Network Interface Card (NIC)

•provides the physical connection between the network and the computer workstation.
•major factor in determining the speed and performance of a network
•Most NICs are internal, with the card fitting into an expansion slot inside the computer.
•Some computers, such as Mac Classics, use external boxes which are attached to a serial port or a SCSI port.
•Laptop computers - built-in NIC or network cards that slip into a PCMCIA slot.

•The three most common network interface connections are
–Ethernet cards,
–LocalTalk connectors, and
–Token Ring cards.