IEEE project 802.6 update

The present status of the IEEE 802.6 standardization effort on metropolitan area networks is reported. Comparison is made with the status a year ago, noting that the mapping of the physical layer has been agreed upon, that the Bellcore service proposal SMDS (switched multimegabit data service) now specifies 802.6 as the access protocol, and that it has been decided that the asymmetry of access time that can exist in a bus network does not pose a problem. The timetable for future work is given, and work remaining as well as future possibilities are described.<
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