Deck 4: Network Interface Cards

Question 1

A(n)____ allows the computer and adapters to exchange data in chunks equal to the number of lines extending between them.

A)computer bus
B)NIC
C)adapter slot
D)USB

Answer 1

A

Question 2

FireWire is also known as IEEE ____.

A)802
B)1394
C)Cardbus
D)ExpressCard

Answer 2

B

Question 3

One of the most important jobs a NIC performs is to take outgoing transmissions from the CPU in serial form and recast them into their parallel equivalents.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The type of data transmission that occurs in a computer bus is called ____ transmission.

A)serial
B)parallel
C)analog
D)digital

Question 5

ExpressCard uses PCI Express technology to provide data transfer rates up to 500 MBps, with future versions reaching 4 GBps.

Question 6

The PCMCIA bus size is ____ bits.

A)8
B)16
C)32
D)64

Question 7

Bus mastering means a NIC includes additional memory to provide temporary storage for incoming and outgoing data that arrives at the NIC faster than it can be shipped out.

Question 8

When purchasing a NIC, it is preferable to buy one that uses a PCI or ISA bus at 32 or 64 bits.

Question 9

On-board co-processors included on some NICs permit the card to process incoming and outgoing network data without requiring service from the CPU.

Question 10

It is not possible to change the burned-in MAC address of your network card.

Question 11

When purchasing a NIC, you should remember that shared memory outpaces I/O or DMA.

Question 12

The type of data transmission that occurs in any form of networking media is called ____ transmission.

A)serial
B)parallel
C)analog
D)digital

Question 13

ISA is a type of ____.

A)PCMCIA standard
B)adapter slot
C)computer bus
D)network adapter

Question 14

In a NIC, ____ are the fundamental unit of data for network transmission and reception.

A)bits
B)segments
C)packets
D)frames

Question 15

____ cards are credit-card-size expansion cards used primarily to add functionality to laptop computers.

A)USB
B)FireWire
C)NIC
D)PCMCIA

Question 16

Some NICs can operate in what's called "____ mode"-essentially, this mode turns off the gatekeeper functions and enables the NIC to forward any frames it sees to the computer.

A)promiscuous
B)forwarding
C)sniffing
D)analyzing

Question 17

NICs can have a major influence on network performance.

Question 18

The ISA bus originally appeared in the first PCs in a(n)____-bit form.

A)8
B)16
C)32
D)64

Question 19

USB comes in ____ versions.

A)two
B)three
C)four
D)five

Question 20

MAC addresses take the form of ____ two-digit hexadecimal numbers separated by colons.

A)four
B)five
C)six
D)seven

Question 21

The name assigned to a WLAN is called the ____.

A)MAC
B)SSID
C)ODI
D)WEP

Question 22

Apple Computer and Novell defined the ____ standard to allow a NIC to use multiple protocols and to simplify driver development for NIC manufacturers.

A)PnP
B)NDIS
C)WDM
D)ODI

Question 23

Large vendors have a searchable database of problems and their solutions in a(n)____________________, where you can enter a keyword or an error code to search for information.

Question 24

PnP attempts to define a set of configuration protocols so that a computer can communicate with its peripherals during the ____ sequence and negotiate a working configuration without requiring user intervention.

A)boot up
B)POST
C)IEEE 1394
D)load

Question 25

Most computers start themselves (in a process called ____)by reading information from a disk.

A)boot up
B)POST
C)Boot PROM
D)PXE

Question 26

The main benefit of the ____ device driver standard is that it allows NICs to use multiple protocols simultaneously.

A)ISA
B)NDIS
C)WDM
D)ODI

Question 27

____ means a NIC's on-board processor selects a region of RAM on the computer and writes to it as though it were buffer space on the adapter.

A)DMA
B)Shared system memory
C)Shared adapter memory
D)Bus mastering

Question 28

With respect to wireless LANs, WEP stands for _________________________.

Question 29

Diskless workstations are also called "____________________".

Question 30

The ____ standard defines a complete NIC driver interface for PCs that run 32-bit Windows operating systems.

A)PnP
B)NDIS
C)WDM
D)ODI

Question 31

With respect to wireless LANs, WPA stands for _________________________.

Question 32

Wireless NICs can operate at speeds faster than 100 Mbps by using the ____ technology.

A)IEEE 802.11a
B)IEEE 802.11g
C)IEEE 802.11i
D)IEEE 802.11n

Question 33

NIC stands for ____________________.

Question 34

PnP stands for ____________________.

Question 35

With respect to data transfer speeds of wireless NICs, the most common choices today are 11 Mbps or ____ Mbps.

A)22
B)50
C)54
D)100

Question 36

One of the most important components on a network adapter is memory, which acts as a(n)____________________, a staging area to hold data.

Question 37

____ means the adapter's buffers map directly into RAM on the computer.

A)DMA
B)Shared system memory
C)Shared adapter memory
D)Bus mastering

Question 38

When purchasing a NIC for a server, you should choose ____-bit PCI-X or PCIe when possible.

A)8
B)16
C)32
D)64

Question 39

MAC (as in MAC address)stands for ____________________.

Question 40

____ permits a network adapter to take control of the computer's bus to initiate and manage data transfers to and from the computer's memory, independent of the CPU.

A)DMA
B)Shared system memory
C)Shared adapter memory
D)Bus mastering

Question 41

What are the characteristics of PCI Express?

Question 43

With respect to NIC hardware-enhancement options, what is automatic link aggregation ?

Question 44

Provide a summary of the characteristics of the Universal Serial Bus (USB).

Question 45

When purchasing a NIC, when should you choose high-performance NIC hardware enhancement options?

Question 46

What choices can you make when selecting a wireless adapter?

Question 47

What is FireWire? Summarize its characteristics.

Question 48

Use an analogy to explain the difference between parallel and serial transmission.

Question 49

What are the main tasks performed by a NIC?

Question 50

Describe the role of integrated NICs.

Question 51

What are the characteristics of PCI-X?

Question 52

What are the PC settings typically involved in NIC configuration?