Unix on a token ring.

[Frederick Milling]

If anyone could help me I'd greatly appreciate it. I see that most
Unix networks, are running on a Ethernet bus setup. I have two

1. Can a unix network be set on token-ring?

2. and if so, why is ethernet the preferred way to go?

[Frederick Millin]

[Frederick Millin]

[Frederick Millin]

[Frederick Millin]

[Henry Spencer]

In article <1991Oct30.2...@apollo.hp.com> fm...@cactus.org (Frederick Millin) writes:
>...most Unix networks, are running on a Ethernet bus setup...

>1. Can a unix network be set on token-ring?

Certainly. Only a few pieces of code at the very lowest level care how
bytes get from one machine to another.

>2. and if so, why is ethernet the preferred way to go?

Because it is available for more machines, is available from more sources,
is cheaper as a result, and is the existing de-facto industry standard.

As a side issue, and a somewhat more arguable one, the technology used for
Ethernet appears to be superior in certain ways to that used for low-cost
(twisted-pair) token-ring networks. [I assume that's the sort of token
ring you are referring to; note that "token ring" is actually a very
broad term that also applies to networks like FDDI (100Mbps over optical
fiber) which have very different characteristics.] It is more robust
and more flexible. However, the considerations in the previous paragraph
tend to dominate for all but very unusual requirements.
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