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Editorial contact:
Venus Chan @HGO
Hong Kong University of Science & Technology;
Digital formally inaugurate pioneer FDDI network
HONG KONG (May 9, 1991) -- Digital Equipment Hong Kong Limited and the
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today formally
inaugurated the first phase of a campus information networking project
that will place the new university at the forefront of information
technology users around the world.
The campus network, which is scheduled to be in place and operational by
October when the HKUST's first student intake arrives, is to be installed at
a cost of HK$15 million (US$1.9 million).
Based upon state-of-the-art FDDI (fibre distributed data interface)
technology, the first phase of the network will link the university's main
data processing and storage systems with as many as 1,500 personal computers
and workstations located in lecture halls, and student and staff quarters.
It will stand as the most comprehensive application of FDDI technology in an
educational environment anywhere in the world, and will set Hong Kong apart
as a pioneer in the utilisation of FDDI-based computer communications
systems.
According to Professor Chia-Wei Woo, the HKUST's Vice-Chancellor and
President, the installation of the first phase of the network, for which a
pilot system has been under test at the university's temporary headquarters
in Harbour City for the past year, will be a milestone in the advancement of
education technology in Hong Kong.
"I understand that we will be ahead of any other university in the world in
the utilisation of FDDI," he said.
"And so we should be, considering the type of institution we are, and the
fact that beacuse we are new, we need not be tied to outmoded technology.
"Our students and staff will have ready access to information and an ability
to manipulate data, in a fully comprehensive way, across the complete campus
environment -- from teaching laboratories to research institutes to student
residence halls.
"The FDDI network, the backbone of one of the world's most advanced learning
tools, will place our staff and students at the forefront of information
technology.
"The pilot installation has worked well. There is no reason to suppose that
the Phase I installation will operate any less smoothly."
According to J. Graham Long, General Manager of Digital Hong Kong, the FDDI
networking project at the HKUST -- which will later expand into Phases II
and III as the university's student body grows over the next few years --
stands as a demonstration not only of Digital's ability to provide complete
solutions at the leading edge of technology, but the company's commitment to
open systems concepts.
"The personal computers and workstations that will be linked to the network
will embrace a variety of operating environments, as will the university's
central processors," Mr Long said.
"The network, and the Digital systems that will manage and operate it, have
to be completely transparent to all.
"Digital is particularly proud to be associated with this project, and to be
playing a key role in the advancement of higher learning in Hong Kong."
TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER
The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology aims to become a world
class technology university.
Its computer system, thus, must support advanced teaching and research
applications in science, engineering, business and management in a
multi-lingual environment.
The networking project being inaugurated today is critical to the HKUST's
development plans.
The computing environment will consist of a network of microprocessors
(microcomputers and scientific workstations) connecting all campus
buildings.
Additionally, large minicomputers and/or mainframe processors will supply
some of the central resources and network services.
A very high speed "backbone" network with many distributed wiring closets
from which various mid-speed 802.3/Ethernet local area networks (LANs) will
emanate is being employed.
The LANs, in turn, will be connected to as many as 1,500 microcomputers and
workstations during the first phase of the project.
The network will be expanded through Phases II and III as the HKUST ramps up
to its full student compliment.
It is in the supply and implementation of the "backbone" network that
Digital Equipment Hong Kong Limited is deeply involved.
This will employ (FDDI) fibre distributed data interface technology which
operates at a very high data transfer speed.
FDDI is set to become the data transfer protocol of the 1990s, and beyond.
A pilot version of the HKUST's FDDI campus network has been in operation for
12 months.
Understanding FDDI
FDDI is a 100 million bits/second LAN standard developed by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI).
It utilises the timed-token access method and allows a large number of dual
attachment stations to be connected over a total optical fibre length of 200
kilometers.
One of the unique features of this standard is that normal traffic is not
restricted to data alone; time-constrained traffic such as voice, video and
real-time applications can also be supported.
FDDI is supported enthusiastically by system suppliers, workstation
manufacturers, network vendors, silicon chip producers and makers of
specialised communications products.
It is a networking standard which has grown out of concensus, and stands in
constrast to other LAN standards, which are frequently associated with
specific vendors.
Typically, a FDDI network incorporates the following key features which set
it apart from other LAN technologies:
- It operates at a data transmission rate which is significantly faster
than current LAN technologies.
- It comprises a dual-ring-of-trees topology, using one ring as the primary
data ring, the second ring as back-up, and the tree structure for
increased network flexibility, manageability and availability.
- It utilises standards-based technology to ensure inter-operability with
existing and future multi-vendor networks.
- It employs secure multi-mode fibre optic cable (62.5/125 micron fibre
with 1300-nanometer window) for the transmission medium.
- It utilises reliable light-emitting diodes as the optical transmitters
and photo diodes as the optical receivers.
- It supports a maximum of 500 network devices, a maximum ring
circumference of 100 kilometers, and a maximum distance between stations
of two kilometers for flexible network connections and configurations.
Digital and FDDI
Digital is a performance leader in open networks, and has found that the
most popular choice of network technologies has been 802.3/Ethernet, the
multi-vendor LAN standard upon which Digital's LANs are based.
FDDI's ability to operate seamlessly with 802.3/Ethernet netowrks is
beneficial for many organisations implementing high-performance FDDI
"backbone" networks.
FDDI also gives users the ability to upgrade and integrate their networks at
their own pace, without rendering present networking equipment unusable or
obsolete.
Today's FDDI technology specifically defines the networking components
required to conform to the industry standard.
Along with the optical fibre cable media and the basic dual-ring topology,
the standard calls for specific devices to be utilised in the network.
At the HKUST, for example, concentrators and bridges will be used to build
hierarchical inter-connections for departmental systems and
inter-connections to other LANs.
While specific physical network topologies vary according to need, the most
common one for "backbone" applications is the dual-ring-of-trees.
Treed topologies can be constructed by "cascading" wiring concentrator
devices several levels deep.
This technique will be employed in the HKUST system, which will "cascade"
through eight levels.
Key Digital FDDI Devices
- DECconcentrator 500 Hub
This attaches FDDI devices such as workstations, systems, or DECbridge 500
units to the FDDI LAN.
- DECbridge 500 Network Bridge
This provides the inter-connection between a mid-speed 10 million
bits/second 802.3/Ethernet LAN and a high-speed FDDI "backbone" network.
- FDDI Adapter
This provides for direct inter-connection between Digital's VAX and
RISC-based systems to FDDI networks.
Extensive use of these, and other Digital networking devices, will be made
in the building of the HKUST network.
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