adapter (computing)

Like many industries, the telecommunication industry needs electrical devices such as adapters to transfer data across long distances. For example, analog telephone adapters (ATA) are used by telephone and cable companies. This device connects an analog telephone to a computer or network by connecting them to digital communication lines, which enables users to make a call via the Internet.{{cite web |url=https://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/definition/analog-telephone-adapter |title=What is analog telephone adapter (ATA)? |website=SearchUnifiedCommunications |access-date=13 May 2019}}{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Computing |first=Peter |last=Collin |year=1998 |publisher=Peter Collin Publishing}}

In modern personal computers, almost every peripheral device uses an adapter to communicate with a system bus, for example:

• Display adapters used to transmit signals to a display device
• Universal Serial Bus (USB) adapters for printers, keyboards and mice, among others
• Network adapters used to connect a computer to a network
• Host bus adapters used to connect hard disks or other storage

Some hardware adapters convert between analog and digital signals with A/D or D/A converters. This allows adapters to interface with a broader range of devices. One common example of signal conversion is the sound card, which converts digital audio signals from a computer to analog signals for input to an amplifier.

{{Main|Host adapter}}

A host adapter, host controller or host bus adapter (HBA) is a circuit board or device which allows peripheral devices (usually internal) to interface with a computer.{{cite web |title=What is a Host Adapter? |url=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/h/host_adapter.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202032151/https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/h/host_adapter.htm |archive-date=2 December 2023 |access-date=2019-05-13 |website=www.computerhope.com |language=en}} Host bus adapters are used to connect hard drives, networks, and USB peripherals. They are commonly integrated into motherboards but can also take the form of an expansion card.{{cite web |url=https://www.techopedia.com/definition/17146/host-adapter |title=Host Adapter |website=Technopedia |access-date=2 July 2019}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LAiWPwAACAAJ |title=The Art of Electronics |edition=2nd |last1=Horowitz |first1=Paul |last2=Hill |first2=Winfield |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1989 |isbn=0-521-37095-7}}

{{Main|Expansion card}}

An adapter card or expansion card is a circuit board which is plugged into the expansion bus in a computer to add function or resources, in much the same way as a host bus adapter {{see above}}. Common adapter cards include video cards, network cards, sound cards, and other I/O cards.{{cite web |url=https://www.pluralsight.com/blog/it-ops/comptia-a-exam-prep-adapter-cards-and-their-functions |title=CompTIA A+ Exam Prep: Adapter Cards & Functions |website=Pluralsight |language=en |access-date=2019-05-13}}

{{Main|Video card}}

A video adapter (also known as graphics adapter, display adapter, graphics card, or video card) is a type of expansion card for computers which converts data and generates the electrical signal to display text and graphics on a display device.{{cite book |title=BCS Glossary of Computing and ICT |last1=Burdett |first1=Arnold |last2=Bowen |first2=Dan |edition=14th}}

{{See also|Bus mastering}}

Bus master adapters fit in EISA or MCA expansion slots in computers, and use bus mastering to quickly transfer data by bypassing the CPU and interfacing directly with other devices.

A general purpose interface adapter or GPIA is usually used as an interface between a processing unit and a GPIB (IEEE 488) bus.

{{Main|Fax modem}}

A fax adapter, also called a fax card or fax board, is an internal fax modem which allows a computer to transmit and receive fax data.

{{Main|Network interface controller}}

Network adapters connect a device to a network and enable it to exchange data with other devices on the network. These devices may be computers, servers, or any other networking device.{{cite web|url=https://www.lifewire.com/introduction-to-computer-network-adapters-817580|title=Understanding Computer Network Adapters (Both Wired and Wireless)|first=Bradley |last=Mitchell|website=Lifewire|language=en|access-date=2019-05-13}}

Network adapter usually refers to a piece of computer hardware typically in the form of an Ethernet card, wireless network card, USB network adapter, or wireless game adapter. Hardware network adapters which are either wired or wireless can be installed on a motherboard, connecting the computer to a network..{{cite web|url=https://www.lifewire.com/definition-of-adapter-817585|title=What Are Network Adapters and How Do They Work?|last=Mitchel|first=Bradley|website=Lifewire|language=en|access-date=2019-05-13}}

The term can also refer to a virtual network adapter which exists only in software, either for the purposes of virtualization, or to interface with some other physical adapter

{{Main|Terminal adapter}}

In telecommunications, a terminal adapter or TA acts as an interface between a terminal device, such as a computer or telephone, and a communications network (typically an integrated services digital network).{{cite web |url=https://www.techopedia.com/definition/3015/terminal-adapter-ta |website=Techopedia |title=Terminal Adapter (TA) |access-date=2 July 2019}}

{{Main|Channel-to-channel adapter}}

A channel-to-channel adapter (CTCA) connects two input/output channels in IBM mainframes.{{cite manual|publisher=IBM|title=IBM System/360 Model 65 Functional Characteristics|id=A22-6884-3|year=1968|page=10|url=http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/360/functional_characteristics/A22-6884-3_360-65_funcChar.pdf}}

Resource adapters are used to retrieve and route data.{{Cite web |title=What Is a Resource Adapter? |url=https://javaee.github.io/tutorial/resources001.html |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=javaee.github.io}} They provide access to databases, files, messaging systems, enterprise applications and other data

sources and targets. Each adapter includes a set of adapter commands that can be used to customize its operation. Adapter commands specify different queues and queue managers, specific messages by message ID, specific sets of messages with the same message ID, message descriptors in the data, and more.

The resource adapters provided with many integration products enable data transformation and adapter-specific behavior recognition on different systems and data structures.

• Computer port (hardware)
• Controller (computing)
• Electrical connector

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Category:Computer peripherals