Ethernet[What Is Ethernet]

Ethernet:

Ethernet Connection Cable

Ethernet is a LAN technology with which we can connect many computers together and transfer data between them. To build ethernet connection we use mainly 3types of ethernet cables which are:

1. Coaxial Cable

2. Twisted Pair Cable

3. Optic Fibre Cable

Coaxial Cable:

It is a signal wire. It made with an insulator, metallic shield and plastic. In this cable, insulator controls the signal of our data. Metallic shield controlled electromagnetic interference. And plastic prevents the wire from water and other external strikes.

Twisted Pair Cable:

This cable basically made with 2 or 4 copper wire. To prevent cross talk it patches each other.

Fibre Optic Cable:

Fibre optic cable is totally different from coaxial cable and twisted pair cable. Mainly it transfers data through light. Therefore it's speed is higher than coaxial and twisted pair cable.

In 1970 ethernet was first developed by engineers at Xerox Parc(a Xerox company) in California. After that Ethernet replaced with large LAN technologies such as ARCNET, FDDI and Token ring. When we talk about this kind of large LAN technology. Let's know a little bit of these.

The Token ring is a communication protocol for local area network. There is a three-byte frame which is called as "token" which moves around a "ring". ARCNET is known as Attached Resource Computer Network. It is also a communication protocol like Token ring. And FDDI which is known as Fibre Distributed Data Interface is a data transmission network connection. First, it was built with optical fibre but later with copper cable. That is why it is also called as Copper Distributed Data Interface. The ethernet is divide by many short pieces which is known as frames. These frames are the main part of the ethernet. Basically, it checks the error and checks the destination addresses. Here a new concept comes, which is the MAC address. The Media Access Control(MAC) address also checks the data packet along with the error.                                                                                                                                             

 If two devices try to transfer data between them at the same time then data packets face problem to connect with its destiny. To solve this kind of problem, the IEEE(Institute Of Electrical And Electronics Engineers) developed the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection(CSMA/CD) protocol, which allows devices to check that kind of data transferring problem. So, we can say that Ethernet is a standard type of protocol used to connect devices.

How Ethernet Works:

Think with an example that, you have a router. And you have connected all your smart devices together like computer, printer and others. Now when you give a command to your printer to print something then the data command goes into the router and then router send this message to the printer. In the past 30 years, ago there was a fixed coaxial cable which connects this all devices with a single cable. That time if a computer wants to send any data then it had to shout in the network to stop other devices.When other devices stopped then the process starts. If those two devices send that at the same time, then the communication starts with them. But there was a problem with this method. Because if more than two devices send data at the same time, then the ethernet cannot work. To solve this problem MAC or Media Access Control Address concept comes. Every network device has a unique number which is MAC. With this MAC address, every network devices got a globally unique name. Thus the problem solved. Now when we send any data the MAC address goes into the router and then the router sends its prefixed MAC address to another device. Thus the Ethernet works.