lecture1:Internetwork devices

Some terminology related to the operation of network devices is:
- Domain is a specific part of a network.
- Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be carried across a network in
a given time period.
- Unicast data is data meant for a specific device.
- Broadcast data is data meant for all devices; a special broadcast address
indicates this.
- Multicast data is data destined for a specific group of devices; a special
address indicates this.
- A bandwidth domain, known as a collision domain for Ethernet LANs,
includes all devices that share the same bandwidth.
- A broadcast domain includes all devices that receive each other’s’
broadcasts (and multicasts)

Network devices are the devices that interconnect networks. Because these devices connect network entities, they are known as connectivity devices. These devices include:

Network Interface Card (NIC)
Hub
Switch
Bridge
Router
Gateway


Network Interface Card (NIC)
The network interface card (NIC), as its name suggests, is the expansion card you install in your computer to connect, or interface, your computer to the network. This device provides the physical, electrical, and electronic connections to the network media. A NIC is either an expansion card (the most popular implementation) or built in to the motherboard of the computer. NIC provides the physical interface between computer and cabling.
It prepares data, sends data, and controls the flow of data. It can also receive and translate data into bytes for the CPU to understand.