quick network engineering review question

[Jonathan Hutchins]

On Thursday 02 June 2005 09:21 pm, Gerald Combs wrote:
> Jonathan Hutchins wrote:
> > while ethernet is great for multiple hosts on a local loop 
> > or star topology within a building, it's not designed for long distances.

> Unless you're using [several name-brand variants].

It's arguable whether the variants are actually ethernet or not.  You can get 
ethernet range extenders, and if you're using thin-net you can usually get 
across an urban street or rural campus with them.

None of these protocols, however, will work if you plug it into a standard 
10/100bT hub.  For distance, you need a "modem" or an interface device that 
efectively does the same thing as a modem; one at each end in fact.

(You're quite right that subsets of the ethernet standard are prevelant in 
other transport protocols - why re-invent the wheel - but that doesn't make 
them ethernet.)