Computer Science 2210 By Sajid Ali Imam

Network Hardware
Network Interface Card
 A Network Interface Card (NIC) or Network Interface Controller is an internal physical
component which enables computers and other devices to connect to a network
 They are also known as network adapters
 NICs have a built in ethernet port and can be connected to a network via an Ethernet cable
 You can have Wireless Network Interface Cards (WNIC) which allow a device to wirelessly
connect to a network
 The primary function of a NIC is to send and receive data packets between the computer or
device and the network
 The NIC converts data to be sent into signals that can be sent across the transmission
medium
o If this is through a wired network, the signals will be voltages through an ethernet wire
or pulses of light through a fibre
o If this is through a wireless network, the signals will be radio waves
 NICs are likely to be integrated into the motherboard but can be added as an expansion
card
MAC Addresses
 A Media Access Control/MAC address is used to identify a device on a network
 It is a unique code which consists of six pairs of hexadecimal codes separated by a colon
 Each pair of hex digits is a Byte of data. So, in total a MAC address is 6 bytes or 48 bits long
 An example MAC address is b4:71:ac:f3:21:a2
 The MAC address is assigned to the NIC by its manufacturer
 A MAC address cannot be changed. It is static.
 The first three pairs are the manufacturer ID number and the last three pairs is the serial
number of the NIC and identifies the device on the network

An example MAC address - the first part identifying the manufacturer and the second part
identify the device
Computer Science 2210 By Sajid Ali Imam

A table listing the differences between an IP address and a MAC address:

MAC Address IP Address

- Permanently
- Can be used to identify devices
assigned to a NIC
on a network but are dynamic
and cannot be
and can be changed
changed

- MAC addresses are

- IP addresses are written in
written in
denary
hexadecimal

- MAC addresses are

- IP addresses are 4 bytes long
6 bytes long

- MAC addresses are

- IP addresses are used to
used to identify a
identify a device on a WAN
device on a LAN

Worked example
Describe what is meant by a MAC address [4]
Answer:
Any 4 of:
 Used to identify a device [1]
 It is a unique address [1]
 It is a static address/it does not change [1]
 It is set by the manufacturer [1]
 The first part is the manufacturer ID [1]
 The second part is the serial number of the device [1]
Computer Science 2210 By Sajid Ali Imam

IP Address
 An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to devices
connected to the internet
o IP addresses are used to identify and locate devices on the internet
o This allows data to be sent and received between devices
 An IPv4 address is four numbers separated by a full stop
o Each number is a byte and range between 0-255
o There are over 4 billion unique addresses using the IPv4 system
o For example, an IPv4 address might look like this: 192.164.3.1
 Routers and gateways have a unique public address
 Public addresses are assigned by your internet service provider and is the IP address for
the network
 Public addresses are often static addresses meaning they do not change
Computer Science 2210 By Sajid Ali Imam
A diagram showing how Private and Public IP addresses are used to identify devices on the
Internet and within a LAN

 A router can assign private IP addresses to devices connected within its network
 These are often dynamic IP addresses meaning they can change
 Dynamic addresses are assigned from a list of available addresses at the time they are
required.
 The IPv4 system is running out of possible addresses due to the enormous increase in
networked devices
 A new system called IPv6 has been developed. It provides enough unique addresses for
every networked device on the planet
o IPv6 uses a 128-bit address
o Digits are organised into eight groups
 Each group is made up of four hexadecimal digits
 For example, bb43:ff3f:0000:549b:e43e:db84:1f1f:0b9e

Worked example
Give two characteristics of an IP address. [2]
Answer:
Any 2 of:
 A unique address [1]
 Can be public or private [1]
 Can be static or dynamic [1]
 IPv4 has four groups of digits [1]
 Each number is between 0-255 and is separated by a full stop [1]
 IPv6 has eight groups of digits [1]

A comparison of IPv4 and IPv6 IP addresses

IPv4 IPv6
Computer Science 2210 By Sajid Ali Imam

32-bit address 128-bit address

Four groups of denary Eight groups of four
digits separated by a full hexadecimal digits separated
stop by a colon
Over 4.3 billion unique Almost infinite amount of
addresses unique addresses

Worked example
Explain the difference between a private and a public IP address. [4]
Answer:
Any 4 of:
 A private IP address is not accessible from the internet [1]
 and is used to identify a device within a local area network [1]
 A public IP address is used to identify a device on the internet [1]
 Public IP addresses are assigned by an internet service provider (ISP) [1]
 Public IP addresses are unique [1]
 Public IP addresses can be accessed from anywhere on the internet [1]
 Public IP addresses allow devices to communicate with each other across different
networks [1]
Router

 A router is an important piece of network hardware. It connects one network to another

network
o This means it can be used to connect a local area network (LAN) to the internet, which
is a wide area network (WAN)

 An important role of the router is to analyse data packet and direct them on to their
destination
Computer Science 2210 By Sajid Ali Imam

A diagram showing multiple networks connected by routers, represented by the blue circular
objects

 A router being used to connect a LAN to a WAN will have a public IP address, which has
been assigned to it by an Internet Service Provider
 It is this public IP address which other routers use to identify and direct packets to the
network
 An important role of the router is to analyse data packets and direct them on to their
destination
o The IP address of both the sender and intended recipient is stored in the header of the
data packet
 The header contains information about the packet
 The payload is the actual data being sent
 If the data packet is coming into the LAN, the router will send the data packet to
the specific device, within its LAN, that the packet is meant for
 If the packet is being sent from a device within the LAN, it will read the header of the
packet to determine the intended destination IP address
o It will then forward the packet on to the destination
 It might have to travel through several routers before it gets to its destination
 Each pass from router to router is called a hop
 The network access device or ‘home hub’ used in your home network will have a router
built into it

A summary of the steps a router takes when it receives a data packet:

Step Description
Computer Science 2210 By Sajid Ali Imam

1  a router receives incoming data

packets from one network and
analyses the packet header to
determine the destination IP address

2  It then looks up the IP address in a

routing table (routing table of known
networks) to determine the next
network where the packet should be
sent

3  The router then forwards the

packet to the appropriate network or
device

 This process is repeated by every router the data packet passes through, until it reaches its
destination
 In addition to routing data between networks, routers can also perform other functions
such as…
o assigning IP addresses to devices within the LAN
o filtering incoming traffic based on certain criteria, such as IP address, port number, or
protocol type