A new network structure for packet communication

A novel network structure, called the open-ring/active-bus structure, for packet switched, multiple-access communication over high-speed fiber-optic networks is studied. This structure has the advantages that it provides a higher capacity because it allows reuse of channel bandwidth just like open-ring networks with destination removal, e.g. register insertion rings, and it suffers from fewer synchronization constraints than a closed ring because the transmission process of its head station is independent of the activity at that station´s receive interface. The author considers various access mechanisms for this structure and analyzes their channel capacity. He concludes that the structure is suitable for wide area integrated services network applications requiring high bandwidth