On Mon, Jul 02, 2001 at 05:57:28PM +0100, iain.gray@nexusdata.co.uk wrote:
thanks, I'll give it a try with my 486-66. Have you any idea why ISA cards can be a problem? Is the slower bus communication likely to prove a bottleneck even at 512K ?
Theoretical max. ISA bus speed way higher than 512 kb/s - the bus runs at at least 8.77 MHz, and has a 16-bit bus. I know that it takes a few bus cycles per bus transaction, but even so, actual bus speed is not the problem. I'm guessing it is due to the fact that ISA cards are generally not as good at DMA as PCI ones. Whichever one you go for, I suggest that you go for a reasonable network card - avoid NE2000s, as they put lots of load on the CPU. For ISA, I suggest a 3c509, or for PCI, a 3c9xx. The better the card, the more load it will take from the CPU. BTW, have you considered smoothwall? -- David Smith Tel: +44 (0)1454 462380 (direct) STMicroelectronics Fax: +44 (0)1454 617910 1000 Aztec West TINA (ST only): (065) 2380 Almondsbury Home: 01454 616963 BRISTOL Mobile: 07932 642724 BS32 4SQ Work Email: Dave.Smith@st.com Home Email: David.Smith@ds-electronics.co.uk