The Ethernet System
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“Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?” (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche)
Half-Duplex and Full-Duplex Modes
Previously, before the emergence of Ethernet switches, half-duplex mode is the typical operation for Ethernet devices.
In half-duplex mode:
- Multiple computers communicate over a single Ethernet channel via the CSMA/CD MAC protocol .
- A station (ie., the networked device) first listens to the channel, and if the channel is idle, the station transmits its data (Ethernet frames).
- Only one station can send data over the Ethernet channel at any given time.
- Data transmission rate: 10 Mb/s or 100 Mb/s
Nowadays, full-duplex mode is widely adopted by Ethernet devices and is typically enabled through the Auto-Negotiation protocol.
In full-duplex mode:
- Each station connected to a switch port does not share the Ethernet channel bandwidth on that link with any other computer.
- Devices can send and receive data simultaneously.
The Four Basic Elements of Ethernet
The Ethernet frame — A standardized set of bits
The Media Access Control protocol (MAC) — A set of rules embedded in each Ethernet interface that allow Ethernet stations to access the Ethernet channel, in either half-duplex or full-duplex mode
The signaling components — Standardized electronic devices that send and receive signals over an Ethernet channel
The physical medium — The cables and other hardware used to carry the digital Ethernet signals between computers attached to the network
Note
The Ethernet standard uses “frame”, while “packet” is used to describe the data transmitted at Layer 3 (the network layer), by those who wish to differentiate Layer 2 and Layer 3 functions.Feedback
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