This document provides an overview of Ethernet basics, including its history and development. It discusses:
- The origins of Ethernet in the 1970s and its adoption of the IEEE 802.3 standard.
- How Ethernet uses a logical bus topology to transmit data frames with MAC addresses, even as the physical topology has evolved from bus to star configurations.
- Early Ethernet networks operating at 10 Mbps using coaxial cable or twisted pair wiring, and the development of fiber optic Ethernet to support longer distances.
- How switches improved on hubs by intelligently directing traffic only to relevant ports, avoiding bandwidth issues but requiring the Spanning Tree Protocol to prevent network loops.
2. Ethernet History
Developed to replace “Sneakernet"
Originally developed in 1973 by Xerox Corp. for
internal computer networks
Stayed an internal technology until 1979
IEEE 802.3
Coaxial
10Mbps
3. Ethernet Basic Concept
Ethernet quirks due to early design decisions:
“Shared Cable” concept
Data frames with MAC address
CSMA/CD
5. The Ethernet Topology
Ethernet still operates in a logical bus topology
regardless of physical topology
In the early 1990s the bus gave way to the hub
Hub is multi-port repeater
“Bus in a box”
6. Ethernet Frames
Recall from chapter 2 that frames are packages of
data defined in the datalink layer of the OSI model
Ethernet frame:
8. Early Ethernet Networks:
A History Lesson
IEEE 802.3 “Ethernet” standard:
10baseT
10Mbps
baseband
Twisted pair
9. Physical vs. Logical
Topology
Physical:
How the cables are connected
Logical:
How the data flows
Ethernet is now a Logical bus and a physical star
Was it always like this? How was it different?
10. Physical components of
Ethernet
UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair)
Ethernet requires CAT3 or higher & RJ-45 Connector
Cabling made up of 4 pairs
Each Pair has a color & color with white stripe
Orange, Green, Blue, Brown
Wrapped in an outer sheath that has NO shielding
(unshielded)
11. Cable Termination
4 Pairs, but what order?
Where the cable meets the connector is explicitly
defined by:
TIA/EIA 568A & 568B
12. Transmission Modes
Half Duplex
NIC can only transmit OR receive at one time
Think of a walkie talkie
Full Duplex
NIC can transmit AND receive at the same time
Think of a telephone
14. Fiber vs. Copper
Comparison
10BaseT 10BaseFL
Speed 10Mbps 10Mbps
Signal Type Baseband Baseband
Max. Distance 100 Meters 2000 Meters
Node Limit 1024 Nodes 1024 Nodes
Topology Star-Bus Star-Bus
Cable Type CAT3 UTP Multimode Fiber
15. Fiber vs. Copper
Comparison
10BaseT 10BaseFL
Speed 10Mbps 10Mbps
Signal Type Baseband Baseband
Max. Distance 100 Meters 2000 Meters
Node Limit 1024 Nodes 1024 Nodes
Topology Star-Bus Star-Bus
Cable Type CAT3 UTP Multimode Fiber
16. Connecting Ethernet
Segments
Hubs replace the bus cable very early on
Hubs have limited port counts
That’s a good thing
2 types of ports on a hub
Regular
Uplink(usually only one)
17. Crossing Over
TIA 568B specifies how to terminate both ends of a
cable to make a “straight-through” cable
TIA 568B on one end and 568A on the other
makes a “crossover” cable
Reverses the send/receive pairs to allow direct
connection between to devices
Can take the place of the uplink port on hubs
18. The Path to Switching
Repeaters
Extend the range of the network
Hubs
Think of them as “multi-port repeaters”
Bridges
Think of them as “filtering repeaters”
Switches
A whole other level of networking
19. Switches
The problem with hubs
They have no intelligence
Shared bandwidth
10Mbps / 10 clients = 1Mbps
Switches offer intelligence and thus more
bandwidth
20. Switches
Switches look like hubs but that’s where the
similarities end.
Hub: repeats all traffic to all ports
Switch: only sends traffic to the port connecting to
the recipient’s NIC
SAT (Source Address Table)
Directory of who is connected to what port
21. Switches
Problems with SAT and
connecting switches
Network “Loops” can
bring down the network
Spanning tree was
developed to solve this