Does Ethernet ensure all data gets through securely?

The statement that Ethernet doesn't know or care about data loss is accurate because Ethernet, as a networking technology and protocol, is designed primarily for transmitting data packets over a network without inherently ensuring reliability or data integrity. Ethernet operates at the data link layer and focuses on delivering frames from one device to another. It does not possess mechanisms for ensuring that all packets reach their intended destination or for managing lost packets.

While higher-level protocols, such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), do provide error-checking and ensure data integrity by managing packet acknowledgments and retransmissions, Ethernet itself does not have these capabilities built into its standard operations. Therefore, it is correct to say that Ethernet is agnostic to data loss; if a packet is lost during transmission, Ethernet does not take action to correct that loss.

This understanding is critical in networking as it highlights the importance of using additional protocols that layer over Ethernet when reliable data transmission is required.