Data Communications Networking Devices - 4th Ed.pdf

330 ________________________________________________________ LOCAL AREA NETWORKSFigure 3.31Developing the star±ringThere are several cabling and device constraints you must consider when designinga Token-Ring network to ensure the network will work correctly. First, you mustconsider the maximum cabling distance between each device and an MAU that willservice the device. The cable between the MAU and the device is referred to as alobe, with the maximum lobe distance being 100 m 330 feet) at both 4 and 16 Mbps.This means that you must consider the lobe distance in conjunction with thecabling distance restrictions between MAUs if you have more than eight devices tobe connected to a Token-Ring LAN. In addition, for larger networks, you mustalso consider restrictions on the number of MAUs in the network and their placementin wiring closets, as well as a parameter known as the adjusted ring length,since they collectively govern the maximum number of devices that can be supported.Intra-MAU cabling distancesTable 3.13 lists the maximum intra-MAU cabling distances permitted on aToken-Ring network for the two most commonly used types of IBM cables. Those