Ethernet is a core networking technology used by every high tech business. While the basic protocols have changed little, new options such as Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet have increased the complexity of the topic.

Ethernet has been the flavor of choice for networking administrators since the early 1980s because of its ease of use and scalability. Written by one of the foremost experts on Ethernet standards and configuration, Charles E. Spurgeon, Ethernet: The Definitive Guide includes everything you need to know to set up and maintain an Ethernet network.

Ethernet: The Definitive Guide teaches you everything you need to know about the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard and its protocols. The book is logically separated into five parts:

• Introduction to Ethernet provides a tour of basic Ethernet theory and operation, including a description of Ethernet frames, operation of the Media Access Control (MAC) protocol, full-duplex mode and auto-negotiation.
• Ethernet Media Systems is the heart of the book. This sectionof Ethernet: The Definitive Guide shows you how to build media-specific Ethernet networks, from a basic 10BASE-T Ethernet offering 10 Mbps over twisted-pair cables, to an advanced 1000BASE-X Gigabit Ethernet, providing up to 1 Gbps of data transfer over fiber optic cables.
• Building Your Ethernet System teaches you how to build twisted-pair and fiber optic media segments, as well as how to build your Ethernet using repeaters and hubs.
• Performance and Troubleshooting is divided into two chapters. The first describes both the performance of a given Ethernet channel, as well as the performance of the entire network system. The second includes a tutorial on troubleshooting techniques and describes the kinds of problems network administrators are likely to encounter.

The last part of the book includes a complete glossary of terms used throughout the book, a resource list, descriptions of thick and thin coax-based Ethernet systems, a guide to AUI equipment installation and configuration, and a listing of troubleshooting numbers.

This book is the definitive guide for anyone wanting to build a scalable local area network (LAN) using Ethernet.

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With clear and readable descriptions of everything from electrons to hub management consoles, this book covers coax, twisted pair, fibre, at all current standards, up to 1000 bits per second, at all use case levels, from design of hardware protocols, to defending your requirements analysis design documents, to configuration of managed hub equipment.

For those to whom reading equipment advertising is not dissimilar to interpreting the menu in a restaurant in a foreign land, industry terms are explained in non-industry terms, with etymological notes detailing the various jargons from which the ethernet equipment terms derive, and extended explanations on terms such as "terminator" that have different meanings in different contexts.

After reading the Octopus book, I'm going to wire my charter school, rather than hiring a contractor. Armed with that experience, I will then be able to offer wiring buildings as yet another service. And you will too.

29 of 30 found the following review helpful:

A Must-Have for the Network Professional!Sep 13, 2000
By Robert L. Stinnett
Networking your home? Perhaps your are preparing to network a Fortune 500 company? Maybe you just want to get your computer talking to your wifes downstairs. In any fashion, O'Reilly's "Ethernet: The Definitive Guide" is one of the best networking reference books I have purchased in quite some time.

The author explains everything, from what Ethernet is all the way up to installation and troubleshooting. The comprehensive section on understanding how to plan for your network will save you time and

headaches when it comes to implementing and supporting your network.

One of the best features of the book, by far, is the explanation and breakdown of Ethernet/Networking terms. Do you know what a Fiber Optic Loss Budget is? How about 10Base5 Signal Encoding? The author does a terrific job of explaining, with great detail, terminology and networking concepts that even the most experienced network administrator may sometimes have trouble with.

Performance issues are covered in great detail, along with troubleshooting an existing network. Through examples, you will be able to target bottlenecks in your existing setup, and diagnose failure issues with ease. I found it a great tool as I was attempting to find out why I had a high packet collision rate after a recent network card change in my Linux box.

Even those who are writing network-aware software may find this book a goldmine of information. The technical explanation of the MAC protocol as well as the breakdown of information that is flowing over the network was of great value to me when I was attempting to write a device driver for a network card under BeOS.

This book is geared heavily towards those who support and maintain networks for a living. However, there are many helpful examples and tips that will make this a great reference even for those who are looking to network their homes. From the pre-planning stage, to purchasing the right equipment, this book is a definitive guide to Ethernet networking.

20 of 20 found the following review helpful:

Covers the entire Ethernet systemJul 01, 2002
By Charles Spurgeon
(This review is written by the author of the book, to help clarify the subject matter and intended audience of the book.)

Ethernet: the Definitive Guide, is written for anyone who needs to know how Ethernet functions, and how to install, manage and troubleshoot an Ethernet system. The book covers the complete Ethernet system, including half-duplex and full-duplex operational modes, the Auto-Negotiation system, the twisted-pair and fiber optic media systems, switches and repeaters, cabling systems, network management, troubleshooting and more.

The book is focused on a single topic: Ethernet. Ethernet is a link layer network technology which is designed to carry any and all high-level protocol packets between computers. However, the Ethernet system is completely separate from the various high-level data protocols and applications. Ethernet is the trucking system for data transmission; it doesn't care what high-level protocol packets may be inside the data packages it is carrying. The Ethernet standard and the operation of the Ethernet system does not include TCP/IP, ARP, or any other high-level protocol packets.

For that reason, there is no significant coverage of the TCP/IP protocol suite in this book. This is intentional, since the book's focus is the complete Ethernet system, including all of the widely used Ethernet media systems. To that end, the book provides 498 pages of solid Ethernet information.

There are a number of books that cover the TCP/IP system of protocols and applications, and anyone interested in these topics should find and read one of these books. However, you don't need any in-depth knowledge of TCP/IP to understand Ethernet. Nor do you need any in-depth knowledge about Ethernet, or any other link layer network technology, to understand TCP/IP protocols...

17 of 18 found the following review helpful:

Excellent, but needs editingApr 30, 2000

Complete, well written, and extremely useful reference. But only 4-star in my opinion because...

Some points are repeated over and over ad nauseum, where once would really be enough. A good editing job is needed, with the focus on removing repetition. That would thin the book considerably without any loss of information.

Also a handful of factual errors need correcting, particularly relating to the electrical signalling. (The author confuses the concept -ve and +ve signal polarities in a differential pair with actual absolute voltage measurements.)

I would have liked to see more detail on encoding schemes and electrical/optical signalling.

14 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Thorough coverage from an ExpertMay 25, 2000
By Roy Staples
If you've read an introductory book, and hunger for the REAL details, this is the Ethernet book for you! I loved this book, because it covers everything the introductory and certification books can't. You get a thorough discussion of the MAC protocol - learning such details as slot-time and why the standards are set the way they are.

The author speaks from experience, has in-depth knowledge of past, present, and ongoing technology. Anyone aiming to be a professional Network Engineer, do yourself a favor and snatch this book.

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