Week 3: Practice Hands‐on Activity - M199205zn/Datacomm-CS3 GitHub Wiki

💻 Hands-On Activity: Ethernet Network Setup & Testing

🛠 Materials Needed:

  • 2-3 computers or laptops with Ethernet ports.
  • Ethernet cables (Cat5e or Cat6).
  • Network switch or router.
  • Network testing software (e.g., Ping, ipconfig, Wireshark).

👨‍💻 Step 1: Connecting a Wired Ethernet Network

  1. Setup the network:
    • Connect computers to a switch using Ethernet cables.
    • Ensure the switch is powered on and connected to the router (if needed).
  2. Check network configuration:
    • Open the terminal (Windows: cmd, macOS/Linux: terminal).
    • Type ipconfig (Windows) or ifconfig (Linux/macOS) to check the assigned IP addresses.
  3. Test network connectivity:
    • Use the ping command: 
      ping <another computer's IP>
    • If the connection is successful, you will see reply messages.

👨‍💻 Step 2: Ethernet Speed Testing

  1. Verify connection speed:
    • On Windows: Go to Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Ethernet Status to check the speed.
    • On macOS/Linux: Use the command: 
      ethtool eth0
  2. Test data transfer speed:
    • Share a file over the network and measure transfer speed.
    • Use iPerf to test bandwidth: 
      iperf -c <destination IP>

👨‍💻 Step 3: Packet Analysis with Wireshark

  1. Install Wireshark on one computer.
  2. Start capturing network traffic.
  3. Observe Ethernet frames, MAC addresses, and packet flow.
  4. Identify different protocols running on Ethernet (e.g., TCP, UDP).

🔚 Conclusion

  • Ethernet is the backbone of modern LANs.
  • Different Ethernet standards provide varying speeds for different applications.
  • Hands-on practice helps in understanding Ethernet performance and troubleshooting.
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