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What is?: Token ring adapter

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by sab_arturo 1 view

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Hey everyone, i have acquired an IBM token ring 16/4 ISA nic and i wast just wondering what makes it different from a normal NIC? Also, why can't i find drivers for this card? I'm not inexperienced at installing network cards, but this one is not getting recognized in a celeron system running win ME.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Martin

6 replies

by vinnyd

Token ring networks are different from ethernet for a number of reasons.

The cabling used is the IBM cabling for IBM computers.

A token ring cable must connect to a token ring hub in order to work.

Token ring nics work at 4 mb/sec and 16 mb/sec speeds. A standard ethernet card today works at 10 or 100 mb/sec.

The drivers were still available the last time I had to find one (that was last year). Windows does not have native support which is why Win ME will not recognize it.

by matt_s

On an ethernet network, the computers "talk" whenever they feel like it. When two computers try to talk at the same time, you get a "collision". Collisions degrade network performance.

On a Token ring network, a computer must be in possession of the "token" before it is allowed to "talk".

Generally speaking, token ring and ethernet are not compatible, unless you have other expensive equipment. So unless all your computers are token ring, and you have a token ring hub, that card is useless. It won't work with a DSL router or anything.

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