|  | 7.1 | Basics of Token Ring
| 7.1.1 | Overview of Token Ring and its variants

IBM developed the first Token Ring network in the 1970s. It is still IBM's primary LAN technology, and is second only to Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) in terms of LAN implementation. The IEEE 802.5 specification is almost identical to, and completely compatible with, IBM's Token Ring network. The IEEE 802.5 specification was modeled after IBM's Token Ring and continues to shadow its ongoing development. The term Token Ring refers both to IBM's Token Ring and to IEEE's 802.5 specification. The chart in the main graphic compares and contrasts the two standards.