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Ethernet
Products
- (February - 2009)
The
standards and technology that have just been discussed help
define the specific products that network managers use to build
Ethernet networks. The following text discusses the key products
needed to build an Ethernet LAN.
Transceivers
-
(February - 2009)
Transceivers are used to connect nodes to the various Ethernet
media. Most computers and network interface cards contain a
built-in 10BASE-T or 10BASE2 transceiver, allowing them to be
connected directly to Ethernet without requiring an external
transceiver. Many Ethernet devices provide an AUI connector to
allow the user to connect to any media type via an external
transceiver.
The AUI connector consists of a 15-pin D-shell type connector,
female on the computer side, male on the transceiver side.
Thickwire (10BASE5) cables also use transceivers to allow
connections.
For
Fast Ethernet networks, a new interface called the MII (Media
Independent Interface) was developed to offer a flexible way to
support 100 Mbps connections. The MII is a popular way to
connect 100BASE-FX links to copper-based Fast Ethernet devices.
Network Type
Max Nodes Per Segment
Max Distance Per Segment
10BASE-T
10BASE2
10BASE5
10BASE-FL
2
30
100
2
100m
185m
500m
2000m
All
About Cabling
The
two most popular types of network cabling are twisted-pair (also
known as 10BaseT) and thin coax (also known as 10Base2). 10BaseT
cabling looks like ordinary telephone wire, except that it has 8
wires inside instead of 4. Thin coax looks like the copper
coaxial cabling that's often used to connect a VCR to a TV set.
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