University of San Agustin College of Technology Department of Computer Engineering NAME: Ma. Therez Magnolia Causing SUBJECT: CoE 532 – Data Communication DATE: September 26, 2018 ETHERNET PORT What is an Ethernet Port? An Ethernet port (aka jack or socket) is an opening on computer network equipment that Ethernet cables plug into. Their purpose is to connect wired network hardware in an Ethernet LAN, metropolitan area network (MAN), or wide area network (WAN). You might see an Ethernet connection on the back of a computer or the back or side of a laptop. A router usually has several Ethernet ports to accommodate multiple wired devices on a network. The same is true for other network hardware like hubs and modems. An Ethernet port accepts a cable that has an RJ-45 connector. The alternative to using such a cable with an Ethernet port is Wi-Fi, which eliminates the need for both the cable and its port. What Ethernet Ports Look Like? An Ethernet port is a little wider than a phone jack. Because of this shape, it's impossible to neatly fit an Ethernet cable into a phone jack, which makes it a little easier when you're plugging in cables. You can't really plug it into the wrong port. It's a square with a couple rigid areas at the bottom. As you can also see in the picture, the yellow Ethernet cable is built the same way, usually with a clip at the bottom to hold the cable into the Ethernet port. Ethernet Ports on Computers Most desktop computers include one built-in Ethernet port for connecting the device to a wired network. A computer's built-in Ethernet port is connected to its internal Ethernet network adapter, called an Ethernet card, which is attached to the motherboard. Laptops usually have an Ethernet port, too, so that you can hook it up to a network that doesn't have wireless capabilities. A notable exception is the MacBook Air, which doesn't have an Ethernet port but does support connecting an Ethernet dongle to its USB port University of San Agustin College of Technology Department of Computer Engineering Ethernet Port Connector Pin Assignments Pin Signal Name Function Pin Signal Name Function 1 BI_DA+ Bi-directional pair +A 5 BI_DC- Bi-directional pair +C 2 BI_DA- Bi-directional pair -A 6 BI_DB- Bi-directional pair -C 3 BI_DB+ Bi-directional pair +B 7 BI_DD+ Bi-directional pair +D 4 BI_DC+ Bi-directional pair -B 8 BI_DD- Bi-directional pair -D University of San Agustin College of Technology Department of Computer Engineering Ethernet Transformer Characteristics Parameter Value Test Condition Turns ratio 1 CT : 1 CT Open-CCT inductance (minimum) 350 μH 100 mV, 100 kHz, 8 mA Leakage inductance (maximum) 0.4 μH 1 MHz (minimum) Inter-winding capacitance (minimum) 12 pF DC resistance (maximum) 0.9 Ω Insertion loss (maximum) 1.0 dB HIPOT (minimum) 1500 Vrms 0 MHz - 65 MHz University of San Agustin College of Technology Department of Computer Engineering What Is Ethernet Port Aggregation Port aggregation lets you combine two Gigabit Ethernet ports on the Nighthawk router to improve the aggregated file transfer speed. If a device supports Ethernet aggregation like a NAS or managed network switch, you can use the Ethernet aggregate ports 1 and 2 to cable the device to your router. Ethernet port aggregation is also referred to as link aggregation, teaming port, and port trunking. Aggregating multiple links between physical interfaces creates a single logical point-to-point trunk link or a LAG. The LAG balances traffic across the member links within an aggregated Ethernet bundle and effectively increases the uplink bandwidth. Another advantage of link aggregation is increased availability, because the LAG is composed of multiple member links. If one member link fails, the LAG continues to carry traffic over the remaining links. What Is Ethernet Port Number A port number is a way to identify a specific process to which an Internet or other network message is to be forwarded when it arrives at a server. For the Transmission Control Protocol and the User Datagram Protocol, a port number is a 16-bit integer that is put in the header appended to a message unit. This port number is passed logically between client and server transport layers and physically between the transport layer and the Internet Protocol layer and forwarded on. Troubleshooting Ethernet Port Issues If you have internet connectivity issues on your computer, the Ethernet port is probably the first place you should look because the cable might be unplugged. This condition often results in errors like 'A network cable is unplugged.' You might see such error messages especially if the computer or laptop was recently moved, which can easily knock the cable out of the Ethernet port or, in rare cases, unseat the Ethernet card from its place on the motherboard. Something else related to the Ethernet port is the network driver for the network card, which can become outdated, corrupt, or missing. One of the easiest ways to install a network driver is with a free driver updater tool. Ethernet Ports on Routers All popular broadband routers feature Ethernet ports, usually a few of them. With this setup, multiple wired computers in a network can reach the internet and the other connected devices on the network. An uplink port (also called WAN port) is a special Ethernet jack on routers that are used specifically for connecting to a broadband modem. Wireless routers include a WAN port and typically four additional Ethernet ports for wired connections.
