1. Introduction to Ethernet

   1. Chapter 1 The Evolution of Ethernet

      1. History of Ethernet
      2. The Latest Ethernet Standard
      3. Organization of IEEE Standards
      4. Levels of Compliance
      5. IEEE Identifiers
      6. Reinventing Ethernet
      7. Multi-Gigabit Ethernet

   2. Chapter 2 The Ethernet System

      1. Four Basic Elements of Ethernet
      2. Ethernet Hardware
      3. Network Protocols and Ethernet

   3. Chapter 3 The Media Access Control Protocol

      1. The Ethernet Frame
      2. Media Access Control Rules
      3. Essential Media System Timing
      4. Collision Detection and Backoff
      5. Gigabit Ethernet Half-Duplex Operation
      6. Collision Domain
      7. Ethernet Channel Capture
      8. High-level Protocols and the Ethernet Frame

   4. Chapter 4 Full-Duplex Ethernet

      1. Operation of Full-Duplex
      2. Ethernet Flow Control

   5. Chapter 5 Auto-Negotiation

      1. Development of Auto-Negotiation
      2. Basic Concepts of Auto-Negotiation
      3. Auto-Negotiation Signaling
      4. Auto-Negotiation Operation
      5. Parallel Detection
      6. Management Interface
      7. 1000BASE-X Auto-Negotiation

2. Ethernet Media Systems

   1. Chapter 6 Ethernet Media Fundamentals

      1. Attachment Unit Interface
      2. Medium-Independent Interface
      3. Gigabit Medium-Independent Interface
      4. Ethernet Signal Encoding
      5. Ethernet Network Interface Card

   2. Chapter 7 Twisted-Pair Media System (10BASE-T)

      1. 10BASE-T Signaling Components
      2. 10BASE-T Media Components
      3. 10BASE-T Configuration Guidelines

   3. Chapter 8 Fiber Optic Media System (10BASE-F)

      1. Old and New Fiber Link Segments
      2. 10BASE-FL Signaling Components
      3. 10BASE-FL Media Components
      4. Connecting a Station to 10BASE-FL Ethernet
      5. 10BASE-FL Configuration Guidelines

   4. Chapter 9 Fast Ethernet Twisted-PairMedia System (100BASE-TX)

      1. 100BASE-TX Signaling Components
      2. 100BASE-TX Media Components
      3. Connecting a Station to 100BASE-TX Ethernet
      4. 100BASE-TX Configuration Guidelines

   5. Chapter 10 Fast Ethernet Fiber Optic Media System (100BASE-FX)

      1. 100BASE-FX Signaling Components
      2. 100BASE-FX Media Components
      3. Connecting a Stationto 100BASE-FX Ethernet
      4. 100BASE-FX Configuration Guidelines

   6. Chapter 11 Gigabit Ethernet Twisted-PairMedia System (1000BASE-T)

      1. 1000BASE-T Signaling Components
      2. 1000BASE-T Signal Encoding
      3. 1000BASE-T Media Components
      4. Connecting a Stationto 1000BASE-T Ethernet
      5. 1000BASE-T Configuration Guidelines

   7. Chapter 12 Gigabit Ethernet Fiber OpticMedia System (1000BASE-X)

      1. 1000BASE-X Signaling Components
      2. 1000BASE-X Signal Encoding
      3. 1000BASE-X Media Components
      4. 1000BASE-SX and 1000BASE-LXMedia Components
      5. 1000BASE-CX Media Components
      6. 1000BASE-SX and 1000BASE-LX Configuration Guidelines

   8. Chapter 13 Multi-Segment Configuration Guidelines

      1. Scope of the Configuration Guidelines
      2. Network Documentation
      3. Collision Domain
      4. Model 1 Configuration Guidelines for 10 Mbps
      5. Model 2 Configuration Guidelines for 10 Mbps
      6. Model 1 Configuration Guidelines for Fast Ethernet
      7. Model 2 Configuration Guidelines for Fast Ethernet
      8. Model 1 Configuration Guidelines for Gigabit Ethernet
      9. Model 2 Configuration Guidelines for Gigabit Ethernet
      10. Sample Network Configurations

3. Building Your Ethernet System

   1. Chapter 14 Structured Cabling

      1. Structured Cabling Systems
      2. TIA/EIA Cabling Standards
      3. Twisted-Pair Categories
      4. Ethernet and the Category System
      5. Horizontal Cabling
      6. New Twisted-Pair Standards
      7. Identifying the Cables
      8. Documenting the Cable System
      9. Building the Cabling System

   2. Chapter 15 Twisted-Pair Cables and Connectors

      1. Category 5 Horizontal Cable Segment
      2. Eight-Position (RJ-45-Style) Jack
      3. Four-Pair Wiring Schemes
      4. Modular Patch Panel
      5. Work Area Outlet
      6. Twisted-Pair Patch Cables
      7. Building a Twisted-Pair Patch Cable
      8. Ethernet Signal Crossover
      9. Twisted-Pair Ethernetand Telephone Signals

   3. Chapter 16 Fiber Optic Cables and Connectors

      1. Fiber Optic Cable
      2. 10BASE-FL Fiber Optic Characteristics
      3. 100BASE-FX Fiber Optic Characteristics
      4. 1000BASE-X Fiber Optic Characteristics

   4. Chapter 17 Ethernet Repeater Hubs

      1. Collision Domain
      2. Basic Repeater Operation
      3. Repeater Buying Guide
      4. 10 Mbps Repeaters
      5. 100 Mbps Repeaters
      6. 1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Repeater
      7. Repeater Management
      8. Repeater Port Statistics

   5. Chapter 18 Ethernet Switching Hubs

      1. Brief Tutorial on Ethernet Bridging
      2. Advantages of Switching Hubs
      3. Switching Hub Performance Issues
      4. Advanced Features of Switching Hubs
      5. Network Design Issues with Switches

4. Performance and Troubleshooting

   1. Chapter 19 Ethernet Performance

      1. Performance of an Ethernet Channel
      2. Measuring Ethernet Performance
      3. Network Performance and the User
      4. Network Design for Best Performance

   2. Chapter 20 Troubleshooting

      1. Reliable Network Design
      2. Network Documentation
      3. The Troubleshooting Model
      4. Fault Detection
      5. Fault Isolation
      6. Troubleshooting Twisted-Pair Systems
      7. Troubleshooting Fiber Optic Systems
      8. Data Link Troubleshooting
      9. Network Layer Troubleshooting

5. Appendixes

   1. Appendix A Resources

      1. AUI Slide Latch Retainer
      2. Buyer's Guides
      3. Cable and Connector Suppliers
      4. Cable Testers
      5. Cabling Information
      6. Ethernet Jumbo Frames
      7. Ethernet Media Converters
      8. Ethernet Vendor Codes
      9. Ethernet Web Site
      10. FAQs on Cabling and Ethernet
      11. Network Analyzers
      12. Networking Magazines and Trade Journals
      13. Network Management Information
      14. Requests for Comments (RFCs)
      15. Standards Documents and Standards Organizations
      16. Wireless Ethernet

   2. Appendix B Thick and Thin Coaxial Media Systems

      1. Thick Coaxial Media System
      2. 10BASE5 Signaling Components
      3. 10BASE5 Media Components
      4. Connecting a Station to 10BASE5 Ethernet
      5. 10BASE5 Configuration Guidelines
      6. Thin Coaxial Media System
      7. 10BASE2 Signaling Components
      8. 10BASE2 Media Components
      9. Connecting a Station to 10BASE2 Ethernet
      10. 10BASE2 Configuration Guidelines
      11. Coaxial Cables and Connectors
      12. 10BASE5 Coaxial Cable and Connectors
      13. 10BASE2 Coaxial Cable and Connectors
      14. Installing Coaxial Cable Connectors
      15. Troubleshooting Coaxial Cable Systems

   3. Appendix C AUI Equipment: Installation and Configuration

      1. The AUI Slide Latch
      2. Operation of SQE Test
      3. AUI Port Concentrator

6. Chapter 21 Glossary

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Ethernet: The Definitive Guide is an octopus. The octopus is a member of the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, cuttlefish, and nautili. However, unlike other cephalopods, the octopus's shell is entirely absent. Species of octopus vary in size from under an inch (the Californian Octopus micropyrsus) to thirty feet in length (the North Pacific Octopus dofleini). Like their squid cousins, the octopus can release a noxious ink when disturbed. Octopi vary in color from pinkish to brown, but are able to change their pigment when threatened using special pigment cells called chromatophores.

Octopi catch their prey - primarily crabs, lobsters, and other smaller sea creaturesi - with their suckered tentacles. Many species are aided by a poison these sucker cups secrete; one Australian species' venom is so potent that it can be deadly to humans.

Octopi are considered to be the most intelligent invertebrate species. They have both short- and long-term memory, and have shown trial-and-error learning skills, retaining the problem-solving gained through experience. Their sucker cups are very sensitive; a sightless octopus can differentiate between various shapes and sizes of objects as well as a sighted one.