Each workstation must be loaded with an operating system that has a networking component. These components enable you to configure the hardware and install communications protocols. Once installed, the protocols must be “bound” to the adapter and other utilities. Most operating systems including Windows, Linux and Unix have these components built into them (although this was not always the case), and because the TCP/IP protocol suite is the de facto standard for network connections, these operating systems come pre-configured with drivers for these protocols. Our next step is to configure the components using software.