FDDI is a network technology based on optical fiber, offering high speeds and long distance coverage. It was designed to provide a faster and more reliable network backbone, with redundancy and fault tolerance. FDDI networks can be configured in different topologies and can also run data in both directions. However, the high cost and complexity of FDDI have made it less popular since the 1990s, with newer technologies offering higher speed at a lower cost.
Fiber Distributed Data Interface, also known by the acronym FDDI, is a network technology based on optical fiber. Usually organized in a ring, star, or tree network topology, an FDDI network can span many miles or kilometers. FDDI is often used in college campus networks due to its relatively high speeds and long distance coverage. It is also used in some metropolitan area network backbones for the same reasons.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) created the Fiber Distributed Data Interface specification in the mid-1980s. FDDI was primarily designed to provide a faster and more reliable network backbone. 10 Megabits per second (Mbps) copper Ethernet and 4/16 Mbps Token Ring were no longer adequate for many networks. In contrast, FDDI can offer secure, interference-free, long-distance fiber optic 100Mbps data transmission. Its dual-ring architecture generally also provides redundancy and fault tolerance.
Traffic on a Fiber Distributed Data Interface network flows in opposite directions on the two rings. In typical operation, the main ring carries all data while the other ring remains available in the event of a hardware failure. Individual nodes can be connected to both rings at the same time or to the main ring only. A node connected to the main ring only is connected via a concentrator. In this case, the concentrator can use the secondary loop to provide a path around a problem on the primary loop.
A node connected to both rings of a Fiber Distributed Data Interface network need not be connected to a concentrator. The dual loop attack by itself allows for an alternate path if part of the primary loop fails. However, this configuration can only tolerate a single point of failure on the main loop. If more than one node is disconnected, powered down, or otherwise malfunctions, parts of the ring will be unable to communicate. Concentrators can be used with nodes connected to both rings to provide another level of fault tolerance.
Some networks consist of a distributed fiber data interface backbone along with an Ethernet or Token Ring local area network. This keeps the overall cost down by minimizing the amount of FDDI technology needed. If shorter distances are involved and interference is not an issue, the same network protocols can be implemented with copper. This method, called Copper Distributed Data Interface, is very similar to FDDI, but uses copper instead of fiber optic cables. FDDI networks can also be configured to run data in both directions, doubling throughput and losing fault tolerance.
The high cost and complexity of Fiber Distributed Data Interface networks have made them less popular since the 1990s. Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel technologies offer higher speed at a much lower cost, for example. They continue to work even when connected devices are turned off or removed from the network.
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