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OT: Evadman was bored again!

Evadman

Evadman

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
You have my interest and I'm not shy about admiting when I don't understand something. 😛

What the hell is that? Is this networking stuff or the beginning of some multi-CPU rig?
 
HAHAHA I didn't know anyone used TokenRing anymore.

If I had the money right now and all the free time I have had, I would be in a lot of trouble... I don't think I could think it would be so loud in my house from all the machines.

Wolfie
 
Um... in a ring? 😉

You do know you'll need token ring cards, right? And I'm not sure you need that hub to set up a token ring network.

P.S. Search for the word "token" on this page to see some of the perils of token ring. 😉
 
It is just another way of connecting computers. the Token Ring was started by IBM or spearheaded by them, or whatever. I know token rings were all the rage before ethernet took off, and many places still use them. but from what I understand, the max speed of a token ring network is 4 or 16MBps while ethernet is 100.

Token ring networks work by passing a "token" ina big circle. when a machine wants to send something, it must grab the token, send the data with it. the token then goes to each computer in the ring, then out to wherever it needs to go. then another computer grabs the token for what it needs to send,a nd the process continues.

But just beacuse I know how they work does not mean I know how to put them together. I have no frigging clue. 🙂 Token ring connectors used to be big huge 1 inch x 1 inch connectors, but all the stuff I got was for the "new" generation that uses 4 pair cat5 cabling with a regular rj-45 connector. I even got a ton of machine made cables because I was not sure of the wiring pairs were the same for ethernet and token ring. 😱

so in answer to your question, it is for networking computers 😛
 
Originally posted by: Ken_g6

You do know you'll need token ring cards, right? And I'm not sure you need that hub to set up a token ring network.
Click to expand...

I got a bunch of cards. I got the hubs because I assumed since it was twisted pair instead of coax, that the cables would just go to each card, then to the hub, instead of going from card to card. I did however get a coax concentrator as well (or hub, or whatever), since I was not sure how it all goes together 😱
 
I would help you hook up the old style but I am not too sure how the new style works. If it goes to a hub, it throws out the whole theary of a token ring out doesn't it?

I am curious about this kinda setup...

Wolfie
 
The hub acts as a virtual ring. So all you have to do is hook it up just like you would a ethernet hub. 🙂 I havent worked with token ring networks since my networking class awhile back. That stuff isn't cheap if I remeber correctly. Actually a large company that creates bank software is located in my home town and they still use token ring to connect some of their networks together. Its very efficent, no collisions and such to mess it up.

Have fun with it. 😉
 
The "ring" bit is how the virtual topology of the network is. The physical topology is that of a standard Star network.

As you said, there is a "token" that is passed round from one computer to the next. When a computer needs to transmit, it must wait for the "token" to be offered to it. When it takes the "token", it can then send data out. It adds the address of the computer it wishes to talk to into the header for the packet, and each respective computer that it passes in the "ring" strips away this header, checks if it's the same address, and either accepts it or discards it.

Setting it up should be as easy as plugging everything in 🙂

Any more probs, let me know, I know a little about this from my Cisco CCNA which I've got....but have not used so far in any way
rolleye.gif
😉



Garry
 
My company used it for years and years. Mainly because the mainframes liked it long before there was a PC on every work desktop. The "ring" part was actually true when they used coax. There wasn't a hub that way, you just ran coax from the first unit to the next and to the next, etc... The last unit had a terminator. Ethernet had a similar topology when it started before the days of CAT 4 and CAT 5.

Token Ring was rated at 4mb/s and 16mb/s, but could actually get close to those speeds. It was a collision free system because the computers on it were so polite and waited their turn. Very civilized. When your PC "got the token" it had the full bandwidth of the network until it was finished or the pre-determined time limit expired.

IBM owned all the patents so the cards were expensive, the hubs were expensive and the switches and bridges and routers were outrageous, but it did work well. It could use the same protocols as ethernet so mixing systems (using bridges) wasn't too big of a deal.
 
Ah, networking. :Q

Yes, I remember the early days of networking. I never could get that smoke signal code down. :|

Guess it was due to my poor eyesight because we hadn't invented glasses yet. 😛 😀
 
Originally posted by: Smokeball
Ah, networking. :Q

Yes, I remember the early days of networking. I never could get that smoke signal code down. :|

Guess it was due to my poor eyesight because we hadn't invented glasses yet. 😛 😀
Click to expand...

You were probably also running from dinosaurs that were trying to make a lunch out of you, and multi-tasking was not invented yet 😛
 
Looks I'm late to this thread..

Wish you'd've said you wanted to learn TR man, I'd have shipped you the stuff for the cost of shipping(along with those screws and mb offsets) :Q 😱

RemyCanad is correct - plug it in the same way you would a regular 10/100 hub/switch.

This past fall, I worked with a consulting place in Lansing, MI to migrate an insurance company over to switched 10/100 ethernet.. all 1,200 stations. 😀
 
I am glad to see that this form has advanced enought to just connect like an Ethernet. Less wires too. Not having to worry about terminators and the like.

Let us know how it works. 😀

Wolfie
 
nwm, when our worksite switched, it was pretty easy, though expensive. All our PCs already had 10/100 Ethernet (Dell desktops), so we just had to move the RJ45 connector from one plug to another. The IT folks installed new switches and routers, moved the cables, and we were Ethernet. Then we removed the Token Ring cards and sold them to some overseas company for about 40% of original retail. Don't ask me why they wanted the cards that badly, but it was a sweet deal at the time.

What helped us was that someone many years back was wise enough to run CAT5 instead of CAT4 cable (which was good enough for 4mb Token Ring).
 
I hear you Jon - fortunately, someone had made a similar decision at this place too - Cat5 throughout. 🙂 Unfortunately, only about two dozen of the PCs had onboard nics, and those we ended up disabling so that ALL of the machines had the same Intel 10/100 nics - a wise move IMHO for consistency and easier troubleshooting. 😉
 
Originally posted by: lobadobadingdong
HAHAHA I didn't know anyone used TokenRing anymore.
Click to expand...

actually any good fiber back-bone is TokenRing, just not IBM token ring.
Click to expand...

Actually, I do too. I see banks that use it, and some other places. It was just that I haven't heard a user here use it for home use. 😀

Wolfie
 
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