This value identifies the transport type carried over this internal link, i.e. that it carries Ethernet traffic specifically, as tracked on the Fabric Interconnect side. It matters on the same internal chassis backplane link, but the record kept on the Fabric Interconnect (switch) side rather than the IOM/server side because on a converged fabric interconnect, this field distinguishes the Ethernet path's record from any Fibre Channel path sharing the same physical chassis connection. A transport value of ether on this link's fabric-interconnect side confirms this switch-side record concerns the Ethernet backplane path, separate from any FC/FCoE record for the same chassis link.