3Com manual Token Ring-in-Fast Ethernet TR-in-FE Module, Benefits of Fddi, Benefits of TR-in-FE

Benefits of FDDI

Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is a 100-Mbps fiber optic local area network standard supported by the ANSI committee.

The primary benefits of FDDI include:

■A 100 Mbps point of aggregation for multiple Token Ring segments.

■Supports Single Attached Station (SAS) or Dual Attached Station (DAS) functions.

■Supports server connections via Token Ring FDDI translation of IP, SNA, IPX, and NetBIOS.

■Additional services are easily added to existing FDDI networks.

■FDDI networks are designed for growth and pro- vide future scalability.

Summary of FDDI Module Features

The following list summarizes the features of the SuperStack II Switch 2000 TR FDDI module.

■Conforms to FDDI ANSI Standards

■Wire Rate Transmission on FDDI port

■Low Latency.

■3Com SmartAgent support, including:

■SNMP management using 3Com’s Transcend Enterprise Manager.

■Telnet management using VT100 interface.

Optional Slide-In Modules 1-11

The Token Ring-in-Fast Ethernet (TR-in-FE) Module

TR-in-FE is a 3Com developed technology that encap- sulates Token Ring frames in Fast Ethernet frames. Bridging the gap between Token Ring and Ethernet, this technology offers a more cost-effective integra- tion than traditional bridging and routing, and allows Token Ring users to expand their bandwidth while preserving their TR infrastructure.

TR-in-FE is a unique way of combining Token Ring and Ethernet for the purpose of utilizing Fast Ethernet as a backbone and method of server attachment for TR networks. Through a process known as tunneling or encapsulation, TR-in-FE uses Fast Ethernet to transport natively formatted Token Ring frames. This means that both source route and transparent TR frames addressing information is maintained through Fast Ethernet (FE) so that it may be interpreted and utilized by either a destination Token Ring (TR) switch or FE server.

Benefits of TR-in-FE

TR-in-FE offers improvement in the following areas:

■Scalability

■TR switching

■High-speed technologies

■Wire-speed performance

■Flexibility

■High-speed flexibility (choice of D/L technology)

■Desktop flexibility (TR, Ethernet)