This rough version of the 802.3 packet, given the unfortunate name "Ethernet 802.3," was brought out by Novell before widespread establishment of IEEE 802.3 standards and the popular IPX/SPX protocol, unfortunately leading to frequent confusion with the IEEE standard. Consequently, Novell added "raw" to the name. In contrast to the classic Ethernet II model, this frame defines an exact end to the bit sequence for the SFD. This identifies the data packet as the 802.3 standard for the receiver. 802.3raw frames do not contain a protocol identifier, as they are only usable for Novell IPX. In addition, the data to be transmitted is always prefixed with 2 bytes, which always consist of ones. This is the only way to distinguish a "raw" frame from other frames in the 802.3 family.
The IEEE 802.3raw frame can only be used for the IPX protocol, because the type field's protocol ID is missing. The name "IEEE 802.3raw" is also slightly misleading, since Novell used the protocol name without involving the IEEE in the development of the frame. The use of this frame means extra work for the user, because compatibility issues can arise between devices. From 1993 onwards, Novell itself recommended the "Ethernet 802.2" standard, which used the IEEE 802.3 frame, to avoid the likelihood of confusion with the "raw" frame.