1.4 Elements of the Ethernet System

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.

The following chapters describe the configuration rules for the first element, the physical media segments. Next we'll take a quick look at the second and third elements; the set of medium access control rules in Ethernet, and the Ethernet frame.

Quick Reference Guide to the Ethernet System - 04 SEP 95

[Next] [Previous] [Top] [Copyright] [Books About Ethernet]

Generated with CERN WebMaker