Basic Hardware
How does a NIC connect to the cable?
An interface connector is the physical connection between the Network Interface Card (NIC) and the cable. There are three common types of interface connectors used with LANs:
- BNC (British Naval Connector). Used with coax cable
- RJ-45. An 8-wire modular connector that looks similar to a telephone jack connector (RJ-11). Used with twisted-pair cable. (An RJ-11 has only 6 pins. An RJ-45 has 8 pins.)
- AUI (Attachment Unit Interface). Normally a 15-pin interface used with Thicknet coax. Also called a DIX (Digital Intel Xerox) interface. Not very common anymore.
Some NICs have more than one interface connector (e.g., an RJ-45 and a BNC)