Networking Explained, 2nd Edition

38 Networking Explained, Second Edition

21. How does a ring work?

In a classic ring topology, messages are passed from node to node around the ring. The

direction of rotation can either be clockwise or counterclockwise (or both), depending on

the technology. As is the case for the bus topology and for all broadcast systems, some

method must govern simultaneous ring access. Note that although data are passed from

node to node, this is not a point-to-point topology because all the nodes share the same com-

munications channel. Thus, logically, the topology of a ring involves all nodes sharing the

same communications channel. Physically, though, the ...