cybersecurity: Networking Devices and Initial Configuration.

cybersecurity: Networking Devices and Initial Configuration.

                    Ethernet Switching

Ethernet is a widely used technology for local area networks (LANs) that defines the physical and data link layer standards for wired communication.

Switch operates at the Data Link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model and plays a crucial role in connecting multiple devices (like computers, printers, or servers) within a local area network (LAN).

Key Characteristics of Ethernet:

Physical Medium: Ethernet typically uses twisted pair cables (e.g., Cat5e, Cat6) or fiber-optic cables for transmission, though earlier versions used coaxial cables.

Data Link Layer (Layer 2): Ethernet operates at the Data Link layer of the OSI model, which is responsible for framing data, addressing, and error detection.

Ethernet Frames: Ethernet data is transmitted in packets called frames, which contain: Destination MAC address, Source MAC address, Payload/Data and CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) 

Speed and Standards: Ethernet has evolved over time to support varying speeds: 10 Mbps (Ethernet), 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet),1 Gbps (Gigabit Ethernet),10 Gbps, 40 Gbps, and 100 Gbps Ethernet are also available for high-performance networks, especially in data centers and enterprise environments.

Key Concepts of Ethernet Switching:

MAC Address Table (Forwarding Table): Switches use the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of devices to determine where to forward packets. 

Learning: When a switch receives a frame from a device, it "learns" the source MAC address and associates it with the port on which the frame was received.

Forwarding: After learning the MAC addresses, the switch can forward frames to the correct destination port. 

Collision Domain: A switch reduces the size of collision domains. 

Full-Duplex Communication: Ethernet switches typically allow full-duplex communication, meaning data can flow in both directions simultaneously between devices. 

Types of Ethernet Switching:

Unicast: The switch forwards the frame to a specific MAC address (one-to-one communication).

Broadcast: The switch sends the frame to all devices in the network (one-to-all communication).

Multicast: The switch forwards the frame to a specific group of devices (one-to-many communication).

Types of Ethernet:

* Standard Ethernet (10BASE-T)

* Fast Ethernet (100BASE-T)

* Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T)

* 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T)

* Fiber Optic Ethernet

Advantages of Ethernet:

* Scalability

* Cost-Effective

* Speed

* Compatibility

Ethernet switching enables efficient, high-performance communication between devices on a network.