Black Box Explains... Making the switch from Token Ring to Ethernet.
Token Ring, which was engineered for mainframe-based applications, is reliable and fault-tolerant, but it’s also very expensive and not well suited for modern Web-based or client/server-based applications. Token Ring has been largely supplanted by Ethernet, which is less expensive to build and operate and can provide far greater bandwidth. Today’s system administrators usually choose to migrate from legacy Token Ring networks to Ethernet when it’s time to upgrade or expand.
Small companies with small networks that require fewer components might find it practical to switch from Token Ring to Ethernet all at once. If your Token Ring network is connected with CAT5 cable, you can even use your already-installed cable for Ethernet. If you’re using the older Token Ring Type 1 or Type 6 cabling, you’ll either have to run new CAT5 cable or use baluns for impedance conversion.
A large company with a large network investment can find that the cost of a full transition is cost-prohibitive. In this case, a practical approach is to make a gradual move to Ethernet as you add and replace components.
A good first step is to always buy peripheral devices, such as printers, in an Ethernet-ready format. They’re far less expensive than the equivalent Token Ring device (if you can find the Token Ring device at all!) and are easy to attach to a Token Ring network with an Ethernet to Token Ring Adapter
A cost-effective server-based migration solution for Novell® IPX based networks is to install either a Token Ring NIC in the Ethernet server or an Ethernet NIC in the Token Ring server. Then change the server’s configuration to enable the internal router program. Although this method is low cost, it does add traffic and overhead to the server, which can decrease overall network performance.
For an easy, standalone hardware solution for connecting a Token Ring to an Ethernet network, use an Ethernet to Token Ring Bridge. Just connect the bridge to your Token Ring MAU and your Ethernet switch. You should also make sure that both networks have the same network identification—in essence, they will become one logical network.
To build a mixed Token Ring and Ethernet WAN, use a router to connect the two networks. The router enables each network to maintain its own identity.