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IEEE honors Zurich LAN pioneers |
Zurich/Switzerland, April 14, 2003—The IEEE has named Werner
Bux, manager of the Communication Systems department at IBM's Zurich
Research Laboratory, and Hans Müller, retired senior researcher
of the same department, as recipients of the 2003 IEEE Eric E. Sumner
Award. The award recognizes the two IBM scientists for their contributions
to the design, development and standardization of the Token Ring
local area network (LAN). The legacy of the technology can be seen
in today's high-speed, fault-resistant fiber optic LANs and Ethernet.
The IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award, sponsored by Lucent Technologies,
recognizes outstanding contributions to communications technology.
The award was officially announced at the 2003 General Assembly
of the IEEE Switzerland Section in Neuchâtel on April 11.
A key local area network standard from the 1980s through the 1990s,
Token Ring network technology introduced several benefits including
automatic fault detection and recovery, reduced delays at ring interfaces
and stable transmission. One of Bux and Müller's most important
innovations, a system to automatically detect and recover from faults
on the network, has since become a part of many other networking
systems, and part of IEEE standard 802.5.
Token ring also features a remarkably stable transmission method,
based on a variety of transmission media, which made Token Ring
the network of choice for United Airlines' major hub at Chicago's
O'Hare Airport and at CERN, the European organization for nuclear
research in Geneva, Switzerland.
Hans Müller contributed several key ideas for the architecture
of the Token Ring, and led the design of the system. He was a member
of IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory from 1958 to 1990. Werne Bux
is credited with making major contributions to the architecture
of the Token Ring, demonstrating its superior performance and contributing
to the development of international standards based on the technology.
He joined IBM Research in Zurich in 1979 and became manager of the
Communication Systems department in 1989.
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