Ethernet protocols refer to the family of local-area network (LAN) standards covered by IEEE 802.3. Ethernet networks can operate in either half-duplex or full-duplex mode and support data rates of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1000 Mbps, and 10 Gbps. The basic elements of an Ethernet system are the physical medium, medium access control rules, and Ethernet frames. Ethernet frames contain fields for source and destination addresses, length/type, data, and error checking.
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Ethernet
1. Ethernet: IEEE 802.3 Local Area Network (LAN) protocols
Ethernet protocols refer to the family of local-area network (LAN) covered by the
IEEE 802.3. In the Ethernet standard, there are two modes of operation: half-
duplex and full-duplex modes. In the half duplex mode, data are transmitted
using the popular Carrier-Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)
protocol on a shared medium. The main disadvantages of the half-duplex are the
efficiency and distance limitation, in which the link distance is limited by the
minimum MAC frame size. This restriction reduces the efficiency drastically for
high-rate transmission. Therefore, the carrier extension technique is used to
ensure the minimum frame size of 512 bytes in Gigabit Ethernet to achieve a
reasonable link distance.
Four data rates are currently defined for operation over optical fiber and twisted-
pair cables:
10 Mbps - 10Base-T Ethernet (IEEE 802.3)
100 Mbps - Fast Ethernet (IEEE 802.3u)
1000 Mbps - Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE 802.3z)
10-Gigabit - 10 Gbps Ethernet (IEEE 802.3ae).
In this document, we discuss the general aspects of the Ethernet. The specific
issues regarding Fast Ethernet, Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet will be discussed
in separate documents.
The Ethernet system consists of three basic elements: 1. the physical medium
used to carry Ethernet signals between computers, 2. a set of medium access
control rules embedded in each Ethernet interface that allow multiple computers
to fairly arbitrate access to the shared Ethernet channel, and 3. an Ethernet
frame that consists of a standardized set of bits used to carry data over the
system.
As with all IEEE 802 protocols, the ISO data link layer is divided into two IEEE
802 sublayers, the Media Access Control (MAC) sublayer and the MAC-client
sublayer. The IEEE 802.3 physical layer corresponds to the ISO physical layer.
The MAC sub-layer has two primary responsibilities:
Data encapsulation, including frame assembly before transmission, and
frame parsing/error detection during and after reception
Media access control, including initiation of frame transmission and
recovery from transmission failure
The MAC-client sub-layer may be one of the following:
Logical Link Control (LLC), which provides the interface between the
Ethernet MAC and the upper layers in the protocol stack of the end
station. The LLC sublayer is defined by IEEE 802.2 standards.
2. Bridge entity, which provides LAN-to-LAN interfaces between LANs that
use the same protocol (for example, Ethernet to Ethernet) and also
between different protocols (for example, Ethernet to Token Ring). Bridge
entities are defined by IEEE 802.1 standards.
Each Ethernet-equipped computer operates independently of all other stations on
the network: there is no central controller. All stations attached to an Ethernet
are connected to a shared signaling system, also called the medium. To send
data a station first listens to the channel, and when the channel is idle the
station transmits its data in the form of an Ethernet frame, or packet.
After each frame transmission, all stations on the network must contend equally
for the next frame transmission opportunity. Access to the shared channel is
determined by the medium access control (MAC) mechanism embedded in the
Ethernet interface located in each station. The medium access control
mechanism is based on a system called Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection (CSMA/CD).
As each Ethernet frame is sent onto the shared signal channel, all Ethernet
interfaces look at the destination address. If the destination address of the frame
matches with the interface address, the frame will be read entirely and be
delivered to the networking software running on that computer. All other
network interfaces will stop reading the frame when they discover that the
destination address does not match their own address.
When it comes to how signals flow over the set of media segments that make up
an Ethernet system, it helps to understand the topology of the system. The
signal topology of the Ethernet is also known as the logical topology, to
distinguish it from the actual physical layout of the media cables. The logical
topology of an Ethernet provides a single channel (or bus) that carries Ethernet
signals to all stations.
Multiple Ethernet segments can be linked together to form a larger Ethernet LAN
using a signal amplifying and retiming device called a repeater. Through the use
of repeaters, a given Ethernet system of multiple segments can grow as a "non-
rooted branching tree." 臓属Non-rooted" means that the resulting system of linked
segments may grow in any direction, and does not have a specific root segment.
Most importantly, segments must never be connected in a loop. Every segment
in the system must have two ends, since the Ethernet system will not operate
correctly in the presence of loop paths.
Even though the media segments may be physically connected in a star pattern,
with multiple segments attached to a repeater, the logical topology is still that of
a single Ethernet channel that carries signals to all stations.
3. Protocol Structure - Ethernet: IEEE 802.3 Local Area Network protocols
The basic IEEE 802.3 Ethernet MAC Data Frame for 10/100Mbps
Ethernet:
7 1 6 6 2 46-1500bytes 4
Pre SFD DA SA Length Type Data unit + pad FCS
Preamble (PRE)- 7 bytes. The PRE is an alternating pattern of ones and
zeros that tells receiving stations that a frame is coming, and that
provides a means to synchronize the frame-reception portions of receiving
physical layers with the incoming bit stream.
Start-of-frame delimiter (SFD)- 1 byte. The SOF is an alternating
pattern of ones and zeros, ending with two consecutive 1-bits indicating
that the next bit is the left-most bit in the left-most byte of the
destination address.
Destination address (DA)- 6 bytes. The DA field identifies which
station(s) should receive the frame..
Source addresses (SA)- 6 bytes. The SA field identifies the sending
station.
Length/Type- 2 bytes. This field indicates either the number of MAC-
client data bytes that are contained in the data field of the frame, or the
frame type ID if the frame is assembled using an optional format.
Data- Is a sequence of n bytes (46=< n =<1500) of any value. (The total
frame minimum is 64bytes.)
Frame check sequence (FCS)- 4 bytes. This sequence contains a 32-bit
cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value, which is created by the sending
MAC and is recalculated by the receiving MAC to check for damaged
frames.
MAC Frame with Gigabit Ethernet Carrier Extension (IEEE 803.3z)
1000Base-X has a minimum frame size of 416bytes, and 1000Base-T has a
minimum frame size of 520bytes. The Extension is a non-data variable extension
field to frames that are shorter than the minimum length.
7 1 6 6 2 Variable 4 Variable
Pre SFD DA SA Length Type Data unit + pad FCS Ext