[oclug] Need help finding a picture/diagram of a Network Interface Card.

[William Case]

Thanks Stephen;

On Wed, 2007-08-29 at 22:27 -0400, Stephen Gregory wrote:
> On 29-Aug-07, at 21:41 , William Case wrote:
> 
> > This post is for someone who has the time to help me find a diagram  
> > in a
> > manual or online of a typical network interface card.
> 
> I am not sure there is a typical network card. The card I happen to  
> have here has 4 integrated components and a bunch of discrete  
> resistors and capacitors. I once had some older cards that had a  
> dozen or more integrated components. On the card in front of me one  
> of the integrated circuits is a 25 MHz clock. Google tells me that  
> the small 8 pin chip is a serial eprom (which likely holds the MAC  
> address). Another Google search and I learn that the large bulky  
> package near the RJ-45 connector is a transformer (to electrically  
> isolate the computer from the ethernet wire). That leaves the large  
> chip with a few dozen pins which must be the ethernet controller.  
> Some ethernet controllers are pretty stupid and most of the work is  
> done by the cpu. Some ethernet controllers are in two parts. One chip  
> handles the physical interface with the ethernet (phy). The other  
> chip handles the network at a higher level. Most motherboards with  
> onboard ethernet split the controller in this way.
> 
> If you want to know what the chips on your card do use Google with  
> some or all of the numbers on the chip.

You did manage to tell me what some of the components are.  I'll try
looking up individual chips tomorrow.  That's more of an old eyes
problem than a chip problem.  I'll have to dig out the magnifying glass.
I can pick out the transformer and the controller. 

-- 
Regards Bill