Editing Media access unit (section)

{{Short description|Token Ring network hub}}
{{redirect|MSAU|the settlement in the Coast Province|Msau}}
{{Distinguish|Medium Attachment Unit}}

[[File:IBM 8228 Multistation Access Unit.JPG|thumb|An IBM 8228 Multistation Access Unit with accompanying Setup Aid]]
[[File:TokenRingLogicalNetwork.svg|thumb|Data flow though a 3-station Token Ring network built using a single MAU]]

A '''media access unit''' ('''MAU'''), also known as a '''multistation access unit''' ('''MAU''' or '''MSAU'''), is a device to attach multiple network stations in a  [[Ring network|ring topology]]  when the cabling is done in a [[Star network|star topology]] as a [[Token Ring]] network, internally wired to connect the stations into a logical ring (generally passive i.e. non-switched and unmanaged; however managed Token Ring MAUs do exist in the form of CAUs, or Controlled Access Units).<ref>http://ps-2.kev009.com/ohlandl/books/TR_Networks_Intro_Planning_Guide_Chpt1.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

Passive Token Ring was an active IBM networking product in the 1997 time frame, after which it was rapidly displaced by [[switched network]]ing.