[net.lan] optical fiber links for IBM PC's

rvk@houem.UUCP (R.KLINE) (07/23/86)

	I'm looking for information on plug in boards for the IBM PC 
to create a simple optical fiber link between two PCs.
Most interesting would be any commercial product that claims
to create a PC LAN.

It's been suggested that magazines like Byte and PC World might
be good sources, and companies like HP and Intel might make boards.


thanks.

paul@imsvax.UUCP (Paul Knight) (07/23/86)

One source for PC network adapter cards using fiber optics is Codenall
Technology Corp., 1086 North Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701; (914)965-6300.
According to reports I've read (InfoWorld, 6/23/86, p.13 and LOCALnetter,
April 86, p.75) they have two primary products for PCs: one developed with
Sytek for the PC Network (2 Mbps) and another developed with 3Com for
Ethernet (10 Mbps).  It isn't clear from these reports if you can use the
fiber link for really high-speed communications between PCs.
		     Paul Knight      (I just *work* with Ted :-))

dyer@spdcc.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (07/24/86)

Codenoll's PC adapter cards for ethernet and the Sytek LocalNet presumably use
the fiber in the same way that their ethernet transceivers use the fiber:
simply as a transmission medium with the same bandwidth as the network
technology they replace.  In exchange, you get lower cost than coax for long
(i.e. campus-wide) runs, as well as EMI immunity, etc.
-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@harvard.HARVARD.EDU
{linus,wanginst,bbncca,bbnccv,harvard,ima,ihnp4}!spdcc!dyer

rpk@ecsvax.UUCP (Richard Kelley) (07/24/86)

FiberLAN makes a box that sits beside the PC and plugs into an IBM or TI
token ring adapter card inside the PC.  The other side of the box connects
to fiber optics that interconnect all of these boxes.

The box is about the size of a small modem and is completely compatible
with the IBM software (it's transparant).  Don't know what it costs.

The phone number of FiberLAN is 919-549-6554.

-Dick (ihnp4!mcnc!ecsvax!rpk)