Specifications

2-1
Chapter 2
Introduction
This chapter introduces Ethernet features and describes characteristics that distinguish Ethernet from
other Local Area Network (LAN) technologies such as Token Ring or FDDI.
Ethernet History
Ethernet was developed by Xerox Corporation’s Palo Alto Research
Center (PARC) in the mid-1970s. Ethernet was the technological basis for
the IEEE 802.3 specification, which was initially released in 1980. Shortly
thereafter, Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel Corporation, and Xerox
Corporation jointly developed and released an Ethernet specification
(Version 2.0) that is compatible with IEEE 802.3. Together, Ethernet and
IEEE 802.3 currently maintain the greatest market share of any Local Area
Network (LAN) protocol. Today, the term Ethernet is often used to refer to
all Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) LANs
that generally conform to Ethernet specifications, including IEEE 802.3.
At the time of its creation, Ethernet was designed to fill the middle ground
between long-distance, low-speed networks carrying data at high speeds
for very limited distances. Today, Ethernet is well-suited to applications
where a local communication medium must carry sporadic, occasionally
heavy traffic at high peak data rates.