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Early Vid: Token Ring

🕑 Added 2025-02-05 18:30:52 +0000 UTC

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IBM Museum

IBM initially wanted Texas Instruments to develop Token-Ring for them, but it was too slow, and IBM took back the reins to release the 4Mbps level in October 1985 (on a personal note, I had just reported to Navy boot camp). The initial 'Azores' adapter chipset was replaced with an integrated ASIC code-named 'Spyglass' (all IBM Token-Ring components have been named after golf-related places), which brought in the 16Mbps speed. 'Spyglass' was used to derive 'Pinegrove' and 'Pinegrove Shrink' (reduced die) ASICs. Later on, IBM licensed Token-Ring to National Semiconductor, with the 'TROPIC' (Token-Ring Protocol Interface Controller) chipset that were renumbered, but identical ASICs. Texas Instruments had made their own (incompatible) chipsets that are used on some 3Com products, with others based on TROPIC for the "True Blue" labeling. There are still some errors that need to be corrected in areas at the 'Ardent-Tool', but I intend to supplement the material that isn't microchannel-related on my site.

Mac Folklore Radio

Part 4 title card 😂😂😂😂

Peter Tirsek

Yeah, more or less the same experience here. My first real job out of school in late 1997 (I'm a 1976 vintage) was at a place with an IBM AS/400 and some Token Ring networks still in place. Most of the network had already transitioned to Ethernet when I started, and the rest soon followed within a few years. I didn't have much personal involvement in the operations of the Token Ring portion of the network, but it was my impression that it was way more complicated to maintain and troubleshoot than Ethernet, but those MAUs sure look familiar. I sort of remember the cables that ran from the central wiring locations to the wall/desk outlets that the large Token Ring data connectors plugged in to. Those were some heavy duty, unwieldly and cumbersome cables indeed. It sure was good to get rid of those. :D

clabretro

Ah-ha! Okay I thought I was right but wasn't 100% sure haha

Jordan

I've always pronounced it net-booey Seems like PC Mag agrees https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/netbeui

clabretro

Could be, I'll give that a try!

clabretro

Haha that does not sound fun!

Jack Beckman

Some of the Win 95 issues might be because you have all the Netware client stuff still on. I would drop the Netware client and IPX/SPX. I don't think this is why you can't get into the MAU (since the Cisco couldn't) but it might explain some of the Win 95 blue screens.

Alf Lundggren

My first IT work was at a county in Sweden, south of Stockholm. They had IBM machines, AS400 servers and ofc Tokenring. All that was a pain in the but.. It did work fine but when something went wrong.... Those PC's had the bios on the hard drive, so floppys to change the setup on the machine, changing HDD was no simple task, out with the old in with new, format and then install the bios... well i do think it was NOT better before! :D OS for those days was DOS 6 and Win 3.1 but was upgraded to 3.11! WOW!

clabretro

really cool, I don't think I've ever actually seen it installed out in the wild

Jonathan Cilley

One of the companies I worked for earlier in my career still had all of the token ring wiring throughout their offices. It was very interesting stuff to play around with even though they had transitioned to Ethernet by the time I got there.