What kind of algorithm is used by the Ethernet FCS?

The correct answer is that Ethernet uses a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) algorithm for its Frame Check Sequence (FCS). This algorithm is designed to detect errors in transmission over the network. When data is transmitted over Ethernet, the CRC calculates a short, fixed-length binary sequence from the data being sent. This sequence is then appended to the end of the frame as a way to ensure data integrity.

When the receiving device gets the frame, it performs the same CRC calculation on the received data. If the calculated CRC matches the one included in the frame, it confirms that the data has not been corrupted during transmission. If there is a mismatch, the receiving device knows that there was an error, and it can request the data to be resent.

CRC is favored over cryptographic algorithms like MD5 or SHA-256, which are used for different purposes such as hashing for data integrity or security verifications. RSA, on the other hand, is an asymmetric encryption algorithm used for secure data transmission rather than error-checking. Therefore, CRC is specifically suited for the purpose of error-checking in Ethernet frames.