NETWORK INTERFACE CARDS (NIC's)

A NIC plugs into the expansion slot (either ISA or PCI) and provides a path for your computer to be connected to other computers in a LAN (Local Area Network). The subject of Networks, what they are and how to design and build them, is a complete book in itself - far beyond what we'll go into here.

Installing the NIC, though, is pretty straight forward - much like installing any other expansion card.

First you'll need an open expansion slot, and that will help to determine what your NIC will be. ISA cards are 8 bit or (more usually) 16 bit, while PCI cards are 32 or 64 bit cards.

Then you'll need to make sure you have an IRQ available (one in the range that your NIC can use) and that there will be no conflict with the I/O location your NIC will use. Generally (but not always) the IRQ and I/O can be adjusted on a NIC through the use of software or jumpers on the board.

Once you've physically installed the NIC, you must install the drivers for the NIC you've installed. Drivers are special software programs that convert information from a device (in this case a NIC) to information the operating system of the computer can use, and vice-versa. So the driver installed *MUST* be written for the specific NIC you installed and for the specific operating system your computer is using.

There are a ton of manufacturers of NICs out there, so your choices can be bewildering. There are some good tutorials on networking available on the internet as well as much valuable background information.

I'd suggest going to the web sites of some of the larger NIC manufacturers (Novell, 3Com, etc.) and study what's available. Also, Windows98 has strong support for home networking, so study the manuals that came with your operating system or go to the Microsoft web site for more information.

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