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English: Network Interface Cards: NICs that are on a network must have at least one protocol bound to it within the OS. This way that instance of the NIC can let the OS reach the rest of the network with that protocol.

Cabling questions will not be on the test Servers: Servers are more effective when specialized to do one thing. For example, one mail server, one file server, one print server, etc… However one server can also do all these takes, but to the detriment of performance. Note about servers: Physical security is just as important as network security regarding servers. If there is unwanted access to the physical location of your server, you are not secure. Repeaters: just as the name implies…it repeats the signal. Repeaters are needed because of attenuation (degradation of signal) this can happen because of distance or resistance. However, you just can’t keep putting repeaters indefinitely as this will cause the networks to time out because of lack of response time. Bridge: Works at the data link layer of the OSI model. A bridge can separate a signal into two. But it will still appear as one signal to the network. Hub: I have always remembered hubs as being the dumb one in the group. All they do is redistribute the signal they get in to anybody else that is plugged in. Switch: The smarter one, it essentially knows where the traffic should be directed, unlike hubs. Also it can avoid collisions. Router: Smartest, It can connect dissimilar network segments into an internetwork. It can route network traffic according to performance. Modems:  Analog Modems Easy, the 56k used by POTS.  Cable Modems Transmission rates up to 10 mbps, (depends on how many people are connected at the time around your area), it is a shared service.  xDSL Modems xDSL is not a modem per se, it’s more of a configuration that requires a modem and a NIC.

Firewalls: Monitors all traffic going in and out of the network and detects and stops (hopefully) malicious activity