Ethernet Networking

Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs). Ethernet was commercially introduced in 1980 and standardized in 1985 as IEEE 802.3. Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies.

A bridge connects two different LAN networks. A switch is something like you can connect many computers to a switch and then one computer can connect to another through the switch. Switch is a unicast one to one connection.

It is a logical area in a computer network where any computer connected to the network can directly transmit to any other computer in the domain without having to go through a routing device.

A router is a device or sometimes a software in a computer which decides the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded to reach its destination on Internet. It is usually included as part of the network switch and is located at a gateway, including each point-of-presence on the Internet. The router is connected to at least two networks and determines which way to send each information packet based on its understanding of the state of the networks it is connected to.

A firewall is a hardware or software installed to provide security to the private networks connected to the internet. They can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. All data entering or leaving the Intranet passes through the firewall which allows only the data meeting the administrators’ rules to pass through it.

A gateway is a network point that provides entrance into another network. On the Internet, a node or stopping point can be either a gateway node or a host (end-point) node. Both the computers of Internet users and the computers that serve pages to users are host nodes. The computers that control traffic within your company's network or at your local Internet service provider (ISP) are gateway nodes.