines hardware and software
 Repeaters are the connectivity devices that perform the
regeneration of a digital signal

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Summary (continued)

 A hub contains multiple data ports into which the patch cables for
network nodes are connected
 Bridges resemble repeaters in that they have a single input and a
single output port, but they can interpret the data they retransmit
 As nodes transmit data through a bridge, the bridge establishes a
filtering database
 Switches subdivide a network into smaller, logical pieces

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Summary (continued)

 A router is a multiport device that can connect dissimilar LANs and

WANs running at different transmission speeds, using a variety of
protocols
 Routers are protocol-dependent
 Routing protocols provide rules for communication between routers
and help them determine the best path between two nodes
 Gateways are combinations of networking hardware and software
that connect two dissimilar kinds of networks

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