Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-ncis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!agate!tehran.berkeley.edu!glass
From: glass@tehran.berkeley.edu
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Token Ring vs. Ethernet
Message-ID: <18796@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 6 Jan 89 20:59:43 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: glass@tehran.berkeley.edu ()
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 32

I've received quite a number of messages in response to my two small
postings to comp.dcom.lans -- some complimentary, some expressing dissent,
and no small number carrying "flames" of the form: "I think Network X is
better because I use and like it, and that's that!"

A few brief comments. First, to paraphrase Mark Twain, "There are lies, damn
lies, and benchmarks." I've heard arguments for both systems made on the basis
of benchmarks, and so far none have been supportable strictly on the basis of
the LAN architecture rather than the implementation. It may be argued, of
course, that it's not practical to separate the two -- but then, that's
a philosophical can of worms I don't really want to open just now.

Second, virtually all of the arguments I received supporting Ethernet
were based on the assumption that the TCP/IP protocol suite was being
used for internetworking. Needless to say, this assumption can only
favor Ethernet.  The Token Ring has a highly efficient link-level
routing and acknowledgement scheme that's guaranteed to be there (it's
built into the chip set!). Also, once we start talking about
internetworking on ISO levels above the link level, we are really
talking about a WAN, not a LAN. A whole new set of considerations
comes into play in this case.

Finally, I've learned that there's no end to the amount of time one can
spend arguing "religion." The messages I've received indicate that there's
a lot more passionate feeling tied up in choices of technology than I'd
expected. Or maybe the nets are just one place where such emotions tend
to get vented.

In any event, let's keep the forums open -- but at a dull roar,
please. I have next month's column to write....

<BG>