Network Hardware

What is a NIC?

• A component that enables a computer to connect to a network
• It is assigned a MAC address at the point of manufacture

What is a Router?

• A device that forwards packets to their correct destinations in a network

What is the role of a router?

• Receives packets from devices
• Finds the destination of packets using the IP address
• Forwards packets to the correct destination
• Assigns private IP addresses to devices on LAN
• Finds the most efficient path to destination
• Maintains a table of MAC and IP addresses
• Can connect a LAN to an external network eg. internet
• Provides the LAN with a public IP address

MAC Address

• Made up of 48 bits
• Shown as 6 groups of two hexadecimal digits
• First half represents Manufacturer
• Second half represents Serial number
• Uniquely identifies a device on the network
• eg. 11:11:11:11:11:11
• MEDIA ACCESS CONTROL (only use if not referred to by the question!)

IP Address

• Consists of values between 0--255 / 0--FFF
• Values are separated by full stops/colons
• It is a unique address
• Can be static or dynamic
• Can be public or private
• Can be IPv4 / have four groups of digits
• Can be IPv6 / have eight groups of digits
• In IPv6 :: can replace groups of zeros

Static vs Dynamic IP

Static IP

• When a computer disconnects and rejoins a network the address does not change
• Address is assigned by the server/ISP
• A static public IP address is used primarily for hosting web pages or services on the internet

Dynamic IP

• Each time the computer rejoins a network the address changes
• Address is assigned by the network OS
• A dynamic public IP address is chosen from a pool of available addresses