Network Know-How

Ethernet

Ethernet was introduced in the 1970s as a method for connecting multiple computers and related equipment in the same building. Ethernet offers several advantages: It's fast, it's extremely flexible, it's relatively easy to install and use, and it's inexpensive. It has become an industry standard supported by dozens of manufacturers, so you can use different brands of equipment in the same network. Today, more than 85 percent of all local area networks (LANs), including just about every modern home and office network, use some form of Ethernet to provide the physical connection between computers through twisted-pair cables, coaxial cables, or fiber optic cables.

One of Ethernet's most important features is the method it uses to prevent ...