Cabletron Systems STS16-20R - Manual (Page 31)

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Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide
2. Switch Overview
The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R is an IEEE 802.5-compliant device
designed to boost throughput on Token Ring networks. It operates as a Media
Access Control (MAC)-layer device that is protocol independent.
This chapter describes how the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R operates as a
single stand-alone unit. The switch contains the following main elements, as listed
below:
•
Switching Bus—the architecture of the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R
centers around the AXIS bus, a 520 Mbps switching fabric through which all
switched ports communicate. The AXIS bus is a partially asynchronous time
division multiplexed bus used for switching packets between heterogeneous
LAN modules.
•
Token Ring Ports—each port can attach to a classical Token Ring segment or
to a dedicated station (on SmartStack STS16-20D, ports 1–16 are workstation
ports). Now users running basic applications are able to share bandwidth, and
users running bandwidth-intensive applications can receive their own
dedicated 16 Mbps port. Each dedicated port can also be set up in full-duplex
communication mode, so that each 16 Mbps port doubles to 32 Mbps.
•
Stack Link Module—the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch family
includes a stack link module that can be used to connect two SmartStack
STS16-20D/STS16-20R family switches in a back-to-back configuration.
Alternatively, up to five switches can be connected together using and internal
stacker module, and up to eight switches can be connected together using the
stack link module and an additional switch stack unit. By connecting switches
together through the stack link module, the switches virtually combine to form
a single unit, providing scalability, simplified management, and enhanced
performance.