Total Oil Marine ditches Token Ring

Total Oil Marine is to dispose of its existing Token Ring (TR) network and replace it with an Ethernet infrastructure. Siemens Network Systems will build the £500,000 network using 3Com technology.

Peter Esson, head of telecoms at Total Oil Marine - a subsidiary of oil giant, Total - said the Ungermann-Bass TR network was coming to the end of its life. "The network was bursting at the seams and something had to be done," he said.

"We have around 500 Dell PCs and were buying a TR card for each so they were compatible with our network. This was time consuming and expensive."

Iain MacLellan, project manager at Siemens Network Systems, explained that the installation began in October and is on schedule to be completed soon. It will be based on 3Com's CB9000 packet switching core builder, which he claimed is the first of its kind in the UK.

An extra network, which is used to carry research and exploration data, will also be incorporated as part of the project. "This will happen during phase two, due to start when phase one is completed," said MacLellan.