IEEE 802.
5: Token Ring
• Token Ring is a LAN protocol defined in the
IEEE 802.5 where all stations are connected in
a ring and each station can directly hear
transmissions only from its immediate
neighbor.
• Permission to transmit is granted by a
message (token) that circulates around the
ring.
• Token Ring as defined in IEEE 802.5 originated
from the IBM Token Ring LAN technologies
developed in the 1970s. Both are based on the
Token Passing technologies.
Comparison between IBM’s
Token Ring and IEEE 802.5
*Token Ring and IEEE 802.5
networks are basically
compatible, although the
specifications differ in
minor ways. IBM’s Token Ring
network specifies a star, with all
end stations attached to a device
called a multistation access unit
(MSAU). In contrast, IEEE 802.5
does not specify a topology,
although virtually all IEEE 802.5
implementations are based on a
star.
Token Ring Operation
• Token-passing networks move a small frame, called a token,
around the network. Possession of the token grants the right
to transmit.
• If a node receiving the token has no information to send, it
seizes the token, alters 1 bit of the token (which turns the
token into a start-of-frame sequence), appends the
information that it wants to transmit, and sends this
information to the next station on the ring.
• While the information frame is circling the ring, no token is on
the network, which means that other stations wanting to
transmit must wait. Therefore, collisions cannot occur in
Token Ring networks.
• The information frame circulates the ring until
it reaches the intended destination station,
which copies the information for further
processing. The information frame continues
to circle the ring and is finally removed when
it reaches the sending station. The sending
station can check the returning frame to see
whether the frame was seen and
subsequently copied by the destination.
• Unlike Ethernet CSMA/CD networks, token-passing
networks are deterministic, which means that it is
possible to calculate the maximum time that will pass
before any end station will be capable of
transmitting.
• This feature and several reliability features make
Token Ring networks ideal for applications in which
delay must be predictable and robust network
operation is important.
Priority System
• Token Ring networks use a sophisticated priority
system that permits certain user-designated, high-
priority stations to use the network more frequently.
Token Ring frames have two fields that control
priority: the priority field and the reservation field.
• Only stations with a priority equal to or higher than
the priority value contained in a token can seize that
token.
• After the token is seized and changed to an
information frame, only stations with a priority value
higher than that of the transmitting station can
reserve the token for the next pass around the
network.
• When the next token is generated, it includes the
higher priority of the reserving station. Stations that
raise a token’s priority level must reinstate the
previous priority after their transmission is complete.
Fault-Management Mechanisms
• Token Ring networks employ several mechanisms for
detecting and compensating for network faults.
• One station in the Token Ring network, for
example, is selected to be the active monitor.
This station, which potentially can be any
station on the network, acts as a centralized
source of timing information for other ring
stations and performs a variety of ring-
maintenance functions.
• One of these functions is the removal of
continuously circulating frames from the ring.
When a sending device fails, its frame may
continue to circle the ring. This can prevent
other stations from transmitting their own
frames and essentially can lock up the
network. The active monitor can detect such
frames, remove them from the ring, and
generate a new token.
• A Token Ring algorithm called beaconing
detects and tries to repair certain network
faults. Whenever a station detects a serious
problem with the network (such as a cable
break), it sends a beacon frame, which defines
a failure domain.
• This domain includes the station reporting the
failure, its nearest active upstream neighbor
(NAUN), and everything in between.
• Beaconing initiates a process called
autoreconfiguration, where nodes within the
failure domain automatically perform
diagnostics in an attempt to reconfigure the
network around the failed areas. Physically,
the MSAU can accomplish this through
electrical reconfiguration.
Frame Format
• Token Ring and IEEE 802.5 support two basic
frame types: tokens and data/command
frames.
Tokens
• Tokens are 3 bytes in length and consist of a
start delimiter, an access control byte, and an
end delimiter.
Data/ Command Frames
• Data/command frames vary in size, depending
on the size of the Information field.
• Data frames carry information for upper-layer
protocols, while command frames contain
control information and have no data for
upper-layer protocols.
Token Frame Fields
• Start Delimiter
– Alerts each station of the arrival of a token (or
data/command frame). This field includes signals
that distinguish the byte from the rest of the
frame by violating the encoding scheme used
elsewhere in the frame.
• Access-Control Byte
– Contains the Priority field (the most significant 3
bits) and Reservation field (the least significant 3
bits), as well as a token bit (used to differentiate a
token from a data/command frame) and a monitor
bit (used by the active monitor to determine
whether a frame is circling the ring endlessly).
• End Delimiter
– Signals the end of the token or data/command
frame. This field also contains bits to indicate a
damaged frame and identify the frame that is the
last in a logical sequence.
Data/Command Frame Fields (8 fields)
• Start Delimiter
– Alerts each station of the arrival of a token (or
data/command frame). This field includes signals
that distinguish the byte from the rest of the
frame by violating the encoding scheme used
elsewhere in the frame.
• Access-Control Byte
– Contains the Priority field (the most significant 3
bits) and Reservation field (the least significant 3
bits), as well as a token bit (used to differentiate a
token from a data/command frame) and a monitor
bit (used by the active monitor to determine
whether a frame is circling the ring endlessly).
•Priority bit. The first three bits are reserved to indicate the
priority of the token.
•Token Indicator bit. This bit indicates whether a token or packet.
•Monitor Count bit. Monitors for packets that continually loop
through the network.
•Priority Reservation bits. The last three bits reserves a token on
a priority basis.
• Frame-Control Bytes
– Indicates whether the frame contains data or
control information. In control frames, this byte
specifies the type of control information.
• Destination and Source Addresses
– Two 6-byte address fields identify the destination
and source station addresses.
• Data
– Length of field is limited by the ring token holding
time, which defines the maximum time a station
can hold the token.
• Frame-Check Sequence (FCS)
– Filed by the source station with a calculated value
dependent on the frame contents. The destination
station recalculates the value to determine
whether the frame was damaged in transit. If so,
the frame is discarded.
• End Delimiter
– Signals the end of the token or data/command
frame. The end delimiter also contains bits to
indicate a damaged frame and identify the frame
that is the last in a logical sequence.
• Frame Status
– A 1-byte field terminating a command/data frame.
The Frame Status field includes the address-
recognized indicator and frame-copied indicator.
Protocol Structure - Token Ring: IEEE 802.5
LAN Protocol
• SDEL / EDEL - Starting Delimiter / Ending
Delimiter. Both the SDEL and EDEL have
intentional Manchester code violations in
certain bit positions so that the start and end
of a frame can never be accidentally
recognized in the middle of other data.
• AC - Access control field Contains the Priority
fields.
• FC - Frame control field indicates whether the
frame contains data or control information
• Destination address - Destination station address.
• Source address - Source station address.
• Route information - The field with routing control,
route descriptor and routing type information.
• Information - The Information field may be LLC or
MAC.
• FCS - Frame check sequence.
• Frame status - Contains bits that may be set on by
the recipient of the frame to signal recognition of the
address and whether the frame was successfully
copied.
References
• http://www.javvin.com/protocolToken.html
• http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/internetw
orking/technology/handbook/Token-Ring.html
