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Currently Playing: Token Ring: IBM’s Forgotten Rival to Ethernet (Part 1)

At VCFe Switzerland 2025, I showcased three very different pieces of networking history: Farallon PhoneNet, 10Base2 Ethernet, and IBM Token Ring. While Ethernet ultimately became the dominant LAN technology, Token Ring was once one of its most serious competitors and played an important role in IBM’s enterprise networking strategy. In this video, we explore where Token Ring came from, how it fit into IBM’s broader Systems Network Architecture (SNA), and why many organizations considered it a compelling alternative to Ethernet during the 1980s and 1990s. Along the way, we look at the history behind IEEE 802.5, the token-passing access method, IBM’s 8228 Multistation Access Unit (MAU), and the unique hermaphroditic IBM Data Connectors used with early 150-ohm shielded twisted pair cabling. We also compare Token Ring with Ethernet’s CSMA/CD approach and discuss the real-world arguments that surrounded both technologies before I begin building a working Token Ring network in preparation for bringing vintage PCs online in the next episode. In this episode: 00:00 Intro 00:41 What Was IBM Token Ring? 02:03 The Alternative To Token Ring - The IBM PC Network 03:03 IBM Token Ring Origins 07:02 The IBM Token Ring Cabling System 10:02 IBM Token Ring At Use... With TCP/IP 12:47 Conclusion / Next On TPC 🔔 Subscribe for more retro hardware adventures! Want to join THE PHINTAGE SUPPORTERS or THE PHINTAGE ENTHUSIASTS community and get a mention in an upcoming video? Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/@THEPHINTAGECOLLECTOR/join This video was made possible with support by: THE PHINTAGE ENTHUSIASTS: Alisha Manuela Stutz Christian Zerrahn David Schell Ernesto Leonardo Bertola Waseem al sammane ZyeByteVT THE PHINTAGE SUPPORTERS: Aaron Aluatis Balint Szikszay Brian Repinski CaffeinePizza Cecil Cinemint Clank CompuDroid Diego Valle GayManSam GrayT! Ian Cobb ihartmacz Jack Beckman Jack Rosenthal Lord Pingvin Luke Granger-Brown Matthew Veety Mia Farkas Mlok Karel MS-DOS Manfred nadrazhul PPCEmulator Roy Edmund Antaw SoftMASCII Steven Glogger Thomas Ganter Wobinu Films xcalibur839 Z098 Visit also THE PHINTAGE COLLECTOR website at https://www.thephintagecollector.ch for insights into my retro computer collection. This presentation, Copyright @ 2026 THE PHINTAGE COLLECTOR, Gianpaolo Del Matto. All rights reserved. Individual Copyrights apply for referenced material (see sources). Music composed by 🎶 Abdallah El-Ghannam https://ag.blahblah.studio | https://ag.blahblah.studio/ 🎶 rootkitty | https://soundcloud.com/rootkitty ℹ️ Sources: General Token Ring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Token_Ring https://www.ardent-tool.com/network/Understanding_Token_Ring.html https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zvm/7.4.0?topic=structure-token-ring-ieee-8025 IBM Networking Background https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos-basic-skills?topic=review-systems-network-architecture-sna https://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/datacomm/GA27-3093-2_SDLC_General_Information_Mar79.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3745 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PC_Network Origins and Development https://ethw.org/Hans_R._Mueller https://ethw.org/Werner_Bux https://research.ibm.com/publications/architecture-and-design-of-a-reliable-token-ring-network https://www.ieee802.org/5/www8025org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Ring_(computer_network) Olof Söderblom: https://patents.justia.com/inventor/olof-soderblom https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/thehenryfordlibraries/innovator-transcripts/transcript_metcalfe_full-length.pdf Token Ring vs Ethernet https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252489944/How-Ethernet-became-the-worlds-networking-standard https://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/Compaq-DEC/WRL-88-4.pdf https://www.sigcomm.org/content/ethernet-myths-and-reality Hardware and Cabling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_access_unit https://ardent-tool.com/8228/ https://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/communications/architectureTechnologyCorporation/IBM_Token-Ring_Product_Guide_198608.pdf https://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/ibm/lan/Gohring_-_Token_Ring_Principles_Perspectives_and_Strategies_1992.pdf https://www.ardent-tool.com/network/token_experiences.html TCP/IP and Internetworking https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc1042/ https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1469.html https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/downloadFile/3779571983131/srb.pdf https://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/internetworking/troubleshooting/guide/tr1906.pdf Cisco Hardware https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/interfaces-modules/token-ring-port-adapters/index.html https://ardent-tool.com/Cisco/NM-1FE1R2W.html https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/routers/access/interfaces/nm/hardware/installation/guide/obsolete/netmdpdf.pdf Further Sources https://lwn.net/Articles/497397/ https://retronetworking.org/lan/tr/ IBM PC AT Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCLCUHrHcG8 Computer Chronicles 1985 - PC Networks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=illGtdeI6uo