moyman@ECN.PURDUE.EDU (James M Moya) (11/10/90)
Please settle an argument I am having once and for all. Examining the
following diagram:
----+------LW1
| |
| +---
| |
| +---
..etc..Star Controller with 12 spokes...
| |
----+------LW2---Mac
Is it better ***network straffic-wise*** to place a LaserWriter (LW2) next
to or on the same spoke as the Mac(s) that will be using the LW **OR**
will it make no difference ***network straffic-wise*** what so ever where
(what spoke) the LW is (LW1) since the Star Controller makes all twelve
spokes act as one long daisy chain.
The two of us have not been able to convince the other on our beliefs and I
am going wacko in the process...please e-mail direct and I will summarize.
--moyamorgan@JESSICA.STANFORD.EDU (RL "Bob" Morgan) (11/10/90)
> Is it better ***network straffic-wise*** to place a LaserWriter (LW2) next > to or on the same spoke as the Mac(s) that will be using the LW **OR** > will it make no difference ***network straffic-wise*** what so ever where > (what spoke) the LW is (LW1) since the Star Controller makes all twelve > spokes act as one long daisy chain. This is not too hard to figure out if you know how a LocalTalk/PhoneNET works (since Ethernet works essentially the same way, you can apply this thinking to Ethernets, too). Every bit of every frame transmitted by every station on every spoke of the PhoneNET travels to every last little piece of cable on the entire network, and is seen by every station on it. So it can't make any difference, traffic-wise, where the printer is put. In fact, this can be thought of as one of the essential desirable properties of this kind of LAN: it makes absolutely no difference (modulo cable problems) where you put a station on the net, so you can move a station anywhere you like without having to reconfigure anything. The down side, of course, is that all stations have to share the limited data capacity of the LAN. - RL "Bob" Morgan Networking Systems Stanford (also teaching Networks 101 at SFSU this semester, as you can probably tell!) -------