3Com 3C16750 - Manual (Page 2)

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Networking Terminology
A Network is a collection of workstations (for example,
IBM-compatible PCs) and other equipment (for
example, printers), connected for the purpose of
exchanging information or sharing resources.
Networks vary in size; some are within a single
room, others span continents.
A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network, usually in an
office, that spans no more than a single site.
Ethernet is a type of LAN, referring to the technology used
to pass information around the network. It operates
at 10Mbps (megabits per second).
Fast Ethernet is a type of LAN that runs up to 10 times
faster than standard Ethernet. It operates at
100Mbps.
10BASE-T is the name given to the Ethernet protocol that
runs over Twisted Pair (TP) cable at 10Mbps.
100BASE-TX is the name given to the Fast Ethernet protocol
that runs over Twisted Pair (TP) cable at 100Mbps.
A Network Loop occurs when two pieces of network
equipment are connected by more than one path.
A Segment is the length of cable connected to a port.
Packets are the units of information your workstations and
other equipment send to each other over the
network. A Frame is the data part of the packet and
can be Unicast (sent to a single device), Multicast
(sent to multiple devices), or Broadcast (sent to all
devices).
Bandwidth refers to the amount of network traffic the
network can hold at any one time (information
capacity) measured in bits per second (bps).
Workstations or applications that use the network
heavily are referred to as using high bandwidth (these
are usually users who do a lot of graphical or
multi-media work across the network). Fast Ethernet
has a higher bandwidth than Ethernet, so it can
cope with larger amounts of traffic, which results in
faster operation.
In a Half Duplex link, information can flow in either
direction, but not in both directions simultaneously.
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