A Simple FASTBUS to Ethernet Interface
K. Baudendistel, R. Dobinson, Robert W. Downing, M. J. Herbert · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science · 1985
Until comparatively recently the effort and the expense of interfacing to Ethernet has been considerable, both in terms of design time and the number of integrated circuits required. However, the appearance of VLSI chip sets from several manufacturers, which perform large parts of the lower level network protocols, has done much to ease this problem. One of the first chip sets available was that manufactured by the SEEQ company of San Jose, California. We have successfully constructed and operated controller boards for the IBM PC using these chips. We report here on an extension of this work to construct a simple interface between FASTBUS and Ethernet. The motivation for the work is twofold; first to make available Ethernet products and services from a FASTBUS environment, secondly to investigate the interconnection of FASTBUS segments over longer distances than is possible using the present cable segment and segment interconnects. The emphasis of this paper is on how the interface appears to a FASTBUS user.