Hardware Addressing and Frame Type Identification

the need for addressing addressing in hardware

static, dynamic and configurable addressing broadcast addresses, multicast addresses and promiscuous mode

The need for addressing

A LAN provides a physical path from one computer to all others Most communication is from one computer to one other
addressing allows the source to identify the destination hardware addressing prevents unnecessary messages being seen by a computer

frame type and frame format Ethernet frame format

Specifying a recipient
Each station is assigned a unique numerical address on the network called its hardware address or physical address Each frame transmitted across the network typically includes a destination address field and a source address field
the network hardware in each station decodes each frame and uses the destination address to determine whether to accept it including the source address field makes it easy to generate a reply

LAN hardware and filtering

LAN hardware is typically completely separate from the computers CPU and memory

Speeds of LANs and Computers

Each network technology specifies a rate at which data must be sent
Speed does not depend on CPU rates of the attached computers

Network Interface Hardware

Network Adapter Card or Network Interface Card (NIC)
handles details of transmission independently of the CPU specific to a particular technology sometimes the NIC may need to connect to other hardware in order to connect to the network

Difference between processor and network speeds The CPU does not handle the transmission and reception of individual bits

Location of an NIC inside a typical computer

Back of computer with a NIC installed in one of the sockets

Static, dynamic and configurable hardware addresses

Static - the manufacturer assigns the hardware address which never changes Dynamic - assign the address whenever the station boots up Configurable - the customer sets the address (usually on installation)

Pros and cons

Static - easier for customer, addresses never change and computers can easily move network Dynamic - easier for vendor, addresses can be smaller, but conflicts can arise Configurable - allows permanent and smaller addresses

Broadcasting
Some applications require that a sender transmits a frame to all stations on the network Use a special reserved broadcast address All stations configured to accept packets for their own address and the broadcast address

Multicasting
Restricted form of broadcasting
Broadcast capability without wasting CPU resources on all computers E.g. allows some computers to participate in an audio transmission

Extends the addressing scheme by reserving some addresses for multicast Extends the network interface to accept an additional set of addresses

Promiscuous mode
Network hardware can often be programmed to accept all packets promiscuous mode Useful for network analysers (sniffers) Security implications

Identifying packet contents

Computer may need to know what type a packet is in order to process it Explicit frame type - network hardware designers specify how type information is included in the frame and may define types Implicit frame type - the sending and receiving computers must agree how to specify types in software

Implicit frame types

Either all computers agree to use a single standard format for data or they negotiate their own type fields (but these are not seen by the network hardware) IEEE standard to define frame types in software
first component identifies a standards organisation second component is defined by that organisation

Frame format
Frames typically include a frame header and a frame data area
header has a fixed size data area varies between a minimum and maximum

Example - Ethernet frame format

Ethernet uses a 48 bit static addressing scheme and a 16 bit frame type Ethernet standards define standard frame types

Examples of Frame Types used with Ethernet

Summary
The need for addressing Addressing in hardware
network interface cards static, dynamic and configurable addressing broadcast addresses, multicast addresses and promiscuous mode

Frame type and frame format Ethernet frame format