
346 Networking Explained, Second Edition
10. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of token ring networks?
Some of token ring’s advantages include its ability to run on many different media types,
its efficient use of bandwidth (e.g., if packet size is 1,000 bits, efficiency is 99 percent), its
stable behavior during high load times, its deterministic nature (it has a known upper bound
on channel access), and its priority scheme that enables lobes with high-priority data to
reserve the network for data transmission. Disadvantages include the need for special recov-
ery procedures when the network fails, difficulty in configuring new hosts ...