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Cabletron Systems
Networking Guide
Workgroup Solutions
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Notice 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 no
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Notice ii
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Contents Chapter 1 Introduction Using This Guide.........................................................................................................................1-1 Document Organization .............................................................................................................1-2 Document Conventions ..............................................................................................................1-3 Warnings and Notifications ....................
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Contents Chapter 5 Network Design The Role of the Workgroup ........................................................................................................5-2 Workgroup Establishment Criteria ....................................................................................5-3 Selecting Workgroup Technologies....................................................................................5-9 Creating a Manageable Plan.......................................................
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Contents Appendix A Charts and Tables Workgroup Design Tables .........................................................................................................A-1 Ethernet.................................................................................................................................A-1 Fast Ethernet.........................................................................................................................A-3 Token Ring....................................
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Contents vi
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Chapter 1 Introduction Using This Guide The Cabletron Systems Networking Guide - Workgroup Solutions is intended to provide much of the information necessary to allow Network Managers to design and evaluate workgroup networks using the Cabletron Systems family of standalone and stackable networking products. This guide also provides the methods for associating these workgroups into larger networks or incorporating them into existing facility networks. This document was written
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Introduction Document Organization The following summarizes the organization of this manual: Chapter 1, Introduction, provides basic information about this document, including the organization and format of the document. Chapter 2, Review of Networking, describes the important design restrictions and characteristics of three basic networking technologies. Chapter 3, The Workgroup Approach, explains the history and product philosophy behind standalone and stackable workgr
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Introduction Document Conventions Warnings and Notifications Note symbol. Calls the reader’s attention to any item of NOTE information that may be of special importance. Formats References to chapters or sections within this document are printed in boldface type. References to other Cabletron Systems publications or documents are printed in italic type. Additional Assistance The design of a network is a complex and highly specialized process. Due to the different nature of each a
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Introduction Related Documentation The following publications may be of assistance to you in the design process. Several of these documents present information supplied in this guide in greater or lesser detail than they are presented here. • Cabletron Systems Networking Guide - MMAC-FNB Solutions • Cabletron Systems Cabling Guide • Cabletron Systems Ethernet Technology Guide • Cabletron Systems Token Ring Technology Guide • Cabletron Systems FDDI Technology Guide For additional product or
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Chapter 2 Review of Networking This chapter discusses the defining characteristics of three major Local Area Network (LAN) technologies. Before discussing the selection of networking hardware for workgroup design, an understanding of the major standardized networking technologies available for these designs is necessary. This chapter provides a brief review of the three major networking technologies that are to be treated in this document: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Token Ring. This secti
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Review of Networking Ethernet Ethernet is a local area networking technology that was initially developed in the 1970s by the Xerox Corporation. It is based on the principles of workstations being responsible for their own transmissions and operation. It is sometimes referred to as 802.3 networking, in reference to the number of the IEEE standards body which subsumes all Ethernet operations. Ethernet networks provide an operating bandwidth of 10 megabits per second (Mbps). Bandwidth is a ne
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Review of Networking • AUI Length: The maximum Attachment Unit Interface (AUI) cable length is 50 m for connections from a transceiver to an Ethernet device. The 50 m distance is the allowable maximum for standard AUI, while a maximum length of 16.5 m has been set for office AUI. • Number of Stations per Network: IEEE standards specify that the maximum allowable number of stations per un-bridged network is 1,024, regardless of media type. The 10BASE5 networks are allowed 100 taps per segment
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Review of Networking This signal path, two end stations and the repeaters between them, is called the network radius. Unlike standard Ethernet networks, Fast Ethernet networks have a maximum network radius that may restrict the lengths of station cabling to less than the maximum allowable distances for single links. Typically, network radius calculations are only important when mixing 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-FX networks. The maximum network radius limits are provided later in this section. A
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Review of Networking Fast Ethernet networks designed using Class II repeaters may not exceed the following maximum network radii: - 200 m for homogenous 100BASE-TX networks - 320 m for homogenous 100BASE-FX networks • Buffered Uplinks: If a buffered uplink is used to make a connection, the allowable length of the buffered uplink itself does not change, but the maximum network radius calculations will change. Assuming that the buffered uplink is the longest link in the repeater radius, the ma
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Review of Networking The transmission and reception of the token determines the amount of time that any station will have to transmit data during its turn, offering a measure of predictability not available in Ethernet or Fast Ethernet. This predictability also allows Token Ring networks to incorporate special error-detection and correction functions which can locate and correct network problems without human intervention. The predictability of the Token Ring technology also leads to a numb
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Review of Networking Token Ring networks can use a variety of physical cabling, including Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), Shielded Twisted Pair (STP), or fiber optic cabling. The characteristics of the various cables can directly impact the operational limitations of a Token Ring network which uses a particular media. • Lobe Cable Lengths for 4 Mbps Token Rings: The operation of a 4 Mbps Token Ring network imposes some relatively generous limitations on the maximum length of any station cabl
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Review of Networking • Number of Stations Per 4 Mbps Token Ring: In the same fashion as the limits imposed on cable lengths due to the operating speed of the network and type of cabling used, there are limitations on the number of stations that may be connected to a single ring using active circuitry. If these numbers are exceeded, a bridge, switch, or other segmentation device must be used to break the ring into two or more smaller rings as detailed in the list below: - IBM Types 1, 2 STP:
