Ethernet Standards and Protocols Explained

Ethernet standards refer to specifications defined by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) that outline how Ethernet networks function. These standards dictate the properties, functions, and implementations of various media types used for data transmission over networks.

There are various types of media. A media type can provide different transmission speeds on different types of implementations. An Ethernet standard describes a specific media type's properties, functions, and implementation.

Ethernet Terminology

An Ethernet standard includes transmission speed, type of transmission, and length or type of cabling. For example, the term '100BaseT' describes the following: -

100: - This indicates that this media's standard data transmission speed is 100 Mbps.
Base: - This indicates that this media uses a baseband technology for transmission.
T: - This indicates that this media uses twisted-pair cabling.

Key points

• The name of an Ethernet standard consists of three parts. The first part contains a number, the second includes a word (mostly Base), and the third contains a number or letters.
• The first part specifies the data transmission speed of the media.
• The second part indicates the media's technology or method to transmit data. The word 'Base' signifies a type of network that uses only one carrier frequency for signalling and requires all network stations to share its use.
• The third part specifies the length or type of cable that the media uses in implementation. For example, if the standard contains a letter T in this part, the standard uses twisted-pair cabling. Or if a standard includes a number 5 in this part, it can span 500 meters long.

10Base2

This standard is also known as ThinNet. It uses coaxial cabling. It provides a speed of 10 Mbps. It supports a maximum length of 200 meters. This standard is outdated and no longer used in modern networks.

10Base5

This standard is also known as ThickNet. It also uses coaxial cabling and provides a speed of 10 Mbps. It supports a maximum length of 500 meters. This standard is also outdated and no longer used in modern networks.

10BaseT

10BaseT is one of the most common Ethernet standards used in Ethernet networks. It uses UTP (Cat3 or higher) cables and Hubs. Hubs use a physical star topology and a logical bus topology. Hubs repeat and forward signals to all nodes. Because of Hubs, the 10BaseT networks are slow and susceptible to collisions.

This standard also specifies a rule about how many Hubs you can use in a network. This rule says you can place a maximum of four hubs between communicating workstations. This rule ensures that all stations on the network can detect a collision. Due to the slow data transmission speed and collision, modern networks do not use the 10BaseT standard.

10BaseF

10BaseF is an implementation of 10BaseT over fibre optic cabling. It offers only 10 Mbps speed, even though the fibre optic media has the capacity for much faster data rates. Due to the slow data transmission speed and expensive cabling, it is also not used in modern networks.

100BaseT4

It is the upgraded version of 10BaseT over Cat3 cables. It provides a speed of 100 Mbps. It uses four pairs of twisted wires. It works in half-duplex mode.

100BaseTX

100BaseTX is also known as Fast Ethernet. It transmits data at a speed of 100 Mbps. Fast Ethernet works nearly identically to 10BaseT, including that it has a physical star topology using a logical bus. 100BaseTX requires Cat5 or higher UTP cabling. It uses two of the four-wire pairs: one to transmit data and the other to receive data.

100BaseFX

100BaseFX is known as Fast Ethernet over fibre. 100BaseFX runs over multimode fibre cables. Multimode fibre optic cables use an LED to transmit data and are thick enough that the light signals bounce off the walls of the fibre. The dispersion of the signal limits the length of the multimode fibre.

1000BaseT

1000BaseT is also known as Gigabit Ethernet. It uses Cat5 or higher grade UTP cable. It uses all four pairs of the cable. It uses a physical star topology with a logical bus. There is also 1000BaseF, which runs over multimode fibre optic cabling. It supports both the full-duplex and half-duplex modes of data transmission.

10GBaseT

This standard is also known as 10 Gigabit Ethernet. It uses Cat6 or higher grade UTP cable. It uses all four pairs of the UTP cable. It provides 10 Gbps speed. It operates only in full-duplex mode.

Due to its high cost, administrators mainly use it in the backbone of a network.

Ethernet standards

Conclusion

This tutorial described the most common Ethernet standards and their properties. Understanding these standards is essential for network design and implementation, ensuring systems can communicate efficiently and effectively.