Ethernet

Ethernet Generations
• Original Ethernet:
– Coaxial cable (10Base5)
– Thicknet.

• Next Generation:
– Thin coax cable (10Base2)
– Thinnet.

• Modern Ethernet:
– Twisted pair ethernet
(10BaseT)
– Uses hub: physical star but
logical bus.
 Ethernet Components

• NIC – Network Interface Card

– Integrated Tx/Rx – direct interface to medium.
• MAU – Media Attachment Unit
– Attaches network interface to the medium (integrated into NIC).
• AUI – Attachment Unit Interface
– Decouple physical layer -reuse MAC design with different media.
• MII – Media Independent Interface
– Like AUI for gigabit / faster ethernets.
 MAC protocols
Three broad classes:
• Channel partitioning
– Divide channel into smaller “pieces” (time slots,
frequency)
– Allocate piece to node for exclusive use
• Random access
– Allow collisions
– “Recover” from collisions
• “Taking turns”
– Tightly coordinate shared access to avoid collisions
• Examples of random access MAC protocols:
– Slotted ALOHA
– ALOHA
– CSMA and CSMA/CD
 Ethernet MAC (CSMA/CD)
• Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection

Packet?
No

Sense Send Detect

Carrier Collision

Yes
Discard
Packet Jam channel
attempts < 16 b=CalcBackoff();
wait(b);
attempts++;
attempts == 16

Lecture 5: 9-11-01 6
 Ethernet’s CSMA/CD (more)
Jam Signal: make sure all other transmitters are aware of
collision; 48 bits;
Exponential Backoff:
• If deterministic delay after collision, collision will occur
again in lockstep
• If random delay with fixed mean
– Few senders  needless waiting
– Too many senders  too many collisions
• Goal: adapt retransmission attempts to estimated
current load
– heavy load: random wait will be longer

Lecture 5: 9-11-01 7
• Back Off Mode: A waiting mode in Ethernet topology where
computer devices wait a specific amount of time before attempting
to retransmit data after they have detected a collision.
• Bandwidth: The amount of data a transmission medium can carry.
• Baseband: A data transmission method in which the entire
bandwidth of the cable is used to transmit a single signal. Only one
signal can be transmitted at a time.
• Broadband: A data transmission method in which cable capacity is
divided into multiple independent bandwidth channels. This allows
several data transmissions to occur simultaneously over the cable.
• Bus: A bus is a common pathway (usually copper wire or fiber-Optic
cable) between multiple devices such as computers. A bus is often
used as a backbone between devices.
 Advantages of ethernet
• Inexpensive
• Easy to install, maintain, troubleshoot and expand
• A widely accepted industry standard, which
means compatibility and equipment access are
less of an issue
• Structured to allow compatibility with network
operating systems (NOS)
• Very reliable
• Carrier Sense: The ability to detect or sense the presence of other
data transmissions on a network. In Ethernet technology, this ability
helps avoid or prevent collisions.
• Collision Detection: The ability to detect whether any other devices
are trying to access the network simultaneously.
• Collision Domain: All devices on the same Carrier Sense Multiple
Access/Collision Detection wire segment are considered one
collision domain. A collision in one domain does not affect any
other domain on the network.
• Contention Based: In Ethernet topology, a computer device must
wait for a turn to use the network. Computer devices must contend
with other devices for network access. This means that all devices
have an equal opportunity to send signals. No device has priority.
Network Operating System (NOS): Software that
allows computer devices to interconnect in
order to transmit data across media.
Passive Hub: A central connecting device in a
network that joins wires from several stations,
but does not provide signal processing or
regeneration
Ethernet: A LAN topology based on Carrier Sense
Multiple Access/Collision Detection
(CSMA/CD).
• Medium - the cable or wireless connection that the devices on the network
connect to: coaxial copper cable, a twisted pair (like CAT5) or fiber optic
cabling.

• Segment - a network rarely has a single main wire that computers connect to.
Each "branch" of the network is a segment.

• Node - devices that attach to the medium are called stations or nodes (e.g.
computers, printers)

• Frames - short messages made up of variably sized chunks of information

that travel across the network Frames must be constructed following strict
rules so the receiver of the frame can understand its contents. These rules
describe: minimum and maximum lengths for frames, what required pieces
of information must appear in the frame (e.g. a destination address to say
where the message should go, and a source address saying which node sent
it).

• Multiple Access: When one Ethernet station transmits, all the stations on the
medium hear the transmission
 Network Operating Systems on Ethernet

• Ethernet will work with most popular network operating systems

including: Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows
2000.
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server.
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server.
• Microsoft LAN Manager.
• Microsoft Windows for Workgroups.
• Novell NetWare.
• IBM LAN Server.
• AppleShare.
• UNIX.