Ethernet (contd.) - 6 : Full-duplex Ethernet
This playlist about Ethernet describes the history, development, and basic operation of Ethernet, the most common LAN protocol.
A continued look at Ethernet, including enhancements made since the protocol was introduced and its future direction.
• 15 : Ethernet - Fundamentals of Communicat...
As I mentioned, a shared networking environment only allows one station to communicate at a time. Furthermore, a station can only transmit or receive data - it can't transmit and receive at the same time. In other words, communication on a shared network is half-duplex.
Full-duplex communication on switched networks changed all of this. Full-duplex communication allows a station to send and receive at the same time. It's important to note that repeaters and coax cabling do not support full-duplex communication. It is only possible to have full-duplex in a switched network that uses UTP or fiber cabling, because twisted pair and fiber use separate channels for transmitting and receiving data.
Now, when a computer is attached to a switch and full-duplex is enabled, a station is able to send and receive from the switch simultaneously.
Full-duplex eliminates the possibility of collisions because it uses separate transmit and receive channels. This makes networks more efficient, as bandwidth is not wasted by delays or retransmissions.
Full-duplex has advantages when used between the computer and the switch, but its greatest advantage is when it's used as a connection between switches. Switches are able to take advantage of the increased efficiency of a switched, full-duplex operation by increasing the volume of data they can transfer in the same amount of time.
#ethernet #CSMA #lanprotocol