Submitted BY:

DEBA PRASAD AGASTI

Regd. No: 0701294124

Under the Guidance of : Mrs.Rajlakshmi mam

1
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the seminar report based on

Submitted by:
DEBA PRASAD AGASTI(Regd. No:0701294124)

In partial fulfillment of Degree of Bachelor of INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology, is a record
of bonafide work carried out by him, under my guidance and supervision.
The results embodied in this seminar report have not been submitted to any
other University or Institute for the award of any degree.

Date: 28.10.201 Prof. S.R LENKA

(Head of the Department IT, REC, BBSR.)

2
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Behind every student who ascends the height of success and achievement has a
group effort and it is reflected in this seminar. I cannot forget the role and
responsibility of the people who were instrumental in extending all possible support
for preparation of this seminar report.

I express my deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to Head of IT department

Prof.S.R LENKA for his constant valuable guidance and help in implementing my
seminar report.

I further take this opportunity to thank all the staff members of my college for
taking active participation and providing me all the necessary data and statistics
during the preparation of my report so as to make it a great success.

Submitted by:

Deba Prasad Agasti(Regd. No:0701294124)

3
 CONTENTS
SL. NO. TOPIC PAGE NO.
1 ABSTRACT 05
2 INTRODUCTION 06
3 TOKEN RING OPERATION 07
4 TOKEN RING SELF MAINTAINANCE 09
5 CABLES USED IN TOKEN RING 10
6 TOKEN RING OPERATION USING 11
A HUB
7 TOKEN RING/IEEE 802.5 12
8 BEACONING 13
9 PRIORITY SYSTEM 14
10 FAULT MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS 15
11 TOKEN RING INSERTION PROCESS 17
12 TOKEN RING ERRORS 18
13 CONCLUSION 19
14 REFERENCES 20

4
 ABSTRACT

Token ring local area network (LAN) technology

was developed and promoted by IBM in the early
1980s and standardised as IEEE 802.5 by the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Initially very successful, it went into steep decline
after the introduction of 10BASE-T for Ethernet and
the EIA/TIA 568 cabling standard in the early 1990s.
A fierce marketing effort led by IBM sought to claim
better performance and reliability over Ethernet for
critical applications due to its deterministic access
method, but was no more successful than similar
battles in the same era over their Micro Channel
architecture. IBM no longer uses or promotes token
ring. Madge Networks, a one time competitor to
IBM, is now considered to be the market leader in
token ring.

5
 INTRODUCTION
Token ring local area network (LAN) technology is a local area
network protocol which resides at the data link layer (DLL) of
the OSI model. It uses a special three-byte frame called a token
that travels around the ring. Token-possession grants the
possessor permission to transmit on the medium. Token ring
frames travel completely around the loop.

Token ring was invented by of Soderblom in the late 1960s. It

was later licensed to IBM, who popularized the use of token ring
LANs in the mid 1980s when it released its IBM token ring
architecture based on active multi-station access units (MSAUs or
MAUs) and the IBM Structured Cabling System. The Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE  later standardized a
token ring LAN system as IEEE 802.5

Token ring networks had significantly superior performance and

reliability compared to early shared-media implementations
of Ethernet(IEEE 802.3), and were widely adopted as a higher-
performance alternative to shared-media Ethernet

Token ring networks have since declined in usage and the

standards activity has since come to a standstill as switched
Ethernet has dominated the LAN/layer 2 networking market

6
 TOKEN RING OPERATION

At the start, a free Token is circulating on the ring, this is a data frame
which to all intents and purposes is an empty vessel for transporting
data. To use the network, a machine first has to capture the free
Token and replace the data with its own message.

In the example above, machine 1 wants to send some data to machine

4, so it first has to capture the free Token. It then writes its data and
the recipient's address onto the Token (represented by the yellow
flashing screen).

The packet of data is then sent to machine 2 who reads the address,
realizes it is not its own, so passes it on to machine 3. Machine 3 does
the same and passes the Token on to machine 4.

This time it is the correct address and so number 4 reads the

message (represented by the yellow flashing screen). It cannot,
however, release a free Token on to the ring, it must first send the
message back to number 1 with an acknowledgement to say that it
has received the data (represented by the purple flashing screen).

The receipt is then sent to machine 5 who checks the address,

realizes that it is not its own and so forwards it on to the next machine
in the ring, number 6.

Machine 6 does the same and forwards the data to number 1, who
sent the original message.

Machine 1 recognizes the address, reads the acknowledgement from

number 4 (represented by the purple flashing screen) and then
releases the free Token back on to the ring ready for the next machine
to use.

That's the basics of Token Ring and it shows how data is sent,
received and acknowledged, but Token Ring also has a built in
management and recovery system which makes it very fault tolerant.
Below is a brief outline of Token Ring's self maintenance system. 

7
8
 TOKEN RING SELF MAINTAINANCE
When a Token Ring network starts up, the machines all take part in a
negotiation to decide who will control the ring, or become the 'Active
Monitor' to give it its proper title. This is won by the machine with the
highest MAC address who is participating in the contention
procedure, and all other machines become 'Standby Monitors'.

The job of the Active Monitor is to make sure that none of the
machines are causing problems on the network, and to re-establish
the ring after a break or an error has occurred. The Active Monitor
performs Ring Polling every seven seconds and ring purges when
there appears to be a problem. The ring polling allows all machines
on the network to find out who is participating in the ring and to learn
the address of their Nearest Active Upstream Neighbour (NAUN). Ring
purges reset the ring after an interruption or loss of data is reported.

Each machine knows the address of its Nearest Active Upstream

Neighbour. This is an important function in a Token Ring as it updates
the information required to re-establish itself when machines enter or
leave the ring.

When a machine enters the ring it performs a lobe test to verify that
its own connection is working properly, if it passes, it sends a voltage
to the hub which operates a relay to insert it into the ring.

If a problem occurs anywhere on the ring, the machine that is

immediately after the fault will cease to receive signals. If this
situation continues for a short period of time it initiates a recovery
procedure which assumes that its NAUN is at fault, the outcome of
this procedure either removes its neighbour from the ring or it
removes itself. 

9
 CABLES USED IN TOKEN RING
UTP or STP cabling is used as a media for token ring networks.
Token Ring uses an IBM cabling system based on American Wire
Gauge (AWG) standards that specify wire diameters. The larger
the AWG number, the small diameter the cable has.

Token ring networks normally use type 1, type 3 or regular UTP

like cable used on ethernet installations. If electrical interference is a
problem, the type 1 cable is a better choice. Cable types:

Type Description
Two 22 AWG solid core pair of STP cable with a braided
1 shield. This cable is normally used between MAUs and
computers.
Two 22 AWG solid core pair with four 26 AWG solid core of
2
STP cable.
Four 22 or 24 AWG UTP cable. This is voice-grade cable and
3
cannot transmit at a rate above 4Mbps.
4 Undefined.
5 Fiber-optic cable. Usually used to link MAUs.
Two 26 AWG stranded core pair of STP cable with a braided
6 shield. The stranded-core allows more flexibility but limits the
transmission distance to two-thirds that of type 1.
7 Undefined.
8 Type 6 cable with a flat casing to be used under carpets.
9 Type 6 cable with plenum-rating for safety.

10
TOKEN RING OPERATION USING A HUB

A Token Ring hub simply changes the topology from a

physical ring to a star wired ring. The Token still circulates
around the network and is still controlled in the same
manner, however, using a hub or a switch greatly improves
reliability because the hub can automatically bypass any
ports that are disconnected or have a cabling fault.

Further advancements have been made in recent years with

regard to Token Ring technology, such as early Token
release and Token Ring switching but as this site is primarily
concerned with cabling issues we will not go into any more
detail here.

TOKEN RING / IEEE 802.5

11
The Token Ring network was originally developed by IBM in the 1970s. It is still
IBM's primary local-area network (LAN) technology. The related IEEE 802.5
specification is almost identical to and completely compatible with IBM's Token
Ring network. In fact, the IEEE 802.5 specification was modeled after IBM Token
Ring, and it continues to shadow IBM's Token Ring development. The term Token
Ring generally is used to refer to both IBM's Token Ring network and IEEE 802.5
networks. This chapter addresses both Token Ring and IEEE 802.5.

Token Ring and IEEE 802.5 networks are basically compatible, although the
specifications differ in minor ways. IBM's Token Ring network specifies a star,
with all end stations attached to a device called a multistation access unit
(MSAU). In contrast, IEEE 802.5 does not specify a topology, although virtually all
IEEE 802.5 implementations are based on a star. Other differences exist,
including media type (IEEE 802.5 does not specify a media type, although IBM
Token Ring networks use twisted-pair wire) and routing information field size.
Figure 9-1 summarizes IBM Token Ring network and IEEE 802.5 specifications.

12
 BEACONING
The first computer turned on a token ring will be
the active monitor. Every seven seconds it sends a
frame to its nearest active downstream neighbor.
The data gives the address of the active monitor
and advertised the fact that the upstream neighbor
is the active monitor. That station changes the
packets upstream address and sends it to its
nearest active downstream neighbor. When the
packet has traveled around the ring, all stations

13
know the address of their upstream neighbor and
the active monitor knows the state of the network.
If a computer has not heard from its upstream
neighbor after seven seconds, it will send a packet
that announces its own address, and the NAUN that
is not responding. This packet will cause all
computers to check their configuration. The ring
can thereby route around the problem area giving
some fault tolerance to the network.

14
 Priority System

Token Ring networks use a sophisticated priority system

that permits certain user-designated, high-priority stations
to use the network more frequently. Token Ring frames
have two fields that control priority: the priority field and
the reservation field.
Only stations with a priority equal to or higher than the
priority value contained in a token can seize that token.
After the token is seized and changed to an information
frame, only stations with a priority value higher than that of
the transmitting station can reserve the token for the next
pass around the network. When the next token is
generated, it includes the higher priority of the reserving
station. Stations that raise a token's priority level must
reinstate the previous priority after their transmission is
complete.

15
 Fault-Management Mechanisms
Token Ring networks employ several mechanisms for detecting
and compensating for network faults. For example, one station in
the Token Ring network is selected to be the active monitor. This
station, which potentially can be any station on the network, acts
as a centralized source of timing information for other ring stations
and performs a variety of ring-maintenance functions. One of
these functions is the removal of continuously circulating frames
from the ring. When a sending device fails, its frame may continue
to circle the ring. This can prevent other stations from transmitting
their own frames and essentially can lock up the network. The
active monitor can detect such frames, remove them from the
ring, and generate a new token.
The IBM Token Ring network's star topology also contributes to
overall network reliability. Because all information in a Token Ring
network is seen by active MSAUs, these devices can be
programmed to check for problems and selectively remove
stations from the ring, if necessary.
A Token Ring algorithm called beaconing detects and tries to
repair certain network faults. Whenever a station detects a
serious problem with the network (such as a cable break), it
sends a beacon frame, which defines a failure domain. This
domain includes the station reporting the failure, its nearest active
upstream neighbor (NAUN), and everything in between.
Beaconing initiates a process called autoreconfiguration, in which
nodes within the failure domain automatically perform diagnostics
in an attempt to reconfigure the network around the failed areas.
Physically, the MSAU can accomplish this through electrical
reconfiguration

16
 FRAME FORMAT

Token Ring and IEEE 802.5 support two basic frame

types: tokens and data/command frames. Tokens are 3
bytes in length and consist of a start delimiter, an access
control byte, and an end delimiter. Data/command frames
vary in size, depending on the size of the Information field.
Data frames carry information for upper-layer protocols,
while command frames contain control information and
have no data for upper-layer protocol.

IEEE 802.5 and Token Ring Specify Tokens and Data/Command Frames

17
18
 TOKEN RING INSERTION PROCESS
Token ring stations must go through a 5-phase ring insertion
process before being allowed to participate in the ring network. If
any of these phases fail, the token ring station will not insert into
the ring and the token ring driver may report an error.

 Phase 0 (Lobe Check) — A station first performs a lobe

media check. A station is wrapped at the MSAU and is able to
send 2000 test frames down its transmit pair which will loop
back to its receive pair.
 Phase 1 (Physical Insertion) — A station then sends a 5 volt
signal to the MSAU to open the relay.
 Phase 2 (Address Verification) — A station then transmits
MAC frames with its own MAC address in the destination
address field of a token ring frame. When the frame returns and
if the address copied , the station must participate in the
periodic (every 7 seconds) ring poll process. This is where
stations identify themselves on the network as part of the MAC
management functions.
 Phase 3 (Participation in ring poll) — A station learns the
address of its Nearest Active Upstream Neighbour (NAUN) and
makes its address known to its nearest downstream neighbour,
leading to the creation of the ring map. Station waits until it
receives an AMP or SMP frame with the ARI and FCI bits set to
0. When it does, the station flips both bits (ARI and FCI) to 1, if
enough resources are available, and queues an SMP frame for
transmission. If no such frames are received within 18 seconds,
then the station reports a failure to open and de-inserts from
the ring. If the station successfully participates in a ring poll, it
proceeds into the final phase of insertion, request initialization.
 Phase 4 (Request Initialization) — Finally a station sends out
a special request to a parameter server to obtain configuration
information.

19
 TOKEN RING ERRORS
TYPES OF ERRORS

o FRAME COPIED ERROR

o ARI/FCI ERROR

o LOST FRAME

o RECEIVER CONGESTION ERROR

o LINE ERROR

o BURST ERROR

o BEACON ERROR

o FREQUENCY ERROR

20
 CONCLUSION

The token ring network have various priority schemes

And performs self maintenance and troubleshooting…

It is ideal for applications that requires predictability and

Robustness such as factory automation………………….

21
 REFERENCES

IEEE 802.5 activities

 "IEEE 802.3 Local Area Network considerations",
IBM document GG22-9422-0

David R. Boggs, Jeffrey C. Mogul, Christopher

Kent (1988). "Measured capacity of an Ethernet:
myths and reality". ACM SIGCOMM Computer
Communication : . doi:10.1145/205447.205460.

USENET comp.dcom.lans.misc
Castelli, Matthew (2002). Network Consultants
Handbook. Cisco Press. ISBN 1-58705-039-0.

Gallo, Michael; Hancock, William M.

(2001). Networking Explained. Digital Press. ISBN 1-
55558-252-4.

22