NordVPN Promotion

Home / Blogs

50 Years of Ethernet

Protect your privacy:  Get NordVPN  [ Deal: 73% off 2-year plans + 3 extra months ]
10 facts about NordVPN that aren't commonly known
  • Meshnet Feature for Personal Encrypted Networks: NordVPN offers a unique feature called Meshnet, which allows users to connect their devices directly and securely over the internet. This means you can create your own private, encrypted network for activities like gaming, file sharing, or remote access to your home devices from anywhere in the world.
  • RAM-Only Servers for Enhanced Security: Unlike many VPN providers, NordVPN uses RAM-only (diskless) servers. Since these servers run entirely on volatile memory, all data is wiped with every reboot. This ensures that no user data is stored long-term, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches and enhancing overall security.
  • Servers in a Former Military Bunker: Some of NordVPN's servers are housed in a former military bunker located deep underground. This unique location provides an extra layer of physical security against natural disasters and unauthorized access, ensuring that the servers are protected in all circumstances.
  • NordLynx Protocol with Double NAT Technology: NordVPN developed its own VPN protocol called NordLynx, built around the ultra-fast WireGuard protocol. What sets NordLynx apart is its implementation of a double Network Address Translation (NAT) system, which enhances user privacy without sacrificing speed. This innovative approach solves the potential privacy issues inherent in the standard WireGuard protocol.
  • Dark Web Monitor Feature: NordVPN includes a feature known as Dark Web Monitor. This tool actively scans dark web sites and forums for credentials associated with your email address. If it detects that your information has been compromised or appears in any data breaches, it promptly alerts you so you can take necessary actions to protect your accounts.
Bob Metcalfe’s 1973 sketch of his original “Ethernet” vision. Photo: Bob Metcalfe and the Palo Alto Research Center Inc., a Xerox Company.

The idea for Ethernet was born fifty years ago in May 1973 when Robert Metcalf coined the word Ethernet. He had been studying ALOHAnet, developed at the University of Hawaii in 1971 and was the first public demonstration of a wireless packet data network. Metcalf used the work Ethernet as a reference to luminiferous aether, a concept postulated in the 17th century to explain how light could be transmitted through a vacuum.

Bob Metcalfe, circa 1973. Photo: Bob Metcalfe

Xerox filed a patent for Ethernet in 1975 that listed Metcalf, David Boggs, Chuck Thacker, and Butler Lampson as the inventors. Metcalf left Xerox in 1979 and formed 3Com, which eventually was purchased by Hewlett-Packard. If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’ll remember the first 3Com routers and switches. As part of the transition to 3Com, Xerox gave up the Ethernet tradename, and Ethernet became a worldwide standard in 1980 with the first standard labeled as “The Ethernet, A Local Area Network. Data Link Layer and Physical Layer Specifications”.

Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies that is the heart of modern computing. The Ethernet standard divides a stream of data being transmitted into shorter pieces called frames or packets. Each frame contains the needed data transmission details, including the transmission’s source and destination. Each frame includes error-checking data that can be used at the receiving end of a transmission to ensure all intended data packets are received.

The use of frames is the basis for how the Internet functions. If data is sent to your home broadband router, the router checks to see if each incoming frame is complete. Your home router will send a request to retransmit any frame that showed up incomplete. Most people think that data is simply sent and received, but the reality is that there is a complex system of error-checking and resending missing frames that happens behind the scenes.

The system of resending incomplete packets explains why connecting to a server on another continent is slower than connecting to a server much closer to where you live. The farther data has to travel, and the greater the number of intermediate data switching points, the higher the chance that incomplete frames make it to the destination—and the longer it takes to replace incomplete or missing frames.

This is also part of the reason why a connection like a Zoom call is often of lower quality on a low bandwidth connection. When the broadband speeds aren’t fast enough, there is a delay in getting enough frames delivered to create a coherent picture in a real-time Zoom connection. When frames are missing or show up late, the Zoom call pixelates or has voice quality issues because not all needed data frames were delivered in time.

Ethernet was first used inside wired local networks, such as between campus buildings or inside a business, to create WAN and LAN connections. But it quickly became the standard for public data transmission and became the heart of the Internet. Ethernet is used in all common broadband technologies, from DSL, fixed wireless, and fiber data transmission. Ethernet is used in the WiFi connection between your home broadband router and your home devices.

The protocol had an original data rate of 2.94 Mbps. The current Ethernet standard supports speeds up to 400 Gbps, but data rates up to 1.6 Tbps are under development. Since the 1980s, the Ethernet standard has continuously been updated and improved and now allows for the complex routing protocols in place to operate the Internet.

By Doug Dawson, President at CCG Consulting

Dawson has worked in the telecom industry since 1978 and has both a consulting and operational background. He and CCG specialize in helping clients launch new broadband markets, develop new products, and finance new ventures.

Visit Page

Filed Under

Comments

Comment Title:

  Notify me of follow-up comments

We encourage you to post comments and engage in discussions that advance this post through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can report it using the link at the end of each comment. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of CircleID. For more information on our comment policy, see Codes of Conduct.

CircleID Newsletter The Weekly Wrap

More and more professionals are choosing to publish critical posts on CircleID from all corners of the Internet industry. If you find it hard to keep up daily, consider subscribing to our weekly digest. We will provide you a convenient summary report once a week sent directly to your inbox. It's a quick and easy read.

Related

Topics

DNS

Sponsored byDNIB.com

Brand Protection

Sponsored byCSC

Domain Names

Sponsored byVerisign

Cybersecurity

Sponsored byVerisign

New TLDs

Sponsored byRadix

IPv4 Markets

Sponsored byIPv4.Global

Threat Intelligence

Sponsored byWhoisXML API

NordVPN Promotion