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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

207.0. "SAS on primary/secondary ring ?" by BERN01::DEY (Walter Dey, EIS, Berne Switzerland) Tue Feb 19 1991 10:19

Dave Katz Merit/NSFNET write in his paper

	"The Use of Connectionless Network Layer Protocols over FDDI Network"

...The main trunk of an FDDI network consists of dual counterrotating rings, 
referred to as the Primary and Secondary rings. In normal operations, the two 
rings form independent token paths. Each ring can be used for the transmission 
of data. If a component fails that breaks the transmission path in one of the 
rings, the nodes on either side of the failure splice the two rings together,
forming one folded ring....

... A MAC layer allows a station to send and receive data. Stations with only
a single MAC may choose to attach the MAC to either of the rings.


Can someone tell me if the FDDI standard allows a SAS on the primary or
secondary ring, so that I would get 2 x 100 Mbps bandwith (although no
connectivity) ? 

I know that our implementation will not allow that ? SAS is attached to DAC.

Cheers Walter.
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207.1May be it could be done, but...CGOO01::HARROPRing those phones!!!Thu Feb 21 1991 14:5913
    I was in PID (I am in sales so I was listening, not presenting) where
    the customer asked this same question.  The answer had two parts to
    it:

    1) that's not how FDDI is implemented, but it might be able to be done. 
    It is definitely non-standard, not part of the FDDI standard, and not
    supported by Digital.  If the customer really wanted to pursue this on
    their own, Digital would not stop them, but Digital had no interest in
    it due to lack of adherence to standards. 

    2) implementing such a thing would eliminate the redundancy built into
    FDDI, another reason that Digital would not be interested.

207.2That's mostly incorrect!KONING::KONINGLietuva laisva!Tue Feb 26 1991 12:3012
Who gave that answer?  Part (1) is false.  

Part (2) is basically correct: you could get twice the bandwidth but only
when there are no faults.  When a fault occurs and the ring wraps, your
bandwidth is cut in half.

If you want redundancy, you should run multiple LANs.  That gives you 
much better control over what happens when faults occur.  It also lets you
have triple or higher redundancy; the "secondary ring" approach allows
only one redundant connection and therefore has very limited flexibility.

	paul