1. From Ethernet to Carrier Ethernet

1.1 Ethernet protocol

Ethernet is a protocol in widespread use today. Initially, the aim of this protocol was to define a simple, inexpensive way of exchanging information between machines. It was invented in the mid-1970s at the Xerox Parc Center.

Thanks to its simplicity, the Ethernet standard has considerably increased its maximum data rate since its inception: from 10 Mb/s in 1983 with the first version of the standard, to 100 Gb/s with the IEEE 802.3 ba clause (released in 2010). Maximum throughput has thus increased 10,000-fold in 26 years! What's more, work on 1 Tb/s has begun and should be completed within the decade.

As well as being easy to upgrade, its low interface costs mean that it has become a standard for local area networks...