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Fiber distributed data interface

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The five-layer TCP/IP model
Fiber distributed data interface (FDDI)
5. Application layer
provides a standard for data transmission in a
local area network that can extend in range up
DHCP • DNS • FTP • Gopher • HTTP • IMAP4 •
to 200 kilometers (124 miles). Although FDDI
IRC • NNTP • XMPP • MIME • POP3 • SIP •
protocol is a token ring network, it does not
SMTP • SNMP • SSH • TELNET • RPC • RTP •
use the IEEE 802.5 token ring protocol as its
RTCP • TLS/SSL • SDP • SOAP • VPN • PPTP •
basis; instead, its protocol is derived from the
L2TP • GTP • …
IEEE 802.4 token bus timed token protocol. In
addition to covering large geographical areas, 4. Transport layer
FDDI local area networks can support
thousands of users. As a standard underlying TCP • UDP • DCCP • SCTP • …
medium it uses optical fiber (though it can use 3. Internet layer
copper cable, in which case one can refer to
CDDI). FDDI uses a dual-attached, counter- IP (IPv4 • IPv6) • IGMP • ICMP • RSVP • BGP •
rotating token ring topology. RIP • OSPF • ISIS • IPsec • ARP • RARP • …
2. Data link layer
FDDI, as a product of American National
Standards Institute X3T9.5 (now X3T12), 802.11 • ATM • DTM • Ethernet • FDDI • Frame
conforms to the Open Systems Interconnection Relay • GPRS • EVDO • HSPA • HDLC • PPP • …
(OSI) model of functional layering of LANs 1. Physical layer
using other protocols. FDDI-II, a version of
FDDI, adds the capability to add circuit-
Ethernet physical layer • ISDN • Modems • PLC •
switched service to the network so that it can
SONET/SDH • G.709 • WiMAX • …
also handle voice and video signals. Work has
started to connect FDDI networks to the
developing Synchronous Optical Network SONET.

A FDDI network contains two token rings, one for possible backup in case the primary ring fails. The
primary ring offers up to 100 Mbit/s capacity. When a network has no requirement for the secondary
ring to do backup, it can also carry data, extending capacity to 200 Mbit/s. The single ring can extend
the maximum distance; a dual ring can extend 100 km (62 miles). FDDI has a larger maximum-frame
size than standard 100 Mbit/s ethernet, allowing better throughput.

Designers normally construct FDDI rings in the form of a "dual ring of trees" (see network topology). A
small number of devices (typically infrastructure devices such as routers and concentrators rather than
host computers) connect to both rings - hence the term "dual-attached". Host computers then connect as
single-attached devices to the routers or concentrators. The dual ring in its most degenerate form simply
collapses into a single device. Typically, a computer-room contains the whole dual ring, although some
implementations have deployed FDDI as a Metropolitan area network.

FDDI requires this network topology because the dual ring actually passes through each connected
device and requires each such device to remain continuously operational (the standard actually allows
for optical bypasses, but network engineers consider these unreliable and error-prone). Devices such as
workstations and minicomputers that may not come under the control of the network managers are not

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suitable for connection to the dual ring.

As an alternative to using a dual-attached connection, a workstation can obtain the same degree of
resilience through a dual-homed connection made simultaneously to two separate devices in the same
FDDI ring. One of the connections becomes active while the other one is automatically blocked. If the
first connection fails, the backup link takes over with no perceptible delay.

Due to their speed, cost and ubiquity, fast Ethernet and (since 1998) Gigabit Ethernet have largely made
FDDI redundant.

FDDI standards include:

„ ANSI X3.166-1989, Physical Medium Dependent (PMD) -- also ISO 9314-3

„ ANSI X3.148-1988, Physical Layer Protocol (PHY) -- also ISO 9314-1
„ ANSI X3.139-1987, Media Access Control (MAC) -- also ISO 9314-2
„ ANSI X3.229-1994, Station Management (SMT) -- also ISO 9314-6
„ ANSI X3.184-1993, Single Mode Fiber Physical Medium Dependent (SMF-PMD) -- also ISO
9314-4

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C and used with permission from http://www.Foldoc.org

See also
„ List of device bandwidths

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Categories: Network protocols | Link protocols

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