The IBM token-ring network — A functional overview

A local area network (LAN) can be defined as an information transport system for data transfer among a group of nodes consisting of office or industrial system terminals and peripherals, cluster controllers, or computers, via a common interconnecting medium within the bounds of a single office building, building complex, or campus [1]. The geographical constraints together with advanced transmission technologies enable data transfer rates of many millions of bits per second within the local network. These transmission rates, coupled with a reliable access control scheme, permit a large number of devices to share the common physical interconnection link with minimum interference, while allowing large blocks of data to be transferred with simple error-recovery procedures and data management protocols.