What is the minimum size of an Ethernet frame when considering the header, payload, and trailer?

The minimum size of an Ethernet frame is 64 bytes. This total is comprised of various components within the frame structure, including the header, payload, and trailer.

In detail, an Ethernet frame consists of:

• A header that is typically 14 bytes, which includes source and destination MAC addresses and the EtherType field.

• A payload, which must be at least 46 bytes to meet the minimum frame size requirement. The payload can be larger, accommodating up to 1500 bytes in standard Ethernet frames, but for the minimum, it needs to be at least 46 bytes.

• A trailer, which is usually 4 bytes and contains the Frame Check Sequence (FCS) used for error-checking.

When you add all these components together, you get: 14 bytes (header) + 46 bytes (minimum payload) + 4 bytes (trailer) = 64 bytes. This is the standard minimum Ethernet frame size that must be adhered to, as frames smaller than this can trigger collisions or be dropped by networking devices, thus affecting network performance and reliability.