Network, Networking Technology, Data Communication Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

8B/10B or 8B10B

8B/10B, also known as 8-byte/10-byte or 8B10B, is a line code that maps 8-bit symbols to 10-bit symbols to achieve DC balance and bounded disparity, and yet provide enough state changes to allow reasonable clock recovery. This is an important attribute in a signal that needs to be sent at high rates because it helps reduce "intersymbol interference". The code was described in 1983 by Al Widmer and Peter Franaszek in the IBM Journal of Research and Development. In the scheme, 8 bits of data are transmitted as a 10-bit entity called a Symbol, or Character. The low 5 bits of data are encoded into a 6-bit group and the top 3 bits are encoded into a 4-bit group. These code groups are concatenated together to form the 10-bit Symbol that is transmitted on the wire.

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8B/10B or 8B10B