3com TR User Manual

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Optional Slide-In Modules
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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.
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)