Ethernet: The Basics
hackaday.com
hackaday.com
Once you get over the copious standardese, and the fact that the standards describe some things that seem like a good idea yet have never been implemented (e.g. 100BASE-T2), they are a good source of very detailed and authoritative information.
Edit: apparently it is right. I hate how intuition based on principles of simplicity and signal integrity are betrayed at every level of classic Ethernet.
I know there are multiple ways to do similar things and settings are somewhat scattered into different files, but this is why I wondered if there is some kind of overview that I could use as a starting point.
I quite liked the accessible style, and got a lot out of making Anki flashcards for all of them.
netlink is the API, and `ip` is the canonical CLI tool for interacting with the tool.
After you know that sort of thing, all the things built on top make a lot more sense.
The issue seems to be switching. To switch so much data you need either a powerful CPU or some kind of ASIC and apparently all those ASICs are proprietary and no one wants to make 10 Gbps switches with open firmware becasue of that.
Though annoyingly USB 4 SFP+ adapters are pretty expensive.
I was also looking for some good passively cooled switches for SFP+ and they are hard to find. Mikrotik CRS305-1G-4S+IN looked good, but I'd prefer something with open OS on it. They don't seem to exist.
The reviews of them are full of negative comments from people who don’t understand what they are, and think they’ll split one network cable into two, like a three-port switch - even though most of the listings are quite clear that you need to connect two ports at each end of the connection.
Most of the listings are, though, quite evasive about the fact that, even used correctly, they’ll not provide throughput over 100Mbps.
That one even sells them in pairs, but it certainly doesn't help that actual 3-port switches are also available in a similar form factor.
It's an ugly hack, but hey, there's a lot uglier in active use.
The site is well designed with neatly organized comments.
I work from home so I'm connected 8-10hrs a day. Ethernet has always been more reliable and faster. It's one less complication and in urban areas a significant one.
I have lots of devices on WiFi but my main computers (work and gaming :) are wired
Fiber is also almost always Ethernet these days, as well.
Both of them together is often best of the both worlds. Connect desktops, NAS and other such devices you do not move with ethernet and then use WiFi for devices being moved around.
> Get as much shit off the WiFi as you can
"Wireless means less than a wire".
Definitely, whenever I can, I choose Ethernet instead of Wifi.
But 568A and 568B are specifically color coded to the pins. And these diagrams are wrong.
ah yes. I tried to make drama out of Xerox's whole Ethernet going down, because of a storm just like we're having now (except no lightning).
========= "Lightning Strikes" chapter of Inventing the Future =====
Thursday, January 5, 1978. Janet was visiting Palo Alto again, something she never tired of. Today, she was just supposed to check in with people and learn whatever she could about the Pilot operating system, the product hardware, Ethernet, user interface, and all that.
In one of those magic changes of name that Xerox never officially announced because that would let an enemy keep track of code names, the product was now called “Star,” She hoped she wouldn’t slip up today and call it “Janus.”
This time she took an earlier flight than she had been lately, the 7:00 am PSA flight out of LAX. She hated having to get up at an obscene hour, but really, if you took a more reasonable flight, you got to the office at 10:45 or later, and that made it a pretty short day. This morning, the roads were all wet and littered with tree branches and leaves. Apparently, it had stormed the night before.
She first went to Grant’s office to talk about the latest marching orders from corporate management. Grant was pacing back and forth, frowning, holding the base of the phone in his right hand and the receiver in his left. He glanced at Janet, smiled briefly, and motioned to the guest chair.
“How much of the network is down?” The answer seemed to make him even more worried. “Does Michael know? Okay, I’ll tell him.”
“Who’s looking into this?” He wrote down some names on a yellow pad.
“Um, yeah. We have Peter McColough and Bill Glavin flying out tonight for a demo.” He stared at Janet, knowing he just dropped the name of the Chairman of the Board. Janet knew McColough was adamant that no exec would ever touch a keyboard—that was for their secretaries. The idea of an expensive computer like Star for knowledge workers, whatever that meant, was dubious to him. His rule of thumb was that you shouldn’t buy a piece of equipment for a secretary that cost more than her annual salary. The execs were already a hostile audience. A bad demo was about the last thing Grant needed.
“I’ll let you get back to it. Keep me posted.” He hung up and turned to Janet, “The entire Ethernet is down. Excuse me, but I need to work this out.” He started for the door, then paused. “On the other hand, do you want to help out?” Grant strode briskly toward Michael’s office with Janet trying to keep up.
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