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Having a hard time understanding the MSDN documentation on the IP Helper Functions. Whats the difference between an adapter and a network interface?
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Also called a "network interface card" (NIC), a network adapter is a plug-in card that enables a computer to transmit and receive data on a local network. Today, the term refers to an Ethernet adapter, although in the past, Token Ring, LocalTalk and FDDI networks were used.
A network adapter is the component of a computer's internal hardware that is used for communicating over a network with another computer. It enables a computer to connect with another computer, server or any networking device over an local area network (LAN) connection.
A network adapter is not the same thing as a router. Your router is the gateway that directs wireless traffic to your devices from the internet, while the adapter allows your device to connect to the network and receive that data.
An Ethernet card is one kind of network adapter. These adapters support the Ethernet standard for high-speed network connections using cable connections.
An "Adapter" is a piece of hardware.
A "network interface" is a software construct.
Usually, there is one network interface per adapter.
But there may be network interfaces which are not from an adapter.
And there may be multiple interfaces per adapter.
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