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Introduction to Ethernet Developer Note

Contents:

Organization of This Document
See Also

Ethernet has been the prevalent LAN architecture since it was first standardized in the late 1970s. Categorized by the data transmission rates they support, the most common versions are 10BASE-T at 10 Mbps, 100BASE-T (also known as Fast Ethernet) at 100 Mbps, and 1000BASE-T (also known as Gigabit Ethernet) at 1000 Mbps. All current Macintosh computers support 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, and many support Gigabit Ethernet.

Developers who are designing networking devices that connect to a Macintosh computer via Ethernet will find this document useful.

Organization of This Document

This document contains the following articles:

• “Ethernet Concepts” describes Apple's implementation of the Ethernet standards and defines the key concepts you need to ensure that your device is compatible with Macintosh computers.

• “Ethernet Product-Specific Details” provides details specific to particular Macintosh computers.

See Also

For specific information about a particular Macintosh computer, see the product Developer Note for that computer in the Guides > Hardware & Drivers > Apple Hardware.

For a list of the standard units of measure and abbreviations used in this developer note, refer to the Hardware Developer Note Terms and Abbreviations.

For additional information, see the following resources for Ethernet:

• The IEEE maintains the standards that define Ethernet. They offer specifications and design guides.

• The Ethernet Alliance site provides links to manufacturers and vendors of Ethernet-compliant products.

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