Selecting a NIC and network configuration settings

Part of the role of the network administrator is to install and configure network interface cards (NICs) in client and server systems. Today, this is a fairly simple process, although you need to consider many factors. Let's start with perhaps the most basic of considerations-how to choose a NIC.

Choosing a NIC

The choice of what NIC to use depends on certain criteria, including the following:

• Bus compatibility-Some older systems have only Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) slots, but most modern systems have either Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots or both PCI and ISA slots. Either way, you should verify that there is an expansion slot of the correct type available.
• Type of network-As mentioned in the discussion on NICs in Chapter 3, "Networking Devices," unless you are using a networking system other than Ethernet, you should not need to specify another type of NIC.
• Media compatibility-NICs can come with one, two, or even three types of network connectors.

Besides these criteria, which dictate to a certain extent which NICs you can use, the choice then depends on manufacturer, cost, and requirements. The NIC might come preinstalled in the system or, as in an increasing number of cases, the NIC might be built on to the system board. In either of these situations, you do not have to install a NIC.