Specifications

LONWORKS® LN-Series Network Communication and Interface Guide Technical Bulletin20
Network Structure
A network structure includes the physical and logical structure. The physical
structure consists of channels, repeaters, routers, and devices. The logical structure
contains subsystems and devices.
The first step to configure the network structure is to create the channels. Each
channel can support up to 127 devices; however, a repeater or a second router with
a new channel is required if you are adding more than 64 devices to a channel. A
router is used to connect each set of two channels together.
Channels
A channel refers to the medium through which information is transmitted from a
sender (or transmitter) to a receiver. Different channel types can have varying
transmission speeds, network topologies, and distance limitations. Each channel
can support up to 127 devices. You can connect multiple channels using routers.
Routers
A router is a networking appliance that forwards data packets toward their
destinations through a process known as routing. Besides directing network traffic,
a router can be used to extend the length of a channel as well as the number of
devices attached to the channel. A router can also be used to connect channels that
use different media (transceiver types) together. Routers are always attached to two
channels (the near side channel and the far side channel).
A single router is usually used to connect two channels, but in certain cases you
may wish to use multiple routers (called redundant routers) between the same pair
of channels. Redundant routers provide fault tolerance because if one of the routers
connecting two channels fails, the other router is still available to forward network
traffic. A router can only act as a redundant router if it is set up as a configured
router (which is the default factory configuration).