FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface)

FDDI Media
FDDI specifies a 100 Mbps, token-passing, dual-ring LAN that uses a fiber-optic transmission medium. FDDI is a local area network protocol. The copper version of FDDI is known as CDDI.
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FDDI Media Access Control: Token passing

FDDI's dual ring makes FDDI very reliable. FDDI supports real-time allocation of network bandwidth. FDDI provides this support by defining two types of traffic synchronous and asynchronous.
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Synchronous frame refer to information that is real time. ( audio and video information) It is also called S-frames

Asynchronous frame refers to informatin that is not real time. It is also called as A- frames.

3 Time Registers

FDDI defines three time registers to control circulation of the token and to distribute link access opportunities among the nodes equally.

They are
Synchronous Allocation (SA) register. Target Token Rotation Time (TTRT) register. Absolute maximum Time (AMT) register.

SA register indicates the length of time allowed each station for sending synchronous data. This value differ from node to node.

TTRT registers indicates the average time required for a token to circulate around the ring exactly once. ie; elapsed time between a token arrival at a given statin and its next arrival at the same station. AMT register holds a value equal to twice the TTRT. A token may not take longer than this time to make one rotation of the ring.
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2 Timers

Token Rotation Timer(TRT) run continuously and measures the actual time taken by the token to complete a cycle. Token Holding Timer (THT) begins running as soon as the token is received. Its function is to show how much time remains for sending asynchronous frames once the synchronous frames have been sent
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FDDI Frame Format

The FDDI frame is similar to that of a Token Ring frame.

Dual ring
FDDI specifies the use of dual rings for physical connections. Traffic on each ring travels in opposite directions. Physically, the rings consist of two or more point-to-point connections between adjacent stations.

One of the two FDDI rings is called the primary ring; the other is called the secondary ring.
The primary ring is used for data transmission; the secondary ring is generally used as a back up. The secondary ring works if the primary ring fails.

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FDDI Fault Tolerance

A ring recovers from a station failure by wrapping.

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Nodes connect to one or both rings using a media interface connector(MIC)

FDDI defines 3 types of nodes.
1. 2. 3.

Dual Attachment station (DAS) Single Attachment station(SAS) Dual Attachment concentrator (DAC)

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DAS has two MIC( called MIC A and MIC B) and connect to both rings. Faults are bypassed by a stations making a wrap connection from the primary ring to the secondary to switch signals from one input to another output. SAS are used to connect workstations, servers and minicomputers. SAS has only one MIC(called MIC s) and there fore can connect only to one ring. DAC connects SAS to dual ring as well as control functions.
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FDDI Layers:
FDDI has four specifications: 1. Media Access Control - defines how the medium is accessed 2. Physical Layer Protocoldefines data encoding/decoding procedures 3. Physical Layer Mediumdefines the characteristics of the transmission medium 4. Station Managementdefines the FDDI station configuration

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Differences between 802.5 and FDDI

Token Ring Shielded twisted pair 4, 16 Mbps No reliability specified Differential Manchester Centralized clock Priority and Reservation bits New token after receive

FDDI Optical Fiber 100 Mbps Reliability specified (dual ring) 4B/5B encoding Distributed clocking Timed Token Rotation Time New token after transmit Networks: Token Ring and FDDI
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