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From: wmb@sun.uucp (Mitch Bradley)
Newsgroups: net.lan
Subject: Re: IBM PC networking
Message-ID: <1739@sun.uucp>
Date: Thu, 11-Oct-84 11:34:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.1739
Posted: Thu Oct 11 11:34:21 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 16-Oct-84 05:36:12 EDT
References: <682@cadmus.UUCP>
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 20

> In the October issue of BYTE IBM has an advertisement and specification
> of this new networking capability.  They say they are using the Intel
> 82586 processor.  I thought that this was an ethernet processor?  Are they
> really using an off the shelf 82586 or is it a special just for IBM from
> Intel?  Would anyone care to comment.
> 
> marty

The 82586 can do more than just ethernet.  It has programmable parameters
for just about everything, and can run at bit rates lower than 10 MBits/sec.
It can do bit-stuffing protocols as well as ethernet-style protocols.
At lower bit rates, it even will do the Manchester encoding for you.

The default set of parameters implements the Ethernet spec.  A CONFIGURE
command lets you change the parameters.

It looks like Intel was planning on using the part to talk to the serial
bus that is part of the Multibus II spec.

Mitch Bradley