listen-before-transmit mode. This means when a node wants to send data, it must first check to see whether the networking media is busy. If the node determines the network is busy, the node will wait a random amount of time before retrying. If the node determines the networking media is not busy, the node will begin transmitting and listening. The node listens to ensure no other stations are transmitting at the same time. After completing data transmission the device will return to listening mode. Networking devices detect a collision has occurred when the amplitude of the signal on the networking media increases. When a collision occurs, each node that is transmitting will continue to transmit for a short time to ensure that all devices see the collision. Once all the devices have detected the collision a backoff algorithm is invoked and transmission is stopped. The nodes stop transmitting for a random period of time, which is different for each device. When the delay period expires, all devices on the network can attempt to gain access to the networking media. When data transmission resumes on the network, the devices that were involved in the collision do not have priority to transmit data. Interactive Media Activity Drag and Drop: Collision Detection Flowchart After completing this activity, the student will be able to identify the procedure of collision detection in an Ethernet network. Web Links Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk389/ tk214/tk125/ tech_protocol_ home.html
Content 6.2 Ethernet Operation 6.2.3 Ethernet timing The basic rules and specifications for proper operation of Ethernet are not particularly complicated, though some of the faster physical layer implementations are becoming so. Despite the basic simplicity, when a problem occurs in Ethernet it is often quite difficult to isolate the source. Because of the common bus architecture of Ethernet, also described as a distributed single point of failure, the scope of the problem usually encompasses all devices within the domain. In situations where repeaters are used, this can include devices up to four segments away. Any station on an Ethernet network wishing to transmit a message first “listens” to ensure that no other station is currently transmitting. If the cable is quiet, the station will begin transmitting immediately. The electrical signal takes time to travel down the cable (delay), and each subsequent repeater introduces a small amount of latency in forwarding the frame from one port to the next. Because of the delay and latency, it is possible for more than one station to begin transmitting at or near the same time. This results in a collision. If the attached station is operating in full duplex then the station may send and receive simultaneously and collisions should not occur. Full-duplex operation also changes the timing considerations and eliminates the concept of slot time. Full-duplex operation allows for larger network architecture designs since the timing restriction for collision detection is removed. In half duplex, assuming that a collision does not occur, the sending station will transmit 64 bits of timing synchronization information that is known as the preamble. The sending station will then transmit the following information: Stations receiving the frame recalculate the FCS to determine if the incoming message is valid and then pass valid messages to the next higher layer in the protocol stack. 10 Mbps and slower versions of Ethernet are asynchronous. Asynchronous means that each receiving station will use the eight octets of timing information to synchronize the receive circuit to the incoming data, and then discard it. 100 Mbps and higher speed implementations of Ethernet are synchronous. Synchronous means the timing information is not required, however for compatibility reasons the Preamble and SFD are present. For all speeds of Ethernet transmission at or below 1000 Mbps, the standard describes how a transmission may be no smaller than the slot time. Slot time for 10 and 100-Mbps Ethernet is 512 bit-times, or 64 octets. Slot time for 1000-Mbps Ethernet is 4096 bit-times, or 512 octets. Slot time is calculated assuming maximum cable lengths on the largest legal network architecture. All hardware propagation delay times are at the legal maximum and the 32-bit jam signal is used when collisions are detected. The actual calculated slot time is just longer than the theoretical amount of time required to travel between the furthest points of the collision domain, collide with another transmission at the last possible instant, and then have the collision fragments return to the sending station and be detected. For the system to work the first station must learn about the collision before it finishes sending the smallest legal frame size. To allow 1000-Mbps Ethernet to operate in half duplex the extension field was added when sending small frames purely to keep the transmitter busy long enough for a collision fragment to return. This field is present only on 1000-Mbps, half-duplex links and allows minimum-sized frames to be long enough to meet slot time requirements. Extension bits are discarded by the receiving station. On 10-Mbps Ethernet one bit at the MAC layer requires 100 nanoseconds (ns) to transmit. At 100 Mbps that same bit requires 10 ns to transmit and at 1000 Mbps only takes 1 ns. As a rough estimate, 20.3 cm (8 in) per nanosecond is often used for calculating propagation delay down a UTP cable. For 100 meters of UTP, this means that it takes just under 5 bit-times for a 10BASE-T signal to travel the length the cable. For CSMA/CD Ethernet to operate, the sending station must become aware of a collision before it has completed transmission of a minimum-sized frame. At 100 Mbps the system timing is barely able to accommodate 100 meter cables. At 1000 Mbps special adjustments are required as nearly an entire minimum-sized frame would be transmitted before the first bit reached the end of the first 100 meters of UTP cable. For this reason half duplex is not permitted in 10-Gigabit Ethernet. Interactive Media Activity Drag and Drop: Ethernet Timing After completing this activity, the student will be able to identify the bit times of various Ethernet speeds. Web Links The Truth about Interframe Spacing http://www.wildpackets.com/compendium/EN/ EN-Ifgap.htm l
Content 6.2 Ethernet Operation 6.2.4 Interframe spacing and backoff The minimum spacing between two non-colliding frames is also called the interframe spacing. This is measured from the last bit of the FCS field of the first frame to the first bit of the preamble