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Conference 7.286::fddi

Title:FDDI - The Next Generation
Moderator:NETCAD::STEFANI
Created:Thu Apr 27 1989
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2259
Total number of notes:8590

144.0. "FDDI SLD,some confusions." by OSAV20::IZUTANI (Kenji Izutani,Tech.Consul.,CSEC,DEC-Japan) Wed Sep 26 1990 23:04

Could anyone show if the followings are incorrect.

In the "FDDI System Level Description", there are some uncertainties with 
which I was confused when I read.

1. In Fifure 2-11 on page 2-21, there are Port M to Port M connections.
   Are they correct?

2. On page 3-3, there are sentences as follows;

    " CON ports can be type A,type B,type M or type S."
                                               ~~~~~~~
       I think CON has no port S.

    "Type S ports are part of a SAC. They connect the SAC ..."
          ~                     ~~~~                  ~~~
       I think SAC should be SAS or type S should be type B.

3. On page 3-5, in the paragraph 3.3,

   ".. through the B port(S port on a SAC), flow..."
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     This seems to be confusing. I think this sentence is unnecessary.

4. On page 4-6, in the paragraph 4.3.2,

  "FDDI entities in the adapter include..."
                        ~~~~~~~
   This should be "bridge".

Is my understanding that CON has no port S correct?

Regards,
Kenji 
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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144.1My five-penny worthCOMICS::WOODWARDSmile!Thu Sep 27 1990 05:4213
1) This is wrong, M-M connections are 'illegal' (they could be any other port
   type, A, B or typically S)

2) There are two types of CON, dual-attached and single-attached. The DAC
   will have A, B and M ports. The SAC will have multiple M and an S ports
   (the S port if used will connect the SAC to a DAC to enter the dual
   ring) This agrees with the SMT draft spec.
   
3) Assuming 2) above is the truth, the statement is correct

4) I think you're correct, it sounds better as 'bridge', we use adapter to 
   mean a host system connection
144.2B=S?OSAV20::IZUTANIKenji Izutani,Tech.Consul.,CSEC,DEC-JapanThu Sep 27 1990 06:3513
> 2) There are two types of CON, dual-attached and single-attached. The DAC
>    will have A, B and M ports. The SAC will have multiple M and an S ports
>    (the S port if used will connect the SAC to a DAC to enter the dual
>    ring) This agrees with the SMT draft spec.
>   
> 3) Assuming 2) above is the truth, the statement is correct


But I think there is one product, i.e. DECconcentrator500, from DEC. This CON
can be used for both DAC and SAC, isn't it. In this case, will we call port B
of DC500 as DAC and port S as SAC though they are same MIC?

Kenji
144.3A con has two flavors - DAC and SACLEVERS::CIARFELLASaabless and happyThu Sep 27 1990 10:1362
    
> 1. In Fifure 2-11 on page 2-21, there are Port M to Port M connections.
>    Are they correct?
 
  My figure 2-11 does not show any M to M connections.  It shows a
  Dual Attached concentrator with an A,B, and 3 M ports.  The M ports
  are connected to three boxes of type S.  The dotted lines between
  the M ports mean that there could be other M ports which were not 
  shown.

> 2. On page 3-3, there are sentences as follows;
> 
>     " CON ports can be type A,type B,type M or type S."
>                                                ~~~~~~~
>        I think CON has no port S.

 There are two flavors of concentrators, Dual Attached (DAC) and
 Single Attached (SAC).  Single Attached concentrators have a single
 S port and multiple M ports.  Dual Attached concentrators have one
 A and B port each and multiple M ports.  Dual attached provide direct
 connection to the trunk ring or to the tree.  SACs provide connections 
 to the leaves of the tree.

>     "Type S ports are part of a SAC. They connect the SAC ..."
>           ~                     ~~~~                  ~~~
>        I think SAC should be SAS or type S should be type B.

 The book is correct.  This paragraph is describing how and where
 a SAC can connect to the ring.

> 3. On page 3-5, in the paragraph 3.3,
> 
>    ".. through the B port(S port on a SAC), flow..."
>                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>      This seems to be confusing. I think this sentence is unnecessary.

 I'll try to clarify the statement.  When a DAC is being connected as
 part of the tree, its B port is connected to the M port of the
 concentrator above it.  If the concentrator  is a SAC in this case,
 its S port would connect to the M port of the other concentrator.
 Frames would enter the concentrator through the S port, then out of
 and back into each M port (one at a time, of course) and then back
 out the S port.


> 4. On page 4-6, in the paragraph 4.3.2,
> 
>   "FDDI entities in the adapter include..."
>                         ~~~~~~~
>    This should be "bridge".

 Yes, in this paragraph it should be bridge.  

> Is my understanding that CON has no port S correct?

 No. As mentioned before, Single Attachment concentrators have an S port
 instead of an A,B combination.

 I hope that this explains things for you.

 Paul C

144.4Our con is a DACLEVERS::CIARFELLASaabless and happyThu Sep 27 1990 10:154
    
    re: .2   The DECConcentrator 500 can only function as a Dual Attachment
    Concentrator.  There is no option available to make it a SAC.
    
144.5KONING::KONINGNI1D @FN42eqThu Sep 27 1990 10:2519
Re .2 re .4: it's often said that "a concentrator in the tree acts like 
a SAC".  This is NOT CORRECT.  The rules under which a DAC operates in
the tree are DIFFERENT from those for a SAC.

The definitions:

1. If it has M ports, it's a concentrator.
2. If it doesn't, it's a station.
3. If it has an S port, it's Single Attached.
4. If it has A and B ports, it's Dual Attached.

So therefore our concentrator is a DAC.  It remains a DAC no matter where
in the network it is used.

The correct statement is that a SAC can be used only in a tree, while a DAC
can be used both in a tree and in a dual ring.  This should give you an
idea about why we didn't bother building a SAC...

	paul
144.6different book?COMICS::WOODWARDSmile!Thu Sep 27 1990 11:1514
re .3

>  My figure 2-11 does not show any M to M connections.  It shows a
>  Dual Attached concentrator with an A,B, and 3 M ports.  The M ports
>  are connected to three boxes of type S.  The dotted lines between
>  the M ports mean that there could be other M ports which were not 
>  shown.

Which book? I've got the June 1990, ek-dfsld-sd-001 and the figure 2-11
definitely shows the 3 M ports on the DAC connected to 1 S and 2 M ports.
One of us must have an 'old' version, and if it's you then the new version,
which is probably going to customers, looks incorrect.

Steve
144.7Preliminary copy from may is correctLEVERS::CIARFELLASaabless and happyThu Sep 27 1990 17:458
    
    Whoops - my copy is the prelim from May.  I would've thought that
    errors get fixed, not introduced, when going from a preliminary to
    published copy.
    
    I better get the new and 'improved' version.
    
    Paul C
144.8I understood.OSAV20::IZUTANIKenji Izutani,Tech.Consul.,CSEC,DEC-JapanThu Sep 27 1990 23:0010
Thanks many to all replies.
So Digital has implemnted only DAC, and DAC can be used similarly as SAC, using
port B instead of port S.
SLD describes FDDI standards in general and DEC hasn't implemented all of the 
standards. Its the reason why I'm confused.

I hope to see the Table 1-2 of next release SLD including those difference.

thanks again.
Kenji