Introduction to Ethernet
Explore the foundational concepts of Ethernet, including its origin, frame formats, key parameters like slot time, and the structure and role of MAC addresses. Understand how Ethernet networks use unique data link layer addresses for unicast, multicast, and broadcast communication. Gain practical insights on checking and modifying MAC addresses to better grasp Ethernet operations.
Introduction
Ethernet was designed in the 1970s at the Palo Alto Research Center. The first prototype used a coaxial cable as the shared medium and 3 Mbps of bandwidth.
First Official Ethernet Specification
Ethernet was improved during the late 1970s and in the 1980s, Digital Equipment, Intel and Xerox published the first official Ethernet specification.
Important Parameters
This specification defines several important parameters for Ethernet networks.
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The first decision was to standardize the commercial Ethernet at 10 Mbps.
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The second decision was the duration of the slot time. In Ethernet, a long slot time enables networks to span a long distance but forces the host to use a larger minimum frame size. The compromise was a slot time of microseconds, which corresponds to a minimum frame size of ...