Ethernet

Tech / 16 Sep 2026 / 3 min read

Receive Side Scaling Distributes Network Flows Across CPU Queues

Receive Side Scaling Distributes Network Flows Across CPU Queues A fast network adapter can receive packets faster than one processor core can handle them efficiently. Receive Side Scaling, commonly abbreviated RSS, spreads incoming traffic across multiple hardware receive queues. Each queue can be associated with a different processor, allowing packet processing to run in parallel. RSS usually assigns packets by flow rather than distributing every packet independently. This preserves useful ordering properties while still spreading many simultaneous connections across available queues.

Tech Networking

Tech / 16 Sep 2026 / 5 min read

Network Interrupt Coalescing Batches Packet Notifications

A network interface can receive packets far faster than a processor should handle individual hardware interrupts. If every packet immediately triggered an interrupt, high packet rates could consume substantial CPU time in interrupt handling and context transitions. Interrupt coalescing changes that pattern. The network adapter waits for several packets, a short timer, or another configured threshold before notifying the CPU. One interrupt can then cover multiple received packets. The tradeoff is direct: fewer interrupts reduce per-packet CPU overhead, while waiting to form a batch can add latency.

Networking Ethernet

Tech / 16 Sep 2026 / 7 min read

Jumbo Frames Raise Payload Efficiency and MTU Risk

Ethernet networks commonly use an IP maximum transmission unit of 1500 bytes, but many switches, network adapters, and operating systems also support larger frames often called jumbo frames. A larger MTU lets each packet carry more application data before another set of packet headers and per-packet processing is required. That can reduce packet rate for a given throughput. The benefit is most relevant when hosts move large volumes of data and the full path supports the selected frame size.

Networking Ethernet

Tech / 16 Sep 2026 / 6 min read

Ethernet Pause Frames Temporarily Stop Link Transmission

Ethernet links can move frames faster than a receiving device can process or forward them. When that mismatch lasts long enough, receive buffers fill and frames may be dropped. IEEE 802.3x flow control provides a link-level response for full-duplex Ethernet. A device can send a MAC Control PAUSE frame that asks its directly connected peer to stop transmitting ordinary data frames for a specified interval. The pause is temporary, local to that link, and different from congestion control performed by higher-layer protocols.

Networking Ethernet

Tech / 15 Sep 2026 / 7 min read

ARP Neighbor Cache Reuses Local IP-to-MAC Mappings

Sending an IPv4 packet across an Ethernet network requires two different kinds of addresses. The IP layer selects a next-hop IPv4 address, while the Ethernet frame needs a destination MAC address that identifies the next hop on the local link. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) connects those two layers. A host can ask which MAC address corresponds to a local IPv4 address, receive a reply, and store the resulting mapping. Keeping that result in a neighbor cache avoids broadcasting the same question before every packet.

Networking ARP

Tech / 13 Sep 2026 / 5 min read

Ethernet Link Speed and Auto-Negotiation

A computer connected by Ethernet can show a 1 Gbps link while an internet speed test reports far less. Another connection may unexpectedly settle at 100 Mbps even though the router and computer both support faster Ethernet. These readings describe different parts of the connection. The Ethernet link rate is the signaling mode established between two directly connected interfaces. For a typical home setup, that pair might be a computer and a router, or a computer and an Ethernet switch. Auto-negotiation is the process that lets compatible interfaces advertise capabilities and select a mode they can both use.

Ethernet Networking

Tech / Updated 15 Sep 2026 / 7 min read

Ethernet Cable Categories for Home Networks

Ethernet cable labels can make a simple purchase look more complicated than it is. Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 6A cables use the same familiar modular connector in many home setups, yet their specifications are not identical. A higher category can support more demanding signaling, but that does not mean every home connection becomes quicker after a cable swap. The useful way to read an Ethernet cable category is as a cabling performance rating, not as a speed setting. The actual link depends on the cable, its length and installation quality, the ports at both ends, and the Ethernet modes those devices support.

Ethernet Home Networking

Tech / 02 Sep 2026 / 8 min read

Why Ethernet Can Be More Reliable Than Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi makes it easy to connect phones, laptops, televisions, and other devices without running cables through every room. For many everyday tasks, a good wireless connection is more than fast enough. Ethernet serves a different purpose. It carries network traffic over a physical cable, usually between a device and a router, network switch, or wall socket connected to the local network. That wired path can make performance more predictable, especially for devices that stay in one place.

Ethernet Wi-Fi