Token Ring is a star-wired ring architecture used for computer LAN data communications.
Token Ring is a local area network (LAN) architecture in which computers are connected in a logical ring, though physically they are wired in a star to a central hub or concentrator. Data access is controlled by a token, a special signal that circulates around the ring; a device may transmit only when it holds the token, which prevents collisions and gives orderly, deterministic access to the network. Token Ring was a widely used LAN technology before Ethernet became dominant.
The star-wired physical layout connects each device back to a central point while the logical ring governs how data flows, combining manageable cabling with token-controlled access. The structured cabling carrying the network must support the data rates and reliability the architecture requires.
In commercial and industrial settings, Token Ring served data networking in its era, and the term remains relevant to legacy systems. Recognizing it helps in understanding network architectures and the cabling that supports them.
Because the star-wired physical layout connects each device back to a central point while the logical ring governs how data flows, Token Ring combines manageable cabling with token-controlled access, with the structured cabling carrying the network supporting the data rates and reliability the architecture requires.
Recognizing Token Ring helps in understanding network architectures and the cabling that supports them, since structured data cabling carries the data of such networks reliably across commercial and industrial facilities.
At Windy City Wire, the focus on structured data cabling supports the network architectures that connect computers, including legacy systems like Token Ring. Supplying dependable cable helps ensure that data networks, whatever their architecture, have reliable connections across commercial and industrial facilities.