Eh, it’s both. Ethernet is layer 2. It is your MAC address, more or less. There’s some functionality to it beyond simple hardware addressing, but it provides a scaffold for other, higher layer protocols to operate on top of.
So ethernet, in and of itself is a protocol, and it also provides a framework for other protocols like IP.
Didn’t he say that it’s a framework for protocols, not a protocol? Or am I parsing the comment incorrectly?
Eh, it’s both. Ethernet is layer 2. It is your MAC address, more or less. There’s some functionality to it beyond simple hardware addressing, but it provides a scaffold for other, higher layer protocols to operate on top of.
So ethernet, in and of itself is a protocol, and it also provides a framework for other protocols like IP.
Ah, that makes sense, thanks!