SAFENET: the standard and its application

The survivable adaptable fiber optic embedded network (SAFENET) program, an effort by the US Navy to develop standard computer network profiles that meet the requirements of navy shipboard mission-critical computer systems, is discussed. The two SAFENET standards currently in development are described. The distinction between them is restricted to the commercial local area network (LAN) upon which each is based. SAFENET I uses the IEEE 802.5 token ring LAN, which operates at 16 Mb/s. SAFENET II uses the fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) LAN, which operates at 100 Mb/s. The SAFENET transmission system, optical power budget, and application methodology are examined.<<ETX>>