• Each switch is now connected to two adjacent switches • If an ISL fails, the switch can use an alternate path • An ISL failure will not segment the fabric • Can use multiple ISLs for increased performance
The ring design is an improvement over the cascade design, adding additional ISLs to form a ring. This provides survivability in the case of an ISL failure.
This design is suitable for small number of switches.
Two or more ISLs can be used between each pair of switches to provide additional redundancy and bandwidth.