Fault tolerant token ring model development

Abstract

The token ring is one of the most popular local area network (LAN) schemes, and is very widely used. One of the major weaknesses of the token ring network is that if a single station fails, the entire network and the system is likely to fail. Also, with the distributed and concurrent processing schemes becoming increasingly popular, there is an ever growing need to interconnect several LANs for an integrated wide area network. Often, the protocols of the LAN and the protocols of the inter-connectivity are distinctly separate. This requires protocol conversions, additional hardware and software modules, which increase the delay of transmission and make the system less reliable. The authors have devised a methodology to minimize the bit faults in intercommunications. Frame formats of the emerging interconnection technology such as integrated services digital network (ISDN) using the existing telephone network are integrated with those of the conventional token ring protocols, in order to improve the fault tolerance of a token ring network, and make the interconnection of several token ring networks very simple and effective. The authors analyze the token ring and other network topologies and discuss the methodologies of fault tolerance and protocol integration schemes. A model token ring network has been implemented at Florida International University's Computer Engineering Laboratories to validate these concepts.