Module 6

Ethernet
Fundamentals

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 Why is Ethernet so Successful?
• In 1973, it could carry data at 3 Mbps
• Now, it can carry data at 10 Gbps
• It is also:
– Simple & has low maintenance
– Can incorporate new technologies
– Is reliable
– Installation and upgrade is relatively inexpensive
• Bandwidth can be increased without changing the underlying
technology (scalable)
• Still uses 802.3 standard
• Uses multiple user access on a shared medium (first developed
by the University of Hawaii and called “Alohanet”

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 What’s in a Name?
Ethernet naming rules:

10 Base T
Transmission Rate Copper unshielded
twisted pair

Baseband signaling
Uses the entire bandwidth of the transmission medium
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 Layer 1 & Layer 2

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 Ethernet Standards

Specifies maximum segment length

Specifies maximum number of stations per

segment

Specifies maximum number of repeaters between

segments

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 Standard Maximum Cable Length in
Meters

10Base5 500

10Base2 185

10BaseT 100

100Base-TX 100

100Base-FX 400

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 The MAC Address
• 48 bits in length
• 12 hexadecimal digits
• Burned into ROM on the NIC

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 Layer 2 Framing
• Generic frames would have:
– Start Frame field
– Address field
– Length/type field
– Data field
– Frame Check sequence field

• All frames have:

– Something to indicate the beginning of a frame (a
beginning sequence of bytes)
– A source and destination MAC address in the
address field
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 Frame Structure
(All speeds of Ethernet have almost the same frame structure)

Or DIX
versions

If Type field is
> 0x600 – Ethernet II

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 Timing
info Data bytes added
finished, to the rest of the
frame
now
Frame Fields frame must not
exceed 1518 bytes
begins

Timing
synchron
ization
for
slower
Ethernet

Checks
MAC – < 0x600, then value is for
unicast, length – LLC provides damaged
multicast, MAC – protocol frames
broadcast from the > 0x600, then type and
source contents of the Data field
are decoded per the
protocol indicated.
 Media Access Control

• 2 categories
– Deterministic (taking turns)
• Ex. Token Ring & FDDI
• CSMA/CA
• No collisions
– Non-deterministic (first-come, first-served)
• Ex. Ethernet
• CSMA/CD
• Collisions because of shared media

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 Collision detection

CSMA/CD functions:

1.Transmits and receives data packets

2. Decodes data packets for valid
addresses before passing to upper OSI
layers
3. Detects errors in packets or in the
network

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 Collision detection flowchart
A network device knows
a collision has taken
place because the
amplitude of the signal
on the media increases.

After a collision,
each node again
has an equal
chance to transmit
– no priority given.

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 Ethernet Timing
• There is a natural delay in the forwarding of frames
• If a station does not detect any transmission on the media, it will
begin its transmission – but there is always a delay simply
because it takes some time for the signal to travel
• Not a problem with full duplex as there are different receiving
and sending channels
• The time it takes to transmit the frame must be long enough that
the transmitting station will not finish transmitting before
detecting any collision that might possibly occur to its frame.
• This duration is called a slot time and depends on the minimum
frame size, the link bandwidth, and the link length.
• If the station detects a collision, then the station continues
transmitting until the total time of its transmission is at least one
slot time (to ensure that all other transmitting stations detect the
collision).
• http://www.wildpackets.com/compendium/EN/EN-Ifgap.html

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 Interframe Spacing
• The minimum interval, in bit-times, that a station has to wait
before sending another frame
• Allows slower stations to process the frame and “get ready” for
the next frame

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 Sending the Frame

• If the MAC layer cannot send a frame in

16 attempts, it might be because of:
– A physical problem on the network
– Very heavy traffic loads

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 Collisions and Errors

• Collisions will happen

• Most happen early in the transmission,
• Higher layers do not know about the collision
when it happens before the start of frame
delimiter
• If many “runts” are present, then that would
indicate many collisions on the network and
throughput would be reduced.

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 3 types of collisions
Detected late in the
Less than 64 bytes, transmission – NIC
CRC is garbled (will does not know
Same as local,
be on the local about – upper layer
except filtered over
segment) protocols have to
from another
segment (the other handle
side of the repeater)

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 Module 6
Ethernet
Fundamentals

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