A description is given of the fiber distributed data interface (FDDI), which is the result of standardization within the X3T9 group of the American National Standards X3 Committee. FDDI grew from the need for a standard high-speed interconnection between mainframes and their peripherals, resulting in a 100-Mb/s local area network (LAN) with a degree of fault tolerance. It also has major applications in front-end networks interlinking high-bandwidth workstations and as a backbone for bridging lower-speed LANs, such as Ethernet. The FDDI defines a high-speed optical, token-passing ring network supporting both synchronous and asynchronous data transmission. It can be enhanced to carry real-time services such as digital voice and video. The standard is nearing completion and is being forwarded to the International Organization for Standardization.
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