On this day [September 30] in 1980, version 1.0 of the Ethernet specification was published by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), Intel, and Xerox. This 'DIX' standard was established at a time still nearly three years before the modern internet existed. Nevertheless, Ethernet would become the default technology for connecting computers to each other in local networks – and all around the world. However, we must point out that Ethernet had existed in experimental form at Xerox PARC in the 1970s.
Before Ethernet, computer manufacturers were wary of building LAN connectivity into their computers. It seemed wasteful to integrate one type of network adapter that wouldn't always work with other networked computers and equipment an organization might use. To foster the adoption of Ethernet industrywide, DIX allowed any vendor to use the specification in their own hardware implementations.
Ethernet has been adjusted, refined, and improved over time to remain competitive and relevant. In 1980, it arrived using coaxial cable wiring and with a top speed of 10 Mbps. Five years later, it would move to adapters with BNC connectors. The first RJ45 implementation, a connector that still identifies Ethernet ports to this day, was in 1990 alongside the introduction of 10BASE-T twisted-pair cabling (but still at 10 Mbps).
(Score: 5, Informative) by epitaxial on Saturday October 03, @03:10PM (2 children)
The first generation of ethernet was actually 3Mbit. https://www.righto.com/2017/11/fixing-ethernet-board-from-vintage.html [righto.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by zocalo on Saturday October 03, @03:26PM (1 child)
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 03, @04:35PM
I don't know if it was Bob's idea, but the fact that they gave us so many MAC addresses is one of the great forward-thinking things ever done in tech, IT tech anyway.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Snospar on Saturday October 03, @11:10PM (3 children)
What an incredibly short/light article. No mention of the fact that ethernet is used not just for physical RJ45 Gigabit connections but also used to define the framing for 10Gbps, 100Gbps & 400Gbps optical transports. You used to have to choose between the physical (PHY) or ethernet (ETH) framing when setting up high speed optical links but that seems to have settled on Ethernet as the default now. A good example of "if it's not broke, don't fix it".
Huge thanks to all the Soylent volunteers without whom this community (and this post) would not be possible.
(Score: 2) by namefags_are_jerks on Sunday October 04, @03:31AM
> A good example of "if it's not broke, don't fix it".
Indeed, I've used Ethernet as an example to bring up when someone is on trendy bandwagon to replace/ignore a perfectly functional >10 years-old standard with this week's cool adhoc from github.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 04, @10:55PM (1 child)
Yeah it’s very underrated, Ethernet. I hadn’t thought much of it until seeing this story but it’s been such a useful communications standard. I’ve even designed in Ethernet in space applications on two occasions.
I mean you can use RS-422 between devices too, with its resistance to common mode noise, but Ethernet seems to make it a lot easier for the software folk to integrate. Ethernet can handle large amounts of common mode noise, plus large variances in ground levels on each end. It’s pretty bulletproof.
The recent two pair Ethernet 1000Base-T1 is very nice.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday October 05, @02:35PM
OP is talking about OSI layer 2 and you're talking about OSI layer 1 but both work pretty well so you're both correct.
Just being reasonable there's not a lot of layer 2 options to realistically compete with. You gonna do SNA/SDLC or ATM or frame relay or token ring ... I'd like to see someone run X.25 over a 10 gig physical interface LOL.
Its a pity FDDI never really made it. It was a thing, before the cheap 100meg ethernet era. I worked at several places with FDDI. Or how about ESCON?
My first network was a pile of Arcnet from a hamfest, some junk 386 linux desktops, a lot of ambition, not many packets sent LOL. Arcnet is like thinnet ethernet but hard mode.
I suspect there are noobs under, say, 30 years old, who have literally never heard of or used any OSI layer 2 except ethernet. "Back in the day" layer 2 was pretty exciting and competitive and lots of war stories about "that time we removed the last segment of thicknet and had a pizza party at work" etc.