ETHERNET NETWORK AND ALL ITS COMPONENTS:
An Ethernet network is the most commonly used technology whenever we have to set up a local area network (LAN). It is based on the IEEE 802.3 standard. It can be set up using any kind of cables but the most commonly used cables in an Ethernet network is the coaxial cable. This coaxial cable comes in various grades that differ on their speed capabilities. Another frequently used type of cable is the twisted pair that is a cheaper alternative when setting up an Ethernet network. In setting up wireless LAN’s again Ethernet is used. There are different systems like the 10BASE – T which allows a speed of up to 10Mbps. Devices connected in the Ethernet network are controlled using the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection protocol commonly referred to as CSMA/CD.
If you are looking for higher speed than 10Mbps and you can try a fast Ethernet network which uses 100BASE – T giving you a super high speed of 100 megabits per second. This higher standard is most often used for backbone of LANs. If you have even higher speed needs then you can try the 10 – Gigabit Ethernet that gives you almost 10 billion bits per second of speed. Based on your speed requirements, you can set up an Ethernet network that will be the most beneficial and keeping in mind any possibilities of expansion in the future.
ALL ABOUT AN ETHERNET NETWORK:
The device that facilitates the connection of a computer to the network is called an Ethernet network adapter. These adapters are available in different forms. The most common types are the PCI, PCMCIA and the USB adapters. There are also some wireless adapters that are mostly fitted into laptops to provide the facility of detecting any available wireless networks that your computer can connect to. There is software called a device driver that helps your windows software to communicate with both the wireless and the wired network adapters. These are very important for any Ethernet network setup.
Ethernet cards are available by the name of Ethernet network interface cards. It is a kind of Ethernet network adapter. This adapter allows you to achieve high speed over cables. There is another kind of network adapter that is virtual in nature because it has no hardware to it, only software. It basically is programmed to simulate all the functions that an actual network card would perform.
In VPN (virtual private networking) we most commonly use these virtual adapters. These network cards are often called Ethernet network controller. When you are setting up a local area network you should first check out all the components that you will need to buy. While making the purchase keep in mind that all the network interface cards should have the same capabilities as the switches, hubs or routers that you are purchasing. You can either have the entire network made wireless or the entire network made wired. Depending on your need for speed and performance you can choose a sufficiently designed Ethernet network that would best fit your needs.