[mod.protocols.tcp-ip] Token nets and deterministic behavior

mo@SEISMO.CSS.GOV.UUCP (04/08/87)

Having actually conducted experiments to measure these claims of
deterministic behavior, I can say that (1) it simply ain't so and (2)
you don't WANT it to be so.  Token rings have their own brand of
strange pathologies related to convoying, syncronized buffer blocking,
and such.  It is very clear from our experiments that the hardware
never read the papers describing the "theoretical" behavior.
"Fantasized" would be a better word.  The paper, and a couple of others
along the same line, is in the Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on
Computer Networking, December, 1983, if you care to look at the
numbers.

	-Mike O'Dell