A token ring is based on the Local Area Network LAN in which the arrangement of the terminals like a ring or star and a token or bit is passed and used to avoid collision of data in the network between the clients that wants to send message at same time.

The Token Ring protocol is the second most widely-used protocol on local area networks after Ethernet.

Token ring technology uses a  concept, known as token passing, for allowing network adapters to transmit data on the media.

Token Ring uses a Star Ring topology, a hybrid topology, looking physically like a Star Topology but logically wired as a Ring Topology.

Token-Ring operates on the Ring topology of the networking, where the devices are arranged in circular ring and we have a central device called as master and the other devices called as slaves, where token needs to be taken for sending data in the network by  the device who wants to send data.

The central device which is used to connect the network devices is called as a Multistation Access Unit, or MAU.

When this network is intialized there is kind of decision making that who will be the Master or the Active Monitor in the network. The master is the one with the highest MAC address and the rest of the machines are standby monitors.

The job of the Active Monitor is to ensure that all the  machines are working fine in the network withour creating any problem, and to re-establish all the connection when break up occurs.