media attachment unit (MAU)
MAU is also sometimes used as the abbreviation for the token ring network multistation
access unit (MSAU).
In an Ethernet
local area network (LAN), a media attachment unit (MAU - rhymes with COW) is
a device that interconnects the attachment unit interface port on an
attached host computer to the Ethernet network medium (such as unshielded
twisted pair or coaxial
cable). The MAU provides the services that correspond to the physical
layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
reference model. It provides an electrical connection and a transceiver that maps the digital bits
between the computer and the network and detects collisions
and retries transmissions. A MAU can be built into the computer workstation or other device or it
can be a separate device.
Contributor(s): Carsten N?rregaard Hansen
This was last updated in September 2005
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