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IEEE STANDARDS
In 1985, the Computer Society of the IEEE started a project, called Project 802, to set standards to enable intercommunication among equipment from a variety of manufacturers. Project 802 is a way of specifying functions of the physical layer and the data link layer of major LAN protocols. Topics discussed in this section:
Data Link Layer Physical Layer
STANDARD ETHERNET
The original Ethernet was created in 1976 at Xeroxs Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Since then, it has gone through four generations. We briefly discuss the Standard (or traditional) Ethernet in this section.
Note
Frame length: Minimum: 64 bytes (512 bits) Maximum: 1518 bytes (12,144 bits)
Note
The least significant bit of the first byte defines the type of address. If the bit is 0, the address is unicast; otherwise, it is multicast.
Note
The broadcast destination address is a special case of the multicast address in which all bits are 1s.
Example
Define the type of the following destination addresses: a. 4A:30:10:21:10:1A b. 47:20:1B:2E:08:EE c. FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF Solution To find the type of the address, we need to look at the second hexadecimal digit from the left. If it is even, the address is unicast. If it is odd, the address is multicast. If all digits are Fs, the address is broadcast. Therefore, we have the following: a. This is a unicast address because A in binary is 1010. b. This is a multicast address because 7 in binary is 0111. c. This is a broadcast address because all digits are Fs.
Example
Show how the address 47:20:1B:2E:08:EE is sent out on line. Solution The address is sent left-to-right, byte by byte; for each byte, it is sent right-to-left, bit by bit, as shown below:
FAST ETHERNET
Fast Ethernet was designed to compete with LAN protocols such as FDDI or Fiber Channel. IEEE created Fast Ethernet under the name 802.3u. Fast Ethernet is backward-compatible with Standard Ethernet, but it can transmit data 10 times faster at a rate of 100 Mbps. Topics discussed in this section:
MAC Sublayer Physical Layer
GIGABIT ETHERNET
The need for an even higher data rate resulted in the design of the Gigabit Ethernet protocol (1000 Mbps). The IEEE committee calls the standard 802.3z.
Note
In the full-duplex mode of Gigabit Ethernet, there is no collision; the maximum length of the cable is determined by the signal attenuation in the cable.