Network Hardware

Question 1

Describe the use of a network interface card (NIC)

Answer 1

The Network Interface Card (NIC) is required for a computer to connect to a network

Question 2

What are the two types of network addresses?

Answer 2

• MAC Address
• IP Address

Question 3

MAC Address

Answer 3

• A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique, static identifier for devices on a local area network (LAN).
• Assigned to the Network Interface Card (NIC) during manufacturing.
• Does not change, even if the device moves between networks.
• Enables switches to forward data to the correct device on a network.
• Represented as 12 hexadecimal digits (48 bits):
• First 3 pairs = Manufacturer’s ID (OUI)
• Last 3 pairs = NIC’s serial number

Question 4

IP Address

Answer 4

• An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifier for devices on the Internet (WAN).
• Can be static (fixed) or dynamic (changes when connecting to different networks).
• Allows data to be delivered to the correct device over a network.
• A device is assigned an IP address when it joins a network, and it usually changes if the device moves to a different network.

Question 5

IP V4

Answer 5

• IP version 4 is represented as 4 blocks of denary numbers between 0 and 255, separated by full stops
• Each block is one byte (8 bits), each address is 4 bytes (32 bits)

Question 6

IP V6

Answer 6

• IP version 6 is represented as 8 blocks of 4 hexadecimal digits, separated by colons
• Each block is 2 bytes (16 bits), each address is 16 bytes (128 bits)

Question 7

Router

Answer 7

• A router sends data to a specific destination on
  a network
• A router can assign IP addresses
• A router can connect a local network to the
  internet