High-speed optical-fibre ring network with a register insertion access protocol

The paper reports on work currently being carried out at the University of Kent, Canterbury. It considers the application of optical fibre in a high-speed local-area ring network. The ring is to operate at speeds up to 100 Mbits¿¿1 and employs the register-insertion technique as the access protocol. Other possible protocols are also considered, and their relative merits and the final decision to choose the register-insertion technique is discussed. The paper also describes in detail the access procedure of the register-insertion technique and the operation of the designed system. It also reports on the current status of the project and the future development of the system.