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20 Description of the Ring Protocol
Figure 20-3 Example Ring Protocol application (part 2)
(2) Simple operation method
Networks using the Ring Protocol have a simple configuration consisting of one master
node and other transit nodes. Ring status monitoring (for faults and fault restoration) and
path switching operations are primarily performed by the master node, and the other transit
nodes switch paths according to instructions from the master node.
(3) Control frames
The Ring Protocol uses its own control frames. These control frames are used for
monitoring the ring status by the master node, and in instructions for switching paths from
the master node to transit nodes. Because control frame sending and reception are
performed on a special VLAN, data frames and control frames are not sent within the same
VLAN, unlike normal Spanning Tree Protocols. Also, because control frames are given
processing priority, an increase in data traffic will not impact control frames.
(4) Load balancing method
Multiple VLANs used within a ring are aggregated logically by group, and data can be set to
be balanced clockwise or counter-clockwise from the master node. This is useful for load
balancing and dividing paths by VLAN.
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