(Fiber Distributed Data Interface)

FDDI
 Background
 FDDI is a set of ANSI protocols for sending digital data over fiber
optic cable.

 FDDI networks are token-passing , dual-ring networks and

support data rates of up to 100 Mbps.

 FDDI is frequently used a high speed backbone technology

because of its support for high bandwidth & great distance.

 FDDI uses a dual ring architecture with traffic on each ring

flowing in opposite direction called counter rotating.

 The dual ring consist of a primary and a secondary ring.

 During normal operation the primary ring is used for data
transmission & the secondary ring remain idle.
 Transmission Media
 FDDI uses optical fiber as the primary transmission medium.

 It has several advantages like security, reliability & performance

because it does not emit electrical signals.

 FDDI defines two types of optical fibers :

Single mode fiber
Multi mode fiber

 A mode is a ray of light that enters the fiber at a particular angle.

Single Mode Fiber

Single mode fiber generally uses Laser.

It allows only one mode of light to propagate through the fiber.

Only a single mode of light is used, model dispersion is not

present in it.

Therefore it is capable of delivering higher performance

connectivity & over much larger distance.

Its generally use for connectivity b/w buildings & environments

that are more geographically dispersed.
Multi Mode Fiber

 Multi mode fiber uses LED as the light generating devices.

It allows multiple modes of light to propagate through the air.

These modes of light enter the fiber at different angles & arrive
at the end of the fiber at different time. This characteristic is
known as model dispersion.

Model dispersion limits the bandwidth & distance that can be

accomplished using multi mode fibers.

Therefore multi mode fiber is generally used for connectivity

within a building OR within a relatively geographically
contained environment.
 Specifications
 FDDI is actually a collection of four separate specification each
with a specific function.

 Media Access Control (MAC)

It defines how the medium is accessed, including frame format,
token handling, addressing, & error recovery mechanism.

 Physical Layer protocol (PHY)

It defines data encoding/decoding procedures, clocking
requirements, & framing among other functions.

 Physical Medium Dependent (PMD)

It defines the characteristics of transmission medium, including
fiber optic links, power levels, bit error rates, optical
components, and connectors.
 Station Management (SMT)
It defines FDDI station configuration, ring configuration, &
ring control features, including station insertion & removal,
initialization, fault isolation & recovery, scheduling, & statistics
collection.
 Station Attachment types
 FDDI defines three types of devices:

 Single Attachment Station (SAS)

Its attaches to only one ring (the Primary) through a
concentrator.

Its advantages are, the devices will not have any effect on the
FDDI ring if they are disconnected or powered off.
 Dual Attachment Station (DAS)
It has two ports designed A & B. These ports connect the DAS
to the dual FDDI ring.

Each port provides a connection for both the primary &

secondary ring.

Devices using DAS connection will affect the ring if they are
disconnected or powered off.
 Concentrator
An FDDI concentrator (dual attachment concentrator [DAC]) is
the building block of an FDDI network.

It attaches directly to both the primary & secondary rings &
ensure that the failure or power down of any SAS does not bring
down the ring.

This is useful when PCs, or similar devices that are frequently

powered on & off, connect to the ring.
 Fault Tolerance
 FDDI provides a number of fault tolerant features.

 Dual Ring
FDDI ‘s primary fault tolerant feature is the dual ring.

If a station on the dual ring fails or is powered down, or if the

cable is damaged, the dual ring is automatically wrapped
(doubled back onto itself ) to a single ring.

When the ring is wrapped , the dual ring topology becomes a

single ring topology. Data continues to be transmitted on the
FDDI ring without performance impact during the wrap
condition.

When a single station fails , devices on either side of the failed

station wrap , forming a single ring. Network operation
continuous for the remaining stations on the ring.
 Dual Homing
Critical devices, such as routers or mainframe hosts, can use a
fault tolerant technique called dual ring homing to provide
additional redundancy & to help guarantee operation.

In dual homing situation , the critical device is attached to two

concentrators.
 Advantages of FDDI
 FDDI supports real-time allocation of network bandwidth. This
allows you to use a wide array of different types of traffic.

 FDDI has a dual ring that is fault-tolerant. The benefit here is that
if a station on the ring fails or if the cable becomes damaged, the
dual ring is automatically doubled back onto itself into a single
ring.

 The FDDI compensates for wiring failures. The stations wrap

within themselves when the wiring fails.

 Optical bypass switches are used that can help prevent ring
segmentation. The failed stations are eliminated from the ring.
 Disadvantages Of FDDI
There's a potential for multiple ring failures. As the
network grows, this possibility grows larger and larger.

The use of fiber optic cables are expensive.

This has kept many companies from deploying FDDI in

a widespread manner. Instead, they have been using
copper wire and the similar method of CDDI.