Abstract

In the early 1990s, the Fiber Distributed Data Interface, FDDI was the corporate LAN backbone of choice. Where Ethernet was still at 10Mbit/s and Token Ring at 4/16Mbps, FDDI could serve as the high-speed transport between lower speed LANs. It was also staring to be used for direct server and desktop connectivity.

In 1993, The Tolly Group (under its prior name InterLAB) teamed up with leading vendors to build-out a microcosm of a leading-edge FDDI enterprise LAN environment. This was a vendor-neutral project.

In conjunction with the vendors, Tolly built-out 12 different case study scenarios illustrating how FDDI could be used both as a backbone and for direct connections in Ethernet, Token Ring, server, and client environments.

Additionally, Tolly created brief "Technology Spotlight" documents for each of the products used. In total, this 100+ page report may be the most extensive real-world testing ever conducted of FDDI.  While originally published as more than 30 separate reports, the information is presented here in a single document. All of the information shown on the "cover" page is included.


FDDI Technology Trial

Case Studies:

1: High Performance Application Throughput
2: FDDI Fault Tolerance
3: Source Route Bridging
4: FDDI Network Analysis Tools
5: Source Route Bridging Schemes
6: NetWare & FDDI
7: FDDI Hubs and Concentrators - Network Design Issues
8: FDDI over Copper
9: FDDI - Multimedia to the Desktop
10:TCP/IP - NFS & FDDI
11: IBM LAN Server 3.0 & FDDI;
SNA/APPC & FDDI
12: FDDI to the Desktop - An Overview

Technology Spotlights:

3Com
    LinkBui1der 3GH (FDDI hub)
    NETBuilder II (bridge/router)
    FDDILink (EISA FDDI adapter)
Ascom Timeplex
    TimeLAN100 Router Bridge
Crescendo Communications
    CDDI/FDDI Workgroup Hub
Digital Equipment Corporation
    DECconcentrator 500
    DECbridge 510 and DECbridge 620
    DECNIS 600 (bridge/router)
DuPont Company
    Category 5 UTP Cable Insulated with DuPont Teflon
FiberNet Research
    FR2110 FDD1-Ethernet Bridge
Fibronics International
    FX 8210 Token Ring-FDDI Bridge
Hewlett-Packard
    HP 4983A FDDI Network Advisor
IBM
    DatagLANce Network Analyzer
    8250 Multiprotocol Hub
    FDDI MCA Adapter
Interphase Corporation
    fiberHUB 1600 FDDI Concentrator
    4611 Sunbird FDDI and SDDI adapter
Madge Networks
    Smart 100 EISA Ringnode (FDDI Adapter)
National Semiconductor
    Tiger EISA EDDI Adapter
Proteon
    ProNET CNX 500 Bridging Router
Wandel & Goltermann