Patent ID: 7836445

Claim:
A method comprising: electrically connecting a network interface card with a host computing device, the network interface card comprising a memory with a device driver file and at least a first portion of network-specific data stored therein; in response to electrically connecting the network interface card, sending the device driver file and the first portion of network-specific data from the network interface card to the host computing device; receiving an option for device driver installation, wherein the option is not selectable in the device driver file or in the first portion of network-specific data; installing the sent device driver file based on the received option; storing a second portion of network-specific data at the memory of the network interface card that is not accessible by the host computing device, wherein the second portion of network-specific data comprises at least one parameter for controlling use of a network by the host computing device, and wherein the at least one parameter sets a length of time that the host computing device can access the network once access is granted; and receiving a data block from the host computing device, wherein the host computing device uses the device driver to transfer the data block to the network interface card, wherein the first portion of network-specific data comprises a plurality of pre-configured network-specific parameters that enable the host computing device to access the network, and wherein the network interface card controls access to the network by the host computing device using the second portion of network-specific data.