Discuss the Ethernet and its two types in detail with a diagram. Classic Ethernet Physical Layer, Classic Ethernet MAC Sublayer Protocol, CSMA/CD with Binary Exponential Backoff, Switched Ethernet

Ethernet is a widely used networking technology that is used for connecting devices in a local area network (LAN). It was first developed by Xerox Corporation in the 1970s and has since become a standard technology used for LANs worldwide. Ethernet uses a bus topology, where all devices share the same communication medium.

There are two main types of Ethernet: Classic Ethernet and Switched Ethernet.

Classic Ethernet:

The Classic Ethernet is the original Ethernet technology that was developed in the 1970s. It is also known as the "thicknet" or "thinnet" Ethernet. The Classic Ethernet uses coaxial cables as the communication medium. In the Classic Ethernet, data is transmitted using baseband signaling.

The Classic Ethernet has two main layers: the Physical layer and the MAC sublayer protocol.

1. Classic Ethernet Physical Layer:

The Classic Ethernet Physical Layer is responsible for transmitting data over the communication medium. It uses coaxial cables as the communication medium. There are two types of coaxial cables used in Classic Ethernet: Thicknet and Thinnet.

a) Thicknet:

Thicknet is a thick coaxial cable that is 0.4 inches in diameter. It is also known as 10Base5 because it supports a maximum data rate of 10 Mbps and can transmit data up to a distance of 500 meters. Thicknet uses a transceiver to transmit and receive data.

b) Thinnet:

Thinnet is a thin coaxial cable that is 0.2 inches in diameter. It is also known as 10Base2 because it supports a maximum data rate of 10 Mbps and can transmit data up to a distance of 185 meters. Thinnet uses a BNC connector to connect devices to the network.

2. Classic Ethernet MAC Sublayer Protocol:

The Classic Ethernet MAC (Media Access Control) Sublayer Protocol is responsible for controlling access to the communication medium. It uses the CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) protocol to avoid collisions between data frames.

a) CSMA/CD with Binary Exponential Backoff:

CSMA/CD is a protocol used by Classic Ethernet to avoid collisions between data frames. It works by sensing the communication medium to check if it is free before transmitting data. If the medium is busy, the device waits for a random amount of time before trying again. If a collision occurs, the devices involved in the collision wait for a random amount of time before retransmitting data. The amount of time the device waits before retransmitting data increases exponentially with each collision, which is known as Binary Exponential Backoff.

Switched Ethernet:

The Switched Ethernet is a newer Ethernet technology that was developed in the 1990s. It uses switches instead of hubs to connect devices to the network. In the Switched Ethernet, data is transmitted using broadband signaling.

The Switched Ethernet has two main layers: the Physical Layer and the MAC Sublayer Protocol.

1. Switched Ethernet Physical Layer:

The Switched Ethernet Physical Layer is responsible for transmitting data over the communication medium. It uses twisted-pair cables or fiber optic cables as the communication medium. The most common type of twisted-pair cable used in Switched Ethernet is the 100Base-TX, which supports a maximum data rate of 100 Mbps and can transmit data up to a distance of 100 meters.

2. Switched Ethernet MAC Sublayer Protocol:

The Switched Ethernet MAC Sublayer Protocol is responsible for controlling access to the communication medium. It uses the same CSMA/CD protocol as Classic Ethernet but is rarely used since collisions are avoided by using switches instead of hubs.

Diagram:

Here is a diagram showing the differences between Classic Ethernet and Switched Ethernet:

                       Classic Ethernet                         Switched Ethernet
Communication Medium   Coaxial cables                           Twisted-pair or fiber optic cables
Data Transmission      Baseband signaling                       Broadband signaling
Maximum Data Rate      10 Mbps                                  100 Mbps or higher
Distance                Up to 500 meters (Thicknet)              Up to 100 meters (100Base-TX)
Access Control         CSMA/CD with Binary Exponential Backoff  CSMA/CD or Switches

In conclusion, Ethernet is a widely used networking technology that is used for connecting devices in a local area network (LAN). There are two main types of Ethernet: Classic Ethernet and Switched Ethernet. Classic Ethernet uses coaxial cables as the communication medium and has a maximum data rate of 10 Mbps while Switched Ethernet uses twisted-pair or fiber optic cables and has a maximum data rate of 100 Mbps or higher. Both Classic Ethernet and Switched Ethernet use the CSMA/CD protocol to avoid collisions between data frames.