General Token Ring MAU question and connecting 2 routers
Ed Dombrowski
R0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R1
I have zero Token Ring experience so i was hoping somebody could answer some
very basic questions.
1) Are the R0 and R1 ports used for stacking the MAU with other MAUs ? If
not what are they used for?
2) If i want to connect two Cisco routers with Token ring interfaces i
assume there can't be a crossover connection like ethernet. If i am to
connect them they have to be connected through the MAU. Is there any
signifigance to what port i connect each router to on the MAU?
3) If i have 2 routers connected to the eight port MAU could i then also
connect a workstation with a token ring NIC to the same MAU ?
Sorry for such basic questions. I did some searches but did not find any
specific cabling/wiring info.
Ed
Francois Labreque
Ed Dombrowski wrote:
>
> I have come across an old IBM Token Ring MAU with the following ports:
>
> R0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R1
>
> I have zero Token Ring experience so i was hoping somebody could answer some
> very basic questions.
>
> 1) Are the R0 and R1 ports used for stacking the MAU with other MAUs ?
Yes. And it's RO and RI (ring-out and ring-in), not R0 and R1 (R-zero
and R-one). Basically, if you have multiple MAUs, the ring-out of one
goes in the ring-in of the next until you close the loop.
> 2) If i want to connect two Cisco routers with Token ring interfaces i
> assume there can't be a crossover connection like ethernet.
Exactly.
> If i am to connect them they have to be connected through the MAU. Is there any
> signifigance to what port i connect each router to on the MAU?
No.
> 3) If i have 2 routers connected to the eight port MAU could i then also
> connect a workstation with a token ring NIC to the same MAU ?
Yes.
--
Francois Labreque | Make you a deal, I'll show you mine if you show
flabreque | me yours.
@ |
videotron.ca | - Pandora.
John McKay
the mau doesn't need the ports to be re-charged. set your nic's, if 16mb,
to early token release. it improves performance on very large token ring
segments. you won't see a difference though. can't recall the distributor
for parts and cables, believe it's graybar.
"Ed Dombrowski" <edom...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:8Z3E6.8188$Xr.17...@news02.optonline.net...
> I have come across an old IBM Token Ring MAU with the following ports:
>
> R0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R1
>
> I have zero Token Ring experience so i was hoping somebody could answer
some
> very basic questions.
>
> 1) Are the R0 and R1 ports used for stacking the MAU with other MAUs ? If
> not what are they used for?
stacking is the answer... ro to ri and so on. don't recall the limit, it's a
formula based on number of stations, distance, and other factors, not an
absolute number as in ethernet (1024 max in collision domain).
>
> 2) If i want to connect two Cisco routers with Token ring interfaces i
> assume there can't be a crossover connection like ethernet. If i am to
> connect them they have to be connected through the MAU. Is there any
> signifigance to what port i connect each router to on the MAU?
>
no such thing as a crossover for token ring. just plug into any port, it
acts like a dumb ethernet hub.
> 3) If i have 2 routers connected to the eight port MAU could i then also
> connect a workstation with a token ring NIC to the same MAU ?
>
yes....
Ed Dombrowski
so i will have to wait and see if this MAU works or not till i get another
token ring interface. The MAU is an 8228 and unfortunately i dont have the
charging unit. I guess it will be a crap shoot as to whether it works or
not. It did strike me as odd that it didnt have any power plug.....Thanks
again.
Ed
"John McKay" <jfm...@monroe.net> wrote in message
news:3ae0d676$0$24...@wodc7nh7.news.uu.net...
Ian M
need one device to insert into a ring. So if the t/r interface comes up the
MAU works, ie L-2 works although there's nothing to talk to. Hint: you'll
hear the MAU click.
Never actually had to use a charger. MAUs are not active devices; they're
entirely electromechanical. IIRC (again) a device inserting closes a tiny
solenoid with a capacitor-held charge. The the ring then recharges the
capacitor. The charge needed is microscopic, so something needs to happen
to discharge it (like many years on the shelf?)... or something like that.
MAUs are the token-ring version of 50ohm co-ax and T-pieces, but with moving
parts and a price tag.
Cheers,
Ian
--
ian.mu...@nospam.computer.org
"Ed Dombrowski" <edom...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:JxdE6.13043$Xr.24...@news02.optonline.net...
Francois Labreque
Ed Dombrowski wrote:
>
> Thanks for the help. Currently i only have one token ring router in my lab
> so i will have to wait and see if this MAU works or not till i get another
> token ring interface. The MAU is an 8228 and unfortunately i dont have the
> charging unit. I guess it will be a crap shoot as to whether it works or
> not. It did strike me as odd that it didnt have any power plug.....Thanks
> again.
It doesn't need to be plugged in to any power source as it contains only
passive electronic parts. The "charging unit" that John refers to is
actually a "degausser" that is used when a port hasn't been used in a
long time to make sure that the relays are in the right position. We
refer to those gizmos as "MAU defibrilators".
--
CPUStuff
Acsys/AMP MAU's in my warehouse that we stock for specific clients. The IBM
8228 units are passive units that have no power needs; the ports sometimes
need re-setting with the "charging unit" when the solenoid in the port get
clicked open.....this could occur due to network traffic stuff, or something
as simple as dropping the MAU unit on the floor or bouncing around during
shipping. The "charging unit" is powered by a 9v battery, and you have to
depress it into each of the 8 ports to fully reset the MAU. Acsys or AMP
later came out with a knock-off version of the 8228 called the TRAC8 98000-1
which is actually much better than the 8228. The 98000-1 has a built in
reset button that is powered by an internal 10-year lithium battery; you
simply press the button to automatically reset all the ports on the MAU,
thus eliminating the need for the "charging unit" or having to physically
disconnect users from the LAN; in addition, the RI/RO ports are next to each
other to keep the uplink cables out of the way of the workstation cables.
We also stock the 98000-3 model which is the RJ-45 version of the 98000-1.
Click on these links if you want to view the Acsys/AMP model MAU's:
http://home.att.net/~fcmprod/mau/amp98000-1/98000-1.jpg
http://home.att.net/~fcmprod/mau/98000-3.jpg
-cpustuff
Ed Dombrowski <edom...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:8Z3E6.8188$Xr.17...@news02.optonline.net...