A network interface card (NIC)
is a hardware component used to connect computers or other devices to
the network. NICs are responsible for providing the physical connection
that recognizes the physical address of the device where they are
installed.
NOTE
The Open System
Interconnect (OSI) model defines the encapsulation technique that builds
the basic data structure for data transport across an internetwork. The
OSI model provides interoperability between hardware vendors, network
protocols, and applications. The physical address is the OSI model layer
2 address, or for Ethernet technologies, the MAC address (Media Access
Control address). This is not the IP address, which is the OSI layer 3
or Network layer address, also generically defined as the logical
address.
The most common place you see
network adapters installed are computers, but you also see NICs
installed in network printers and specialized devices such as Intrusion
Detection Systems (IDSs) and firewalls. We generically call the
interface between our network devices and the software components of the
machines network adapters.
Network adapters do not need to be separate cards; they can be built
in, as in the case of most PCs today or other network-ready devices such
as network cameras or network media players. These adapters (and all
other hardware devices) need a driver to communicate with the Windows 7
operating system.
Before you physically
install a NIC or network adapter, it's important to read the vendor's
instructions that come with the hardware. Most network adapters you get
today should be self-configuring, using Plug And Play capabilities.
After you install a network adapter that supports Plug And Play, it
should work following the installation procedure (which should be
automated if the vendor says it is). You might have to restart, but our
operating systems are getting much better with this, and you might just
get lucky and be all right immediately.
If you happen to have a
network adapter that is not Plug And Play, the operating system should
detect the new piece of hardware and start a wizard that leads you
through the process of loading the adapter's driver and setting initial
configuration parameters. You can see your network connection and manage
the network connection properties through the Network and Sharing
Center.
1. Configuring a Network Adapter
After you have installed
the network adapter, you configure it through its Properties dialog box.
There are several ways to get to the network adapter property pages,
one being the Network and Sharing Center, another through Computer
Management, and yet a third directly through Device Manager.
Let's use the Device Manager
applet for the network adapter configuration here. To access the
Properties dialog box, choose Start and type Device Manager in the
Windows 7 search box. This launches Device Manager. You can also
right-click Computer from the Start menu and choose Manage from the
context menu to get to the Computer Management Microsoft Management
Console (MMC) or applet that lets you access Device Manager, as shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 1
shows the Network Adapters item expanded, and the adapter is installed
in my machine. Having Computer Management open is a great way to open
Device Manager, as this particular MMC has numerous other installed
plug-ins available to administrators that might be helpful as we work
with our machines.
Accessing the network
adapter properties allows us to view and change configuration parameters
of the adapter (yes, its properties). You do this by right-clicking the
adapter in Device Manager and selecting Properties from the context
menu. Figure 2
shows the Properties page and the tabs available for my network
adapter. Depending on the hardware manufacturer, you will see various
tabbed pages available.
Network Adapter Properties: General Tab
The General tab of the
network adapter Properties dialog box shows the name of the adapter, the
device type, the manufacturer, and the location. The Device Status box
reports whether the device is working properly or not. In the case of
the latter ("not"), the Device Status box gives you an error code and a
brief description of what Windows 7 identifies as the issue. You can
perform an Internet search for the error code(s> if the text is not
sufficient. The other tabs provide the following information:
Advanced Tab
The contents of the Advanced tab of a network adapter's Properties
dialog box vary depending on the network adapter and driver that you are
using. Figure 3
shows an example of the Advanced tab for my Fast Ethernet adapter.
There are several properties available in the Property list box, with
the value configured in the Value box. To configure options in this
dialog box, choose the property you want to modify in the Property list
box and specify the desired value for the property in the Value box on
the right. I have selected the Connection Type property and opened the
drop-down list box to show you the options for my network adapter.
Driver Tab The Driver tab of the network adapter Properties dialog box provides the following information about your driver:
The driver provider
The date the driver was released
The driver version (useful in determining whether you have the latest driver installed)
The digital signer (the company that provides the digital signature for driver signing)
The
Driver tab for my adapter is shown in Figure 4. The information here
varies from driver to driver and even from vendor to vendor.
Clicking the Driver Details
button on the Driver tab brings up the Driver File Details dialog box
that provides the following details about the driver:
The location of the driver file (useful for troubleshooting)
The original provider of the driver
The file version (useful for troubleshooting)
Copyright information about the driver
The digital signer for the driver
The Update Driver button starts a wizard to step you through upgrading the driver for an existing device.
The Roll Back Driver button
allows you to roll back to the previously installed driver if you update
your network driver and encounter problems. In Figure 7.6,
the Roll Back Driver button is gray (not available) because we have not
updated the driver or a previous driver is not available.
The Disable button is used to
disable the device. After you disable the device, the Disable button
changes into an Enable button, which you can use to enable the device.
The Uninstall button
removes the driver from your computer's configuration. You would
uninstall the driver if you were going to remove the device from your
system or if you want to completely remove the driver configuration from
your system so you can reinstall it from scratch either automatically
or manually.
Details Tab
The Details tab of the network adapter's Properties dialog box lists
the resource settings for your network adapter. Information found on the
Details tab varies by hardware device. I have include the Details tab
information from my adapter in Figure 5, with the Property drop-down list box expanded to show the options for my hardware.
Resources Tab
The Resources tab of the network adapter's Properties dialog box lists
the resource settings for your network adapter. Resources include
interrupt request (IRQ), memory, and input/output (I/O) resources. This
information can be important for troubleshooting if other devices are
trying to use the same resource settings. This is not normally the case
as Windows 7 and the Plug And Play specification should set up
nonconflicting parameters. If there are issues, the Conflicting Device
list box at the bottom of the Resources tab shows the conflicts.
When installing the NIC device, you may encounter some problems or errors. Let's take a look at some NIC troubleshooting.
2. Troubleshooting a Network Adapter
If your network adapter is
not working, the problem might be with the hardware, the driver
software, or the network protocols.
Network Adapter Not on the HCL
If the device is not on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), use your
Internet resources to see if others have discovered a solution, or
contact the hardware vendor for advice.
Outdated Driver
Make sure that you have the most current driver for your adapter. You
can have Windows 7 check for an updated driver from the Driver tab of
the Properties page for the adapter by clicking the Update Driver button
and having Windows search for a better driver, or check for the latest
driver on the hardware vendor's website.
Network Adapter Not Recognized by Windows 7
Check Device Manager to see whether Windows 7 recognizes the adapter.
If you don't see your adapter, you can try to manually install it.
Improperly Configured Network Card
Verify that the settings for the network card are correct for the
parameters known within your network and for the hardware device the
machine is connected to.
Cabling Problem
Make sure that all network cables are functioning and are the correct
type. This includes making sure that the connector is properly seated,
the cable is straight or crossed depending on where it's plugged into,
and the cable is not broken. This is usually done by looking at the
Little Green Light (LGL) for link and activity on the NIC. This does not
guarantee a good connection even if the LGLs are illuminated. A single
conductor failure in a cable can still have a link light on, but data is
not passing.
Bad Network Connection Device
Verify that all network connectivity hardware is properly working. For
example, on a Fast Ethernet network, make sure the switch and port being
used are functioning properly.
Another NIC device that has
become increasingly popular is the wireless NIC device. In the next
section, you will look at how to configure your wireless adapters.
