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Networking Fundamentals · Foundational

IEEE 802.3

The IEEE working group and family of standards that define wired Ethernet physical layers and MAC.

Definition

802.3 covers Ethernet framing, CSMA/CD for half-duplex operation, and dozens of physical layer variants from 10BASE-T to 800 Gbps. Amendments are labeled with letters, such as 802.3u (Fast Ethernet), 802.3ab (1000BASE-T), 802.3an (10GBASE-T), 802.3bz (2.5G and 5GBASE-T) and 802.3bt (PoE). 802.3 is distinct from the 802.11 wireless standards.

Example

1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet over Cat 5e is defined in 802.3ab.

Exam tip

If the question says wired LAN standard, the answer is 802.3; wireless is 802.11.

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