Network Domains

Two domains determine data transport reliability:

• Broadcast domain: A group of nodes that can receive each other’s broadcast messages and are segmented by routers.

• Collision domain: A group of nodes that share the same media and are segmented by switches. A collision occurs if two nodes attempt a simultaneous transmission. Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) sends a jam signal to notify the devices that there has been a collision. The devices then halt transmission for a random backoff time.