A hybrid media access protocol for a fiber optic ring network

A hybrid protocol is proposed for high-bandwidth rings in which the round-trip propagation delay is much larger than the packet transmission time. Features of random-access protocols and conflict-free protocols such as token passing are combined to achieve superior performance. The scheme permits simultaneous use of the channel by many packets, is fair to all stations, and is completely distributed. The performance results presented indicate that the system remains stable for throughputs up to a maximum of 1, and that the delay characteristics are better than those of other related access protocols.<>