Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!ucla-cs!cit-vax!oberon!bloom-beacon!husc6!uwvax!dogie!vms3.macc.wisc.edu!dorl
From: dorl@vms3.macc.wisc.edu (Michael (NMI) Dorl)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: QPSX - 802.6 - Metropolitan LAN ?s
Message-ID: <36@dogie.edu>
Date: 19 Feb 88 15:32:35 GMT
Sender: news@dogie.edu
Reply-To: dorl@vms.macc.wisc.edu.UUCP (Michael (NMI) Dorl)
Organization: UW-Madison Academic Computer Center
Lines: 23


I read the article in 'Data Communications' on the QPSX 802.6
metropolitan LAN yesterday and am a bit confused.  Maybe one of
you could put me right.

The article talks about two unidirectional but opposite
directional buses, A and B.
A node can write information on either bus but its a one
way write so only downstream nodes see the data.  So how does
a node know which bus it should write data to send to a given
station?  It seems it would have to write to one bus for some
stations and another bus for other stations.  I suppose it could
write data to both buses.

The article talks about 'active' and 'passive' failure of a
node?  What do these mean?  How will these be detected and
bypassed?

Who would be possible clients for such a net?  Off hand, it
appears that equipment to interface with the framming protocol
will be quite complicated.  Will this restrict possible uses
to high volume customers or are connections to low cost
equipment planned?