Final answer:
Legacy Ethernet LANs use the media access control method known as Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD). It is a protocol that manages how devices on the same network share the bandwidth and handle potential data collisions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The media access control method used in legacy Ethernet LANs is called Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD).
This protocol enables multiple devices on the same network to share the bandwidth effectively. When a device wants to transmit data, it first checks if the network is free. If the network is free, it starts transmitting the data. However, if another device attempts to send data simultaneously, this can cause a collision. To manage this, the CSMA/CD protocol will require both devices to stop sending and attempt to resend their data after a random backoff period, in hopes of avoiding another collision.