Configuring Network Interface Cards

Although PCI, USB, PC Card, and CardBus network adapters as well as integrated adapters support PnP configuration for hardware resources, non-PnP ISA adapters require manual resource configuration. You might also need to configure the network adapter for the type of media it uses, for the speed of the connection and, with Wireless Ethernet adapters, the security settings that might be needed to connect with the access point.

Hardware Resources

Typical network interface card hardware resource settings include

• IRQ

• I/O port address range

If the workstation is a diskless workstation, a free upper memory address must also be supplied for the boot ROM on the card. A few older network cards also use upper memory blocks for RAM buffers; check the card's documentation.

Media Type

Most recent Ethernet cards are designed to use only UTP Category 3 or greater network cabling. However, some older cards were also designed to use 10Base5 (Thicknet) or 10Base2 (Thinnet) cabling. Cards that are designed to use two or more different types of cabling are known as combo cards, and during card configuration, you need to select the type of media that will be used with the card. This option is also known as the Transceiver Type option. Depending upon the card's drivers, you might need to make this setting through the card's command-line configuration program or the card's properties sheet in the Windows Device Manager.

Some network adapters designed for use with UTP cable can automatically sense when the cable is not connected.

Full/Half-Duplex

If the hardware in use on an Ethernet, Fast Ethernet , or Gigabit Ethernet network permits , you can configure the network to run in full-duplex mode. Full-duplex mode enables the adapter to send and receive data at the same time, which doubles network speed over the default half-duplex mode (where the card sends and receives in separate operations). Thus, a 10BaseT-based network runs at 20Mbps in full-duplex mode; a 100BaseT-based network runs at 200Mbps in full-duplex mode; and a 1000BaseT-based network runs at 2,000Mbps in full-duplex mode.

To achieve full-duplex performance on a UTP-based Ethernet network, the network adapters on a network must all support full-duplex mode, be configured to use full-duplex mode with the device's setup program or properties sheet, and a switch must be used in place of a hub.

Wireless Ethernet Configuration

Wireless Ethernet requires additional configuration compared to wired Ethernet, as shown in Table 21.5.

Table 21.5. Wireless Ethernet Configuration Settings

Setting	What the Setting Does
Service Set Identifier ( SSID )	Names the network. Windows XP can detect SSIDs from unsecured networks.
Channel	Specifies a channel for all stations to use.
Wireless Equivalent Privacy ( WEP )	Enable to prevent access by unauthorized users. If WEP is disabled (the default with most hardware), anybody can get on the network if they know the SSID.
WEP Encryption Strength	Use the highest setting supported by both WEP and adapters for best security. Small-office home-office hardware might use 64-bit; business-market hardware often uses 128-bit encryption.
WEP Key	Use 10 alphanumeric characters for 64-bit encryption; use 26 characters for 128-bit encryption.
Wi-Fi Protected Access ( WPA )	An improved security option that replaces WEP in newer hardware. It should be enabled only if all equipment on the network supports WPA. A firmware upgrade might be necessary.