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How TCP/IP and Ethernet Work

Regardless of the type of Ethernet you choose, the basic way in which data are packaged to travel over the network and the way in which devices gain access to the network media remain the same. In this chapter we will therefore look at both the packaging of the data and the way that Ethernet provides media access control.

However, before we can look at the physical layer in depth, you need to know how the upper layers of the TCP/IP protocol stack operate. This knowledge forms the basis for understanding how devices such as switches and routers determine where to send packets of information.

Network Data Transmission

The data that travel over a network can be serial or parallel. With serial data transmission, each ...

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