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Conference 7.286::fddi

Title:FDDI - The Next Generation
Moderator:NETCAD::STEFANI
Created:Thu Apr 27 1989
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2259
Total number of notes:8590

382.0. "Telephone via FDDI?" by VAXRIO::ROLF (Vaporware Design Specialist) Thu Oct 31 1991 11:28

    A steelmill wants to install an FDDI ring all over its grounds and they
    wonder if there is a way they can use the FDDI network to expand their
    telephone network. This would be VIA ACTIVE FDDI CIRCUITRY, not just
    via another independent fiber along the FDDI cableplant.
    
    I told them no, but anyway wanted to post this here in case anyone
    has any ideas/alternatives I could pass on to them.
    
    Rolf, SISS Brazil.
    
    
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382.1KONING::KONINGPaul Koning, NI1DThu Oct 31 1991 13:5919
I don't think so.

You can certainly transmit voice (packetized) over FDDI, or for that matter
over any other datalink that's fast enough.  We've demonstrated that with
our multimedia work.  But I wouldn't recommend trying to use FDDI as a
voice backbone.  For one thing, the cost of attachment makes that a poor
idea.

What are they trying to do, or to put it differently, what are they trying
to save?  Note that there is no significant cost difference between running
a cable with one fiber pair and one with 12 or 24.  Indeed, we recommend
that you run fairly substantial cables in your major wire runs; see the
Fiber Optic sections of the DECconnect documentation.  So if they are running
fiber now, the sensible solution is to run multiple pairs, and install
PBX equipment that can use the fiber (or PBXs plus outboard copper to fiber
converters).  But those fibers would not be running FDDI; rather, they'd
be something like T1, or T3, or whatever a PBX finds most convenient.

	paul
382.2TNXVAXRIO::ROLFVaporware Design SpecialistThu Oct 31 1991 15:413
    Thanks Paul, you confirmed my feelings!
    
    Rolf
382.3FDDI-II ?BSS::C_OUIMETTEHolographic Interference RepositoryThu Oct 31 1991 16:3912
    	A side question:
    
    Whatever became of "FDDI-II"? As memory serves, this was s standard
    promoted by Telco, which allowed "Isochronous" traffic, or guaranteed
    access time permitting 1 byte of data to be sent every 125 us, thus
    permitting a 64Kb voice channel to be mux'd onto the fiber...
    
    Did this ever become a reality? Or do I remember incorrectly?
    
    				chuck
    
    
382.4KONING::KONINGPaul Koning, NI1DThu Oct 31 1991 19:1813
Pieces of FDDI-II exist on paper.  No chips have been seen yet, let alone
systems.  It's massively complex (far more so than FDDI, which is already
complex enough).  SMT-2, which it needs, hasn't been started yet, and
various other pieces are also incomplete.  Finally, in spite of its name,
it's totally incompatible with FDDI and really has very little in common
with it.

If it existed, FDDI-II could perhaps be used for this purpose, but because
of its complexity would be less reliable and more expensive than a solution
tailored for the job.  We believe that FDDI-II is a solution (or someday
will be) in search of a problem.

	paul
382.5The interest is elsewhereDELNI::GOLDSTEINNetworks designed while-u-waitFri Nov 01 1991 12:398
    And the telephone industry isn't too interested in FDDI-II either.  The
    Metrpolitan Area Network project (802.6) has a protocol of its own
    (DQDB) which allows voice and high-speed data to share a physical
    medium.  It's also not worthwhile for short-haul use, and not quite
    complete yet (voice support is being developed), but it's also not
    FDDI-II.
    
    Sometimes multiplexing isn't worth it.