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Does Anyone Still Use Token Ring?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the just-because-its-old-doesn't-make-it-useless dept.

blanchae asks: "Does anyone still use Token Ring, or is it dead? I remember hearing about 100 mbps TR a few years ago but nothing since. I remember that the strong point of TR over Ethernet was the QOS and the consistent response time. Does the banking community still use TR?"

11 of 185 comments (clear)

  1. Deep down... by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 3, Funny

    Deep down in what passes for their hearts, the banking "community" still uses hand-written ledgers with Monroe crank-powered adding machines.

    1. Re:Deep down... by Daemonik · · Score: 1, Funny

      They still make their clerks get by on one chunck of coal to keep them warm as well.

  2. Re:token ring usage by leon.gandalf · · Score: 3, Funny

    I even found references to gigabit TR. However the latest I see discusion on it is around 2002.

  3. Token Ring by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I experienced P2P token ring back in college. Here's how it worked: a group of peers arranged in a circular manner would pass around a named pipe. Each peer would hit the pipe, a process known as token. After a while, the pipe would be cached, and a designated peer reloaded the pipe.

    1. Re:Token Ring by edwardpickman · · Score: 5, Funny
      I experienced P2P token ring back in college. Here's how it worked: a group of peers arranged in a circular manner would pass around a named pipe. Each peer would hit the pipe, a process known as token. After a while, the pipe would be cached, and a designated peer reloaded the pipe.

      We tended to be a little more technically oriented where I went to school and used a water cooled device.

    2. Re:Token Ring by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Latency can become an issue with certain peers in token ring networking, especially after several packets have been sent. Oddly enough, complaining to the peer about lagging on the pipe may remedy the situation.

    3. Re:Token Ring by eta526 · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's not so odd after all. The complaints are sent out of band.

    4. Re:Token Ring by caffeinemessiah · · Score: 2, Funny

      we had a similar token ring network, but an odd factor we noticed was that once the ring was initialized, latency between token passes increased linearly with time until all clients were asleep.

      --
      An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
  4. Are you kidding? by nugneant · · Score: 2, Funny

    That franchise is played out. Old news. Last year. Passé. If they could have worked out the rights to The Hobbit in time for Christmas 2005, then maybe there'd be time for one final she-bang, and perhaps a TV spinoff or two - but by now people've moved on to World of Lovecraft.

    However, LAN: A Dog - now that's a book I can identify with.

  5. Dirty by Bardez · · Score: 1, Funny

    I can't help but share an experience from an old job.

    It was this shop that basically bought and refurbished 2-year old PCs and sold them to people who didn't need a buttload of computing power. Internet surfing, e-mail, and word processing is basically all these people needed. The owner bought a load that had token ring cards in it. As he pulled one out and replaced it with an ethernet card, he exclaimed "Uuugh. Token ring. I feel dirty." This was five years ago.

    People still use token ring? Of course. Many people still use token ring? Hell no.

    --
    Perception is the thin dividing line between reality and fiction.
  6. Token Ring LAN by crayz · · Score: 4, Funny

    (..to the tune of "Particle Man")

    Token Ring LAN, Token Ring LAN
    Doing the things a token ring can
    How does it work?
    It's not important
    Token Ring LAN

    Is it a drag or is it a waste?
    When it's installed
    Does it get replaced?
    Or does that admin get axed instead?
    Nobody cares
    Token Ring LAN

    Ethernet LAN, Ethernet LAN
    Ethernet LAN hates Token Ring LAN
    They have a fight
    Ethernet wins
    Ethernet LAN

    Internet WAN, Internet WAN
    Size of the entire Internet, man
    Usually kind to the smaller LAN
    Internet WAN

    It's got a link with PPP band,
    A T1 band, and an OC3 band
    And when they're together it's a happy LAN
    Powerful WAN, Internet WAN

    Workgroups LAN, Workgroups LAN
    Formerly known as MS LANMAN
    Lives its life in a garbage can
    Workgroups LAN

    Is it depressed or is it a mess?
    Does it feel totally worthless?
    Who came up with Workgroups LAN?
    Degraded LAN, Workgroups LAN

    Ethernet LAN, Ethernet LAN
    Ethernet LAN hates Token Ring LAN
    They have a fight
    Ethernet wins
    Ethernet LAN