Why would you activate more than one nic on a pc?

Activating more than one Network Interface Card (NIC) on a PC can serve several purposes, depending on the specific needs and requirements of the user or organization. Here are some common reasons for activating more than one NIC on a PC:

1. Network Redundancy: Having multiple NICs allows for network redundancy. If one network connection fails or experiences issues, the system can switch to an alternative NIC, ensuring continuous network connectivity.
2. Load Balancing: Multiple NICs can be used for load balancing, distributing network traffic across the available network interfaces. This helps optimize network performance and prevents a single NIC from becoming a bottleneck.
3. Segmentation of Traffic: Different NICs can be dedicated to specific types of traffic or network segments. For example, one NIC might be used for regular data traffic, while another is dedicated to specialized applications or services.
4. Virtualization: In virtualized environments, multiple NICs are often used to connect virtual machines to different networks or VLANs. This allows for more flexible and isolated network configurations for virtualized workloads.
5. Specialized Network Tasks: Certain tasks or applications may benefit from having a dedicated NIC. For example, a server might have one NIC for general network communication and another for handling storage traffic (iSCSI or Fibre Channel over Ethernet).
6. Network Testing and Troubleshooting: Having multiple NICs can be useful for network testing and troubleshooting. It allows the user to isolate and test different network configurations without affecting the primary network connection.
7. Hybrid Networks: In scenarios where a PC needs to connect to multiple types of networks, such as wired and wireless or different types of wired networks, multiple NICs can provide the necessary connectivity options.

It's important to note that while there are benefits to having multiple NICs, proper configuration and management are essential to avoid conflicts and ensure that the system uses the network interfaces as intended. Additionally, not all use cases may require or benefit from multiple NICs, so the decision to activate more than one should be based on specific use-case requirements.