A differential gear mechanism and improved axle shaft retention arrangement for the axle shaft. The circuit board portion has a plurality of light-emitting diodes mounted thereon and electric circuitry for providing power to the LEDs. This prevents inadvertent opening of the carrier due to impact on the carrier. In one embodiment, the communication over head of the Ethernet protocol is further reduced by using an enhanced Ethernet protocol with shortened data frames within a constrained neighborhood, andor by utilizing a bit stream switch where direct connection paths can be established between elements that comprise the computing or communication architecture.