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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: India
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Light Poster
NIC/ Ethernet Hello!
Well, today there was a technical presentation by some students in my school so there was this discussion about NIC's. So somebody came up with a question that what's the difference between ethernet card and network interface card..! So that guy replied that ethernet card's different in sense that they have some better protocol and additional features as compared to NIC...
What I thought was that they were the same thing!! So is it actually different?
Well, today there was a technical presentation by some students in my school so there was this discussion about NIC's. So somebody came up with a question that what's the difference between ethernet card and network interface card..! So that guy replied that ethernet card's different in sense that they have some better protocol and additional features as compared to NIC...
What I thought was that they were the same thing!! So is it actually different?
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming --WOW -- " What a ride!!! " -James Fineous McBride
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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Practically a Posting Shark
Honestly, i thought they were the same thing. We use them synonymously at my work. I would like to know an awnswer to this too!
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Lawn Guylen, NY
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I have always used them interchangably as well.
Dani the Computer Science Gal
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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Posting Whiz in Training
Hi,
Although I use them interchangable my self the difference is simple : any computer peripherial which lets you connect to a physical network segment is a NIC (including fiber optic transceivers and hi-speed serial connections (no not COM1
found on routers) yet ethernet is a OSI Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) standart which actually has nothing to do with OSI Layer 1 (physical layer) and which regulates the Layer 2 packet format, MAC addressing scheme, and CSMA/CD (carrier sense, multiple access, collision detection). You don't have to run ethernet on your NIC attached to your PC. You may very well run Token Ring or FDDI which also are OSI Layer 2 standarts of IEEE.
Loren Soth
Although I use them interchangable my self the difference is simple : any computer peripherial which lets you connect to a physical network segment is a NIC (including fiber optic transceivers and hi-speed serial connections (no not COM1
found on routers) yet ethernet is a OSI Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) standart which actually has nothing to do with OSI Layer 1 (physical layer) and which regulates the Layer 2 packet format, MAC addressing scheme, and CSMA/CD (carrier sense, multiple access, collision detection). You don't have to run ethernet on your NIC attached to your PC. You may very well run Token Ring or FDDI which also are OSI Layer 2 standarts of IEEE.Loren Soth
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Join Date: Mar 2008
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Newbie Poster
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Originally Posted by aminura 
Hello!
Well, today there was a technical presentation by some students in my school so there was this discussion about NIC's. So somebody came up with a question that what's the difference between ethernet card and network interface card..! So that guy replied that ethernet card's different in sense that they have some better protocol and additional features as compared to NIC...
What I thought was that they were the same thing!! So is it actually different?
Hi,
I'm taking my Master study classes, and all I can tell about this is that ethernet cards are NICs. NIC is also the same as an adapter. NICs perform link layer services at layer 2 in the Internet protocol stack.
Yeah, the presentator didn't have the knowledge :/
Ole
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Join Date: May 2008
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Newbie Poster
a NIC (network interface card) is any card that connects your computer to a network.
So an ethernet card is an example of a NIC, but a modem could be considered a NIC as well as a fiber optic NIC.
btw, to network 2 computers all you need is either a cross over cable (thats just one ethernet cable between the 2 PCs) or a HUB, which tends to b quite a bit cheaper than a router, as its a less complicated peice of hardware, but there would be no difference in performance for only 2 PCs.
found this answer @ http://74.55.96.66/vb/all/windows/t-...NIC-Cards.html I think this is the best answer yet.
So an ethernet card is an example of a NIC, but a modem could be considered a NIC as well as a fiber optic NIC.
btw, to network 2 computers all you need is either a cross over cable (thats just one ethernet cable between the 2 PCs) or a HUB, which tends to b quite a bit cheaper than a router, as its a less complicated peice of hardware, but there would be no difference in performance for only 2 PCs.
found this answer @ http://74.55.96.66/vb/all/windows/t-...NIC-Cards.html I think this is the best answer yet.
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