Token ring local area network testing apparatus providing station history information
US5444695A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 11, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 22, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 11, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/433
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A token ring local area network (LAN) testing apparatus is provided. The apparatus monitors history or status of token ring stations. Such information is useful in isolating token ring faults that may occur during its operation. The apparatus includes current and past memory lists that contain status information for each token ring station. The current station memory list contains addresses of all token ring stations that are present during a current neighbor notification process. The last station memory list contains addresses of all token ring stations that were present in the token ring during the neighbor notification process that was previous to the current neighbor notification process. A neighbor notification process is a conventional part of the token ring media access control (MAC) protocol. Included with the addresses in these lists is a determined one of a number of state characters that is indicative of station status. The state character for each token ring station is determined using predetermined algorithms that are based on the presence/absence of stations in the token ring.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.