- workstations connect to the ring
- faulty workstations can be bypassed
- more cabling required than bus
- the connectors used tend to cause a lot of problems
- commonly used to implement token ring at 4 and 16mbps
- four wire, generally STP or UTP
Physical Implementation Of A Ring Network
Each workstation is connected back to a Multiple Access Unit (MAU), which
supports up to eight workstations. Additional MAU are cascaded to provide
greater workstation numbers.
Wiring is performed in a physical star fashion, with cables wired directly
from each workstation back to the MAU.
Ring Topology: Summary
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| Cable failures affect limited users |
Costly Wiring |
| Equal access for all users |
Difficult Connections |
Each workstation has full access
speed to the ring |
Expensive Adaptor Cards |
As workstation numbers increase
performance diminishes slightly |
|
|
