Chapter 2 - Local Area Network Architectures

I CHAPTER
,""*Sb.
wffi
&
Locm Annr l{urwoRK

AnCNTTECTURES
rl .,.r,:rr,r
'r
Concepts Reínforcecl
OSI Model Top-Down Model
Hardware / Soffware Compatibility Protocols and Standards
Local Area Networks
Concepts Introdt¿ced
Access Methodologies Network Architectures
Physical Topologies High-Speed Network
IEEE 802 Standards Architectures
Logical Topologies
.0BJBCTIY.SS
After mastering the material in this chapter you should:
1. understand how access methodologies, logical topologies, and physi-

cal topologies combine to form alternative network architectures
2. Understand the similarities, differences, advantages, and disadvan-

tages to current network architectures such as Ethernet, Token Ring,
and FDDI
3. Understand the similarities, differences, advantages, and disadvan-
tages of emerging high-speed network architectures such as
l0bBasel 1OOVG-AnyLAN, isoEthernet, and Gigabit Ethernet
4. Understand the value of the OSI model in the analysis of network
architecture alternatives
5. Understand how proper LAN analysis can help determine which
network architecture is most appropriate in any given situation
36
The OSI Model Rer-isited J/
ii$ INTRODUCTION
Chapterlansweredseveralkeyquestions'atleastonanintroductorylevel:
o What is a local area network?
o How is a local area network implemented?
. Why are local area networks implemented?
what, how, and why of local area
Armed with a basic understanding of the
networks, this cnapter ñü, iridepth the underlying local area network
technologies,to transpar-
ur"t-rlt".t.rr"s that allow ñardware and software
able to communicate and share infor-
entlv interact. Clients and servers are that
;:"ffi;.;;;r;,h" combined components of the tocat area network
are able to offer trans-
links them. These local area netwoik components
to ciients and services due to their
parent network transmission services
adherence to standará-r-una protocols. One of
the key distinguishing char-
acteristicsofaparticularlocalaleanetworkisthenetworkarchitecture
the components of a net-
adhered to by a particular LAN' In this chapter'
work architecture *iil;; first explored, folüwed by comparative evalua-
tionsofthenumerousnetworkarchitectureseithercurrentlyavailableor
emerging into the networking marketplace'
first intr;duced in Chapter 1' will be explained in
more
The OSI model,
detailasameansbywhichtoorganizecomparativeinformationregarding
communications'
altemative network architectures aid comput"?-to-.or1}p.tter
i$ THE OSI NIODBT REITSITEI)
Overall Structure and Characteristics
consists of a hierarchy of seven layers that

loosely gro-up.the
The osl Model
two computing devices
'h,¡ si- functional requirements for communitation between between
regardless of the software, hardware' or geographical.differences
osr modet, officially known as
ir-an- ;:;;;;p;ting a*i.*n. The power of tñeflexibility.It canbe used to orga-
Ring, ISO Standar d"748g,lies in its openness and
invoived in communicating between two comput-
nize and define protocols
dévices across the rvorld
ing devices in the same room as effectively as two
lr-an- from each other.
layers- to.perform more ele-
ch as Each layer in the OSI model relies on lower
mentaryfunctionsandtooffertotaltranspalencytotheintricaciesoiihose
incrementallv more sophis-
functions. At the same time, each layer próvides
:il-tOrk
ticated transparent service to uppér layers'
In theory' if this.trarL<Palency
Á-rá"ii, supported, changes in ihe protbcots of one layer shorrld not require
is a set of rules that govem
''r-hich changes in protocoís of oiher layers. A-protocol
components'
.omri.rrr.icution between hardware and/or software
l'
t'
I
38 Chapter Tr'r,o Local Area Network Architectures
Physical Iayer
The physical layeq, also known as layer 1, is responsible for the establish-
ment, maintenance, and termination of physical connections between com-
municating devices. These connections are sometimes referred to as
point-to-point data links. The physical layer transmits and receives a stream
of bits. There is no data recognition at the physical layer.
Specifically, the physical layer operation is controlled by protocols that
define the electrical, mechanical, and procedural specifications for data
transmission. The RS232-C specification for serial transmission is an exam-
ple of a physical layer protocol. Strictly speaking, the physical layer does not
define the specifications for connectors and cables, which are sometimes
referred to as belonging to layer 0.
Data-Link Layer
The data-link layer is responsible for providing protocols that deliver reli-
ability to upper layers for the point-to-point connections established by the
physical layer protocols. The data-link layer is of particular interest to the
study of local area networks because this is the layer in which network
architecture standards are defined. These standards are debated and estab-
lished by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802
committee and will be introduced and explained later in this chapter. The
number 802 is derived from the date of the committee's formation in 1980
(80) in the month of February (2).
The data-link layer provides the required reliability to the physical layer
transmission by organizing the bit stream into structured frames, which add
addressing and error-checking information. Additional information added
to the front of data is called a header, whereas information added to the back
of data is called a trailer. Data{ink layer protocols provide error detection,
notification, and recovery.
The data-link layer frames are built within the network interface card
installed in a computer according to the predetermined frame layout par-
ticular to the network architecture of the installed network interface card.
Network interface cards are given a unique address in a format determined
by their network architecture. These addresses are usually assigned and
preprogrammed by the NIC manufacturer. The network interface card pro-
vides the connection to the LAN, transferring any data frames that are
addressed to it from the connected network media to the computer's mem-
ory for processing.
The first two layers of the OSI model, physical and data-link, are mani-
fested as hardware (media and NICs, respectively), whereas the remaining
layers of the OSI model are all installed as software protocols.
The OSI Model Rer isitec 39
Sub-Layers
Inordertoallowtheoslmodeltomorecloselvadheretotheprotocolstruc-
tné mgE 802 committee split the
ture and operation or u rolur area netwofk,
data-link láyer into two sub-layers'
NlediaAceessControlThemediaaccesscontrolorMACsub-layerinterfaces
by protocols fhat define how the
with the physical hy;;;; t; represented
It shared local area network mediá
is to be u..érr"d by the many connected
'.4
computers. As will
fully later is this chapter' Token Ring
';"ütiflrnore use different media access
1- (IEEE 802.5) ar,d Etit"Á"i GEEE 802'3) networks num-
Jt methodologies and ;il";;"re assigned different IEEE 802 protocol
are com-
ES
bers. Uniqu" uda,",'"' assigned to
NlCs at the time of manufacture
*r"fy t"iltred to as MAC Jdd'"tt"t or MAC layer addresses'
of the data-link layer that inter-
Logical Link Control The upper sub-lay-er
á ft""*'l u''th" logical tilk-:"-T1t^tôr LLC
sub-
faces to the network Ñ"' (IEEE-8.2'2)' The LLC
layer and ir r"pr"r"''t;áü rgng 802
,'ttgi" irotocot
sub-layer also inter"f"ac"" i'utJpu'enily to the MAC sublayer protocol
Ji- to rpfiitir,g tt* dutulitrt layer into
two sub-layers
beneath it. The to
the "a"""ág"
to having u ,ir,gi", .lo**o' LlCprotocol
is that it offers transparency
and
the the upper layers and above) while allowing the MAC sub-layer
i""tlott
ork protocoltovaryindependently.Intermsoftechnotogy,thesplittingofthe
allows a givén network operating
rab- subJayers and the siirgle LI-C protocol network architectures
802 ,yt,""{ ," t"" "q""il;:"Jl *"u var;ftY of differént
fhe as embodied in network intertace
cards'
980
1\-er Nefivork LaYer

ua¿
ided Thenetworklayerprotocolsareresponsiblefortheestablishment,mainte-
network links. Network layer proto-
back nance, and terminai¡" ái ""a-to-end
that,are not physically connected to
the
tion, cols are required *f-'á'-' to*puters responsible for
same LAN ,r,.rrt.o**.rr-ri.jt".
Network luy"r proio.ols are
addrássing sche-mes and for enabling
card providing n"t*o'l-iuy"t i""¿ "nd) data packets. The term packets is
'o usu-
:Par- inter_netwo.r ,o.runlot;il".k layer
is usu-
whereas l]ne fermt'ram¿s
card. ally associated with ietwork layer protocols, Unfortunately' not all
protocols'
uned ally associarua *i,n data-link láyer
to this generally accepted con\-en-
L and neiworking professánals or texts uáh"rJ
i pro- tion. Addrersi,tg sth"*es and routing
willbe tñoroughly reviewed ir the
at are remainder of the text' netyorf
mem- Network tuy".f'ototols are partof a particular ¡P"tut*i:i-:
ü-:r¿:-
operating
teml protocot ,iu.t'. Different neiworking :Istems_:1a)'use
1''¿''-' ::'e
operating systems
nani- ent network layer protocols. Many n"ñroit r:
protócol' This capabLlrr-' '::e-
aining ability to use *.t; ih;;;" ""t*oit layer
40 Chapter Trr'o Local Area Netlvork Architectures
cially important to heterogeneous, multi-platform, multi-vendor

client/server computing environments.
Transport Layer
Just as the data-link layer was responsible for providing reliability for the
physical layer, the transport layer protocols are responsible for providing
reliability for the end-to-end network layer connections. Transport layer pro-
tocols provide end-to-end error recovery and flow control. Transport layer
protocols also provide mechanisms for sequentialTy organizing multiple net-
work layer packets into a coherent message.
Tiansport layer protocols are also supplied by a given network operat-
ing system and are most often closely linked with a particular network layer
protocol. For example, NetWare uses IPX/SPX in which IPX (Internet Packet
Exchange) is the network layer protocol and SPX (Sequenced Packet
Exchange) is the transport layer protocol. Another popular transport,/net-
work protocol duo is TCP/IP in which TCP (Tiansmission Control Protocol),
the transport layer protocol, provides reliability services for IP (Internet Pro-
tocol), the network layer protocol.
Session Laver
The session layer protocols are responsible for establishing, maintaining,

and terminating sessions between user application programs. Sessions are
interactive dialogues between networked computers and are of particular
importance to distributed computing applications in a client/server envi-
ronment. As the area of distributed computing is in an evolutionary state,
the session layer protocols may be supplied by the distributed application,
the network operating system, or a specialized piece of additional software
designed to render differences between computing platforms transparent,
known as middleware. RPC, or remote procedure call protocol, is one exam-
ple of a session layer protocol.
Presentation Layer
The presentation-layer protocols provide an interface between user applica-

tions and various presentation-related services required by those applica-
tions. For example, data encryption/decryption protocols are considered
presentation-Iayer protocols as are protocols that translate between encod-
ing schemes such as ASCII to EBCDIC. A common misconception is that
graphical user interfaces such as Windows and Presentation Manager are
presentation-Iayer protocols. This is not true. Presentation-layer protocols
The OSI Model Revisiteo 41
are dealing with network communications, whereas Windows and/or Pre-

sentation Manager are installed on end-user computers'
Application Layer
The application layer, Iayer 7 of the osl model is also open to misinterpreta-
he
tion. Application-layer protocols do not include end-user application pro-
ño
grams. i{ather, they include utilities and network-based services that
ro-
íupport end-user application programs. Some people include network oper-
ati'ni systems in this categoty. Stti.tty speaking, the best examp^les of appli-
et- X.400 and X.500. X.400 is an open
catiJn-iayer protocols ute th"OSI protocols
systems proio.ot that offers inteioperability between different e-mail pro-
aL-
gru*, utt¿ X.SOO offers e-mail direótory synchronization among different e-
!er írail systems. DNS, Domain Name Service, which is an Internet protocol that
ket or domain name to a specific IP address, is
resolrrls a computer's common
ket protocol.
also considered an application-1ayer
ret-
Figure 2-1 offeÁ a conceptual view of the osl model and summarizes
01),
)ro- many of the previous comments.
Encap sulation/D e- encap sulation
The previous discussion highlighted the roles of the various osl model layer
protlcois in a communication session between two networked computers'
rño
!Lót i{ow the various protocol layers actually interact with each other to enable
are an end-to-end communication session is highlighted in Figure 2-2.
r.ilar As illustrated in Figure 2-2, a dafa message emelges from a client front
nr-i- end program and procéeds down the protocol stack of the network operat-
rate, ing systám installed in the client PC in a process known as encapsulation.
rion, Ea"ch'successive layer of the OSI model adds a header according to the syn-
tax of the protocol which occupies that layer. In the case .of.the data-link
rent, layer, both a header and trailer are added. The bit stream is finally passed
aláng the shared media that connects the two computing devices. This is
ram- an
impJrtant point. Although the OSI model may seem that given lay-
fo-1mply
in u prótocol stack ta'ik direcily to each other on different computers, the
"r,
fact is tñat the computers ut" ot-tÍy physically connected by the media, and
that is the only layer which talks directly between computers'
When thé fuil bit stream arrives at the destination server, the reverse
process of encapsulation, de-encapsulation, takes place. In this manner,
:.ica- each
:lica- !.r.c"rsirr" layÉr of the OSI moáel removes headers and/or trailers and
iered processes the data that were passed to it_from the corresponding layer
proir-
- --l iol o. the source client. Once the server has processed the client's reques: :::
j
i üat data in the server back-end engine application, the whole process is rer-er==
)r are and the requested data will bé encapsulated by the server's protocoL .:::'
-'
:¡cols transmitted over the communications media, and de-encapsula:e; f ü'e
42 Chapter TWo Local Area Network Architectures
DATA ENABLING
LAYER USER AFPLICATION
'.'. FORN,lAT TECHNOLOGY
--
7 APPLICATION Provides common seruices to user
applications.
+ X.400 E-N¡AlL interoperabjlity o
specification =
o
.> X.500 E-l\ilAlL directory c
synchronization spec¡f ication c
o
+Strictly speaking, does nof
include user applications ,9
C
l
E
6 PRESENTATION Provides presentation seruices for E
network communicat¡ons. o
o
'+ Encryption
C
'=
.>Code translation (ASCll io !
É
EBCDTC) ! .9
C
r>Text compression l
/Vofto be contused with o
r> Graphical User lnterfaces(GUls) o
!
E o u
c C
E
5 SESSION Establishes, mainla¡ns, terminates o
o o sessrons Distr¡buted
! o applications,
! F
.E
zo lnteractive, real- middleware, or ro
=
.9. time dialogue network ¡t
o operating
between 2 user
o systems.
o nodes
o
4 TRANSPORT Assures reliability of end-to-end
-g c messages Network
netwofk connections- o Operating
c o Systems
.9 c Asembles
I c
o packets inio
messages.
o
:
C
3 NETWORK Establishes, maintains, and
o
packets Network
terminates end-to'end network 5 Operating
connections. o o Systems.
Embedded within
=
o o rames.
f
z
E
c
U
NIC DRIVERS
2 DATA LINK Logical Link conkol i'Specilied by f rames Network

sub-layer. I 802.X lnterface
I protocols. Cards.
Recognizable as
N,4ediaaccess data.
l+A".rr"" .=
control sub-layer.
I reliab¡lity of co
U
I point-to-
a E cc
I point data
I links.
-
'ó
o o
=
,I PHYSICAL Establishes, mainta¡ns, and
E
E o bits Media
cc
o
terminates point-to-point data links. O c
'6
L Unrecognizable
as data
Figure 2-1 OSI Model-A Conceptual View

-T
The Local Area Network Architecture \Iodel 43
Client running Server running

front-end back-end engine
application. application.
APPLICATION
' ''iviñ -
7 APPLICATION
trtrtr r
LAYEF
f^--¡s¡
fiL¿atal
.. r dára
L - r-D¡t¡
DATA
PRESENTATION
6
LAYER
PRESENTATION
illilllii LAYER
il
i1
ll
IJ
iol
F
1<l
J
l5
UJ
IL
l<t
tol
\z
l.'l
t¡
lt
n
|.r
i'l
LAYER
il
I Str""t
Bit
V
Figure 2-2 OSI Model-An Architectural View
to the client
client PC's protocol stack before being ultimately delivered
first place'
front-end application which requested the data in the
ffi THE LOCAI, AREA NETWORK ARCHITBCTURE MODEL
Although not all network architectures are standardized br

the IEFE '-r
archlte¡ru:es are
,o-" oih", standards-making organizafion, all network
made up of the same logical components. In order to accurately describe a

given nétwork architecture, one needs to know the following:
. access methodology
. logical topology
. physical topology
As numerous network architectures ale evaluated later in the chapter,

these three major components will be discussed in each case. The only other
variable addeá to the network architecture of choice is the particular media
over which a given network architecture can operate. As will be seen, most
network archilectures are able to operate over a variety of media types.
Although networking vocabulary is by no means standardized, the previ-
ously ñentioned combinations of variables can be summalized in the fol-
lowing manner:
o Network Architecture = access methodology + logical topology +

physical topology
o Network Configuration = network architecture + media choice
Access Methodology
Realizing that more than one user is likely to be sending requests onto the
shared local area network media at any one time, the need for some way to
contfol which users get to put their messages onto the network and when
should be obvious. If the media is to be shared by numerous PC users, there
must be some way to control access by multiple users to that media. These
media-sharing methods are properly known as access methodologies. Shar-
ing the mediá is an important concept to Local Area Networks, which are
sometimes referred to as Media Sharing LANs.
Logically speaking, there are really only two philosophies for controlling
access io u Ánur"d media. An analogy of access to a crowded freeway can
provide a vivid illustration of access methodology choices.
csil,tvcD one philosophy says, "Let's just let everyone onto the media
whenever they want ut-t.l if t*o users access the media at the exact same split
second, we'll work it out somehow." Or ... in the analogy"'" Who needs
stoplightsl If we have a few collisions, we'Il work it out later!"
Tñe access methodology based on this model is known as Carrier Sense
Multiple Access with Collision Detection, or CSMA/CD for short. A clearer
understanding of how this access methodology works can be achieved if the
name of this access methodology is examined one phrase at a time'
Carrier Sense: the PC wishing to put data onto the shared media listens
to the nettr.ork to see if any other users are "on the line" by trying to sense a
The Local Area Network Architectwe \foc¿r {5
transmission is sensed' then
neutral electrical signal known as a carrier' If no
;ü"ii+f" Access,, illor* anyone onto.the media without further permission
a free line and access the
,"q"lr"'J. rinally, if two user'pcs should both sense,,Collision Detection,, lets
media at the same instant, a collision occurs and
theuserPCsknowthattheirdatawerenotdeliveredandcontrolsretrans-
mission in such *";';i; avoid further data collisions' Another possible
"
factorleadingtodata,collisionsisthepropagationdetay,whichisthetimeii
takes a signal from a source PC to réach
atestination PC. Because of this
for.a workstation to sense that there is no
frofugu,ion delay, it is possible
sisnal on the shared when in fact another distant workstation has
^éaiu, PC.
;ililil ,1g""i,n"t has not yet reached the carrier sensing
"
Intheeventofacollision,thestationthatfirsidetectsacollisionsends
Each workstation,
out a special lamming signat to all attached workstations. is preset to
card in the workstation'
;;;.;" p.e.irely the"niwork interface thus reducing the like-
wait a random amount of time before retransmitting,
continue to occut the
lihood of reoccurring collisions. If successive collisións
random time-out interval is doubled'
CSMA/CDlsou,,io.,stymostefficientwithrelativelylittlecontention
PCs to access the network
for network ,"ro.rr.ár. ine abiiity to allow user
requesting and granting reduces over-
easily without excessive permission
neiwork usage rates' As usage
head and increases p"'fá'*utte at lower
of data collisions and retransmis-
increases, however, ih" ir-r.reus"d number
,lor-t, .ur', rt"gatively effect overall network performance'
the media *l
Token Passing The second philosophy of T:th"q?l:gl: T::iT::
access
:ffi"iffi:1 Ji;;;ó;;;;i; á"'¿ifuá'"" l';: I"::i:::,:?:
I give vou the m:sic tk"ifl1lI"^"-l:'
Lhe
-to il;;;#;?": pJ'ii'"á", Jnd onlv rnJ analogv would,be the con-
'ren ;; il; ;;,á tn" ,nur"i mediai' nigirwav
áti"et must wait at a stoplight and
,o*rr**uyr in which
trolled access ramps
somehow immediately get to á0 mph in order to -:lq:,**tth" Tlf]i;-
^'^-
.ese
ilffi;;;ile ejcn pc user has 10Ó% "f ll:"1Y::i*H
xaf-
;;;;rffi ;i;' "'i',1'"",r-'^t
;;iu- r"q.,"rt, and transf ers by. insisrtig,,1^,r,l"'^,u^c.
ñJ p ás,e,sing. u,p".if i. u:k"
are ""1
;::":JJJfi:'#iiir *i,n"; I :,91 l*:), :t
ffi:'ñff;;;;'k;". rhe token is generatéd in^the firsi place bv, t1a desig-
Df-
hg nated pC known ur,f* Ji,r" monito"r and passed among PCs until one
^,^ ^ PC
aan
would like to access the network'
changes the token sta-
At that point, the requesting PC seizes the token'
onto the network' and doesn't
tus from free to b"d;;; its"data frame
successfullr-'
edia its data were delivered
release the token untí ii is assured that rvork-
split confirmed by the destination
Successful delivery of the data frame is the fra¡:.'.
¿eds successful receipt of
station setting frame status flags to indicate the
around the ring to sen'.'ll]-,:
and continuir-rg to tor*urd the Jriginal frame
flags set to " i..:--
ense
lC. Uf"" ,"ceipt of ,n" "rigi""l fiame with frame status the sending FC :e='=
nation ad.dress ,".og',i,"d, í'u^" copied successfully"'
¡ the ii. After the se:-:'-. FC
the token status f.r;];t to free and releases
next pC, r,r'hich n-ra1.' =r:: ir ir-:.f
releases the token, it ;; ;;;á"Jalong to the
riens
the free token or Pass it along'
nie a
16 Mbps Token Ring network architectures use a modified form of

token-passing access methodology in which the token is set to free and
released as soon as the transmission of the data frame is completed rather
than waiting for the transmitted data frame to return first. This is known as
the early token release mechanism. The software and protocols that actually
handle the token passing and token regeneration (in the case of a lost token)
are usually located in the chips on the network adapter card. Figure 2-3 illus-
trates a simple token-passing access methodology LAN.
Token passing's overhead of waiting for the token before transmitting
inhibits overall performance at lower network usage rates. However,
because all PC users on a token-passing access control network are well
behaved and always have the magic token before accessing the network,
there are, by definition, no collisions, making token passing a more efficient
access methodology at higher network utilization rates.
Ends here when Station A:

+ Receives originally sent irame
+ Examines frame status flags to find
A=1: address recognized
C=1: frame copied successfully
+ Does NOT retransmit f rame
Starts here + Sets T-bit in ioken to 1 (free)
+ Fleleases token
+ Station D:
Station A:
+ Grabs 24 bit token and sets T- + Receives frame and identifies itself as
bit from 1 to 0 (tree to busy) the destination address
+ Puts data frame on network. + Moves data from f rame into memory
+ Sets destination:Station D + Changes frame status flags to confirm
.> is in transmit mode. delivery
Station B:
+ Receives frame and reads tts + is powered off so network
destination address traffic flows through
+ Sees destination is Station D unprocessed.
and copies the received frame + is in bypass mode.
to the output link
+ '.s in l¡sten mode. ABBREVIATED FRAME LEGEND
T busy status
A address recognized
C copied successfully
DATA transmitted data
I ao source address
DA destination address
Figure 2-3 Token-Passir-rgAccess Methodology

17
The Local Area Network Architecture Model
rt
Logical ToPoloE
l Once a data message is onto a shared
LAN media which is connected to
rl to be determined is how that mes-
numetous workstations, the next thing
IS
sagewillbepassedfromworkstationtoworkstationuntilitultimately
:I
r)
,"Í.n", its inünded destination workstation. The particular.message-pass-
known as a networkarchitec-
ing methodology employed is more properly logical topologies has to
¿"r.tiue
ture,s logicat toporog:;"i;;ü;:"á'to
S-
in a PC user's wastebasket'
do with the best *uy'io put out a"iire
rg
method of delivering data is known
Scquential The first logical topology or
?r,
e11
as sequential. in a ,-qÍ-"ii"Liogiár
topology, also known as a ring logical
rk, PC (oí'node) to another' Each node
topology, clata are passed f'onione
nt daia packet to determine if this par-
examines the destinatlon uddr"r, of the
ticularpacketismeantforit'Ifthedatarverenotmeanttobedeliveredat
thisnode,thedata"'"p"*"aalongtothenextnodeinthelogicalring.
This is th" b.r.k"t ü;tg"d" logiial topoiogy
*:11"9:f puttlng out a fire
is filled by o_1e pC user and
in a pc user,s wastebasklt. A bricket ot*uüi
rlassedtotheneighboringPCuser.Thatuserdeterminesifhis/herwaste-
do""' the flames with the bucket of water'
i"ri"itt ""'irt"l?llü1n? t""' U"tftet along to the next user in the logical
Otherwise, tn" .,r"'iá*"tif-t"
ring.
Broadcast The second logical topology

or method of delivering data is
toporogy,-a data message is sent
c¡j known as broadcasi- tr-, u üoud.uit ro[ical gact1
ió¿e decides individually
simultaneously to all nodes on the network.
it. If not, the message is simply
if the data message was directed toward
message along to a neighboring node;
ignored. There is r-,á '-'""d to pass the
tÉey've already gotten the same message'
method of putting out a fire
This is ttt" ,prl^ü";;t;á logicaliopology
about Pas;ng a bucket of
in a pC user's *urtJuri"t. Rath"er thuri *oiiy the engulfed wastebasket,
water around I"g;.;;;g ""tir it finally
reaches
" network, thereby notifying the waste-
the water is broadcast o-r"i th" entire
for it'
basket on fire that the water was meant
difference between sequen-
To summari,", l^ o'd"' to appreciate the key
on the role or re1|o¡isibility of the
tial and broadcast l;ñ;ii;p.tJger, focus
destination message is not actually
intermediat" *o.rcütior-r, io ,.üni.n a
ad.dressed. In the case of sequential
logical topology' the non-recipient work-
to pais thá message along to its next
station has a job to do. It mrist continue however' the
a broadást logical topology'
sequential neighbor-in the case of
f urther resp onsibilities'
,.rol-rl.á"tp i""t íorkstation has no
Ph,vsical ToPolog.v
be ohvsicallv con¡ected tt' r'-':l' -:=r
Finally, the clients and servers must
d" Í.**¿'bv the shar'; 1-':r .'i
u..oráir-tg to some configuration and
48 Chapter Trvo Local Area Network Architectures
choice. The physical layout of this configuration c1n have a significant

impact on LÁÑ perforáance and reliability and is known as a network
architecture's physical topolo gy.
Bus The bus topology is a linear arlangement with terminators on either

end and devices to the "bus" via connectors and/or transceivers'
"orltlát"d
The purpose of the terminator is to close off the ends of the bus topology'
to
thereby completing the electrical circuit and allowing the data signals
flo*. Á bus iopolo[y without properly matched terminators will not work.
The weak link in tñó bus physical topology is that a break or loose connec-
tion anywhere along the entire bus will bring the whole network down.
Ring The ring topology suffers from a similar Achilles'heel. Each PC con-
,-recied via a ring topológy is actually an active part of the ring, passing
data
packets in a seqlential pattern around the ring. If one of the PCs dies, or a
network adapter card Áauunctions, the "sequence" is broken, the token is
lost, and the network is down. In addition, any cable breaks bring down the
entire network.
star The star physical topology avoids these two aforementioned potential
pitfalls Uy e-pioyittg some type of central management device. Depending
tn the t.,"'t*o.t aichitecture and sophistication of the device, it may be called
a hub, a wiring center, a concentrator, a MAU (Multiple Access unit), a
r."p"ui"r, o. u ,ñit.hing hub. All of these devices will be studied later in the
text. ny isolating each ÉC or node on its own leg or segment of the network,
ur-ry .rádu o, .ub"l" failure only affects that leg, whereas the remainder
of the
network continues to function normally'
Because all network data in a star topology ale going through this one
central location, it makes a marvelous spot to add system monitoring, secu-
rity or management capabilities. Conversely, since all network data are
going througñ tnt one central location, it makes a marvelous networking
no-no known as a single point of failure. The good news is: any node can be
lost and the network"wiil be fine. The bad news is: lose the hub and the
whole network goes down.
As we will iee shortly in the study of hubs, vendors have risen to the
occasi.on, offering such reÍiability extras as redundant power supplies,
dual
buses, and "hot swappable" intérface cards. Figure 2-4 highlights the differ-
ences between these physical topologies'
il$ NET\I'ORKARCHITECTURES
Ethernet
0rigins The invention of Ethernet is generally credited to Robert Metcalfe

who went on to become the foundér of 3COM Corporation. Although
sant
rork
ither
!'ers.
Bus topology
Network
,ffi
ru#d
logy,
Lls to
r¡'ork.
Star toPologY
r"*
- con-
Sdala
i/ora
ken is
rn the
¡tential
rrding
: called
Init), a
r in the
rtlvork,
r of the
ihis one
€/ secu-
lata are
Figure 2-4 LAN Physical Topology Choices
n-orking
b canbe
the
and the 802'3 are conflicting standards'
strictly speaking, Ethernet and IEEE net-
term Ethern¿t ir .om"tonly used
to refer to any IEEE s02'3 compliant
rr to the
work. Differences b";;; th" *t standards
*itt U" outlined shortly'
lies, dual
he differ-
Functionalif
. Access MethodologY: CSMA/CD
. LogicalToPologY:Broadcast
. Physical Topology: Traditional$-Bus;
Currently-Most often Star
StandardsThefirstEthernetstandard'wasdevelopedbyDigital,Intel'an.] to
t \{etcalfe i'¡g8l, and was known as DIX i'0' sometimes referre'l
Xerox Corporation
Although s
50 Chapter Tn'o Local Area \etu'ork Architectures
as Ethemet I. This standard was superseded in 1982by DIX 2.0, the current
Ethernet standard, also known as Ethernet II. The frame layouts for Ethernet
II and IEEE 802.3 are illustrated in Figure 2-5'
As illustrated in Figure 2-5, both Ethernet II and IEEE 802.3 frames can
vary from 64 to 151,8 octets in length.
Ethernet II The Ethernet II frame layout consists of the following fields:
The Ethernet II frame starts with a preamble of eight octets. The pur-
pose of the preamble is to alert and synchronize the Ethernet net-
work interface card to the incoming data.
The destination and source addresses are each six octets long and are
also known as MAC layer addresses. These addresses are Perma-
nently burned into the ROM (Read Only Memory) of the Ethernet II
netwbrk interface card at the time of manufacture. The first three
octets of the address identify the manufacturer of the network inter-
face card and are assigned by the IEEE. The last three octets ale
assigned by the manufacturer producing unique MAC layer
addresses for all Ethernet network interface cards.
The type field identifies which network protocols are embedded
within the data field. For example, if the data field contained Net-
work IPX/SPX protocols, the type field would have a value of 8137
(hexadecimal) and if the data field contained TCP/IP protocols, the
type field would contain a value of 0800 (hexadecimal). These type
,rul.rer are assigned by the IEEE. The type field is important in order
to enable multiple protocols to be handled by a single network inter-
face card which enables multiple protocol stacks to be loaded in a
The overall frame length varies from 64 to 1 51 8 Octets
IEEE 802.3 Frame LaYout
Logical Link Control

IEEE 802.2 Data
46 to 1 500 bytes
The overall frame length varies from 64 to 1 51 8 Octets

NOTE: l Octei=8b¡ts
Figure 2-5 Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 Standards

T
I
Í
I
Network Architech:res 51
rt given client or server. Once the network interface card identifies

:t fni.n protocol is embedded within the data field, it can forward that
data fiéld to the proper protocol stack for further processing. Multi-
ple protocol stáckJ allow communication between clients and
,".rrérr of different network operating systems, which is essential to
transparent distributed computing.
. The d,ata unit field contains all of the encapsulated upper layer (net-
work through application) protocols and can vary in length from 46
tr- to 1500 bytei. fñé +O-Uyte minimum data field length combines with
:t- the 18 ociets of fixed overhead of all of the other fields to produce the
minimum frame size of 64 octets.
ire . The frame check sequence (FCS) is an error-detection mechanism
La-
generated by the transmitting Ethernet network interface catd. 432-
:II üit cyclical iedundancy check (CRC) is generated over the address,
ee type, and data fields. The receiving Ethernet network interface card
er- rlgenerates this same CRC on the address, tiy|/e,,and_data fields in
lfe thé received frame and compares the regenerated CRC to the trans-
ier mitted CRC. If they match, the frame was received error ftee;32-bit
CRCs have the ability to detect error bursts of up to 31 bits with 100%
led accuracy.
iet-
137
IEEI 802.3 The IEEE 802.3 frame layout is similar to the Ethernet II frame
the layout. Hightights of the IEEE 802.3 frame layout are as follows:
'?e
der . The 7 ocfet preamble plus the 1 octet starting frame delimiter per-
ter- form the same basic function as the 8 octet Ethernet II preamble.
na
. Address fields are defined and assigned in a similar fashion to Ether-
net II frames
. The 2 octet length field in the IEEE 802.3 frame takes the place of the
type field in thé Ethernet frame. The length fieid ind-icates the length
oithe variable length LLC (Logical Link Control - IEEE 802.2) data
field which contains all upper-layer embedded protocols'
. The type of embedded upper-layer protocols is designated by a field
within the LLC data unit and is explained more fully in the "In
Sharper Focus" section below.
. The frame check sequence is identical to that used in the Ethernet II
frame.
IBEE 802.2 AND ETHERNET SNAP
In order for an IEEE 802.3 compliant network interface card to be at'1e :c

ln SháÍper determine the type of protocols embedded within the data field of an ffiEE
Focus
52 Chapter Tu o Local ,\rea \ehr'ork -\rchitectures
E01.3 frame, it must refer to the header of the IEEE 802.2Logtcal Link Con-
trol (LLC) data unit. Figure 2-6 illustrates the fields contained in the IEEE
802.2 data unit.
IEEE 802.3 frame layout

IEEE 802.2 LLC data un¡t layout
6 Octets 6 Octets
Destination Service I Source Service Control Fields

Access Point (DSAP) Access Point (SSAP)
1 Octet i 1 Octet I
IEEE 802.2 HEADER FIELDS

SAP codes indicaie the type of IEEE 802
compliant embedded protocols.
IEEE 802.3 frame layout

IEEE 802.2 LLC data unit layout with SNAP
SSAP Control SNAP.I.IEADER
IEEE 802.2 HEADER FIELDS

* Ethertype codes indicate
type of IEEE 802
NON-compliant embedded protocoJs.
field contents
Figure 2-6 IEEE 802.2 and Ethernet SNAP

Network Architectures 53
embedded within the data r:nit

More specifically, the types of protocols
n' are identified within ,t-r" i"'rtlr.ru,ión
and source service access point fields
to the type field in the Ether-
]E (DSAP and SSAP). th"s" fields are analogous
netframe'sAPcodesthatidentifyaparticularprotocolareissuedbyihe
IEEE to those compur"riur tr,u, register
their iEEÉ-compliant^protocols. For
a Novell protocol ánda sAP code of 06
example, a sAp code of E0 identifles
ad,hering to this standard are
identifies a TCp/Ip proá.rr. Netware frames
referred to as NetWa] e 802'2 (802'3 plus
802'2)
In some cases, however, rendering network protocols.to be IEEE 802
l*fi"tt to ease ihe transition to IEEE 802
compliant was not "" f :l*t
compliance,analternativemethodofidentifyingt]re-lmbeddedupper-layer
Access Proto-
nrnrornls *u. devetoped, k¡own as SNAP br Sub-Network
sÑÁp *lth rEEE 802.2 and appeaf to be an IEEE
ili:ür;;;;'.""';r" network operating.ty:t:tt vendors
802 compliant protocol. In some cases'
were made to bring proto-
such as NetWare .rrJ SXep until modifications
Now that NetWare is IEEE 802
cols into compliance *ittt fgng standards'
NetWare users can choose a Net-
compliant and has a"tig""t"d SAP code'
"
Ware 802.2 frame laYout'
code of AA in both the DSAP
In the case of Ethe;et SNAR a single SAP
used to identify all noncom-
and SSAP, un¿ u co.i'oito¿" of 03 are"always
particular noncompliant pro-
pliant protocols. r. o.á"t to differentiate whiéh
tocol is embedded, p;k"t;ithAAin the o^SRp and SSAP fields also has
""y discriminator following the
a 5 octet SNAP t."u¿", known as a protocol
Control fierd as n,rrtrui"Jir-, Figure z¿.
rne first three octets of the protocol
discriminato, ur" .uu"J the Orgánization
ID and indicate to which company
whereas the l'ast two octets
the embedded ,,on.omp1iant irotocol belongs' is
indicat"es which particular protocol
are called the EtherTf'pi field., which it is a generic
ID fietd indicate that
embedded. att r"rorliin" órgururution
to"any particular company' Examples of Ether-
Ethernet frame, ,rot r-,,tiqtt"
Type values include:
. 08-00 for TCP/IP

. 81.-37 for NetWare
are known as NetWare
NetWare frames adhering to this specification
802.2 SNAP (802.3 plus 802'2 plus SNAP)'
can run over numerous media

Media Related Ethernet Standards Ethernet
electrical and transmission char-
types. various media uti"rnutirr", and their pair
in the next chapter. The unshielded twisted
I acteristics will be
""piáruá
mediaemployedi,'*gtt.",,'etstandardk,.'o*.asl0BaseTsellsforaslittle
refers to l0Mbps capaciK' The
as 6 cents per foot. Th" "l0" in l0BaseT
4 ,,Base,,referstobasebandtransmission,meaningJhattheentirebandlt-i'lth
of the media is ¿"rrotáálo one data channel.
T!êtT" stands for Tu Lste*1Pak'
themediaofchoice.Anotherimportantdistinctionofl0BaseTLsthalitsrec-
54 Chapter Trr'o Local Area Network Architectures
ifies the use of a star topology with all Ethernet LAN segments connected to
a centralized wiring hub. Other Ethernet standards and associated media are
listed in Figure 2-7.
Applicalion The potential for collisions and retransmission on an Ethernet

network thanks to its CSMA/CD access methodology has already been men-
tioned. In some cases, Ethernet networks with between 100 and 200 users
barely use the 10 Mbps capacity of the network. However, the nature of the
data transmitted is the key to determining potential network capacity prob-
lems. Character-based transmissions, such as typical data entry, in which a
few characters at a time are typed and sent over the network are much less
likely to cause network capacity problems than the transfer of GUI, or graph-
ical user interface screen oriented transmission such as Windows Based
Applications. CAD/CAM images are even more bandwidth intensive.
Simultaneous requests for fu1l scteen Windows based transfers by 30 or
more workstations on a single Ethernet LAN segment can cause collision
and network capacity problems on an Ethernet network. As with any data
communication problem, there are alr.l,ays solutions or workarounds to
these problems. The point in relaying these examples is to provide some
assurance that although Ethernet is not unlimiied in its network capacity, in
most cases, it provides more than enough bandwidth.
Maximum
Standard Popular Name Speed Media Segment Length
10Base5 Frozen yellow i0 Mbps Thick coaxial 500 meters
garden hose cable (RG-11)
(.405 in. diameter)
10Base2 ThinNet, 10 Mbps Thin coaxial 185 meters
CheaperNet cable (RG-58)
l0BaseT 10BaseT, 10 Mbps Unshielded 100 meters
twisted pair twisted pair
Ethernet
l0BaseF Fiber Ethernet 10 Mbps Multimode Described by IEEE
FOIRL (Fiber- fiber optic 802.1j-1993
Optic Inter cable standard
Repeater Link) (1000 meters)
lBase5 StarLAN l Mbps Unshielded 500 meters

twisted pair
l0BaseT StarLANl0 10 Mbps Unshielded 100 meters
twisted pair
Figtn'e 2-7 EthernetMedia-specific Standards

Network Archiiect-,res trl
Token Ring
Origins The credit for the first Token Ring network architecture has been
attributed to Olaf Soderblum, who proposed such a network in 1969. IB\t
:t has been the driving force behind the standardization and adoption of Token
l- Ring with a prototype in IBM's lab in Zuriclr., Switzerland, serving as a
5 model for the eventual IEEE 802.5 standard.
te
)- Funetionalit"v
a
5S
Access Methodology: Token Passing
It- Logical Topology: Sequential
d
Physical Topology: Traditionally-Ring, Currently-Most often Star
or
)n Standards Unlike IEEE 802.3 Ethernet networks that have a speed of 10
Lta Mbps specified as part of the iEEE standard, the IEEE 802.5 Token Ring stan-
to dard does not include a speed specification. IBM, the leading advocate of the
ne Token Ring network architecture, has specified Token Ring network archi-
in tectures that operate at 4 Mbps and 16 Mbps.
As mentioned earlier in the discussion of the token passing access
methodology, the token is actually a24-bit formatted data packet and is illus-
trated in Figure 2-8 along with the IEEE 802.5 Token Ring MAC sub-layer
frame layout.
The IEEE 802.5 token frame layout consists of the following fields:
. The starting delimiter fieid alerts the Token Ring network interface
card installed in a workstation that a Token Ring frame is approach-
ing. Notice that both the token frame and the MAC sub-layer frame
both start with the starting delimiter.
o Once the Access Control field is received, the workstation can distin-
guish between tokens and MAC sub-layer frames. If the token bit
within the Access Control field (see Figure 2-8) is set to 0, then the
received frame represents a free token, in which case the access con-
EE trol field would be immediately followed by an ending delimiter.
The workstation is welcome to receive the full token frame and
change the token bit from 0 to 1 to indicate a busy token. The
received starting delimiter field plus the access control field with the
T (Token) bit now set to 1 form the first two fields of an IEEE 802.r
MAC sub-layer data frame, allowing the sending workstation to iust
append address information, data, and the remaining fields in the
data frame layout and transmit this frame onto the ring.
¡ If the token bit on the received frame was set to 1, then the ne-.r -;-:
is the frame control field which indicates whether this l¡ame . --:::- :-'
data or is a special network management frame.
IEEE 802.5 Token Frame Layout

24 biis ----------)
Starting Access Ending

Delimiter Control Delimiter
loctet 1Octet 1Octel
<+8bits=+
Priority. Token Monitor Reservation
3 bits i '1
bit I 1 bit 3 bits
IEEE 802.5 MAC Sub-Layer Frame Layout
Used only for Source Route Bridging

which is explained in ChapterI
Pr¡ority I Token l\,4onitor Reseruation
DATA L Frame Check

3bits I lbit 1 bit 3 bits
<- Sbits -l-'-::-:}
1 brt 1 bi1
Fígn'e 2-8 IEEE 802.5 Token Ring and MAC Sub-layer Frame Layout
. Following the frame control field are the destination and source
address fields. The receiving network interface card would read the
destination address to determine if it was the frame's intended recip-
ient. If it was, then the workstation will read the rest of the frame into
memory. If not, then the NIC will simply pass the rest of the bits of
Network Architectures f/
the frame along the ring without transferring them to the worksta-
tion's memory. No snooPing allowed.
The routing information field is used with devices known as soufce
routing bráges which are able to link together multiple Token Ring
LANsISourie route bridging and other LAN-Io-LAN connectivity
options will be discussed in Chapter 14'
The IEEE 802.2 header fields are used in an identical manner as
they
are used with IEEE 802.3 Ethernet MAC sub-layer frames. similarly,
IEEE302.2SNAPisalsosupportedwithintheIEEE302.5MACsub.
layer frame.
The data field contains data in the form of embedded upper-level
protocols if this is a d.ata ftame, and network management informa-
tion if this is a network management frame as indicated by the frame
control field. The daia field dóes nothave a fixed maximum length
as
in the case of Ethernet but is effectively controlled by a timing limit

as to how long any workstation can hold onto a token' The timing
limit of 10 ms*(miliiseconds) imposes a practical limit on the size of
the data field in a 4 Mbps Token Ring network to about 4500 bytes
and on a 16 Mbps Tokén Ring network to about 16,000 to 18'000
bytes. Token Ring timing issues are explained further in an "In
Sñarper Focus" section later in this chapter'
The Frame Check sequence uses a 32-bit cyclical redundancy check
in an identical manner to IEEE 802.3.
The ending delimiter can not only 1et the workstation know that the
end of thelrame has arrived but óan also let the workstation know
if
this was an intermediate frame with more related data to follow
immediately behind. The ending delimiter can also indicate if
another staiion has found un ettoiit-t a frame and has indicated
that
itshouldbeignoredandreturnedaroundtheringtotheSoufce
address workstation for removal from the ring'
. The Frame Status field serves an important role in letting the
sending
workstation know whether or not the frame was successfully deliv-
the
ered. If the destination workstation recognized its address, then
A (Address Recognized) bits are set to 1 and if the frame was suc-
cessfully copied iáto the destination workstation's memory, then
the
C (Fraáe Cbpied) bits are set to 1. There are two sets of A and C bits
for redundanly in order to help eliminate errors. To be more specitic"
since the A an¿ C bits u." rét by the destination station after
the
frame has been received,, they aró not covered by the Frame Che;k
Sequence error detection mechanism'
source
ead the oneworkstationoneveryTokenRingLANisdesignatedas'Ée¿;',.=
d reciP-
monitor and acts as a kind oicaretaker of the Token Ring netrtor\ ':::-:::-j
me into
ture. Being the active monitor requires no special hardu'are or St-r--"
:l= i
: bits of
58 Chapter Two Local Area Network Architectures
the tasks
all other workstations are designated. standby monitors' Among
thatcanbeperformedbytheactivemonitorarethefollowing:
by
. Removes frames from the ring which have not been removed
their sending workstations.
. Regenerates lost or damaged tokens
that it
. Provides a special 2l-bilbuffet if the physical ring t:.t?.:-u11
token' For
does not have enough delay or latenry to hold the 24-bit
;In Sharper Focus" entitled "Token Ring
more information, sée the
and Timing."
r Controls the master clock
on this
. Makes sure that there is only one designated active monitor
ring.
Application IBM's Token Ring network architecture, adhering to

the IEEE
gbl.S standard, utilizes a stai configuration, sequential message delivery,
and a token-passing access methodology scheme'
to pass-
Rememberit-tg Inut the sequential logical topology is equivalent
ring' the Token Ring net-
ing messages froá neighbor tó neighbor around a
wórk architecture is soáetimes referred to as Logical Ring, Physical Star.
TheTokenRing,suseofthetokenpassingaccessmethodologyfurnishes
The guarantee
one of the key posilive attributes of this network architecture.
of no data collisions with assured data delivery afforded by the token-pass-
in environments where
ir-,g u.."r, methodology is a key selling point some
inimediate, guaranteed delivery is essential'
The secJnd attribute in Token Ring's favor is the backing of a
computer
facing integration of
company of the magnitude of IBM. Foithose businesses
pCs witír existing IIBM mainframes and minicomputers, IBM's Token Ring
integra-
network architecture offers assurance of the possibility of such an
tion.
Although Token Ring is IBM',s PC networking architecture, it is neither
a
offer choices in the net-
closed system no, u r'ro.ópoly. Third-party suppliers
huU (Vtuitiple-Access. Unit) markets while
-o.t uáupter card ur-ra *itiigsystems run ovel the Token Ring architecture.
numerous network operating
Competition t"réu."h and development of new technology and
"r-t"otruig", about Token
can árentually drive lrlces ¿own. Price is an important point
tend to cost between
Ring. Networt adaptér cards for a Token Ring network
network adapter cards'
onünd one-half to two times as much as Ethernet
{DDRESS BIT-ORDER REVERSAT

net-
one sma1l but significant difference between Ethernet and Token Ring
rvorks is knownás address bit order reversal. As illustrated inFigute 2-9,
I
Original Data Stream of 6 bytes

:lr.ril]:,.i::i.:ll:'iu:l:.ltL€iB*TÉgr:i]ii,,. -'.:::i:::.:.:ii:r::::::::r:r:i::i:::::::::,,¡,::l¡lx:,:,::r,,.
l::'ii.i:ilirotid*:irol r.1téL,i.i.ri:.,:ril.:o:!liiiro,i:r|i'j q::0::0i¡$it,&¡t¡]:.$::9 tCrag¡aq¡'i'or 1o
IEEE 802.3 Transmission
it
)l
rg
Note that in the IEEE 802.3 transmission the least significant bit (BlT 0) ls transmitted last
l]s
IEEE 802.5 Transmission
EE
ff,
5S-
€t- Note that in the IEEE 802.5 transmission the least significant bii (BlT 0) is fansmitted first.
Figure 2-9 Address Bit-Order Reversal in Ethernet and Token Ring

hes
Ltee
ISS- both Ethernet and Token Ring refer to the first (left-most) octet of the address
rere as Byte 0. Also, both Ethernet and Token Ring believe that_b-it 0 on byte 0,
refeired to as the least significant bit, should be transmitted first. F{owever,
rter in the case of IEEE 8023; the least significant bit is the right-most bit of the
nof byte and in the case of IEEE 802.5, the least significant bit is the left-most bit
Ling oi th" byt". This bit order reversal is especially troublesome for-translating
gra- bridges which must translate between Token Ring and Ethernet frames.
ter a
TOKEN RING AND TINTING
net-
rhile In order for the Token Ring network architecture to operate correctly, t}']te 24-,
ture. h Sharper bit token must circulate colntinuously even if no workstations are in need of
and Flrcus transmitting data. Therefore, the entire Token Ring network must possess
oken enough delay or latency to hold the entire 24-bit token. This latency or
ñ-een requiied deláy can be computed by dividing the tength of the token (24 bits)
ds. by the ring's iransmissiorr speed (a Mbps) yielding a required latencv of 6
Ái.rot".oids. The next question is how far can an electrical signal travel in 6
microseconds? The ur-ts*"t to that question will depend on the media
through which the signal is traveling, with different media possessing diJter-
; net- ent pópagation velocities. For example, unshielded twisted pair has a plt-:-
e 2-9, agaiion rre"locity of .59 times the speed of light, denoted as "c." The sPee'j u'i
Tu'o Local Area Netrvork Architectures
tight is equal to 300,000,000 meters/sec. Finally, the minimum.Iing size to

inLoduce^the required 6 microseconds of delay can be calculated as follows:
Minimum Ring Size = Required Latency x propagation velocity of media

= O.OOOOOO seconds x .59 x 300,000,000 meters/second
: ilo%?,",:"ff"*.,
According to this calculation the minimum size of a Token Ring net-

work, even fór three or four workstations would have to be more than a
kilometer in length. This is obviously not practical. As mentioned earlier, the
active monitor station adds a 24-bit delay buffer to the ring to ensure that
regardless of the physi cal size of the ring, the token will be able to continu-
ally circulate.
TOKEN RING OR ETHERI{ET?
Discussions as to the relative merits of Token Ring or Ethernet network

architectures wele once conducted with all the fervor of a religious war.
There seems to be less argument now as estimates put the ratio of Ethernet
networks to Token Ring nltworks at about 3 to 1. This is not to say that Eth-
ernet is a better netwoik architecture. The significant advantage in terms of
Ethemet market share probably has more to do with the affordability and
availability of Ethernef vs. Token Ring hardware. Ethernet cards sell from
g20 to $15b, whereas Token Ring cards sell from 9219 to fi475. A L6-port 10
Mbps Ethernet hub sells for as little as $120, whereas the equivalent Token
Ring-inMAU (Multistation Access Unit) sells for $750.
t"ttr-tt of performance, the fact is that Ethernet works just fine in most
installations. Alihough Ethernet is said to offer 10 Mbps, when collisions and
overhead are taken into consideration, actual throughputs of 6 Mbps are
more the norm. There is no argument that Token Ring's deterministic access
methodology ehminates collisions at higher traffic levels. However, due to
the overheJd associated with the token management, performance at lower
traffic levels can suffer. Research performed on 1,6 Mbps Token Ring, which
features the early token release mechanism, has shown conflicting results.
Some studies show that network performance is not significantly greater
than 10 Mbps, whereas others show nearly a full 16 Mbps throughput. If one
considers cóst/Mbps of throughput rather than just pure equipment cost dif-
ferences, Token Ring begins to look more favorable.
At one time, Token Ring network architectures wele more easily inte-
grated with minicomputer and mainframe environments. This is no longer
irue since the mainfiame/minicomputer world has evolved to embrace
- systems, TCP/IP, and Ethernet.
open
In conclusion, the biggest difference between Token Ring and Ethernet
continues to be the initial expense of the Token Ring hardware and the over-
whelmingmarketshareofEthernet.Performanceisnotsignificantlydiffgr-
is possible,
ur,¿ iiteroperability between the two network architectures
"r.,t Ethernet/Token Ring bridges provide trans-
although challenges dá exist.
will be
p"r""i?,.top"rubility between the two network architectures and
detailed in ChaPter L3.
ARCNBT
3t- a popular local area
ra tit'la:l:uf ¡l:tlrr,,''- ARCNet (Attached Resources Computer Network) was
Inc' It
he Il,,Shfiper network architecture that was originally developed by Datapoint'
offered 2.5 Mbps transmission speed and used a token-passing
Focus access
rat topology over
u üroud"ust logical topology, and a star physical
tu- -"inoaoftgy, to connect IBM3270
RG-62 coaxial cable. Since nÓ-OZ is the sáme cable used
terminals to cluster controllers, ARCNet was often installed
in downsized
could be reused. ARCNet was never stan-
IBM installations where the cable
has been largely replaced by Ethernet and Token
d.ardízedby the IEEE and
Ring network architectures.
ork
{-ar.
met FDDI
Eth- network
sof Origins Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is a 100 Mbps
and architecturethatwasfirstspecifiedinlgS4bytheANSI(AmericanNational
rom Standardslnstitute)subcommitteeentitledX3Tg.5.Itisimportanttonote
that FDDI is not an IEEE standard. However, FDDI does
support IEEE 802'2
rt 10
i"gi."f Link Control protocols offering it transparent interoperability to
:ken
IEñE compliant upper-layer protocols (layers 3-7)'
most
;and Iunclionalin
5 afe
CCESS
. Access Methodology: Modified Token Passing
ue to LogicalToPologY:sequential
[orver
'
r-hich
. Physical Topology: Dual Counter-Rotating Rings
sults.
Data Inter-
reater Built-in Reliabilif and Longer Distanee FDDI (Fiber Distributed
high
If one f"*¡ t"ppfi", ,tot only a gieat deal (100 Mbps) of bandwidth'-but also aproto-
st dif- J"j."" fi reliability and"security while adhering to-standards-based
cois not associated with or promoted by any particulut l:"d91 . .
ls urunune
r inte- FDDI's reliability comes not only from the fiber itself, whrch
(Radio Frequencl lnter-
longer to both EMI (Electro Magnetic Interfbrence) and RFI
through
i"rurr."¡, brri u. additional degree of reliability is achieved
th-e
nbrace
-
design of the physical topology of FDDI'. . l
hernet foDt', p'nysi.ut toptlogt is comprised of not one' but t\\-o' s€p;re:É
e ovel- rirrg, arorrttá inl.n ¿uiu *áí" simulfaneously in opposite
direcd¡:-' Ü:¿
62 Chapter Two Local A¡ea \etl ork Architectures
.i.g is the primary data ring, whereas the other is a secondary or backup
data ring to be used only in the case of the failure of the primary nng or an
attached workstation. Although both rings are attached to a single hub or
concentrator, a single point of failure remains in the hub while achieving
redundancy in the network media. Figure 2-10 illustrates some of the key
features of the pppl network architecture and technology, while Figure 2-11
more specifically illustrates the self-healing capabilities of the dual counter-
rotating rings network architecture of FDDI.
m ádditiot-r to speed and reliability, distance is another key feature of an
FDDI LAN. Up to 5Ó0 nodes at 2 km apart canbe linked to an FDDI network.
The total media can stretch for a total circumference of up to 200 km (125
miles) if repeaters are used at least every 2 km. This increased distance capa-
bility makés FDDI an excellent choice as a high-speed backbone network for
camPus environments.
Another positive attribute of FDDI, illustrated in Figure 2-10, ts its abil-
ity to interopérate easily with IEEE 802.3 10 Mbps Ethernet networks. In this
Mainframe computel Ethernet lvlicrocomputer l\ilin ico mp ute r

transceiver
outer loop
transmission
direction
SAS controller
O...''-.-
../..,;::'
FDDI br¡dge
(accesses single Ü
loop onlV)
l\,4icrocomputer
l\,4 ic roco m p ute r
Minicomputer
l\¡icrocomPuter
FDDI adapter cards or controllers

for each device connected to an
FDDI concentrator/hub
l\¡inicomputer
Figure 2-10 FDDI Network Architecture and Technology

Network Architecrures
rlp Dual-Attached Workstations in Normal Operation

an
of
ng
(ey
-11
ber- Dual-attached
counter
rotating rings
Ian
)rk.
'125
tPa-
i for
abil- Self healed afler Link Failure

this
Self-healed afler Station Failure
\::trl*r3"'-\
adapters
n
uier
\
Figure 2-11 FDDI's Self-healing Ability

64 Chapter Trt'o Local Area Nett'ork Architectures
in order to
!vay, a business d.oes not have to scraP its entire existingnetwork
bridge is the
a piece of it to 100 Mbps fópt. An FDDI to Ethernet
"pir"a"
rp""ifi. technology employed in such a setup'
' Th" technolo"gy involíed with FDDi nelwork architectures is
similar in
and is illustrated in Figure,2-
function to that oIbtn", network architectures
l0.PCs,workstations,minicomputefs,ormainframesthatwishtoaccessthe
FDDI LAN must be equippediith either internal FDDI network
adapter
cards or external FDDI controllers'
One way that some network managers cut down on
FDDI's cost while
is to connect only !o_o1e of
still benefiting from the 100 Mbps banáwidth
is sometimes called SAS, or
FDDI,s two fiúer rings. This type of connection
to DAS, or Dual Attachment Sta-
Single Attachment Stations, ui oppos"d-are
tion"s, in which both FDDI ringi accessed. Obviously, if a device is
by
attached to only one FDDI rini it forgoes the reliability afforded the
redundant secondarY data ring.

At the heart of the FDDIiAN is the FDDI Concentrator or Hub'
The
connections to both
derigr, of these hubs is often modular, with backbone
FDDIrings,managementmodules,anddeviceattachmentmodulesinvari-
of installation'
ous media varieties available for customized design and ease
with inserted FDDI
In reality, most FDDI traffic is directed through Ioutefs
Routers will be
modules rather than dedicated FDDI hubs orioncentrators.
d.iscussed further in ChaPter 13'
bridge,
Another key piece o? rpnt technology is the FDDI to Ethernet
with the 100 Mbps FDDI
which allows fó Vtbps Ethernet LANs to interface
based networks,
LANs. The Ethern"i LAXr are often department-based
Bridges
whereas the FDDI is more likely to be a campus-wide backbone'
Ethernets to the
may be able to connect either a slngle Ethernet or several
FDDI LAN.
The
stantlards FDDI uses a modified token-passing access methodology'
the IEEE 802'5 Token
word modifie¿l is used here because it is differenlfrom
Ring type token-passing in at least two key respects'
¡First,becauseofthegreatpotentialdistancesonanFDDILAN'it
let a
was impractical to tuln "fÁ'e" tokens into "busy" tokens and
single siation monopolize that token until it had received
confirma-
Token Ring,
tion of successful delive'y of its data. Instead, unlike
byte from 0 to 1 and
which just flipped the T bít in the access control
the token from the
appenáed u áituframe, FDDI physically removes
,i.g ur-ra transmits a full data fráme' Upon
of transmis-
T-p1"t1o"
sioi, it immediately releases a new token. Recall that Token Ring
waited until the transmitted frame returned before releasing the
token,Collisionsarestillavoided,sinceonlyonestationcanhavethe
the
free token at a time, and stations cannot put data messages onto
network without a token'
Network Architectu¡e> 65
¡ in FDDI is that numelous rnes-

A second token passing modification token as
o
sages may b" ? single PC before relinquishing the
tJ;i-;t
e )o""'-""ug"" per token qer philosophy ot
opposed to *tu 9u¡tome;"
Frames transmit-
the IEEE 802.5 token-pu"i"g utt"ss me'thodology'
n ted in a continuou, ,'tr"u* áre known a,
,yn"ñiottous frames and
as synchronous
L.
ali frrorttir"¿ á"tot¿i"g t9 a mgthodology $ory" amounts of band-
te oissR, which asslfrrs fixed
bandwidth
er "il;;ii;;
widthtogivenStations.Whilesynchronousframesarebeingtrans-
still be used by other
mitted, ur-ty .l,"""d network cápacity can
frames'
ile workstations transmitting asynchronous
of
or layout and a FDDI data frame
Figure 2-l2lllusftates both a FDDI token
ta-
layout' r 1 Fññr :- .^ --..^ ET-rT-\r
is ^r7ér .ñr.rr
Analternativetofiber-basedFDDIistorurrFDDIovercopperwlIlng/
üre
either shielded o, .rrrshielded twisted
pair, as used in Ethernet and roken
fiber amount to about 33%'
Ring installations. C",f tu"i"g: of ITP .over
over copper sounds a little
Because running a tiber-basá architecture
[he
oth dubbed CDbI or Copper Dis-
strange, this variation of FDDI has been
still support L00. Mbps, distance is
an-
tributed Data Interfac". artnorgn it will
*itt"t the 2 km per segment o-f
ton.
limited to 100 meters per segment as compat"¿
)DI Fiber_Based FDDI. Tiie official ANSI
stándard for CDDI is known as TP-
lbe PMD(TwistedPair-I'hysicalMediaDependent)'Thepinoutsorwiringpat-
Eth"ittet over twisted pair
tern for Tp-pMD "t"';;;;; ,áÁ" ur'rOeur"T
19",
pinouts. CDDI has been largely forgotten
with the introduction of 100 Mbps
DDI 'Ethernet alternatives, explained later in this chapter'
rrks,
lges
to first understand
r the
|ltjlrilolo und.erstand FDDr and cDDr, it is necessary
16 Mbps Token Ring may not contain sufficient
why 10 Mbps Ether""i
""¿ ,h: not-too-distant
bandwidth for the bandwidth-hungry applicaiions.of categorres:
into two major
The
il;";". The major bandwidth drivers fall
bken
FDDI Token LaYout

rN, it
,leta Preamblel Starting I Frame I Ending
I o"timitér I control I Delimiter
irma- eoct"t" 1 odet 1 octet 1 octet
I I I
Rirtg,
l and
nr the FDDI Data Frame Structure
rsmis-
r Ring
rg the
rre the Layouts
Figure 2-12 FDDI Token and Data Frame
rto the
L. Network Architecture Tlends

2. Network APPlication Trends
As more and more users become attached
to LANs' the demand for
increases. LANs are increasing both in size and
overall network banáwidth
-f'l*ttl"*orking protocols via
overall complexity' of LANs of various
FDDI is frequently
bridges and routers ".áá,", -or" oí"rull LAN
traffic.
usedasahigh-speedbackbonenetworkarchitectureservicingmultiple
lower-speed each of which supports multiple worksta-
tions, althougt
""t*t;l-t";;;ts,
ni[f-r"t-rp""a_network architectures are being
intro-
"rr";
duced into ttre network bandwidth hierarchy'
for increased bandwidth
Network uppfi.uif'" are driving the dámand
and client/server comput-
as well. Distributed.o*prrtir-rg, dataáistribution,
of high bandwidth and
ing all rely on u ,"t"*oit ar&itecture foundation all require
integration
high reliabili y. fûgi"g, multimedia, .and data/voice
îl;i1;;""t, these various
or uuí¿#idth in order to transport and display
data formats in "real" time'
across the LAN
In other *or¿r, ir ful-motion video is to be transported avail-
should be sufficient bandwidth
as part of a muttimá;;;;;;;.;, there
full speed and not in slow motion'
able on that LAN for the vileo to run at
voicá transmission should sound "normal" when trans-
si*il"rry, digitized
ported á.tot"t a LAN of sufficient bandwidth'
Theusesotttre¡optorotherhigh-speednetworkarchitecturesseemto
fall into three catego¡Á. nfaf,o"glt ñtOi may
fulfill Ty oj.th" listed roles,
100 Mbps Ethernet network
with the proliferatíon of relatively inexpensiíe
has been largely relegated to a
interface cards, n r¡r, ur'ra switcÉes, fÓOt
camPus backbone role':
a-college
l. Campus backbone-Not necessarity implying :uTptt'
LÁNs located through-
this implementation is used for connecting
out a series of .torAy buildings' ñemernber that the total
'ituated
,ir',g .ir"rr^ference Ja" "qt'ul ?00lP and
multiple |DDI LANs are
fall into this cate-
;t#"tt a possibility' Builáing backbones would
u rOO ltUpt FDDI building backbone
;;t; #e[, with perhaps numerous 10 Mbps Ethernet
loiig U"*"en floórs connecting High-bandwidth
LANs located on the various flJors via routers'
to the FDDI backbone via
devices such as servers can be connected
multiple devices to
concentrators. Multiple concentrators attaching ring
2-13 is known as a dual
the FDDLi.g, u, iiüstrated in Figure
be connected to. more
of trees. In some cases/ a given server may and
than one fplf conceni'uío'to provide redundant connections
in this manner is
increased fault tolerance' Dual connecting servers
known as dual homing'
category is
2. High Bandwidth Workgroups-The second application
area network, connect-
rvhen the FDDI LAN iúreá as a truly local
Backbone
DI
rd
ia
üy
rle
ta-
ro-
lth
rut-
rLd
Workgroup
rire
ous
AN
;ail-
ion.
AfIS-
mto
oles,
¡'ork
toa
S,
rgh-
|ta1
; are
rte-
le
Figure 2-13 Alternative Applications of the FDDI Network Architecture
Ittr
re via
to ing a few (fewer than 20) PCs or Workstations that require high
ces
¡an¿wi¿ttr communication with each other. Multimedia worksta-
I ring
tions, engineering workstations, or cAD/CAM workstations are
0re
good exa'mples of higt-r bandwidth workstations. As "Power users"
s and
iurn increaéingly toward high-bandwidth Graphical User Interfaces
ner is
(GUI), this consiituency's bándwidth requirements will rise as $-e11"
3. High Bandwidth sub-workGroup connections-In some cases.
¡ory is ottiy t*o or three devices, perhaps servers, need high bandr'':;d':
¡nnect-
68 Chapter Two Local Area Network Archltectures
and data distribution

requirements. As distributing computing
rightsizing
i;É;;" "t part of the downázing and applications
industry' an increasing
*"Jt sweéping the informationiystemsdata transfer will be seen'
á"-u'r¿ fo, nigi-rp*ed server to s-erver FDDI network
of the
Figure 2-13 illustrat"' uttet"utlve applications
architecture.
AfterallofthesepositivethingsaresaidaboutFDDI,surelytheremust
architecture' Chief among
¡" ,o*"tr,ir-rg negative about thisiAN network remains to
th" p?.", although how long price wiil be a negative
";;;;;i, architecture, in order {or a
be seen. As with any other ,f,ur"d media"network network
pc to access an FDDI laÑ, lt must be equipped with an FDDI
with the "lower" priced
uaupt", .urd. These .urd, ,ur-,g" ttoÁ $SOOtá $ibOO, of the two
to and use only one
FDDI network adapter .u.dr"ubl" to attach at
the average Ethernetcard $25
FDDI data rings. Compu." tr"r"t" ftices with t\1t'ryce'
twice
tt $200;;Jth'" ut"'ug" Token r..tJng card at approximately
increases in the FDDI tech-
A; ñ;i;;s in"popularity aid competiiion
that they
-",k""t, p,i.",'*ill unááubted!' f;11, although it is doubtful a nega-
""r"gy itself is seen as
will ever reach Ethernet price levels. The fiber media canbe packed
ti"" f;;;;;;;" u, *áfr. ef,trough fiber is lightweight and
of glass and can break. Also, con-
more densely than copper wire, it ii made
necting, terminating, una tfil.-it-tg iiber-optic
iuut"t require special tools and
traininq'Theseobstatf"'á"-fCo'""o''"and'atleástinsomecases'the
of the unknown.
may be nothing more than the fear
"f"J;?;rb;;
FDDI'S FUTURE
Occasionallyinthefieldofdatacommunicationsandnetworking,onetech-
Managerial that might be cheaper'
nology is eclipsed or replaced-by a newerlechnology
Perspecth e be the fate of fOpt' At one time' FDDI
,.:¡,r*:t¡r¡¡¡r.::1i¡;
easier to work with, o. totft' fnit may
to turn to when Ethernet and
was the only network architecture aíternative
.'iait::r:11*:trl::11::r:.
Token Ring could i;;;";;;et demands for bandwidth capacity. As will

"" ale numerous alternative high-speed
be seen in the next section, today there
FDDI in terms of price, perfor-
network architectures that are utl" to exceed
that FDDI is dead' but as will be
mance, and ease of use' That is not to say
may be on the wall'
seen in the next section, the handwriting
|{i HIGH-SPEED NET\\¡ORKARCHITECTURES
100BaseT
offering 100 Mbps
Ethernet standards
lOOBaseT rePresents a familY of Fast The
methodology'
performance and adhering to the CSMA/CD
access
High-SpeedNetworkArchitec¡res 69
are in the IEEE 802'3u standard' The

details of the operation of L00BaseT
three media-specific iflytit"f layer
standards of 100BaseT are as follorrs:
the three standards and the
. lO0BaseTX-this is the most common of
is available. It specifies 100 Mbps
one for *ni"nln" *ost technology
u" u rw iste d
p e rf ormanc" o""' i" p s:if :*Yl:,1,til1\"
" "i'-9L91!: lwlsted l'aÍ''
i'air) or two pair of Type 1 STP (Shielded
100 Mbps transmission over
. l00BaseT4-physical layer standard for
;t
four Pair of CategorY 3' 4' or 5 UTP'
.s
100 Mbps transmission over
to ¡ 1008aseFX-physical layer standard for
a duplex multimode fiber-optic cable'
rk
]d Nefu'orkArchitecturel0OBaseTstand.ardsusethesameIEEE802.3MACsub-
\-o
laverframelayoutu'-tdyettransmititatl0timesfasterthanl0BaseT'Obvi-
25
,1,,";;;;;;;; #;;;"d*,rJ lÁ"-nere. rhe trade-off comes in the
.nu*imum network diameter:
ü-
rey . l0BaseT's maximum network diameter
is 2'500 meters with uP to
ga- ft"t ."f**rs/hubs between any two end nodes
(ed
. 100BaseT's maximum network diameter is 210 meters with uP to
on- nodes
only two repeaters/hubs between end
tnd
LAN network architecture
the 100BaseT is implemented as a shared-media
hubs and repeaters'
that links lOOBaseTworkstations via 100BaseT
DII\IETER
TIMING TSSUAS AND 100BaseT NET\\'ORK
CSMA/CD-based network architecture'
ech- Collisions are a fact of life with any
lPer/ Ir Thetimerequiredforagivenworkstationtodetectacollisionisknownasslot
occut the transmitting station
DDI For:us time and is measured ;i uitr. \{hen collisions
the affected frame canbe retransmitted'
:and mustbe notified,r tn"."riirirn so that
; will However,thiscollision"otifitationandretransmissionmustoccurbeforethe
100BaseT is 512 bits or
peed slot time has expired. il" ,tot time for both loBaseT and
¡r{or- unof;:'ro"ed as l.BaseT.In order
ill be of 100BaseT is obviously 10 times as fast
tobecertainthatcollisionnotificationsarereceivedbyl00BaseTnetwork-
attached"-workstationsbeforetheirconstantslottimeexpires,themaximum
to the increase in net-
network diameter must be reduced proportionately
network diameter shrinks from 2'500
work speed. As a result, the maximum
meters to 210 meters'
TeehnoloSMostofthel00BaseTNICsarecalledl.0/100NICs,u'hichmea:rs
or 100Base! but not simult¿r-L-
that they are abte ," ,";;;;;i;ther l0BaseT
than quality loBaseT orLlr- cards a--it-;"--
ously. These .ur¿, .o,iit'igntty *o'"
)MbPs
¡-. The
IT
70 Chapter Trvo Local Area Netrvork Architectures
ing network managers to buy 100BaseT capability, which can be enabled

later when the requisite 100BaseT hubs are installed.
The l0BaseT ánd 100BaseT networks can only interoperate with the help
of internetworking devices such as 10/100 bridges and routers. These types
of technology will be discussed in more depth in Chapter 13.
Some Ethernet switches (discussed in Chapter 3) have the capability to
support 100BaseT connections and to auto-sense, or distinguish between,
l0BiseT and 100BaseT traffic. Figure 2-14 illustrates a representative
100BaseT installation.
100VG-AnvLN
1O0vG-AnyLAN is a 100 Mbps alternative to 100Basel which replaces the

csMA/cD access methodology with Demand Priority Access or DPA, oth-
erwise known as Demand Priority Protocol or DPP. Details of the 100vc-
AnyLAN network architecture are contained in the proposed IEEE 802.12
standard. The "AnyLAN" part of this network architectures name refers to
its ability to deliver standard IEEE 802.3 or IEEE 802.5 MAC layer frames.
However, both of these frame types cannot be delivered simultaneously by
the same 1O0VG-AnyLAN network.
IEEE 802.3 and IEEE i]02.5 Support 1OOvG-AnyLAN',s abiliiy to support IEEE
802.3 and IEEE 802.5 frame types and networks more specifically means:
'100 BaseT Network

lnterface Cards
1 0BaseT
shared media
all lines run

1 0 N/lbps
10 BaseT workstations 10 BaseT UNIX workstat¡ons

workstation 100 BaseT
Figure 2-14 100BaseT NetworkArchitecture Implementation

High-SpeedNetworkArchitectures 7\"
. Ring LANs meets the

If current cabling for existing l0BaseT or Token
for those LANs' then 100VG-An1--
Lspective cabhf;g specificiions
LAN cabling without changes to net-
LAN will trr-, o,,J'tire existing
work design or cabling'
prgg^1ams need
. Current network operating systems and application
notbemodifiedinordertooperatewiththéupgradedlOOVG-Any-
LAN network interface cards'
.loBaseTandTokenRingLANscancommunicatewithl00VG-Any-
LANs fry fir,ti,'tgine re$ective LANs with
internetworking devices
such as bridges and routers'
802'3' IEEE 802'5' and
Figure 2-15 illustrates the integration of IEEE
1OOVG-AnyLAN network architectures'
te
is able to match 1oOBaseT,s speed
lt- Network Architeeture 10OVG-AnyLAN
; ;;;;;;e and offer the following network architecture
characteristics:
CI
any two
to . SuPPorts a network d'iameter of up to 2'500 meters between
:S. endnodes.Thisisthesameasl0.BaseTandmorethanl0timesthe
by maximum diameter of LOOBaseT'
any two end nodes
' Supports up to four hubs/repeaters between
EE whlle lO0BuseT suPPorts uP to two'
gains-in network archi-
Obviously, 1O0VG-AnyLAN cannot offer these
sort of trade-off'
t"cture as coápared to 100BaseT without some
with IEEE lOOVG lOOVG - AnYLAN with IEEE

lOOVG - AnYLAN 802.5 Frames
802.3 MAC Frames ROUTER
100 N¡bPS
Runn¡ng
Running 1oo N/lbps
frames unmodified
Token Fing
unmodified l-Eiñfi"tt,*. applications
Converts Ethernet and network
frames to Token operating
Ring frames and systems.
vice versa
1 OOVG
(token ring)
1 00VG Token
Ring Nlos
Network A¡chite'-:';-
Eigure 2-15 IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802'5, and 100VG-AnyLAN
72 Chapter Trvo Local Area Network Architectures
The major difference is in the cabling requirements. whereas l0BaseT

and 100Baset only require two pair of UTP to operate, 10OvG-AnyLAN
requires four pair óf Categoiy 3,4,,or 5 YJP using,a signaling method-
"itñ"t
ológy known as quartet signaling or channeling. Cabting standards have
also been defined ior two páir of Rp" 1 shielded twisted pair, as
well as sin-
gle mode and multimode fiber-optic cable'
Demand Priorif Aceess Perhaps the most unique aspect of the 100vc-Aty-
LAN network architecture is ihe Demand Priority Access access methodol-
ogy,alsoknownasDPMA(DemandPriorityMediaAccess).Thisunique
access methodology eliminated the collisions and retransmissions
that are
characteristic of Ethernet and the token rotation delays of Token
Ring' Key
points of this access methodology are as follows:
. specialized 100vG-AnyLAN hubs control all access to the network

. Using a round robin polling scheme, the hubs scan each port in
,"qrrár,." to see if the attached workstations have any traffic to trans-
mli. the round robin polling scheme is distributed through a hierar-
chical arrangement of cascaded hubs'
r Ports can be designated as high priority, thereby giving priority
delivery status tolime-sensitive types of traffic such as video or
voice tirat require guaranteed delivery times for smooth presenta-
tion. This -ut", fOOVC-anyLAN especially well suited for multi-
media traffic.
. These high and low priorities can be assigned by application pro-
grams as well as Ports.
. High-priority ports cannot permanently monopolize the entire net-
wo"rk.bnce Íower-priority ports have been timed out for 250-300 ms
(milliseconds), they are boosted to high priority'
CASCADING HUBS AND THE ROUND ROBIN POIIING SCHENIE

'"?,,,",,..',,,,,.,,,,,.,,,,,,,.,..
As illustrated in Figure 2-1.6, tkte central hub, also known as the controlling
',,$$iátper hub or the root hub, controls the access to the network, whereas all lower-
Focus level hubs maintain communication with attached workstations and main-
tain address tables identifying which workstations are attached to which
hub to
ports. when a workstation requests permission of its locally attached
ioad a message onto the netuiork, tñat request for permissron is passed up
until it reachés the designated controlling hub'
through the híerarchy of hubs
The pérmission granted in response to this request totransmit.onto the
net-
to the initially requesting
-ork i, passed áown through the hub hierarchy
workstaiion. Remember, a liaximum of only four hubs or repeaters can lie
between any two end nodes or workstations'
High-Speed Network A¡chitectu¡e: 73
ói ooNTROLLI.NG.'húb' tt
ú'
5, + Bequesi
:l---'---{ á
-:r
r!
Permi$ion
to Transmit
STEP #3. UPÉérlayer
hub passes..réquegt to
lsree *a. ooáró¡inf f' STFP'#5.'j:rcrintiolli¡gi i
lub. the¡':óof li.HUts #?
.o.
< - ->
controlling hub. o
tt,
Instructions
..
iñ.,Roúrid.Robiñ {aahi¿n to Seruice
(J Requested
I -. r.. r,: HUB.#2:r, Transmission
i-,/ o'llftuff,,. ----------->

[
Sree +, , t-o"át,nuU
passes request to
I
;
i/\
I
upper layer hub. I
-.riÚi:r*s I
e
€
r/ ,r=,
" ilIl"ff--l
of
requests Permission
transmit
I
local hub to
l
| ¿a
--;-rl
¡
rn
@@@E
|--:i--,r-Él
é€€= -
ts-
ll' Figure 2-16 Cascading Hubs and the Round Robin Poiling Scheme
rty
ol Technolog,y The implementation of a 10OvG-AnyLAN requires compliant
ta- NICs, driver software, and hubs. 10OvG-AnyLAN NICs cost between $260
Iri- and $315, whereas hubs cost about $230 per port. For ease of migration most
10/100 Ethernet 1O0vG-AnyLAN NICs are available for less than $300. It is
rfo- important to determine whether this 1O0VG-AnyLAN t9:T9!8y w1ll !e
transporting Ethernet frames or Token Ring frames. Specific NICs and hubs
must'be puichased for each of the two transported frame tyqgt, with Ether-
ret- net 1O0Vt-AnyLAN technology being more readily available than Token
lnS
Ring 1O0VG-AíyLAN technology. the lndlsputable fact is that regardless of
coriparative tec'hnical merits, 1óbBaset has won the Fast Ethernet network
architecture battle and investment in 1OOVG-AnyLAN technology should be
carefully scrutinized.
[ing
tl'eI- Isochronous Ethernet
rah-
hich Although the ability to transpoft time-sensitive traffic such as voice, video,
rb to or mult]media is one of the ádvantages of 1gSVG-AnyLAN, other network
dup architectures such as Isochronous Ethernet, also known as Iso-Ethernet, can
hub. also effectively transport such traffic, although not at 100 Mbps perfor-
:net- mance. Details of the iso-Ethernet network architecture are contained in ihe
sting IEEE g02.9a standard, which is officially known as Isochronous Etherrtei
m lie Integrated Services. The term isochronous refers to any signaling sr-stem rr-
whiáh a11 connections or circuits are synchronized using a single cotr1-''rl--i:
74 Chapter Trvo Local Area \etl-ork Architectu¡es
mechanism allows ti:l^Y,t::l:
clocking reference. This common clocking to streamrng or
,;if*?""tanteed delivery times, *Ttl are very important
time-señsitive traffic such as voice and video'
of the Iso-Ethernet network archi-

Network Arehitecture one unique feature
,"rfio"rtripirith tspN Digital Net-
(Integrated- services
tecture is its close of
offers a combination
work) wide area network services. Iso-Etherñet delivered to each
bandwidth
services by dividinf in" o""'utt I6'744Mbps
workstation into se'Jeral service-specific channels:
.Al0MbpslsDNPchannelisreservedforEthernettrafficandis
channel
In fact' this P
completely coÁpatible wl!!-f0e1eT Ethernet'
can be T NICs' allowing network managers to selec-
"t"iüí08;*
tively or grui,'uffy migrate to Iso-Etheinet offering
the multimedia
require it'
.upuUititié, to only thoie workstations that
,A6.l.44MbpslsDNCchannelisreservedforstreamingtime-sensi-
tive traffic such as multimedia applications'
T1e 6.144Mbps C channel is in fact further subdivided into:
.9664KbpslsDNBchannels,whichcarrytheactualmultimediatraf-
B channels as needed up
fic. Applications are able to aggregate th-ese
to the 6-1'44MbPs limit'
.l64KbpslsDNDchannelwhichisusedformanagementtaskssuch
as call control and signaling'
Trre6.l44MbpsCchannelwhichcarriesthemultimediatrafficusesthe
same8KHzclockingsignalasthecommerciallsDNWANservicesoffered
interface between the Iso-
by long_distance cañieñ, enabling a transparent
clocking signal" is the
Ethernet f-ex u',íWÁÑ ,"g-áts. Thii "same
derivationofthetermlso(sameas)chronous(timing).
Networkdiameterofanlso-Ethernetnetworkislimitedtol00metels
fromthemostdistantLANworkstationtotheWANinterface,Iso.Ethernet
rwisted Pair, allowing it to
runs over t*o p* ol cutegory 3 or 5 unshielded
operate orr"t network wiring in many cases'
Iso-Ethernet ,-t"Euo'tt' operate ii tht"" different
"iistit-tg service modes:
for Ethernet
L. l0BaseT Mode-Uses only the 10 Mbps P channel
traffic.
P chalnel for Ethernet
2. Multi-service Mode-Uses both the 10 Mbps
and the 6.144 Mbps C channel for video/multimedia'
(248 x 64 Kbps chan-
3. All Isochronous Mode-Uses all 16'1'44Mbps
óf isochronous band-
nels) for t*^*i"g protocols' This amount
width will suppoitieal-time video or voice distribution'
High-speedNetworkArchitecf-ir<: :5
Figure 2-17 tllustrates an implemented Iso-Ethernet architeclure inclu'l-

ng WÁN hnks, transparent inteioperability with lgBaseT workstations' arLC
siáultaneous transmission of Ethernet and multimedia traffic. Figure 2-1S
illustrates the breakdown of rhe 76.1.44Mbps Iso-Ethernet bandwidth.
gnifs (AU)
TechnoloE Iso-Ethernet hubs are known as Attachm"ttl
u^d .oriL"tween 9400 and $500 per port, whereas Iso-Ethernet NICs cost
include an
between 9200 and 9300 each. trlosflso-Ethernet Attachment Units
ISDN
integrated WAN port, which is configured to be linked to commercial
from long-distancé carriers. A workstation with an Iso-
,"r.r1.", availablé
Termi-
Ethernet NIC installed is próperiy referred to as Integrated services
nal Equipment (ISTE). tn or¿ei to transmit isochronous traffic, lgBaseT
hubs do
NICs and hubs must be replaced. Flowever, all l0BaseT NICs and
not have to be replaced at the same time'
Iligh- Speed Token Ring-HSTR
A 100 Mbps Token Ring network architectule, othelwise known as

high-
speed token ring (HSTñ), has been approved by an organization known as
Alliance. One of the interesting characteristics of
tñe High-Speed Íoken Ring
n
Y
Video/mu ltimed ia Microcomputers with Microcomputers with

server with video/m ultimedia video/mu ltimedia
lsochronous capabilities equiPPed with capabilities equiPPed with
Ethernet network lsochronous Ethernet lsochronous Ethernet
interface card network interf ace cards. network interf ace cards'
te
,d
l-
6.1 44 Mbps Multimedia/video traff ic 6. 1 44 Nilbps lvlultimedia/video traff ic
le '10. l\,4bps Ethernet faffic 1 O. l\¡bPS Ethernet traffic
1 6 1 44 total lvlbos 1 6 1 44 total l\4bDS
rS
et lsochronous Ethernet
lsochronous Ethernet
Access Unit (AU) with
to Access Unit (AU) with
integrated ISDN-WAN
integrated ISDN-WAN ISDN
ISDN interface
interface WAN link
WAN link
10 N,4bps
1 0 N/lbps
Ethernet traffic
Ethernet traff¡c
et
MicrocomPuters and Server Microcomputers and Server
equiPPed with 10Base-T equipped with 10Base-T
network interface cards. network interf ace cards.
Figure 2-1.7 Isochronous Ethernet Network Architecture

2 pair category 3 or 5 unshielded twisted pair
1 0NIbps Ethernet
'10BaseT
Figure 2-18 Isochronous Ethernet Bandwidth Profile
the L00 Mbps standard is that it supports a standard for virtual LANs
(Chap-
ter 3) known as IEEE 802.1q that will allow Ethernet flames to be encapsu-
lated within Token Ring irames, an important characteristic in those
organizations that must support both network architectures. Although
100
Mtps Token Ring NICs, ,*it.h"t, and router modules may be available'
.emember that cJmpatible driver software must be available to allow any
network operating system to be able to communicate with these devices' To
date, high spe"a iotótr ring has generated little interest in comparison
to 100
Mbps Ethernet alternatives.
FUIt DUPTEX NETWORK ARCHITECTURES
switched LAN archiiectures, which willbe studied more thoroughly in the

ln,'ffiáiper next chapter, depend on specialized LAN wiring centers known as switches
Focus and are ábt" to provide dedicated point-to-point links between communicat-
ing clients and servers. In the casé of Ethernet switches, for example, since
thE point-to-point link between two communicating PCs is dedicated,
there
.urri" no daia collisions and there is no longer a need for an access method-
ology such as CSMA/CD, since no other workstations are contending for
this"áedicated bandwidth connection. As a result, communication between
the two computers that serve as the end points of this switched dedicated
connection cóuld both send and receive data to and from each other simulta-
neously. This switch dependent capability is known as Full Duplex Ethernet
ur-rd r"q.ri."s specialized full duplex Ethernet NICs, NIC drivers,
and full
duplex'Ethernét switches. Manyhthernet switches allow certain Ports, such
u, ihor" attached to servers, to be set for Full Duplex Ethernet. In such an
implementation, only the servers attached to Full Duplex switch ports
*orrt¿ require Fuil buplex NICs. In theory, full duplex Ethernet should
allow twice the normal Éthernet performance speed by offering a dedicated
10 Mpbs communication channeiin each direction for a total available
band-
iddth of 20 Mbps.
ln practice, the throughput, or actual data transferred, on full duplex
Ethernet connections is nót nearly 20 Mbps. Chief among the reasons for
Architectu¡es ] t
High-Speed Network
transmission is a product of application

this is that the amount of network
application programs tend to exhil'it
program design' l¿o't"ái'i'iUuted Iarge trans-
clients to servers followed by
short requests lor services from However' this does not mean
to the client'
fers of data from tn" '"'á ¡áck
thatthetechnologyr*t'.n""uilitytodeliverhigherperformance.Con-
apptlátions have produced
trolled tests involv;;"h;ñ;¡ná-*iatn scenar-
the most tifely implementation
throughput of 2O MbfslAs a"result' and switch-
ios for Full Duplex oi;";"; Ji"
,*u.L-to-switch connections
to-serv.er cffilt"tritJ.rpr",.
instarled in the computer is both
sending
NIc
áperating svstem and
and receiving data ,Jii;;'";ü;";.;;i"hreaded technol-
to take full advantage of this
network operating 'y;i;;;'" required systems and network oper-
ogy. Exampl", of *ultithreáded operating
"'ct-' g'tt and 4'1' as well as most
afing system, ur" witdo;Ñi
oSlz'ÑetWaré
?- varietiesofUNIX'FullduplexEthernethasgatheredSufl;ie*llterestfrom
to warrant the for-
and.user"communities
u-
the networking technology vendor standards t"tt duplex
to propose I:l or avail-
SC
mation of the IEEE 802'á; committee
JO
Ethernet. Fullduplex;;;;i";y
i"t'o "itnJr under development
Ring (32
(200 Mbps)'|"il Duplex Token
Ie,
able in Full Duplex F;EÁ;tfi"t
ny ñ;;, ruf puplex FDDI (200 Mbps) varieties'
and
To
00
Gigabit Ethernet
also known as 1000Base-X' is an
Nehlork Arehitecture Gigabit Ethernet' by
gtn"rn*i?nut was sta¡dardized as the IEEE 802.32 standard
uosrade to Fast following configurations:
the ff"tff;; ;ü;;;1d;;' rh" stándard defined the
hes
fiber-
-d L- ¡ 1000Base-sX: uses short wavelength (850 lTgl:t"tt)-laser
building cabling on a
nce optic media, p"r;;rú-used for ñorizontal
Lere given floor
.od- (1300 nanometers) laser fiber-
for . 1000Base-LX: Uses long wavelength appli-
hi"gh-sPeed campus backbone
'een optic media, p;;;'iit ;'"d fo'
¡.ted cations
cable and transceivers for dis-
¡lta-
' 1000Base-CX: Uses copper twinaxial a data
rnet tances of only 25 meters' used
primarily to link servers within
iitnm a wiring closet
ru11 center or high-speed network devices
ruch
1000Base-TX: Expected to be
rat'fied tr 1999' this standard would
han ' four pair of Categorr 5
rorts atlow gigaUii tt't-t""-t*t to travel over meters
of 100
ould unshielded twisted pair at a distance
:ated
SpecificsofthegigabitEthernetstandardarelistedinFigure2-79,IlshouLc
recommended distance o\/er FDDI->:-'
re
'and-
be pointed out that the maximum
.rplex *.riti*o¿" fiber-optic cable is only 220 meters'
r. for
78 Chapter Trvo Local ,\rea \eirr rrr\ -\:chiie¡illres
Fib er Fiber
Standard TyP" Diameter Bandwidth Range
1000Base-SX Multimode 62.5 microns 160 2mto220 m
1000Base-SX Multimode 62.5 microns 200 2rnto275 m
10008ase-SX Multimode 50.0 microns 400 2mto500m
10008ase-SX Multimode 50.0 microns 500 2mto550m
1000Base-LX Multimode 62.5 microns 500 2mto550m
1000Base-LX Muitimode 50.0 microns 400 2mto550m

10008ase-LX Multimode 50.0 microns 500 2mto550m
1000Base-LX Singlemode 9 microns N/A 2mto5kmormore
Figure 2-1"9 Gigabit Ethernet Fiber Dependent Configurations
TechnoloS Most gigabit Ethernet switches and network interface cards

ven-
only support eitheithe 1gggBase-SX or 1g0OBase-LX standards. Among
¿oá oi gigabit Ethernet switches and NICs are familiar names such as
Cabletroi,"Lucent, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, and Bay as well as new names

such as Foundry, Extreme Networks, and Packet Engines. As with any
rela-
tively new technology, multi-vendor interoperability is 1 lajor concern as
subtíeties of impleméntation of the gigabit Ethernet standard are
ironed out'
Aiso, beware o? switches that mereiy introduce gigabit Ethernet interfaces
without upgrading the bandwidth of the aggregate switch backplane.
Ápp.opriuiJty sizeá switches should have backplane capacity in the tens of
gigalrltt per slcond, and tens of millions of packets-p-er second'
" " Although most organizations will implemeni full-duplex gigabit Ethel .
net in a gig"abit Etherñet switch-based configuration, the CSMA/CD

MAC
protocol"#as retained for backward compatibility with 1OBase and T
ioggur" T half-duplex shared-media Ethernet implementations. In addition,
the minimum andmaximum Ethernet frame size has not changed'
However,
required slot time (see the In Sharper Focus section earlier in
to maintain the
,'Timing Issues and 100Base T Network Diameter") given the
this chapter,
tenfold ir-r.."ur" in sieed over Fast Ethernet would have reduced maximum
increases the
cable lengths to only 10 meters. As a solution, gigabit Ethernet
slot size,'but not the minimum frame size, from 64 bytes to 512 bytes
in a
process called carrier extension.
Fibrc Channel
While gigabit Ethernet runs at 1000 Mbps (or 1 G-bps), an alternative net-
*ork ui.Éitecture known as fibre channel (ANSI standard X3T9.3) has been
High-SpeedNetworkArchitelturs 79
to 1.062 Gbps over optical tiber an'l

defined to run at speeds of 133 Mbps Gbps are- expected in the
to 4'268
copper cables. S.rppgrt for speeds:p
io connect high-performance storage
future. Fibre channel is often used and
computers' Fibré cñarurel switches
devices and RAID subsystems to
NICs are also available'
LAN-Based ATM
that
is a switched network technology
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) per sec-
r'o'.'-t 2-5 wp-t to.several gigabits
has been defined ,t ,P;;;;;"gi'-tg and
available for both workstations
ond. Network interiace cardi aie with
ATM-based computers-to communicate
servers. However, i"';;;";;;
known as LAN emulation must
be
non-ATM-bur*a to*"pJü"' u ptot*ss
implemented.LAN"*t'lutio"ándotherAlM-basednetworkarchitectures
and will be described in more
fall into the realm t;';;;tptte networking
order for aJpiications to take full
advantage
detail in Chapter 3. M;;;"'"r, in )afrnn awate"'Although desktop
of ATM's ,p""a u''aTJu*"'"t't"y gustfe
as animation and stock trad-
AIM has been implem"r1t"¿1r", slch industries are
high-spe"d rt:t*:ll,arcllitectures
S
ing, many of tf.,e prwüusiy rn"ttioned how-
t-
more tikely,o o* ,*püLJ'.;;;
;;;ilal,#*u networks. With that said,
hrgh-speed backbone networks'
s ever, ATM is a fairly popular choice for I
5
l-
NETWORK ARCHITECTURES
IN A NUTSHEII
rS
rt. '' _::r...... _rr.:...

.,1r
Manyofthesharedmedianetworkarchitecturesreviewedinthischapterare In
no one."best" .netwo:O-:-Tlt*"ure'
ES 'App,lied,,:
ideal in certain situations' There is
re. "'
Problern""""'t' additiontoallofthesharedmedianetworkarchitecturesreviewedinthis
of Sohing chapter, another entire"iJt"gory
oir.r"t*otk architectures known as switched
in the next chapter. In order to decide
network architecturer-*i[ u" ,á"iewed
given situation' a top-down
3r' which network architecture is best in any
\C approach should be taken:
nd
to meet business objectives?
Dfi, What types of applications are required
(ef, o Multimedia?
rin . éoifuUotative or distributed computing?lookups?
the . Lurg" or frequent distributed database or
um . Specialized applicatio"' ""n as CAD/CAM' medical imaging'
the video editing?
lfl a o Internet or IP-based TelePhonY?
delivery requirements of the data
What are the bandwidth and network
,"ft*f't ft produced by these applications?
. Highbandwidth needs? tratl-icl
. Guárant""d d"lite'yii*"' to' time sensitive or streaming
net- . i;C á"tabase downloads or replications?
been
Cha::e: I
. Additional bandwidth is not always the answer' Application or
processing latency can vary independently of the amount
of band-
*i¿tn. Uñderstand bottlenecks thoroughly before designing your
network.
What is the cost threshold for upgrading to a high-speed network
architecture?
.FDDINlCstraditionallycostabout$1,000eachandoffer100Mbps
r 10/100BaseT NICs .ori u, little as $75 each and offer 100 Mbps' At
it ár" p.l."r, perhaps a company doesn't even need a high-band-
to a
width or time-sensiiive appliiation in order to justify upgrading
high-speed network a.chiiecture' Even traditional applications will
be transported much more quicklY'
Which upgrade philosophy is preferred?

. Repláce all ÑICs, hubs, and possibly cabling?
. Re-place hubs and NICs in a graduai manner?
. n"ptu." just the hubs and léave the NICs and cabling alone? This
ofiio^ is available oniy with switched network architectures, which
will be studied in the next chapter'
When considering an upgrade to a particular high-speed network
archi-
tecture, these are iust some of the issues that may require attention:
. New NICs
oNewNlCdriverscanbearealproblem.Whatisthesourceofthese
com-
drivers? As will be explained later in the text, drivers must be
network operating system and
patible with a particuür NIC and the
tperating system of the computer in which the NIC is installed'
. Pioper .ábtl.tg to meet new cable specifications
. New hubs
a Management software
a New distance limitations
a New rules for cascading hubs or maximum number of repeaters
between two end nodes
Availability of internetworking hardware such as bridges and
net-
routers which are compatibte witn this particular high-speed
work architecture. Without such hardware, the network will not be
able to be extended beyond the immediate local network'
stlnt{Rr
In order to properlv anaTyze and design local interest is the data link layer that serves as the
area netrt-orks, it is absolutely essential to home of the IEEE LAN standards and is sub-
have a thorough understanding of the OSI divided into the MAC and LLC sub-layers for
model and its ionstituent lavers. Of particular that purpose. The processes of encapsulation
Ke.v Terms t1
processes More recent high-speed network architec-

and d.e-encaPsulation as OSI model is a
commuruca- tures have been proposed' 100BaseT
are the basis of understanding network architec-
The éSft¿e¡CO-¡ut"¿ f-OO Mps
tion between two computing devices' ture that operates over tlie two pair .twisted
of
compatibihty to net-
iÁportut.u of protocol oair but is limited to a network diameter ot
using
*o'rk .o*ûnications can be modeled
for pro- ["iu zro meters. 100VC-AnvLAN is t::f*i-
the OSI model as an open framework ble with both IEEE 802'3 Ethernet
and lh'tE
tocol comPatibilitY design' áóz.s itt"" Ring, but requires
four pair of
The lócal area network architecture in order to operate
into unshielded twisied pair
model distills all network architectures ár'rJit.nu-pioned primarilyby a single ven-
three basic components: access methodology'
J"t-H"*f*t-Packárd' 100VG-AnyLAN uses
iogi""f r.pology, and Pffsicat topology'^Net- Demand Priority Protocol as an access
wárk architectures applied to a variety
o,t
traffic
known as networK Á"1r."átrtgy aliowing time-sensitive
media alternatives are such as voiló, video, and multimedia to be
are
.or-ttig.rtutlons. Key access methodologies á"iirr"r"¿ effectively' An alternate method of
whereas logi-
óiit¿i¡co and toten passing'
áehvering multimedia traffic is Isochronous
or sequen-
cal topologies are either broadcast gif-t"Á"t,"*hich is closely aiigned with ISDN
pñysical topologies are most often
¡S i*r standards. Iso-Ethernet offers both
a 10 Mps
"ia
tr*, U"tt* and ring are also possible' Mbps
n archr- channel for Ethernet as well as a 6'144
Two of the most popular network time-sensitive traf-
and loken .tlu.."t for multimedia or
tectures are Ethernet (IEEE 802'3) iic. Gigabit Ethernet, 1000BaseX' offers
I1- iitglistt 802.5). Comparison:l**:A:h" high bandwidth over fiber-optic
trr Jare no longer as jntense as they mtght "ô"ti"fy
cable. Other high-speed architectures
con-
domi-
r,u-r" U""r, givá Ethernet's market as the
advantage' The tinue to be proposed and developed
lse íignificant price
m- "*." ""¿ of Eth- thirst for mbre bandwidth continues
nost populai current'implementation
nd .rn",it iOgus"t, which uses unshielded ---
unabated.
con-
No one network architecture can be
nr-isted Pair as media' sidered the best in all situations'
Top-Down
fplt is the most stable traditional100high-
Mbps ár-ralyri, examining business' application'
and
.o""d architecture offering determining
êt*ork rings áuru'irttt"t is required before
.t".iorrrrutt." over dual counter-rotating ili.h network architecture is most appropri-
.ilU"t-optic cable' The dual counter-rotating
ate in each situation'
ters :.ehvork architecture affords FDDI exceptional
lu.rta rol"tunce, redundancy, and reliability'
and
net-
't be
hEITERMS.
applications laYer
10Base2
- i00 NICs
10BaseS
asynchronous frames
- -rBaseSX Attachment Units
l0BaseF
- -'BaselX AU
l0BaseT
. lBaseCX
Base5
B channel
,< the . I'BaseTX
1
access methodologies baseband transmission

rub- .-, tsaseFX broadcast
active monitor
:s for - -BaseT4
address bit order reversal
bus
tion - , - BaseTX
82 Chapter Trt'o Local Area Network Architectures
C cha¡nel header network layer

Carrier Sense Multiple Access high-speed Token Ring OSI Model
with Collision Detection HSTR P channel
CDDI IEEE packets
Copper Distributed Data IEEE802.12 physical layer
Tnterface IEEE802.2 physical topoiogy
CRC IEEE 802.3 point-to-point data links
CSMA/CD IEEE 802.3u presentation layer
cyclical redundancy check IEEE802.3z propagation delay
D channel IEEE 802.5 protocol
DAS IEEE 802.9a protocol discriminator
data-1ink layer Institute of Electrical and RFI
de-encapsulation Electronic Engineers ring
Demand Priority Access Integrated Services Digital round robin polling scheme
Demand Priority Protocol Network SAS
DPA Integrated Services Terminal SBA
DPP Equipment sequential
Dual Attachment Station ISDN session layer
duai homing Iso-Ethernet Single Attachment Station
dual ring of trees isochronous single point of failure
early token release mechanism Isochronous Ethernet slot time
EMI ISTE SNAP
encapsulation least significant bit star
end-to-end network links LLC sub-network access protocol
Ethernet LLC sub-layer synchronous bandwidth
Ethernet II logical link control allocation
FDDI Logical Ring, Physical Star synchronous frames
Fiber Distributed Data Interface logical topology token
frame check sequence MAC sub{ayer token passing
frame status flags media access control TP-PMD
frames media-sharing LANs trailer
full dupiex Ethernet message transport layer
gigabit Ethernet network interface card
RErlElV QUBSTI0NS
1. \\l-rat is the importance of the OSI model to Define the relationship between the two data-
local area network analysis and design? link layer sub-layers.
2. \\tLat is a protocol? 8. What does the introduction of data-línk layer
3. \\hat is the relationship between protocols sub-layers offer in terms of increased interop-
and the OSI model? erability options?
4. !\hat is the or-erall purpose of the physical 9. In general, what are the purposes of the
lal'er? header and trailer added to datalink layer
5. \\Trat are the major differences between a frames?
point-to-point 1i¡k and an end-to-end link? 10. Where are data-link layer frames built and
6. \A4ry is the data lirk laver of particular inter- why is this an appropriate place?
est to LAN netrvork architectures?
-\ct1\-1¡'Es $3
to Toker'
the network 31. FIow are timing issues significant
11. What is the relationship between Ring networks?
and Token
laYer?
layer and the data-link 32. bi-ff?rentiate between Ethernetat various trai-
between-the trans-
12. tínuitl af't" relationship ñirlg1; t"t-t of performance
laYer?
t.riitu.t and the network more interest to
fic levels'
I 1 ít;;iJ ih" session tayer of \Arhat advantages does
FDDI offer over Ether-
/ 33.
clieít / server informa tion systems
as to the
net and Token Ring?
14. Name at least two misconcáptions
34. ;;;i; ine s"lln"áti"s Powers of FDDI'
ity'
i.,i*to,"tutio" of layer f unctional
encapsuta-
?6 ii,#:;ffii''*"tti'i*í'v negative attributes?
primárv ules of the FDDI
15. Briefiy explain the purpose of JO. wh;;;;; ir,.
tion / de-encaPsula tion' network architecture?
that make up any and disadvantages
16. Wná, ur" theihree elements 37. wh;i;;" the advantages
network architecture? to FDDI?
and token of CDDI as oPPosed
17. éo*pu" and contrast CSMA/CD 38. Wttu. i, the a'diantage of dual lo*]ngt, -^
Passing as access
methodologies'
of col- c;;o;* the advantáges and disadvantages
18. ítnli,l'" different poten"tial causes
*" ^é; of 10'0BaseT and FDDI'
defined for
lislons in Ethernet networks? 40. l.r"rlU" the three standards
release mechanism
79. What does the early token 100BaseT'
of buying 10/100
accomPlish? 41. Wn"i it the advantage
20. What ictuallY is a token? NICs?
a logical and a protocol'
,"t'. iry-rt"i it trt" dirr"t""t" between 42. il"t.tiU" demand priority
PhYsical toPologv? 43,. Ho* dot' demaná priority ptoloto]¡ljil"
broadcast and does not get Perma-
22. 5iír","ntiuit ¡"iíeen the af'tu, fo* priority traffic
sequential logical topologies' r -' t^J"t out of network access?
bus' star' and rlng
23. nif'fer"'-'tiut"ietween the ¿;;ó";" the advantages and disadvantages
44. """,iY
Phvsical toPologies' .iioósuttrand looVG-AnY LAN'
Ethernet II and IEFE uat'u'"tiug"s aní disadvantages
of
24. b'1filt';i" u"ñ"tt" 45. Compare tt""
Ethernet' ánd 1O0VG-AnyLAN'
802.3 2 Isochronous Ethernet
25. Wi"r^, i' the relationship between IEEE 802 46. What are some unique
attributes of Isochro-
and iEEE 802'3? *h;ti compared to other high-
nous Ethernet
IEEE 802'2 and Ether-
26. óiiie'"ntiat" between ,o""d n"t*otk architectures?
net SNAP' 47. Ñhut do"t isochronous mean?
between Isochro-
27. What is a protocol discriminator various media-spe-
;Á:,. p"r.ttu" the relationship
,.t,. Oiff"t"t-'tiát" between the of Ethernet'
nous Ethernet and ISDN'
cific alternative configurations 49. d;;" the advantages and disadvantages
t"tllt''e ihara^cteristics of a Token
29. What are tt"'e of gigabit Ethernet?
disadvantages
Ring network architecture? in a 50. Wf;;? "t" the advantages and
30. üf-t?iit role of the active monitor of high-sPeed Token Ring?
'f-tt network?
Token Ring
Iata-
. i,:'., .1
ACTMTITS I:. ,
fLrP-
From the previous activity'
determj¡e u'hic't'
2.
or bulletin board con- do not conform rr el! :'-
1, ' -r- a' presentation
Preoare
' laYer model' As
:ru#:í;;p*ái"r'
sisting ot an emPty \)slT of the oSI model'
u-#o."rrt iáYer
operating sys-
local area networKs or network
protocois in J. bitin" an alternative network comm'!r:-:r-
--;: :
l:d tems are encountered' place the
il#;;;,"*imodel to the oSI mol¿.
the ProPer laYers of the OSt mooei'
why the new model is more effective than the reasons for their choice and add your own
OSI model. analysis of the results.
4. Choose a particular protocol stack and outline 10 Survey schools or businesses that employ
the frame layouts for each protocol in each FDDI network architectures. Gather informa-
layer of the OSI model. Be sure to indicate tion regarding motivation, instaiiation date,
reiationships betr,veen protocols as to which satisfaition, problems, and the outcome of a
protocols are encapsulated by which other similar decision on network architecture
protocols. made today.
{ Investigate the IEEE 802'4 Token Bus stan- 11. Investigate the availability and cost of tech-
dard. Report on its history, implementation, nology for the three standards defined for
available technology, current status, and an 100BaseT. Analyze Your results.
explanation of this current status. t2. Investigate the availability and cost of tech-
6. Survey the local area network implementa-
nology for 100VG-AnyLAN varieties' Ana-
tions in your school or business. Report on lyze your results.
the physical topologies found. Explain your 13. Compare the availability and cost of 100BaseT
results. technology and 10OVG-AnyLAN technology'
7. Investigate the daisy chain physical topology'
Analyze your results.
Is it truly a unique physical topology or a 14. Investigate the cost and availability of
variation o{ one of the three primary physical Isochronous Ethernet technology. Analyze
topologies? your results.
8. Conduct a sLrrvey of Ethernet networks in 15. Investigate the gigabit Ethernet and high-
your school or business. What is the media of speed Token Ring markets. Which market has
choice in each installation? Why was each more technology to offer? What are the statis-
media chosen in each situation? tics on market size for each technology?
9. Survey schools or companies that have
Analyze and present Your results.
installed Token Ring networks' Report on the
Crsu Sn'nt
Goodhve Token Ring, H_gllg Plh_._tngl
......-...........:....
\takine the move from token The company hadbeen con- has cost the comPany more
ring to Ethemei? lÉ so, go as far sidering moving awaY from its than $l million.
as vou ca¡r as fast as You can. 800-user token-ring network Given that the network can
That's the advice from for several years. The time now speed traffic along five
Equitable Liie Assurance seemed right when the com- to 50 times faster, Equitable
Socieh-'s IT ,ctaff, which pany decided to uPgrade its figures the project will PaY off
recentlY iinished moving the desktop and selver Platforms in increased ProductivitY and
comPanv's sen-ice organiza- and consolidate its service the ability to suPPort
tion from a sha¡ed 1/16]ll{' organization at a new site here. expanded workflow and
bit/sec token-ring en\-iron- The migration project/ imaging applications.
ment to a su'itched 10//100M which involved grouPing Because it was moving to a
bitlsec Ethemet network. three service centers into one, new site, Equitable ditched
Quesüon: S5
Business Case StudY
The CatalYst 5500 can also

Traffic is transPorte'J
most of its token-ring geat/
handle Etirernet and token- between the 5500s using
some of which was 10 Years
rins traffic. Cisco's Inter Switch Link
old and fullY dePreciated' (lSL) tagging Protocol, which
"Token ring has been fad-
Éy MaY 1e98, Equitable Ethernet and
i¡s because Ethernet is sim- was initalling desktoP
".r.uptritát"i
token-ring frames over Fast
plEr, hut higher bandwidth machines in Charlotte, and
was able to start Ethernet.Írames can then be
the comPanY
and has been less exPensive translated from Ethernet to
to deliver," saYS Charles uo its new network during
julY' token ring, or vice versa' bY
t to l""ek"nds in
Sokolski, managing director the 7513 routers'
The Charlotte network con-
of IT oPerations and infra- sists of 45 NT, OS/2 and Unix
"ISL is the keY to a media-
structurá at Equitable' And independent backbone-one
servers, 10 CatalYst 5500s and
besides, "we had a clean that simultaneouslY suPPorts
a pair of Cisco 7513 routers'
slate," he saYs' both token-ring and Ethernet
CurrentlY, there are about 150
Equitable received vendor fi:ames," saYs Frank Whitten'
oroposals for its new network
token-ring workstations on who
a Cisco Proáuct manager
the network, which is home to
i-," it"'" summer of 1997 and workedon the Equitable Pro-
more than 800 desktoPs ser-
oicked Cisco as its PrimarY iect. "Since the technologY is
vicing 650 users'
i-retwork equiPment suPPlier
The comPanY has exPerl- tus"d on Ethernet, when
that fall. The keY device in the Ecuitable is finished with its
enced a few bugs translating
Eouitable network is the Cat- m'isration, it is left with an
between token-ring and Eth-
alvst 5500 switch, which can Eth"ernet backbone and
bJ used in wiring closets and
ernet traffic, but no "show
stopPers," Sokolski saYs'
uplinks'"
to anchor backbone networks'
vol 16, no. 3 (]anuary 15,1999)' p' 17 ' Copy-
Network World'
Source: MarcSongini' "Goodbye.
Tok:" Rtrrq'^T:I" Ethernet"'
.igiliÑ"t*otr. Wórld Reprinted with permrssron'
BUSINESS CASB STUDYQUESTIONS

' '
be cost
3. How could the network migration
Activities justified?
. Comolete a top-down model for this case by
' ;;tdt;lacts'from the case and placing tl:- i" Application
on the new
i;;;;il;ter or the toP-down model' After r.^ Ho* many desktoPs are supPorted
n m odel' anaty e
g'.o*pleted the top-dow
7 network?
nurrln
requirements
ofe u.t¿ ¿ltuif those instances where Data
from upper layers to both to
*1." .f"-fy passed down 1. What level of bandwidth is available
solutions
can io*"t iuy"á of the model and where the desktoP and on the backbone?
five io those requitements were passed "P Í?*
nbie lower layers to upper layers of
*" t:O"ll^^. Network
Equitable
What network architectures did
the
l. Detail any questions about the case that may 1.
¡ off answers are not clearly move from and to?
;*";;í"; for which
and
stated ln the article' 2. Wflui *"t" the relative merits of the oid a¡"1
port new network architectures?
and Business 3. How was the migration Planned?
u'orkstatici'-' ¡: -:e
4:,. er" tl't"." any Token Ring
;to a this Particuiar time? new network?
migration?
ched l. tf'hr'at was the cost of the network
86 Chapter TWo Local Area Nehvork Architectures
5. Is Token Ring to Ethemet trame conversion 2. What types of functionality does the chosen
required? switch offer?
6. How is the frame conversion handled? 3. What different t)?es of computing platforms
7. Differentiate between the functionality offered and operating systems must be supported?
by the different classes of switches and routers.
Technology
1. What type of switch is used in the network
architecture?

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Chapter 2 - Local Area Network Architectures

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I CHAPTER

Locm Annr l{urwoRK

After mastering the material in this chapter you should:

1. understand how access methodologies, logical topologies, and physi-

2. Understand the similarities, differences, advantages, and disadvan-

i$ THE OSI NIODBT REITSITEI)

Overall Structure and Characteristics

consists of a hierarchy of seven layers that

38 Chapter Tr'r,o Local Area Network Architectures

1\-er Nefivork LaYer

cially important to heterogeneous, multi-platform, multi-vendor

The session layer protocols are responsible for establishing, maintaining,

The presentation-layer protocols provide an interface between user applica-

are dealing with network communications, whereas Windows and/or Pre-

Encap sulation/D e- encap sulation

2 DATA LINK Logical Link conkol i'Specilied by f rames Network

Figure 2-1 OSI Model-A Conceptual View

The Local Area Network Architecture \Iodel 43

Client running Server running

Figure 2-2 OSI Model-An Architectural View

ffi THE LOCAI, AREA NETWORK ARCHITBCTURE MODEL

Although not all network architectures are standardized br

made up of the same logical components. In order to accurately describe a

As numerous network architectures ale evaluated later in the chapter,

o Network Architecture = access methodology + logical topology +

16 Mbps Token Ring network architectures use a modified form of

Ends here when Station A:

Figure 2-3 Token-Passir-rgAccess Methodology

Broadcast The second logical topology

choice. The physical layout of this configuration c1n have a significant

Bus The bus topology is a linear arlangement with terminators on either

0rigins The invention of Ethernet is generally credited to Robert Metcalfe

Ethernet II The Ethernet II frame layout consists of the following fields:

The overall frame length varies from 64 to 1 51 8 Octets

IEEE 802.3 Frame LaYout

Logical Link Control

The overall frame length varies from 64 to 1 51 8 Octets

Figure 2-5 Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 Standards

rt given client or server. Once the network interface card identifies

IBEE 802.2 AND ETHERNET SNAP

In order for an IEEE 802.3 compliant network interface card to be at'1e :c

IEEE 802.3 frame layout

Destination Service I Source Service Control Fields

IEEE 802.2 HEADER FIELDS

IEEE 802.3 frame layout

SSAP Control SNAP.I.IEADER

IEEE 802.2 HEADER FIELDS

Figure 2-6 IEEE 802.2 and Ethernet SNAP

embedded within the data r:nit

. 08-00 for TCP/IP

can run over numerous media

Applicalion The potential for collisions and retransmission on an Ethernet

lBase5 StarLAN l Mbps Unshielded 500 meters

Figtn'e 2-7 EthernetMedia-specific Standards

IEEE 802.5 Token Frame Layout

Starting Access Ending

loctet 1Octet 1Octel

Priority. Token Monitor Reservation

IEEE 802.5 MAC Sub-Layer Frame Layout

Used only for Source Route Bridging

Pr¡ority I Token l\,4onitor Reseruation

DATA L Frame Check

<- Sbits -l-'-::-:}

in the case of Ethernet but is effectively controlled by a timing limit