What Does Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) Mean?

Fiber distributed data interface (FDDI), which is an optical data communication standard used
for long distance networks provides communication with fiber optic lines up to 200 kilometers at
a speed of 100 megabit per second (Mbps). FDDI has dual primary and secondary
communication rings. The primary ring works alongside the network, and the secondary ring
remains idle and available for backup.

FDDI was later extended to FDDI-2 for long distance voice and multimedia communication.
Organizations use this medium for voice and video conferences, online lectures, news and other
multimedia.

Techopedia Explains Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)

FDDI networks, which are designed for geographically large-scaled organizations that support
thousands of end users, operates in the OSI model's physical and media access control (MAC
layers).
The American National Standards Committee (ANSC) formally standardized FDDI as the best
linking medium for local area networks (LAN), which use FDDI for long-distance
communication.

FDDI also is used by single and multi-mode fiber optic, which have different communication
mechanisms. Multi-mode fiber optic uses a lead generation device, whereas single-mode fiber
optic uses laser for data transmission only.

Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is a set of ANSI and ISO standards for transmission of
data in local area network (LAN) over fiber optic cables. It is applicable in large LANs that can
extend up to 200 kilometers in diameter.
Features
 FDDI uses optical fiber as its physical medium.
 It operates in the physical and medium access control (MAC layer) of the Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) network model.
 It provides high data rate of 100 Mbps and can support thousands of users.
 It is used in LANs up to 200 kilometers for long distance voice and multimedia
communication.
 It uses ring based token passing mechanism and is derived from IEEE 802.4 token bus
standard.
 It contains two token rings, a primary ring for data and token transmission and a
secondary ring that provides backup if the primary ring fails.
 FDDI technology can also be used as a backbone for a wide area network (WAN).
The following diagram shows FDDI −
Frame Format
The frame format of FDDI is similar to that of token bus as shown in the following diagram −

The fields of an FDDI frame are −

 Preamble: 1 byte for synchronization.
 Start Delimiter: 1 byte that marks the beginning of the frame.
  Frame Control: 1 byte that specifies whether this is a data frame or control frame.
 Destination Address: 2-6 bytes that specifies address of destination station.
 Source Address: 2-6 bytes that specifies address of source station.
 Payload: A variable length field that carries the data from the network layer.
 Checksum: 4 bytes frame check sequence for error detection.
 End Delimiter: 1 byte that marks the end of the frame.
FDDI stands for Fiber Distributed Data Interface. It is a collection of ANSI and ISO standards
for data transmission on fiber-optic lines in a local area network (LAN) that can broaden in the
range up to 200 km (124 miles). The FDDI protocol depends on the token ring protocol.
FDDI cabling consists of two fiber rings, one transmitting clockwise and the other transmitting
counterclockwise. Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is generally implemented as a dual
token-passing ring within a ring topology (for campus networks) or star topology (inside a
building). The dual ring includes a primary and secondary ring.
The primary ring transport data. The counter-rotating secondary ring can hold data in the
opposite direction but is more frequently reserved as an alternative in case the primary ring goes
below. This supports FDDI with the cost of fault tolerance essential for network backbones.
FDDI allows nodes to connect to the network by means of a single cable, such nodes are called
single attainment (SAS), and their dual-connected counterpart is called dual attachment station
(DAS).

There are two types of traffic in FDDI, which are as follows−

  Synchronous FDDI: It means that the traffic is delay sensitive, used to send voice or
video. Whenever a node receives a token, it is allowed to send synchronous data without
regard to whether the token is early or late.
 Asynchronous FDDI: It is used only when the token is early.
In the FDDI mechanism, Token is always in circulation & different from 802.5. All rings on
FDDI monitor that token is not lost. FDDI MAC protocol uses three timers as the first one is
holding a timer to determine how long a station may-continue to transmit once it has acquired a
token.
The second rotation timer is restarted every time the token is seen. If the timer expires, it means
that the one has not been sighted for two Rings on interval or has been lost. The third timer is the
transmission timer used to time out and recover from certain transient ring errors.

-*-
FDDI stands for Fiber Distributed Data Interface. It is a high-speed, high-bandwidth network
based on optical transmissions. It is most often used as a network backbone, for connecting
high-end computers (mainframes, minicomputers, and peripherals), and for LANs connecting
high-performance engineering, graphics, and other workstations that demand a rapid transfer of
large amounts of data. It can transport data at a rate of 100 Megabits per second and can support
up to 500 stations on a single network. FDDI was designed to run through fiber cables,
transmitting light pulses to convey information between stations, but it can also run on copper
using electrical signals. It is relatively expensive to implement, although the mixing of fiber-
optic with copper cabling can hold down the cost.
FDDI is highly reliable because FDDI networks consist of two counter-rotating rings. A
secondary ring provides an alternate data path in the event a fault occurring on the primary ring.
FDDI stations incorporate this secondary ring into the data path to route traffic around the fault.
FDDI based on a ring topology with token passing. It is an advanced technology, in the form of
the token ring over optical fiber. FDDI developed for two primary reasons: to support and help
extend the capabilities of older LANs, such as Ethernet and Token Ring, and to provide a
reliable infrastructure for businesses, moving even mission-critical applications to networks.

History of FDDI

FDDI is an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) networking standard, and ANSI
began working on the FDDI -Standard in 1982. The FDDI specification released in 1986. ANSI
chose the ring as network topology for FDDI. The most critical elements of FDDI were defined
in 1989 (as ANSI X3T9.5) and parts have been adopted by the ISO (International Standards
Organizations) as well. FDDI also considered as a successor of IEEE 802.5 standards (token
ring). FDDI has higher capacity than token rings. FDOI comprises two bottom layers in the
ISO’s Open System Interconnection (OSI) model namely, Layer 1 (Physical layer) and Layer 2
(Data Link layer). Physical layers are PMD, PHY.
The current version of the FDDI standard defines in ANSI X3T12. To ensure interoperability,
the vendors tested their products at the ANTC (Advanced Network Test Center) and EANTC
(European ANTC). It ensures that many vendors support FODI with their products. Products
from different vendors can easily mix in an FDDI network. It is the most significant advantage
of FDDI.
Although FDDI is not really a WAN technology (its ring are limited to a maximum length of
100 kilometers or 62 miles), the ground it can cover does make it suitable for use as a backbone,
connecting a number of smaller LANs, and it can provide the core of a network as extensive as
a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). In that sense, FDDI is more than LAN but less than
WAN. Also, because FDDI transfers information extremely quickly (l00 Mbps), it is often used
to connect high-end devices such as mainframes, minicomputers, and peripherals, or to connect
high-performance devices within a LAN. Engineering or video or graphics workstations, for
instance, benefit from FODI because they need much bandwidth, to transfer large amounts of
data at satisfactorily high steeds. FDDI can easily be incorporated into existing networks
because it works even with other network topologies (due to the LLC protocol that is also used
by Ethernet and Token Ring).

FDDI Features

FDDI is an efficient network topology, regarding fault-tolerance and integrated network

management functions. With its deterministic access methods, FDDI guarantees high
aggregated throughput rates, even in large and high traffic networks. FDDI can be added easily
to existing network topologies (such as Ethernet and Token Ring) as a strong backbone to
eliminate severe network bottlenecks in existing LANs.
FDDI offers the following features:
• High transmission rates (100 Mbps) and bandwidth
• Real throughput rate (20 stations expected) of approx. 95 Mbps
• Large extensions (max. 100 km)
• Great node-to-node distance (2km using multimode fiber, 40 km using single mode fiber)
• Available for both fiber and copper media
• Easier to maintain
• Compatible to standards-based components and various operating systems.

Cabling Requirement

Optical fiber is the transmission medium of FDDI networks-but copper media also can be used
for standard office connections offering the same transmission rates. In contrast to copper
media, fiber provides the best possible protection against physical network tapping and offers
immunity to electromagnetic interference. As its name indicates, FDDI developed around the
idea of using optical fiber cable. It is, in fact, the type of cable used, especially when the high-
speed transmission needed over relatively long distances (2000 to 10,000 meters, or roughly 1
to 6 miles). However, over shorter distances (about 100 meters, or 330 feet), FDDI can also be
implemented on less expensive copper cable.

In all, FDDI supports four different types of cable:

• Multimode fiber optic cable: This type of cable can be used over a maximum of 2000 meters
and uses LED as a light source.
• Single mode fiber optic cable: This can be used over a maximum of 10,000metres or more
and uses lasers as a light source. Single mode cable is thinner at the core than multimode, but it
provides higher bandwidth because of the way the light impulse travels through the cable.
• Unshielded twisted-pair copper wiring: This cable contains eight wires, and as the next
category, can be used over distances up to 30 meters.
• Shielded twisted-pair copper wiring: This is a shielded cable that contains two pairs of
twisted wires, with each pair also shielded.

The Fiber PMD (Physical Medium Dependent)

PMD defines specifications for the physical layer of a network standard, namely, the media and
interface connectors used. As FDDI supports both fiber and copper media, two separate
specifications are defined. They are the Fiber PMD (for optical fiber media) and TP-PMD (for
copper media, specifically for twisted-pair). Other two significant PMDs are SMF-PMD (Single
Mode Fiber-PMD), defines the demands on single mode fibers permitting distances of 40 to 60
km (in contrast to multimode fibers permitting distances of maximum 2 km).
LCF-PMD (Low-Cost Fiber-PMD) was developed to get a low-price, fiber-based alternative
with restrictions to the maximum distance between nodes at the same time. The duplex SC
connector introduced by LCF-PMD mainly adopted by the full power budget version of Fiber
PMD.
The Fiber PMD-ANSI X3T9.5/48-48 describes the physical layer that uses fiber and optical
components. It defines the following characteristics and parameters of the optical fiber cables
allowed for FDDI.
• The wavelength of light (nominal wavelength is 1,300 nm)
• Attenuation and bandwidth
• Maximum bit-error rate
• Dispersion of optical media
• The numerical aperture (sine’s of aperture angle for total internal reflection, the nominal
aperture is 0.275)
• Intensity of light
• The jitter of the pulse
• Allowed power between two stations
62.5/125 and 85/125 micrometers graded index fibers defined as transmission media.
50/125 and 100/140 micrometers graded index fibers are also accepted.

PHY (Physical Layer Protocol)

The PHY document describes the physical processes on the medium (example data encoding). It
defines:
• Data encoding/ decoding.
• Clock synchronization (as FDDI rings can grow rather big, there is no central clock
frequency).
• TVX (Valid Transmission Time).
• Line states (Quiet – no signal on the line, Idle – normal line state, Halt and Master use when
transmitting configuration data).
• Control symbols (Start delimiter send when the data transmission starts and ending delimiter
tells when the FDDI frame should terminate.
• Data symbols (hexadecimal symbols 0 to F).
• Violation symbols (example the symbol v means that an illegal signal is on the line).
The maximum number of Phys per FDDI ring is 1000. A Dual Attachment Station (OAS) has
two PHYs connected directly to the double ring, whereas a SAS (Single Attached Station) has
an additional PHY in the concentrator. As each station needs two PHYs, the network can
accommodate a maximum of 500 stations.

MAC (Medium Access Control) Layer

The MAC (Medium Access Control) layer of the FDDI specified within the data link layer. It
uses the token passing method as medium access method and allows each station accessing the
ring in precisely defined intervals. The IEEE 802.2 standard applied in the LLC (Logical Link
Control) layer. Due to the LLC protocol, FDDI smoothly integrates network topologies such as
Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and Token Ring (IEEE 802.5).
The MAC layer comprises address identification generating and checking the FCS (Frame
Check Sequence) checksum. Beside it specifies transmitting, repeating, and deleting MAC
frames just as providing MAC services to the LLC layer. Additionally, the MAC layer specifies
how to handle synchronous and asynchronous data traffic. The critical difference between the
IEEE 802.5 protocol and the FDDI are as follows.
• A station is waiting for a token abort the token transmission in FDDI. However, in IEEE 802.5
(Token ring) protocol, it naturally complements the selected bit in the token. It is due to the high
data rate of FDDI.
• An FDDI station releases the token as soon as the last frame is released (early release in IEEE
802.5), as waiting for the transmitted frame (standard IEEE 802.5) to return inefficient in a
high-speed environment.

SMT (Station Management)

Station management provides the control necessary at the node level to manage the functions of
various FDDI layers. Individual network control and safety mechanisms used for controlling
and managing activities on the ring and the connection of every station. Furthermore, it allows
reconfiguring the ring in case of malfunction or line-disruption. The SMT function permanently
monitors the FDDI ring. It coordinates the configuration during network start-up and produces
status accounts on the ring’s and station’s states. The SMT manages the Phys, MACs, and
PMDs of each station. Besides, SMT is responsible for counters, parameters, and statistics.
The functionality of the SMT can divide into CMT (Connection management) and RMT (ring
management). The CMT again is divided into:

ECM (Entity Coordination Management): Coordinating the activities of all PHYs and
controlling the optional optical bypass function.
PCM (Physical Connection Management): Inserting and removing stations, initializing, and
coordinating physical connections between local and neighboring ports.
CFM (Configuration Management): Responsible for configuring MAC and PHY of an FDDI
station.
Further, each port of an FDDI station has a CEM (Configuration Element Management).
The RMT manages the MAC components, such as changing a MAC address to a unique address
and removing a MAC with a duplicate address from the ring. Further, the RMT monitors the
FDDI ring and manages adequate procedures in case of ring disruption.

FDDI Topology
The FDDI network topology may view at two distinct levels.
• The physical level
• The logical level
Physical topology describes the arrangement and interconnection of nodes with physical
connections. The logical topology describes the paths through the network between MAC
entities. An FDDI network forms one of the two following physical topologies:
• A dual ring of trees.
• A subset of a dual ring of trees.
FDDI uses a dual ring topology. The dual ring topology uses two counter-rotating rings known
as the primary and secondary ring. The primary ring is similar to the main ring path in token-
ring terminology. The secondary ring is similar to the backup ring path of a token-ring. Each
ring consists of a single fiber path, which is equivalent to a pair of copper conductors. FDDI
topology permits many attachment units (stations, concentrators, and bridges) to attach in
various ways. From a wiring point of view, FDDI is similar to a fiber optic token-ring network;
however, there are differences between the token-ring and FDDI techniques. A device can be
attached directly to the ring without requiring a concentrator such as the Multi-station Access
Unit (MAU) on a token-ring. A device can be attached to either one or both of the primary and
secondary rings.

Station Types

To differentiate between devices that attach to one ring or both rings, FDDI defines two classes
of devices. A Class A device attaches to both the rings directly. It may be a station and is called
a Class A station or a Dual Attachment Station (OAS). It can also be a concentrator, and in this
case, it is called a Dual Attachment Concentrator (OAC).
A Class B device is a station attaches to only one of the rings, directly or through a
concentrator. Concentrators are active devices that act as wiring hubs. A Class B station called
as Single Attachment Station (SAS). It can also be a concentrator, and it is called a Single
Attachment Concentrator (SAC). During regular ring operation, the primary ring is active while
the secondary ring is idle. In the wake of a failure on the primary ring, the secondary ring
become active when a class A station or a Dual Attachment Concentrator wraps the primary
ring to the secondary ring, establishing a single ring. This functionality is mandatory to
maintain the reliability of the LAN. Figure(a) illustrates the dual ring topology.
The FDDI dual ring configuration consists of Dual Attachment Stations (OAS). A dual attached
station on the ring has at least two ports, an A port, where the primary ring comes in, and the
secondary ring goes out, and a B port where the secondary ring comes in, and the primary goes
out. Each station has both ports (A and B) attached to the rings. The cabling between the
stations has to be all fiber or shielded twisted-pair (STP).

Dual Homing
To attain better fault tolerant, a particular topology known as dual homing use. A concentrator
that is not part of the main ring may be dual attached via one or two other concentrators to
provide higher availability. When connected in this manner, a concentrator described as a Dual
Homing Concentrator (DHC). Similarly, a Dual Attachment Station can be connected to one or
two concentrators using both A and B ports to provide high availability. The station connected
in this manner is considered a Dual Homing Station (DHS). In both cases, only port B is active,
and the connection to port A remains in standby mode. If the connection to port B fails, port A
become active without any impact on the users of the Dual-Homed station or concentrator.
Figure (b) illustrates the dual homing technique.

Operation of FDDI

FDDI topology and operation are similar to Token Ring. The sequence in which stations gain
access to the medium is predetermined. A station generates a particular bit sequence called a
Token that controls the right to transmit. The Token is continually passed around the network
from one node to the next. Each station has the chance to transmit data when a token passes. A
station can decide how many frames it transmits using an algorithm that permits bandwidth
allocation. FDDI also allows a station to transmit many frames without releasing the token.
When a station has some data to send, it captures the token, sends the information in the form of
well-formatted FDDI frames, and then releases the token. The header of these frames includes
the address of the station(s) that copy the frame. All nodes read the frame as it passes around the
ring to determine if they are the recipients of the frame. If they are, they extract the data and
retransmit the frame to the next station on the ring. When the frame returns to the originating
station, the originating station removes the frame. The token-access control scheme thus allows
all stations to share the network bandwidth in an orderly and efficient manner.
Generally, in an FDDI network, one ring (known as the primary ring) carries the tokens and
data frames, and the secondary ring remains idle and uses as a backup for fault tolerance or
insurance. Because the secondary ring is available if needed, whenever a nonfunctioning node
causes a break in the primary ring, traffic ‘Q’ a “wrap” around the problem causing node and
continue to carrying data, only in the opposite direction and on the secondary ring. That way,
even if a node goes down, the network continues to function. Of course, it is also possible for
two nodes to fail. When this happens, the wrap at both locations effectively segments the one
ring into two separate, non-communicating rings. To avoid this potentially dangerous problem,
FDDI networks can rely on concentrators. These concentrators resemble hubs or MAU in that
multiple nodes plugs into them. They are also able to isolate any failed nodes while keeping the
network traffic flowing. Sometimes, both rings use for data transfer. In this case, the data travels
in one direction (clockwise) on one ring and in the other direction (counterclockwise) on the
other ring. Using both rings to carry data makes the number of frames twice that of the standard
rate. Hence, the speed of the network can double, from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps.

Frame Format
An FDDI frame is very similar to that defined by the traditional token ring, but there are only
eight fields. The Token and frame format for the FDDI shown in Figure (a) and (b),
respectively. The Control token structure is very much similar to the Token ring case.
Eight fields make up the FDDI frame. They are:
As you can see, the data token in FDDI is very similar to the token ring data token we saw
earlier. The access control byte or octet is missing.
Start Delimiter: The Start Delimiter of a token is an indicator of the start of the token. It
consists of the symbols ‘J’ and ‘K,’ and these symbols not be seen anywhere else but at the start
of a frame or token.
Frame Control: The frame control gives information about the type of the token. A value of
hexadecimal 80 in the frame control field denotes a Non-restricted Token, while a frame control
of hexadecimal CO is a restricted token.
Destination Address: It is a 12-symbol code that indicates the identity of the station to which
the frame is to send. Each station has a unique 12-symbol address that identifies it. When a
station receives a frame, it compares the OA of that frame to its address if the two match, the
station copy the contents of the frame into its buffers.
The destination address can be an individual address or a group address that depends on its first.
If the first bit set to (1), the address is a group address. If it set to (0), the address is an
individual address. Group addresses can be used to address a frame to multiple destination
stations. A broadcast address is a particular type of group address, which applies to all of the
stations on the network.
Source Address: This field indicates the address of the station that created the frame. In FDDI,
when a station creates a frame, the frame is passed from one station to the next until it returns to
the originating station. The originating station removes the frame from the physical medium.
Data: This field carries the actual information to be conveyed. Every frame is mostly built
around this field and is merely a mechanism for getting the info from one station to another. The
type of information contained in the data field determined from the Frame Control of the field
of the frame.
Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC): CRC is used to verify whether the incoming frame
contains any bit errors. The FCS is generated by the station that sourced the frame, using the
bits of the FC, OA, SA, DATA and CRC fields. The CRC generated such that, should any of the
bits in those fields be altered, then the receiving station notice that there is a problem and
discard the frame.
Ending Delimiter: This field consists of two ‘T’ symbols. These ‘T’ symbols indicate that the
token is complete. Any data sequence that does not end with these ‘T’ symbols is not
considered a token.
Frame Status: The Frame Status consists of three indicators, which may have one of two
values set and reset. The three indicators are Error (JE’), Address recognized (or Acknowledge)
(‘N), and Copy (‘C).
FDDI Token Passing

Token passing on an FDDI network works much the way it does on a Token Ring network, that
is, nodes pass a token around the ring, and only the node with the token is allowed to transmit a
frame. There is a twist to this. However, that is related to FDDI fault tolerance. When a node on
the ring detects a problem, it is not idle. Instead; it generates a control frame known as a beacon
and sends it on to the network. As neighboring nodes detect the beacon, they too begin to
transmit beacons, and so it goes around the ring. When the node that started the process,
eventually receives its beacon back usually after the network has switched to the secondary
ring, it then assumes that the problem has been isolated or resolved, generates a new token, and
starts the ball rolling once again.

Structure of a FDDI Network

An FDDI network, as already mentioned, cannot include rings longer than 100 kilometers apart.
Another restriction on an FDDI network is that it cannot support more than SOD (nodes per
ring. Although the overall network topology must conform to a logical ring, the network does
not have to look like a circle. It can include stars connected to hubs or concentrators, and it can
even include trees collections of hubs connected in a hierarchy. As long as the stars and trees
connect in a logical ring, the FDDI network does not face any problem.
Existing networks like Ethernet and Token Ring networks can integrate via workgroup switches
or routers into an FDDI backbone. Fileservers should be connected directly to the FDDI
backbone to reduce data load and to provide reasonable access time for the user. The
availability of FDDI adapters for twisted-pair allows smooth migration of existing cabling to
FOOL High-End PC workstations with applications like CAD, CIM, CAM, DTP, or image
processing can be connected directly to the FDDI ring via FDDI network interface cards and
concentrators.