Ethernet has been the flavor of choice for networking administrators since the early 1980s. Written by one of the foremost experts on Ethernet standards and configuration, Ethernet: The Definitive Guide has all the information you need to set up and maintain a scalable local area network (LAN) using Ethernet. The book includes an introduction to Ethernet and sections on media systems, how to build your Ethernet system, performance analysis, and troubleshooting.

Preface p. xi
Introduction to Ethernet p. 1
The Evolution of Ethernet p. 3
History of Ethernet p. 3
The Latest Ethernet Standard p. 8
Organization of IEEE Standards p. 10
Levels of Compliance p. 13
IEEE Identifiers p. 15
Reinventing Ethernet p. 19
Multi-Gigabit Ethernet p. 22
The Ethernet System p. 23
Four Basic Elements of Ethernet p. 24
Ethernet Hardware p. 29
Network Protocols and Ethernet p. 34
The Media Access Control Protocol p. 39
The Ethernet Frame p. 40
Media Access Control Rules p. 47
Essential Media System Timing p. 50
Collision Detection and Backoff p. 53
Gigabit Ethernet Half-Duplex Operation p. 60
Collision Domain p. 65
Ethernet Channel Capture p. 67
High-level Protocols and the Ethernet Frame p. 70
Full-Duplex Ethernet p. 76
Operation of Full-Duplex p. 77
Ethernet Flow Control p. 82
Auto-Negotiation p. 85
Development of Auto-Negotiation p. 85
Basic Concepts of Auto-Negotiation p. 86
Auto-Negotiation Signaling p. 87
Auto-Negotiation Operation p. 90
Parallel Detection p. 94
Management Interface p. 96
1000BASE-X Auto-Negotiation p. 96
Ethernet Media Systems p. 99
Ethernet Media Fundamentals p. 101
Attachment Unit Interface p. 102
Medium-Independent Interface p. 108
Gigabit Medium-Independent Interface p. 114
Ethernet Signal Encoding p. 117
Ethernet Network Interface Card p. 122
Twisted-Pair Media System (10BASE-T) p. 125
10BASE-T Signaling Components p. 125
10BASE-T Media Components p. 128
10BASE-T Configuration Guidelines p. 132
Fiber Optic Media System (10BASE-F) p. 134
Old and New Fiber Link Segments p. 134
10BASE-FL Signaling Components p. 136
10BASE-FL Media Components p. 137
Connecting a Station to 10BASE-FL Ethernet p. 139
10BASE-FL Configuration Guidelines p. 140
Fast Ethernet Twisted-Pair Media System (100BASE-TX) p. 142
100BASE-TX Signaling Components p. 142
100BASE-TX Media Components p. 145
Connecting a Station to 100BASE-TX Ethernet p. 146
100BASE-TX Configuration Guidelines p. 147
Fast Ethernet Fiber Optic Media System (100BASE-FX) p. 149
100BASE-FX Signaling Components p. 149
100BASE-FX Media Components p. 152
Connecting a Station to 100BASE-FX Ethernet p. 153
100BASE-FX Configuration Guidelines p. 154
Gigabit Ethernet Twisted-Pair Media System (1000BASE-T) p. 156
1000BASE-T Signaling Components p. 157
1000BASE-T Signal Encoding p. 158
1000BASE-T Media Components p. 160
Connecting a Station to 1000BASE-T Ethernet p. 162
1000BASE-T Configuration Guidelines p. 163
Gigabit Ethernet Fiber Optic Media System (1000BASE-X) p. 164
1000BASE-X Signaling Components p. 165
1000BASE-X Signal Encoding p. 166
1000BASE-X Media Components p. 167
1000BASE-SX and 1000BASE-LX Media Components p. 168
1000BASE-CX Media Components p. 169
1000BASE-SX and 1000BASE-LX Configuration Guidelines p. 171
Multi-Segment Configuration Guidelines p. 173
Scope of the Configuration Guidelines p. 174
Network Documentation p. 174
Collision Domain p. 174
Model 1 Configuration Guidelines for 10 Mbps p. 176
Model 2 Configuration Guidelines for 10 Mbps p. 177
Model 1 Configuration Guidelines for Fast Ethernet p. 184
Model 2 Configuration Guidelines for Fast Ethernet p. 186
Model 1 Configuration Guidelines for Gigabit Ethernet p. 190
Model 2 Configuration Guidelines for Gigabit Ethernet p. 191
Sample Network Configurations p. 193
Building Your Ethernet System p. 203
Structured Cabling p. 205
Structured Cabling Systems p. 206
TIA/EIA Cabling Standards p. 207
Twisted-Pair Categories p. 211
Ethernet and the Category System p. 213
Horizontal Cabling p. 214
New Twisted-Pair Standards p. 217
Identifying the Cable p. 219
Documenting the Cable System p. 221
Building the Cabling System p. 222
Twisted-Pair Cables and Connectors p. 224
Category 5 Horizontal Cable Segment p. 224
Eight-Position (RJ-45-Style) Jack p. 230
Four-Pair Wiring Schemes p. 230
Modular Patch Panel p. 234
Work Area Outlet p. 235
Twisted-Pair Patch Cables p. 236
Building a Twisted-Pair Patch Cable p. 239
Ethernet Signal Crossover p. 244
Twisted-Pair Ethernet and Telephone Signals p. 248
Fiber Optic Cables and Connectors p. 249
Fiber Optic Cable p. 249
10BASE-FL Fiber Optic Characteristics p. 256
100BASE-FX Fiber Optic Characteristics p. 257
1000BASE-X Fiber Optic Characteristics p. 258
Ethernet Repeater Hubs p. 264
Collision Domain p. 265
Basic Repeater Operation p. 266
Repeater Buying Guide p. 269
10 Mbps Repeaters p. 276
100 Mbps Repeaters p. 281
1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Repeater p. 285
Repeater Management p. 286
Repeater Port Statistics p. 289
Ethernet Switching Hubs p. 298
Brief Tutorial on Ethernet Bridging p. 299
Advantages of Switching Hubs p. 306
Switching Hub Performance Issues p. 311
Advanced Features of Switching Hubs p. 314
Network Design Issues with Switches p. 320
Performance and Troubleshooting p. 325
Ethernet Performance p. 327
Performance of an Ethernet Channel p. 328
Measuring Ethernet Performance p. 334
Network Performance and the User p. 338
Network Design for Best Performance p. 342
Troubleshooting p. 346
Reliable Network Design p. 347
Network Documentation p. 348
The Troubleshooting Model p. 350
Fault Detection p. 352
Fault Isolation p. 354
Troubleshooting Twisted-Pair Systems p. 357
Troubleshooting Fiber Optic Systems p. 361
Data Link Troubleshooting p. 364
Network Layer Troubleshooting p. 368
Appendixes p. 371
Resources p. 373
Thick and Thin Coaxial Media Systems p. 383
AUI Equipment: Installation and Configuration p. 430
Glossary p. 441
Index p. 459