Reliability and Performance Issues in FDDI Networks

Some reliability and performance aspects of fiber-optic local area networks based on the fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) standard proposed by ANSI are analyzed and discussed. A model is introduced that evaluates the mean time before failure (MTBF) for each FDDI system with a given number of type A and type B stations. Formulas are derived expressing the MTBF value as a function of the fault frequency of links and bypass switches associated with stations in the network, and plots are given showing the results obtained using the proposed model. FDDI performance is then evaluated by means of discrete-event simulation. Diagrams are presented illustrating the behavior of the mean transmission time for both short and long messages.