Local networks

Abstract

The rapidly evolving field of local network technology has produced a steady stream of local network products in recent years. The IEEE 802 standards that are now taking shape, because of their complexity, do little to narrow the range of alternative technical approaches and at the same time encourage more vendors into the field. The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic, organized overview of the alternative architectures for and design approaches to local networks. The key elements that determine the cost and performance of a local network are its topology, transmission medium, and medium access control protocol. Transmission media include twisted pair, baseband and broadband coaxial cable, and optical fiber. Topologies include bus, tree, and ring. Medium access control protocols include CSMA/CD, token bus, token ring, register insertion, and slotted ring. Each of these areas is examined in detail, comparisons are drawn between competing technologies, and the current status of standards is reported.