FAULT TOLERANCE MODEL FOR RING TOPOLOGY BASED

NETWORK MODEL

PREPARED BY

ADEBAYO, Adedeji
FATOKE, Tunde Joshua
BOBADE, Omolola Margaret
OLUWASOLA, Olubunmi Omotola
EHINJU, Caleb Ayodeji

M-Tech, Computer Science Department, Futa.

3rd September,
2015.
ABSTRACT

The world of computers experienced an explosive period of growth toward the end
of the 20th century with the widespread availability of the Internet and the
development of the World Wide Web. As people began using computer networks
for everything from research and communication to banking and commerce,
network failures became a greater concern because of the potential to interrupt
critical applications. Fault tolerance systems were developed to detect and correct
network failures within minutes and eventually within seconds of the failure, but
time-critical applications such as military communications, video conferencing,
and Web-based sales require better response time than any previous systems could
provide.
Classic fault tolerant systems use redundant interconnects to provide a measure of
fault tolerance. However, other systems often provide fault tolerance by using the
inherent redundancy within an interconnect rather than using completely redundant
interconnect components.
The goal of this research is to examine different fault tolerant models that could be
adopted in a ring topology based network system such as xxx.

INTRODUCTION
Fault tolerance is that characteristic that enables a system to continue in its proper
operation even in the event of the failure of (or one or more faults within) some of
its components. If the operating quality of such system decreases at all, that
decrease is proportional to the gravity of the failure, as compared to a navely
designed system in which even a small failure can cause total breakdown. Fault
tolerance is particularly sought after in high availability or mission-critical
systems. Fault tolerance is not just a property of individual machines; it may also
characterize the rules by which they interact. For example, the Transmission
Control Protocol (TCP) is designed to allow reliable two-way communication in a
packet-switched network, even in the presence of communications links which are
imperfect or overloaded. It does this by requiring the endpoints of the
communication to expect packet loss, duplication, reordering and corruption, so
that these conditions do not damage data integrity, and only reduce throughput by a
proportional amount. A fault-tolerant design enables a system to continue its
intended operation, possibly at a reduced level, rather than failing completely,
when some part of the system fails. The term is most commonly used to describe
computer systems designed to continue more or less fully operational with,
perhaps, a reduction in throughput or an increase in response time in the event of
some partial failure. That is, the system as a whole is not stopped due to problems
either in the hardware or the software. An example in another field is a motor
vehicle designed so that it will continue to be drivable if one of the tires is
punctured. A structure is able to retain its integrity in the presence of damage due
to causes such as fatigue, corrosion, manufacturing flaws, or impact. Fault
tolerance and dependable systems research covers a wide spectrum of applications
ranging across embedded real-time systems, commercial transaction systems,
transportation systems, and military/space systems - to name a few. The

supporting research includes system architecture, design techniques, coding theory,

testing, validation, proof of correctness, modeling, software reliability, operating
systems, parallel processing, and real-time processing. These areas often involve
widely diverse core expertise ranging from formal logic, mathematics of stochastic
modeling, graph theory, hardware design and software engineering.
Literally, fault-tolerant computing means computing correctly despite the existence
of errors in a system. Basically, any system containing redundant components or
functions has some of the properties of fault tolerance. A desktop computer and a
notebook computer loaded with the same software and with files stored on floppy
disks or other media is an example of a redundant system. Since either computer
can be used, the pair is tolerant of most hardware and some software failures.

Logical Topology
A logical topology describes how components communicate across the physical
topology. The physical and logical topologies are independent of each other. For
example, any variety of Ethernet uses a logical bus topology when components
communicate, regardless of the physical layout of the cabling. This means that in
Ethernet, you might be using 10BaseT with a physical star topology to connect
components together; however, these components are using a logical bus topology
to communicate.
Media Type

Physical Topology

Logical Topology

Ethernet

Bus, star, or point-to-point

Bus

FDDI

Ring

Ring

Token Ring

Star

Ring

Token Ring is another good example of a communication protocol that has a

different physical topology from its logical one. Physically, Token Ring uses a star
topology, similar to 10BaseT Ethernet. Logically, however, Token Ring
components use a ring topology to communicate between devices. This can create
confusion when you are trying to determine how components are connected
together and how they communicate. FDDI, on the other hand, is straightforward.
FDDIs physical and logical topologies are the same: a ring.

Network Topology
The first thing to consider about a network is its physical shape, or the design
layout, which will be extremely important when you select a wiring scheme and
design the wiring for a new installation. Network really has two shapes, or two
types of topology; one is physical and the other is logical. The physical topology is
the shape you can see, and the logical topology is the shape that the data travels in.
Network topology is the arrangement of the various elements (links, nodes, etc.) of
a computer network. Basically, it is the topological structure of a network, and may
be depicted physically or logically. The physical topology of a network refers to
the configuration of cables, computers, and other peripherals. Physical topology
should not be confused with logical topology which is the method used to pass
information between workstations. Logical topology shows how data flows within
a network. The physical and geometrical arrangement, including the physical
placement of the various components of the network determines the physical
topology, while the mapping of the data flow between these components
determines the logical topology.

Fault Tolerance in a Network Environment

In a ring topology network computers are connected by a single loop of cable, the
data signals travel around the loop in one direction, passing through each
computer. Ring topology is an active topology because each computer repeats
(boosts) the signal before passing it on to the next computer. One method of
transmitting data around a ring is called token passing. The token is passed from
computer to computer until it gets to a computer that has data to send. If there is a
line break, or if you are adding or removing a device anywhere in the ring this will
bring down the network. In an effort to provide a solution to this problem, some
network implementations (such as FDDI) support the use of a double-ring. If the
primary ring breaks, or a device fails, the secondary ring can be used as a backup.

The ring topology can be a true physical ring or a logical ring. A true ring network
is similar to a linear bus, in that each computer is connected to the next in a line
-but with one important difference. In this case, the last computer is connected
back to the first, eliminating the "beginning" and "end" of the network and forming
a complete circle around which the data can travel. This also eliminates any signal
bounce problem as well as the need for termination.
The ring topology can also be a logical one, in which the signal path is a ring but
the external physical appearance is that of a star, as in Token Ring networks. This
is sometimes called a star-wired ring.
In a ring topology network computers are connected by a single loop of cable, the
data signals travel around the loop in one direction, passing through each
computer. Ring topology is an active topology because each computer repeats
(boosts) the signal before passing it on to the next computer. One method of
transmitting data around a ring is called token passing. The token is passed from
computer to computer until it gets to a computer that has data to send.

Fig 1: Ring Topology

Advantages
Data is quickly transferred without a 'bottle neck'

 The transmission of data is relatively simple as packets travel in one

direction only.
Adding additional nodes has very little impact on bandwidth
It prevents network collisions because of the media access method or
architecture required.
All devices have equal access.
Disadvantages
Because all stations are wired together, to add a station you must shut down
the network temporarily.
It is difficult to troubleshoot the ring.
Data packets must pass through every computer between the sender and
recipient Therefore this makes it slower.
If any of the nodes fail then the ring is broken and data cannot be transmitted
successfully.
A network topology that is set up in a circular fashion in which data travels around
the ring in one direction and each device on the ring acts as a repeater to keep the
signal strong as it travels. Each device incorporates a receiver for the incoming
signal and a transmitter to send the data on to the next device in the ring. The
network is dependent on the ability of the signal to travel around the ring. When a
device sends data, it must travel through each device on the ring until it reaches its
destination. Every node is a critical link. In a ring topology, there is no server
computer present; all nodes work as a server and repeat the signal. The
disadvantage of this topology is that if one node stops working, the entire network
is affected or stops working.