Token Ring

Researchers in IBM's Zurich research lab designed the Token Ring LAN architecture in the early 1980s. IBM laid down a challenge to Ethernet when it introduced Token Ring products in 1985. The Token Ring specification was presented to the IEEE, and Token Ring eventually joined Ethernet as an IEEE, ANSI, and ISO standard.

Token Rings were crafted for predictability, fairness, and reliability. Naturally, these features attracted many users. Almost all IBM mainframe shops used the Token Ring topology, thinking that it would be around for a long time to come if IBM supported it. Token Ring got an extra boost among IBM customers as well: For many years, IBM did not support Ethernet interfaces in most of its computers and networking devices. ...

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