Ethernet

2 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ethernet
       n : a type of networking technology for local area networks;
           coaxial cable carries radio frequency signals between
           computers at a rate of 10 megabits per second

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:



  Ethernet
       
           A {local area network} first described by
          Metcalfe & Boggs of {Xerox PARC} in 1976.  Specified by {DEC},
          {Intel} and {XEROX} (DIX) as {IEEE 802.3} and now recognised
          as the industry standard.
       
          Data is broken into {packets} and each one is transmitted
          using the {CSMA/CD} {algorithm} until it arrives at the
          destination without colliding with any other packet.  The
          first {contention slot} after a transmission is reserved for
          an {acknowledge} packet.  A {node} is either transmitting or
          receiving at any instant.  The {bandwidth} is about 10 Mbit/s.
          Disk-Ethernet-Disk transfer rate with {TCP/IP} is typically 30
          kilobyte per second.
       
          Version 2 specifies that {collision} detect of the transceiver
          must be activated during the {inter-packet gap} and that when
          transmission finishes, the differential transmit lines are
          driven to 0V (half step).  It also specifies some {network
          management} functions such as reporting {collisions}, retries
          and {deferrals}.
       
          Ethernet cables are classified as "XbaseY", e.g. 10base5,
          where X is the data rate in {Mbps}, "base" means "{baseband}"
          (as opposed to {radio frequency}) and Y is the category of
          cabling.  The original cable was {10base5} ("full spec"),
          others are {10base2} ("thinnet") and {10baseT} ("twisted
          pair") which is now (1998) very common.  {100baseT} ("{Fast
          Ethernet}") is also increasingly common.
       
          {Usenet} newsgroup: {news:comp.dcom.lans.ethernet}.
       
          {(http://wwwhost.ots.utexas.edu/ethernet/ethernet-home.html)}.
       
          (1997-04-16)