plain-vanilla ethernet; do brands matter?

[THUFIR HAWAT]

I urgently need a second ethernet (RJ-45 telephone-looking type) NIC
in my computer, which is about a year old, el cheapo but with USB 2.0,
so decent for my needs (sorry, don't have mother board details at the
moment).

the local store is willing to install a SMC one for a good price.  my
only concern is the brand.  ethernet is very well understood (meaning
old technology) and I just need plain-vanilla, but I don't want to
have to fiddle with anything, configuring hardware or whatever, if the
hardware doesn't run well under linux.

does the brand matter, or will anything that says "ethernet" fit the
bill?  I'll be plugging a telephone adapter into one of the NIC's for
VOIP, the other NIC provides the internet connection (via an asus
802.11b adapter which plugs into an RJ-45 port).

pardon, but the need for VOIP is urgent and great, so researching this
well doesn't seem to be an option.


thanks,

Thufir