Online Researching: ETHERNET TECHNOLOGY

Brief History
The original Ethernet was developed as an experimental coaxial cable network in the 1970s by
Xerox Corporation to operate with a data rate of 3 Mbps using a carrier sense multiple access
collision detect (CSMA/CD) protocol for LANs with sporadic but occasionally heavy traffic
requirements. Success with that project attracted early attention and led to the 1980 joint
development of the 10-Mbps Ethernet Version 1.0 specification by the three-company
consortium: Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel Corporation, and Xerox Corporation.
The original IEEE 802.3 standard was based on, and was very similar to, the Ethernet Version
1.0 specification. The draft standard was approved by the 802.3 working group in 1983 and was
subsequently published as an official standard in 1985 (ANSI/IEEE Std. 802.3-1985). Since then,
a number of supplements to the standard have been defined to take advantage of improvements
in the technologies and to support additional network media and higher data rate capabilities,
plus several new optional network access control features.
Throughout the rest of this chapter, the terms Ethernet and 802.3 will refer exclusively to
network implementations compatible with the IEEE 802.3 standard.
Purpose
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Connects the computer to an internet source by means of modern cable

Makes data transfer possible (speed may vary)
Allows transition of files and data to other units and locations

Influence in Computer networking

Computer networking progressed from a capability of uploading and downloading files on a
metropolitan scale into a capability of file sharing and communicating on a global scale due to
the several uses of the Ethernet. In other words, as Ethernet technology develops, computer
networking will develop as well in terms of their purposes and abilities.
Evolution of Technology
Ethernet evolved to include higher bandwidth, improved media access control methods, and
different physical media. The coaxial cable was replaced with point-to-point links connected by
Ethernet repeaters or switches to reduce installation costs, increase reliability, and improve
management and troubleshooting. Many variants of Ethernet remain in common use.
Ethernet stations communicate by sending each other data packets: blocks of data individually
sent and delivered. As with other IEEE 802 LANs, each Ethernet station is given a 48-bit MAC

address. The MAC addresses are used to specify both the destination and the source of each data
packet. Ethernet establishes link level connections, which can be defined using both the
destination and source addresses. On reception of a transmission, the receiver uses the
destination address to determine whether the transmission is relevant to the station or should be
ignored. Network interfaces normally do not accept packets addressed to other Ethernet stations.
Adapters come programmed with a globally unique address. An Ethertype field in each frame is
used by the operating system on the receiving station to select the appropriate protocol module
(i.e. the Internet protocol module). Ethernet frames are said to be self-identifying, because of the
frame type. Self-identifying frames make it possible to intermix multiple protocols on the same
physical network and allow a single computer to use multiple protocols together. Despite the
evolution of Ethernet technology, all generations of Ethernet (excluding early experimental
versions) use the same frame formats (and hence the same interface for higher layers), and can
be readily interconnected through bridging.
Due to the ubiquity of Ethernet, the ever-decreasing cost of the hardware needed to support it,
and the reduced panel space needed by twisted pair Ethernet, most manufacturers now build
Ethernet interfaces directly into PC motherboards, eliminating the need for installation of a
separate network card.