Key Concepts - 3Com corebuilder 3500 Implementation Manual

74 C 5: E
HAPTER THERNET

Key Concepts

These concepts are important to implementing Ethernet:
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
(CSMA/CD) — The standardized Ethernet protocol that controls
device access to the network
Collision — When two or more stations attempt to transmit
simultaneously
Port mode — An Ethernet port's speed and duplex mode
Port speed — 10 Mbps (Ethernet), 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet),
1000 Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet)
Port state — Whether a port is enabled and connected to a cable
(on-line) or disabled (off-line)
Duplex mode — Whether a port supports one-way (half-duplex) or
two-way (full-duplex) transmissions
Autonegotiation — A feature that allows some ports to identify and
negotiate speed and duplex mode with a receiving device
Flow control — A Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet port mode that
pauses and resumes transmissions
Packet — The basic unit of communications in Ethernet networks.
While packets can vary in size, they have a consistent format.
Trunking — A technology that combines multiple Fast Ethernet or
Gigabit Ethernet ports into a single high-speed channel, thereby
increasing bandwidth between switches and between servers and
switches
Trunk Control Message Protocol (TCMP) — A protocol that detects
and handles physical configuration errors in a point-to-point
configuration, thereby increasing availability of trunked links
Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) — A Gigabit Ethernet port
media type that allows you to hot-swap one media connector without
affecting the other connectors