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From: rjn@hpfcso.HP.COM (Bob Niland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: purchasing the HP/Apollo 9000 series 400 workstations
Message-ID: <9330005@hpfcso.HP.COM>
Date: 31 Aug 90 04:02:33 GMT
References: <5918@uceng.UC.EDU>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard/FSY Ft.Collins,CO,USA
Lines: 21

re: > ...  you would get an ethernet controller by default, but could add an
    > Apollo Token Ring controller - _without_ forfeiting the ethernet
    > controller.  This is what I gathered from the first price list also.
    > (The options for the ATR (AL #3 here in Austria) said "adds" not
    > "converts", as some other options did!)

The IEEE 802.3 Thin/AUI interface is built-in.  You can't get rid of it even
if you don't want it.  Options AL3 (ATR) and AL4 (ITR) provide an additional
ISA card.  AL3 and AL4 are .XOR.  with respect to each other, but not to the
802.3.

At one time there was some question about whether or not DOMAIN would
support network I/O to both kinds of cards in the same machine.  In such
case, you couldn't use the 802.3 port in an AL3/4 machine.  However, my
understanding is that these issues are cleared up, and adding AL3 or AL4
automatically provides gateway capability.

Regards,                                              Hewlett-Packard
Bob Niland                                            3404 East Harmony Road
Internet: rjn@hpfcrjn.FC.HP.COM                       Fort Collins
UUCP: [hplabs|hpu*!hpfcse]!hpfcrjn!rjn                CO          80525-9599