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what is ethernet

Different Ethernet Standards

Different Ethernet Standards

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The most widely used technology in networking is Ethernet. As we said in the early lesson, Ethernet works both in the data link and physical layers. Ethernet standards define both the Layer 2 protocols and the Layer 1 technologies. For the Layer 2 protocols, as with all 802 IEEE standards, Ethernet relies on the two separate sublayers of the data link layer to operate: the Logical Link Control (LLC) and the MAC sublayers.

Other LAN types include Token Ring, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and Local Talk. Different Ethernet standards support different bands of data:-

Ethernet standards

Ethernet is the most popular physical layer LAN technology nowadays. A standard Ethernet network can broadcast data at up to 10 Mbps. Ethernet is popular as it strikes a good balance between speed, cost and ease of installation.

The Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers developed an Ethernet standard, IEEE Standard 802.3. This standard also defines rules for configuring an Ethernet network and how the elements interact with each other. By adhering to the IEEE standard, network equipment and protocols can communicate efficiently.

Fast Ethernet

The Fast Ethernet standard has been established for networks that need higher transmission speeds. The standard defines for fast Ethernet is IEEE 802.3u. This standard extends the Ethernet speed limit from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps with little changes to the existing structure. It also provides better video, multimedia, graphics, Internet surfing results, and stronger error detection and correction. Fast Ethernet has three types:-

  • 100BASE-TX using Cat-5 and Cat-6 UTP Cable.
  • 100BASE-FX using Fiber Optic Cable.
  • 100BASE-T4 using Cat-3 UTP Cable.

Gigabit Ethernet

Gigabit Ethernet is more for faster than Fast Ethernet networks with applications such as multimedia and VoIP. The Gigabit Ethernet speed is 10 times faster than Fast Ethernet. The Gigabit Ethernet is defined in the IEEE 802.3 standard as a backbone. Ethernet and Fast Ethernet can feed into a Gigabit Ethernet to interconnect high-performance switches, routers, and servers.

10 Gigabit Ethernet

This is the fastest and most recent Ethernet standard. IEEE 802.3ae defines a version of Ethernet with a nominal rate of 10 Gbits/s. 10 Gigabit Ethernet is 10 times faster than Gigabit Ethernet. The difference with other Ethernet is that it is based entirely on optical fibre connections.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)

ATM is the abbreviation for Asynchronous Transfer Mode. It is a cell-based fast-packet communication technique that supports data-transfer rates from sub-T1 speeds to 10 Gbps. It can be integrated into an existing network as needed without any further updates. The technology was basically for the high-speed transmission of all forms of media, from basic graphics to full-motion video.

Due to the small size of cells, ATM equipment can transmit large amounts of data over a single connection. It also allows ISPs to assign limited bandwidth to each customer. While this may seem like a downside for the customer, it improves the efficiency of the ISP’s Internet connection, causing the overall speed of the connection to be faster for everybody.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a solution in which an electrical current is run to networking hardware over the Ethernet Category 5 or 6 cable. This minimizes the amount of cable needed and eliminates the difficulties and cost of installing extra outlets for input AC or DC power to the equipment.

NIC Card and Ethernet Protocol

NIC Card and Ethernet Protocol

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A Network Interface Card (NIC) is also called an Ethernet card. It is also called a network adapter. It is a circuit board that is installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network.  A network interface card provides the computer with a dedicated, full-time connection to a network. Personal computers and workstations on a local area network typically contain a network interface card specifically designed for the LAN transmission technology. Most new computers have a network interface built in directly into the motherboard. A Network Interface Card enables a computer to connect to a network, such as a home network or the Internet, using an Ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector and wires.

Types of Network Interface

There is a different form of the network card. But the two main ones are wired and wireless. Wireless NICs Use wireless technologies to connect the network, so they have one or more antennas. Wired NICs just use an RJ45 port since they have an Ethernet cable attached to the end. This makes them much flatter than wireless network cards.

Speed of Network Interface Card (NIC)

All network interface cards have different speed ratings, such as 10 Mbps, 11 Mbps, 54 Mbps or 100 Mbps, and 1000 Mbps. The speed describes the general performance of the interface card.  The speed of the NIC mustn’t necessarily determine the speed of the internet connection. This is due to available bandwidth and the speed you’re paying for. For example, if your DSL speed is 16 Mbps and your NIC Speed is 100 Mbps, the network interface card will not increase your internet speed.  However, if your DSL speed is 16 Mbps and your NIC is 10 Mbps, your internet speed will also slow down to 10 Mbps.

Network Interface Card Driver

All hardware devices installed in computers need device drivers to work with the software on the computer. If the installed network card isn’t working, the driver is missing, corrupted or outdated. The updating of driver software is required for an internet connection to download the driver. But the problem is that your network card is not working and you cannot access the internet. So you can download a driver from the card manufacturer’s site to a computer connected to the internet and then transfer it using a USB drive or CD.

Ethernet

Ethernet is both a data link and the physical layer main component for local area networks (LANs). Robert Metcalfe and D.R. Boggs invented it in 1972. Ethernet is a network protocol that controls how data is transmitted over a LAN. Technically, it is referred to as the IEEE 802.3 protocol. It is also used in contrast with WAN, which spans larger geographical areas.

The Ethernet protocol standards describe many aspects of network communication, such as frame format, frame size, timing, and encoding. They tell how networked devices can format data for transmission to other network devices on the same network segment and how to send that data over the network connection.

It is a contention-based method of networking. A contention-based method means that any device can try to send data across the shared medium when it has data to send. The Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) process is used in half-duplex Ethernet LANs to detect and resolve collisions. Today’s Ethernet LANs use full-duplex switches, allowing multiple devices to send and receive simultaneously without collisions.

The OSI model describes the data link layer function and the physical standards of the media. The Ethernet standard defines the Layer 2 protocols and the Layer 1 technologies. According to specification, It supports different media, bandwidths, and other Layer 1 and 2 variations. The basic frame format and address scheme are the same for all types of Ethernet.