Networking —

IEEE and Networking Standards

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) developed a series of networking standards to ensure that networking technologies developed by respective manufacturers are compatible. This means that the cabling, networking devices, and protocols are all interchangeable when designed under the banner of a specific IEEE standard. Table 6 summarizes the IEEE 802 networking standards.

Table 6 IEEE 802 Networking Standards

Specification

Name

802.1

Internetworking

802.2

The LLC (Logical Link Control) sublayer

802.3

CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) for Ethernet networks

802.4

A token passing bus

802.5

Token Ring networks

802.6

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

802.7

Broadband Technical Advisory Group

802.8

Fiber-Optic Technical Advisory Group

802.9

Integrated Voice and Data Networks

802.10

Standards for Interoperable LAN/MAN Security (SILS) (Network Security)

802.11

Wireless networks

802.12

100Mbps technologies, including 100BASEVG-AnyLAN

Only a few of the standards listed in Table 6 The standards that are specifically included in the CompTIA objectives are 802.2, 802.3, 802.5, and 802.11. Each of these IEEE specifications outlines specific characteristics for LAN networking, including the speed, topology, cabling, and access method. The following sections outline the key features of these IEEE specifications and the specific characteristics of each.