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Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

Title:DEChub/HUBwatch/PROBEwatch CONFERENCE
Notice:Firmware -2, Doc -3, Power -4, HW kits -5, firm load -6&7
Moderator:NETCAD::COLELLADT
Created:Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4455
Total number of notes:16761

687.0. "repeaters in parellel/backup repeaters?" by WARNUT::2H0533::Tim_Banks (Stealth Marketing :-)) Thu Feb 03 1994 12:35

The old DEREP repeaters had a feature that allowed you to connect 2 DEREPs in 
parellel, and one would detect the loop and stop passing frames, until the 
first DEREP failed.

Question: did this capability get carried over into the 90FA or any of the 
other current repeaters?

Question: What options does a customer have, without buying a bridge, for 
redundantly coupling two hubs together - preferably using fibr optic 
connections?

In fact what the customer has asked, is if he has four hubs, and he wants to 
connect two of them onto a 10Base5 backbone, and then connect two remote hubs 
over fibre, to BOTH OF THE two hubs on the 10Base5, can he do it without a 
bridge?

(i.e. A to B on 10B5, C to A+B, and D to A+B)

	Thanks

		Tim
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687.1QUIVER::SLAWRENCEThu Feb 03 1994 13:1785
    For the first part of the question, see the announcements for the
    DEFMI and DEFMM; they support redundant optical links.

    If I understand your question correctly (we'll see...) then you can't,
    but you can accomplish what you want (I think).

    Your customer asked if this was ok:

       +-----------+                 +-----------+
       |           |                 |           |
       |     A     |                 |     B     |
       |           |                 |           |    A, B, C, & D
       | |+|       |                 |       |+| |    are repeaters
       +-|-|-----#-+                 +-#-----|-|-+    (in hubs or not)
         | |     #######################     | |
         |  \                               /  |
         |   \                  ___________/   |      Thin lines are fiber.
         |    \_______________ / __________    |
         |   _________________/            \   |      ### is a repeater link
         |  /                               \  |
         | |                                 | |
       +-|-|-------+                 +-------|-|-+
       | | |       |                 |       | | |
       |     C     |                 |     D     |
       |           |                 |           |
       |           |                 |           |
       +-----------+                 +-----------+

     The answer here is that it is not ok; for a redundant link pair
     (shown here as '|+|') to operate correctly both ends must go to a
     single pair of devices, not three as shown here.  The problem is
     (for example) that a path A->B->C->A exists.

     But there are two ways of getting what you need; read on...


     If you don't mind bridges, then the same configuration works, but
     the devices connecting hubs are bridges.  Spanning tree will deal
     with the extra links to prevent loops:

       +-----------+                 +-----------+
       |           |                 |           |
       |     A     |                 |     B     |
       |           |                 |           |    A, B, C, & D
       | | |       |                 |       | | |    are bridges
       +-|-|-----#-+                 +-#-----|-|-+    (in hubs or not)
         | |     #######################     | |
         |  \                               /  |
         |   \                  ___________/   |      Thin lines are fiber.
         |    \_______________ / __________    |
         |   _________________/            \   |      ### is a repeater link
         |  /                               \  |
         | |                                 | |
       +-|-|-------+                 +-------|-|-+
       | | |       |                 |       | | |
       |     C     |                 |     D     |
       |           |                 |           |
       |           |                 |           |
       +-----------+                 +-----------+



     If you don't want bridges, then you can do this:

       +-----------+                 +-----------+
       |           |                 |           |
       |     A     |                 |     B     |
       |           |                 |           |    A, B, C, & D
       | |+|       |                 |       |+| |    are repeaters
       +-|-|-----#-+                 +-#-----|-|-+    (in hubs or not)
         | |     #######################     | |
         | |                                 | |
         | |                                 | |      Thin lines are fiber.
         | |                                 | |
         | |                                 | |      ### is a repeater link
         | |                                 | |
         | |                                 | |
       +-|-|-------+                 +-------|-|-+
       | |+|       |                 |       |+| |
       |     C     |                 |     D     |
       |           |                 |           |
       |           |                 |           |
       +-----------+                 +-----------+

     Which deals with link failures but not hub failures.
687.2QUIVER::SLAWRENCEThu Feb 03 1994 13:542
    See also 581.2
    
687.3ThanksWARNUT::2H0533::Tim_BanksStealth Marketing :-)Fri Feb 04 1994 04:158
Hi S

	Thanks for the very comprehensive reply, much appreciated, sadly the 
DEFM* announcements will be just too late I suspect.

	Thanks

		Tim
687.4announcement is next weekDELNI::GIUNTAFri Feb 04 1994 09:237
The DEFMI and DEFMM will be announced next Tuesday, Feb 8 with a 60-90
day availability as I'm expecting FCS in April and volume availability
in May.  Since it sounds like this is too late for you, when does your
customer need to have his equipment installed, and how many do you need?

Regards,
Cathy