From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
>AFAIK it is not backwards-compatible, at least in the sense that no
>10Mbps ethernet controller supports the 3Mbps data rate (at least, I've
>never seen one that does).
Neither have I. Also Eithernet AKA 802.x was never that slow. The
3 mb/s stuff I'd always called ARCNET.
>There were no single-chip ethernet controllers, if that's what you're
>asking. The ethernet circuitry for the classic PERQ (which was generally
>10Mbps, but early enough that single-chip controllers didn't really
>exist) is a 2910 sequencer, some microcode PROMs, some 9403 FIFOs, and a
>lot of TTL glue logic (and some comparator-type parts for the interface
>to the AUI connector). It takes up about 1/3rd of the EIO board.
Correct, there wasn't current LSI that was fast enough in the beginning.
The would change fairly quickly by 1984-85ish.
Allison
Received on Sun Apr 22 2001 - 14:18:16 BST