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Module 1: Physical Layer & Data Communication

20207m

Explain the different types of Ethernet.

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Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) has evolved through several generations, each increasing speed while largely keeping the same frame format:

Type Standard Speed Typical Medium
Standard Ethernet 10BASE5, 10BASE2, 10BASE-T 10 Mbps Coax (bus) or UTP (star, via hub)
Fast Ethernet 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-FX 100 Mbps Cat 5 UTP or fiber
Gigabit Ethernet 1000BASE-T, 1000BASE-SX/LX 1 Gbps Cat 5e/6 UTP or fiber
10-Gigabit Ethernet 10GBASE-T, 10GBASE-SR/LR 10 Gbps Cat 6a UTP or fiber
Switched Ethernet — Varies Uses switches instead of hubs; each port is its own collision domain, enabling full-duplex, collision-free operation

Key distinctions:

  • Standard/legacy Ethernet used a shared bus/hub and CSMA/CD for collision handling.
  • Fast and Gigabit Ethernet kept backward-compatible frame formats but increased clock rates and improved encoding schemes to push more bits/sec over the same or better cabling.
  • Switched Ethernet replaced the shared-medium model with point-to-point, full-duplex links to a switch, eliminating collisions altogether and letting all the newer speed standards run without CSMA/CD overhead.

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