Cabletron Systems MMAC-5FNB Networking Manual

Cabletron Systems

Networking Guide

MMAC-FNB™ Solutions

i

Notice

Cabletron Systems reserves the right to make changes in speciﬁcations and other information

contained in this document without prior notice. The reader should in all cases consult Cabletron

Systems to determine whether any such changes have been made.

The hardware, ﬁrmware, or software described in this manual is subject to change without notice.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CABLETRON SYSTEMS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT,

SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED

TO LOST PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS MANUAL OR THE INFORMATION

CONTAINED IN IT, EVEN IF CABLETRON SYSTEMS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF, KNOWN, OR

SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Copyright



Printed in the United States of America.

Order Number: 9031706-01 March 1996

Cabletron Systems, Inc.

P.O. Box 5005

Rochester, NH 03866-5005

Cabletron Systems

,

SPECTRUM

,

BRIM

,

DNI

,

FNB

,

INA

,

Integrated Network Architecture

,

LANVIEW

,

LANVIEW Secure

,

Multi Media Access Center

,

MiniMMAC

,

MicroMMAC

, and

TRMM

are registered trademarks, and

Bridge/Router Interface Modules

,

CRXMIM

,

CXRMIM

,

Desktop Network Interface

,

Distributed LAN Monitoring

,

Distributed Network Server

,

DLM

,

EMM-E6

,

EMME

,

EPIM

,

EPIM-A

,

EPIM-C

,

EPIM-F1

,

EPIM-F2

,

EPIM-F3

,

EPIM-T

,

EPIM-X

,

ESXMIM

,

ESXMIM-F2

,

ETWMIM

,

FDCMIM-04

,

FDCMIM-08

,

FDCMIM-24

,

FDCMIM-28

,

FDCMIM-44

,

FDCMIM-48

,

FDMMIM

,

FDMMIM-04

,

FDMMIM-24, FDMMIM-44, Flexible

Network Bus

,

FOMIM

,

FORMIM

,

HubSTACK

,

IRBM

,

IRM

,

IRM-2

,

IRM-3

,

Media Interface

Module

,

MIM

,

MMAC

,

MMAC-3

,

MMAC-3FNB

,

MMAC-5

,

MMAC-5FNB

,

MMAC-8

,

MMAC-

8FNB

,

MMAC-M8FNB

,

MMAC-Plus

,

MRX

,

MRXI

,

MRXI-24

,

Multichannel

,

NB20E

,

NB25E

,

NB30

,

NB35

,

NBR-220/420/620

,

RMIM

,

SecureFast Packet Switching

,

SFPS

,

SPECTRUM Element

Manager

,

SPECTRUM for Open Systems

,

SPIM-A

,

SPIM-C

,

SPIM-F1

,

SPIM-F2

,

SPIM-T

,

SPIM-T1

,

TPMIM

,

TPMIM-22

,

TPMIM-T1

,

TPRMIM

,

TPRMIM-36

,

TPT-T

,

TRBMIM

,

TRMM-2

,

TRMMIM

,

and

other Cabletron product names

are trademarks of Cabletron Systems, Inc.

All other product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of

their respective companies.

ii

iii

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Using This Guide.........................................................................................................................1-1

Organization of Document.........................................................................................................1-1

Conventions of This Document.................................................................................................1-3

Warnings and Notiﬁcations ................................................................................................1-3

Formats and Measures.........................................................................................................1-3

Additional Assistance .................................................................................................................1-4

Associated Documentation ........................................................................................................1-4

Chapter 2 Overview of Networking

Discussion of Networking..........................................................................................................2-1

Why Network?......................................................................................................................2-1

What Is a Network?.....................................................................................................................2-3

The Classiﬁcation of Networks..................................................................................................2-3

Network Topology ...............................................................................................................2-4

Network Technologies.........................................................................................................2-6

Media......................................................................................................................................2-7

Interoperability and Standards Bodies...................................................................................2-13

Interoperability, the Ideal of Networking .......................................................................2-13

Standards and Compliance...............................................................................................2-13

The OSI Model, Basis of Standards..................................................................................2-14

Application of the OSI Model...........................................................................................2-18

Chapter 3 Technology Basics

Ethernet.........................................................................................................................................3-1

Abstract..................................................................................................................................3-1

Theory ....................................................................................................................................3-2

Operation...............................................................................................................................3-2

Segmentation.........................................................................................................................3-4

Strengths and Weaknesses ..................................................................................................3-6

Special Design Considerations ...........................................................................................3-8

Token Ring....................................................................................................................................3-9

Abstract..................................................................................................................................3-9

Theory ....................................................................................................................................3-9

Operation...............................................................................................................................3-9

Segmentation....................................................................................................................... 3-11

Strengths and Weaknesses ................................................................................................3-13

Special Design Considerations .........................................................................................3-15

iv

Fiber Distributed Data Interface..............................................................................................3-15

Abstract ................................................................................................................................3-15

Theory ..................................................................................................................................3-15

Operation.............................................................................................................................3-16

Strengths and Weaknesses.................................................................................................3-17

Special Design Considerations .........................................................................................3-18

Chapter 4 Network Design

Workgroup Creation....................................................................................................................4-2

What Is a Workgroup? .........................................................................................................4-2

Workgroup Establishment Criteria....................................................................................4-2

Selecting Workgroup Organization....................................................................................4-7

Selecting Workgroup Technologies..................................................................................4-12

Backbone Planning ....................................................................................................................4-13

What Is a Backbone?...........................................................................................................4-13

Methods of Conﬁguring Backbones ................................................................................4-14

Choosing Backbone Technologies ....................................................................................4-17

Creating a Manageable Plan.....................................................................................................4-18

Logical Layout.....................................................................................................................4-19

Fault Aversion .....................................................................................................................4-21

Network Maps and Record Keeping ...............................................................................4-22

Network Expandability.............................................................................................................4-24

Network Migration....................................................................................................................4-24

Designing with the MMAC......................................................................................................4-25

Modular Chassis .................................................................................................................4-25

Reliability and Recovery....................................................................................................4-26

Technology Flexibility........................................................................................................4-27

Power Redundancy ............................................................................................................4-29

Chapter 5 Ethernet

Description....................................................................................................................................5-1

CSMA/CD.............................................................................................................................5-1

Media......................................................................................................................................5-4

Connectivity/Transceivers..................................................................................................5-4

Rules and Regulations .........................................................................................................5-5

Repeating ...............................................................................................................................5-6

Repeaters/Hubs....................................................................................................................5-6

Simple Ethernet Conﬁguration................................................................................................5-10

Design Philosophy..............................................................................................................5-10

Design Example ..................................................................................................................5-10

Segmentation..............................................................................................................................5-15

Bridges..................................................................................................................................5-16

Multichannel Ethernet .......................................................................................................5-21

Segmented Ethernet Conﬁguration.........................................................................................5-23

Design Philosophy..............................................................................................................5-23

Design Example ..................................................................................................................5-24

v

Segmentation - Special Cases...................................................................................................5-30

Port Assignment .................................................................................................................5-30

Port Assignment Conﬁguration...............................................................................................5-31

Design Philosophy .............................................................................................................5-31

Design Example..................................................................................................................5-32

Ethernet Switching ....................................................................................................................5-34

Switching Conﬁgurations.........................................................................................................5-35

Permutations.......................................................................................................................5-37

Chapter 6 Token Ring

Description ...................................................................................................................................6-1

Fault Isolation .......................................................................................................................6-4

Fault Recovery ......................................................................................................................6-6

Media......................................................................................................................................6-9

Connectivity/Transceivers................................................................................................6-10

Token Ring Network Rules...............................................................................................6-12

Single Ring Conﬁguration........................................................................................................6-13

Design Philosophy .............................................................................................................6-13

Design Example..................................................................................................................6-13

Extending the Ring (Ring-In/Ring-Out).........................................................................6-20

Brief Review of MAUs.......................................................................................................6-21

Segmentation..............................................................................................................................6-22

Multi-Ring Conﬁguration.........................................................................................................6-24

Design Philosophy .............................................................................................................6-24

Design Example..................................................................................................................6-24

Multichannel Token Ring ..................................................................................................6-33

Multichannel Token Ring Conﬁguration ...............................................................................6-34

Design Philosophy .............................................................................................................6-34

Design Example..................................................................................................................6-35

Chapter 7 FDDI

Description ...................................................................................................................................7-1

Media......................................................................................................................................7-2

Rings and Devices ................................................................................................................7-3

Concentrators........................................................................................................................7-5

Bridges ...................................................................................................................................7-7

FDDI Backbone Conﬁguration ..................................................................................................7-7

Design Philosophy ...............................................................................................................7-7

Design Example....................................................................................................................7-7

FDDI Workgroup Conﬁguration...............................................................................................7-8

Design Philosophy ...............................................................................................................7-8

Design Example....................................................................................................................7-8

vi

Chapter 8 Expansion - Ethernet

Simple Ethernet............................................................................................................................8-1

Adding Stations ....................................................................................................................8-1

Adding Segmentation..........................................................................................................8-3

Incorporating Token Ring....................................................................................................8-5

Incorporating FDDI..............................................................................................................8-6

Segmented Ethernet.....................................................................................................................8-8

Adding Users to One Segment ...........................................................................................8-8

Adding Users to Several Segments....................................................................................8-9

Incorporating Port Assignment..........................................................................................8-9

Incorporating Token Ring....................................................................................................8-9

Incorporating FDDI............................................................................................................8-10

Port Assignment and Virtual LANs........................................................................................8-11

Adding Users to Any Segment.........................................................................................8-11

Incorporating Token Ring..................................................................................................8-11

Incorporating FDDI............................................................................................................8-11

Chapter 9 Expansion - Token Ring

Single Ring....................................................................................................................................9-1

Adding Stations ....................................................................................................................9-1

Adding New Rings...............................................................................................................9-2

Incorporating New Technologies .......................................................................................9-2

Multi-Ring.....................................................................................................................................9-3

Adding Stations to Any Ring..............................................................................................9-3

Incorporating New Technologies .......................................................................................9-4

Port Assignment...........................................................................................................................9-4

Adding Stations to Any Ring..............................................................................................9-4

Incorporating New Technologies .......................................................................................9-5

Chapter 10 Expansion - FDDI

FDDI Workgroups .....................................................................................................................10-1

Adding Single Attached Stations .....................................................................................10-1

Adding Dual Attached Concentrators.............................................................................10-2

Connecting Multiple Rings ...............................................................................................10-3

Chapter 11 Product Descriptions

Chassis.........................................................................................................................................11-2

Ethernet .......................................................................................................................................11-5

Token Ring ................................................................................................................................11-16

FDDI...........................................................................................................................................11-25

Miscellaneous/Multiprotocol................................................................................................11-31

vii

Appendix A Charts & Tables

Network Design Flowcharts .....................................................................................................A-2

Ethernet Network Design Flowchart................................................................................A-2

ESXMIM Network Design Flowchart...............................................................................A-3

Single Token Ring Network Design Flowchart...............................................................A-4

Segmented Token Ring Network Design Flowchart......................................................A-5

Multichannel Token Ring Network Design Flowchart..................................................A-6

FDDI Backbone Network Design Flowchart...................................................................A-7

FDDI Workgroup Network Design...................................................................................A-8

MMAC Design Tables ................................................................................................................A-9

Ethernet Design Tables .......................................................................................................A-9

Token Ring Design Tables ................................................................................................A-13

FDDI Design Tables...........................................................................................................A-16

Networking Standards and Limitations................................................................................A-17

Ethernet...............................................................................................................................A-17

Token Ring..........................................................................................................................A-18

FDDI ....................................................................................................................................A-20

viii

1-1

Chapter 1

Introduction

Using This Guide

The purpose of this Networking Guide is to provide the customers and strategic

partners of Cabletron Systems with information which allows them to conﬁgure

and expand their own networks. As it is impossible to foresee every possible

situation that may arise when a new network must be created or an existing one

expanded, this guide deals with several of the most common networking

situations.

If you are unfamiliar with the basics of the Ethernet, Token Ring, and Fiber

Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) networking technologies, read the chapters in

order. Pay particular attention to Chapters 3 through 7. These chapters should

provide you with the basic information necessary to generate a relatively

straightforward network design.

If you have experience with the design or operation of Cabletron networking

products, you may wish to refer mainly to the chapters dealing with the

expansion of existing networks, Chapters 8 through 10.

Organization of Document

In the interests of making this document accessible to as many customers of

differing levels of experience as possible, this Networking Guide begins with a

discussion of the various reasons for networking and a short overview of Local

Area Networks (LANs). Following this brief overview, a series of short,

introductory level training documents is provided. These documents provide

general information on Ethernet, Token Ring and Fiber Distributed Data Interface

networking, including examples of needs analysis and initial network designs

utilizing Cabletron equipment. A short treatment of other networking

technologies follows these individual subsections.

Introduction

1-2 Organization of Document

Following the discussions of the major networking technologies supported, this

guide shows how networks, based on the examples from the training sections, can

be expanded.

The remainder of this guide contains brief descriptions of Cabletron Systems

modular chassis products, charts and tables which supply much of the

information that the network design process requires, and an extensive glossary

of the terms used within this guide and in other Cabletron Systems publications.

The following summarizes the organization of this manual:

Chapter 1, Introduction, discusses the use and contents of this guide.

Chapter 2, Overview of Networking, explains the fundamentals of Local

Area Networks (LANs), including the reasons to utilize a network, and

discussions of factors such as standards-compliance and interoperability.

Chapter 3, Technology Basics, provides some introductory training into the

LAN technologies which are treated in this Networking Guide.

Chapter 4, Network Design, discusses the procedures and steps involved in

planning out a network, including the selection of a LAN technology and its

organization.

Chapter 5, Ethernet, offers training in greater depth for the Ethernet LAN

technology. This training includes the creation of example network

conﬁgurations based on the concepts introduced.

Chapter 6, Token Ring, provides training and conﬁguration instruction for

the Token Ring LAN technology, including example conﬁgurations.

Chapter 7, FDDI, is a training chapter which details the operation of the Fiber

Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) technology and the creation of FDDI

networks using Cabletron products.

Chapter 8, Expansion - Ethernet, shows how an existing Ethernet network

can be expanded to include new users or capabilities.

Chapter 9, Expansion - Token Ring, provides instructions and guidelines for

expanding existing Cabletron Token Ring network conﬁgurations.

Chapter 10, Expansion - FDDI, describes the means by which FDDI

conﬁgurations which use Cabletron products may be expanded to include

new users or stations.

Chapter 11, Product Descriptions, provides short descriptions of many

Cabletron products referred to in this Networking Guide.

Following Chapter 11, Appendix A, Charts & Tables, provides

quickly-accessible tables and ﬂowcharts for network design.

Following Appendix A, the Cabletron Systems Glossary of Terms may be

found.

Conventions of This Document 1-3

Introduction

Conventions of This Document

Warnings and Notiﬁcations

Formats and Measures

Figures throughout the document are identiﬁed by chapter and illustration

number. Many ﬁgures contain small numbers at the lower right-hand corner of

the illustration. These are Cabletron Systems document control numbers and are

not essential to understanding of the document.

When measurements are given in the text, they will be presented in both metric

and U.S. Customary units. The metric unit will precede the U.S. Customary unit,

and the latter will be contained in parentheses.

References to chapters or sections within this document will be printed in

boldface type.

References to other publications or documents will be printed in italic type.

NOTE

Note symbol. Used to provide additional information

concerning subsequent steps or actions that enhance the

operator’s knowledge of the step or action.

!

CAUTION

Caution symbol. Used to caution against an action that could

result in damage to equipment or poor equipment performance.

TIP

Tip symbol. Used to convey helpful hints concerning

procedures or actions which would assist the operator in

performing the task in a more timely manner in the future.

Warning symbol. Used to warn against an action that could

result in personal injury or death and equipment damage.

Introduction

1-4 Additional Assistance

Additional Assistance

This publication describes many possible network conﬁgurations and designs.

Due to the nearly limitless possibilities involved in network design, there are

some aspects of the design process which are not addressed in this guide. If you

have any doubts about your conﬁguration or expansion plans, Cabletron Systems

maintains a staff of network design personnel and a sizable team of

highly-trained cabling and hardware installation technicians. The services of the

Networking Services group are available to customers at any time. If you are

interested in obtaining design assistance or a network installation plan from the

Networking Services group, contact your Cabletron Systems sales representative.

In addition to the availability of Networking Services, The Cabletron Systems

Technical Support department is available to answer customer questions

regarding existing Cabletron Systems networks or planned expansion issues.

Contact Cabletron Systems at (603) 335-9400 to reach the Technical Support

department with any speciﬁc product-related questions you may have.

Associated Documentation

The following publications may be of assistance to you in the design process.

Several of these documents treat concepts raised in this Networking Guide in

greater detail than they are presented here.

• The Cabletron Systems Product Catalog

2-1

Chapter 2

Overview of Networking

This chapter introduces and discusses several basic concepts and deﬁnitions essential to the

understanding of local area networking.

Discussion of Networking

Why Network?

In this day and age, all companies and agencies have two resources in common,

information and ability. No matter what a company may produce, market, offer or

observe, the ﬁnal result is one that comes from a combination of ability and

information. Every company with more than one employee is in the business of

sharing information abilities. Information and ability may take many forms: stock

reports and market prediction; manufacturing processes and skilled quality

assurance; accounting information and efﬁciency examination.

Information is naturally separated from ability. It is the nature of information to

accumulate beyond the point that every person has all the information required to

perform productively. This separation is a factor that has been part of the business

world for centuries. The rise of printing, a postal service, and the telephone can be

viewed as ways that businesses and agencies have created and adopted means of

providing information to those with ability.

While the separation of these factors has always existed and will always exist, the

limiting factor for businesses is not the presence of the separation, but its

magnitude. The more difﬁcult it is to bridge the gap between information and

expertise, the less efﬁciently both factors are used.

A Local Area Network (LAN) allows for the rapid and direct sharing of critical

information. This sharing enables employees to act more rapidly and with more

complete access to information and resources than may have been possible with a

system of ﬁling cabinets and interofﬁce mail.

Overview of Networking

2-2 Discussion of Networking

The basis of the LAN is sharing. The LAN allows users to transfer information

and completed documents without the overhead and delay introduced by

hardcopy information. In addition, the LAN increases the utility of expensive

resources such as printers, disk arrays, and plotters. For example, a high-speed

printer on every desktop is an expensive and wasteful proposition, but allowing

20 users to share access to one high-speed printer reduces the overall cost of each

document printed.

As very few users create things for only their own use, the LAN allows employees

to discover means to speed the process of work or increase its efﬁciency. For

example, a document that was once developed, printed, carried to the Order

Entry department, signed, photocopied, sent to the Records department, updated,

and ﬁled can now be printed in all three locations at once, freeing up each

department to perform the tasks it is intended to.

If a LAN is used on a scale that encompasses the entirety of a facility, company, or

corporation, the beneﬁts can be enormous. The nearly instantaneous sharing of

information between several worldwide sites greatly improves the consistency of

company documents and products, provides for the rapid integration of new

policies, and supplies a system for seamless worldwide collaboration on projects.

By reducing the delay inherent in the operations of business, a LAN increases

productivity.

By providing users, management, sales, and production alike, with rapid and

monitored access to the information base on which a corporation is built, a

network empowers employees on a company-wide scale, giving them a chance to

increase their own abilities and use their talents more fully in the corporation. The

LAN is a means of bridging the chasm between information and expertise,

enabling the ﬂow of essential information between workers, departments, ofﬁces,

and corporate partners.

The LAN is a means of bringing things together: information and ability,

customers and producers, employees and equipment. In an age where

combination leads to security and strength for corporations, streamlining the

combinations of information and ability helps erase the borders that have

traditionally slowed the business process. By reducing the overhead related in

doing business, a LAN allows your current employees to do more, improving

efﬁciency and effectiveness to attain greater levels of productivity.

What Is a Network? 2-3

Overview of Networking

What Is a Network?

Simply put, a Local Area Network, or LAN, is a number of related computers and

electronic devices which share information over a transmission media. This can

be as simple as a series of electronic cash registers which send updates of

products sold during the course of the day to an inventory computer or as

complex as a network spanning an entire corporate facility or University campus,

providing high-powered communication services for hundreds of applications

and the swapping of thousands of ﬁles each day.

The Classiﬁcation of Networks

While all networks are different, they all have a number of common deﬁning

characteristics which serve to illustrate the type of network being discussed or

examined. The most important characteristics for the purposes of this guide are

topology, technology, media, and devices.

For the purposes of explanation, this chapter of the Networking Guide uses one

cohesive metaphor to describe the portions of a network, the “meeting

metaphor.” In the sections which follow, the topologies, technologies, and devices

of networks will be viewed as aspects of a business or public meeting. By viewing

the various facets of a network as parts of one common process, we can describe

the distinct concepts as parts of a larger overall system.

Overview of Networking

2-4 The Classiﬁcation of Networks

Network Topology

The topology of a network refers to its physical layout or “shape.” The topology

characteristic describes how components and cabling are interconnected. Using

the meeting metaphor, the topology of a network can be seen as the

organizational structure of the meeting itself; will the meeting consist of several

committees making reports to each other when necessary? Will pre-determined

representatives speak for the members of their group? Will an intermediary or

moderator determine who has the “ﬂoor,” or will the opportunity to speak pass

from participant to participant in a particular order?

Although the growing complexity and scale of networks has caused some

topologies to bleed over into others, the topologies can be useful starting points

for describing the overall layout of a network or network segment. There are a

number of widely used topology descriptions for the most common topologies

(see Figure 2-1).

Figure 2-1. Network Topologies

Bus

Ring

Star

Hub

Tree

1706n01

The Classiﬁcation of Networks 2-5

Overview of Networking

Bus

The bus topology uses a single common cable or link (coaxial cable, broadcast

radio frequency) to connect the stations of the network to one another. The bus

topology is strictly an Ethernet phenomenon, and is frequently encountered in

existing Ethernet environments. Stations connect to the common media through a

series of taps, located a speciﬁed distance from one another along the common

cable, and only one station may successfully transmit onto the common media at

any one time. Bus topologies are noted for their simplicity, but are notoriously

difﬁcult to troubleshoot. In addition, a failure of the bus media itself, due to

disruption or poor conﬁguration, causes the network to cease functioning.

Tree

The tree topology arranges links and stations into distinct hierarchies in order to

allow greater control and troubleshooting. In order to function well, networks

using tree topologies must incorporate some form of “trafﬁc control,”

determining when trafﬁc is allowed to travel up and down the branches of the

tree. Similar to a well-deﬁned chain of command, the tree topology shields

disparate network groups from affecting each other.

The tree topology also facilitates much more straightforward troubleshooting

procedures. The main downfall of the tree topology is its own organization. If

there is a failure on one of the branches of the tree, every branch that forks from

that point of failure becomes unable to communicate with the rest of the network.

Ring

The ring topology connects every station on the network to every other station in

the network in a contiguous circle. Most common in the Token Ring and FDDI

network technologies (discussed later), ring topologies rely on well-deﬁned rules

of transmission and reception in order to function. Stations are connected in a

deﬁnite series, with information going from one station to the next in a

pre-deﬁned order. Since each station is expecting transmissions from the station

before it and sending transmissions only to the station following it, ring

topologies can be made to incorporate automatic fault location and recovery

procedures.

Overview of Networking

2-6 The Classiﬁcation of Networks

Star

The star topology consists of a number of individual stations which communicate

through a common central point. Similar to the bus topology, star topology

network stations all share a single common interface. In place of a section of cable,

however, the common central point in star topology networks is often a

concentrator device, or “hub.” Each station connects to the hub through its own

physical interface, and many concentrators incorporate their own troubleshooting

and monitoring functions, allowing network managers to determine faulty

stations and remove them from the concentrator without disrupting the

remaining network. Unfortunately, a failure of the concentrator can lead to the

same disabling of the network that can occur in bus topologies.

Hybrid

Any network topology that incorporates elements of two or more of the

previously discussed topologies is a hybrid. For example, a tree that led down to a

series of buses (the ‘leaves’) would be a hybrid called a “tree of buses.” A ring

topology network with a series of concentrators acting as stations on the ring

would be called a “ring of stars.” As networks grow to encompass more and more

of a facility’s needs, topologies tend to hybridize in order to fulﬁll the individual

needs of workgroups and departments.

Network Technologies

While a topology describes the way a network is physically laid out, the network

technology deﬁnes how the devices that make up the network receive and

transmit information, deal with faults and problems, and control the actual

operation of the network. The technology of the network can be seen as the Rules

of Order that will be followed at the meeting. These concrete and binding rules

will determine who may speak, at what time, for how long, to whom, in what

language, and so on. The technology determines how problems are identiﬁed and

what methods may be used to resolve them. If arm wrestling is going to be

considered a valid means of breaking a deadlock between two sides in a vote, the

rules of order must clearly state that, as well as provide the rules for arm

wrestling.

There are several commonly-encountered technologies in networking. Among the

most common of the ‘client-server’ (non mainframe-terminals) technologies are

Ethernet, Token Ring, and the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI). These

network technologies and their operation are individually described in their own

chapters later in this document.

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