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                   EISA Forum and EISA Developers BBS



                   (202) 371-5925      1200/2400 Baud







Q:What is Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA)?  What

benefits does it provide?



A:EISA is a 32-bit extension to the industry standard expansion bus.

It is compatible with the thousands of boards on the market for the

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA).  EISA is a broadly supported

standard that is open to all developers of PCs and peripherals.



Although EISA exceeds today's peripheral requirements, future high

performance peripherals will require the capacity of EISA's bus in

order to deliver a new class of PC applications, such as workgroup

computing.  Broad industry support will mean users can continue to

choose from a wide selection of products to meet their unique

requirements.  Compatibility with ISA will mean they can continue to

use their current expansion boards.







Q:How is EISA different from MCA?



A:The primary difference between EISA and MCA is that EISA is fully

compatible with options for the existing industry standard

architecture.  EISA has also been enhanced beyond the capabilities of

MCA.  These include full 32-bit support (including 32-bit DMA and

memory beyond 16MB), higher transfer rates, larger board space and

additional power for increased board functionality.  In addition, EISA

is an open standard, available to all vendors in the industry.







Q:How is EISA different from ISA?



A:While EISA is compatible with boards for ISA, boards designed

specifically for EISA will provide additional capabilities.  Unique

EISA features include support for 32-bit I/O, support for multiple bus

masters, DMA enhancements, enhanced interrupt sharing and automatic

configuration of expansion boards.



32-bit I/O allows data to be transferred to and from peripheral devices

32-bits at a time.  This is valuable in applications that require very

high speed transfers of data, such as multi-user systems and network

servers.



A bus master is a device that is capable of controlling bus

transactions.  Bus masters are valuable for high performance

peripherals such as disk and LAN controllers in high-demand workgroup

computers.  In a system with bus master peripherals, the control of

data transfers is shared between the main processor and these

intelligent peripheral devices.  A bus master with its own processor

can operate in parallel with the main processor and transfer data at

high speeds.



The DMA (Direct Memory Access) enhancements improve the performance of

I/O peripherals.  Enhancements include 32-bit address support for EISA

and existing ISA boards, improved arbitration efficiency for EISA and

ISA boards and support for high-speed, continuous burst DMA functions.



EISA supports edge-triggered interrupts for compatibility with ISA

expansion boards.  It also supports level-sensitive interrupts for

enhanced interrupt sharing.  Interrupt sharing is useful in a

multi-user environment, where multiple I/O ports on a single expansion

board can share a single interrupt.



Automatic configuration of EISA expansion boards can be accomplished by

the board developer including an EISA-compatible configuration file on

a diskette that is shipped with the board.  A utility that ships with

EISA-compatible PCs reads the information from the diskette and stores

it in the PC, for automatic configuration when the PC is turned on.







Q:Where and when can I get a copy of the EISA specification?



A:The chip specifications will be available in the future directly from

Intel and any other chip suppliers.  The functional specification will

be available to all interested developers under non-disclosure

agreement through an independent company that has been specifically

contracted for this purpose.



The firm of BCPR Services, Inc. will be handling distribution of the

specification.  They can be reached at (202) 371-5921 (voice) or

request information via. FAX at (202) 371-5922 after 5:00pm Eastern

time.







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                   EISA Forum and EISA Developers BBS



                   (202) 371-5925      1200/2400 Baud





Msg #  1    Dated 09-12-88 23:12:11

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHAT IS EISA



Q:What is Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA)?  What

benefits does it provide?



A:EISA is a 32-bit extension to the industry standard expansion bus.

It is compatible with the thousands of boards on the market for the

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA).  EISA is a broadly supported

standard that is open to all developers of PCs and peripherals.



Although EISA exceeds today's peripheral requirements, future high

performance peripherals will require the capacity of EISA's bus in

order to deliver a new class of PC applications, such as workgroup

computing.  Broad industry support will mean users can continue to

choose from a wide selection of products to meet their unique

requirements.  Compatibility with ISA will mean they can continue to

use their current expansion boards.



 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHAT CLASS OF MACHINES



Q:Will EISA be available on all classes of computers?



A:EISA will initially be valuable in computing environments requiring

multiple high-performance peripherals, operating in parallel.  This

parallel processing capability will not be of benefit within a single

user environment for several years.  For most applications personal

computers with ISA slots will continue to be ideal.  EISA will become

important in the future for workgroup computing.



Msg #  3    Dated 09-12-88 23:15:23

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHEN WILL EISA BE AVAIL.



Q:When will PCs with EISA expansion slots be available?



A:PCs that provide EISA slots and peripherals that take advantage of

them will be available in late 1989.



Msg #  4    Dated 09-12-88 23:16:06

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: HOW IS EISA DIFFERENT



Q:How is EISA different from MCA?



A:The primary difference between EISA and MCA is that EISA is fully

compatible with options for the existing industry standard

architecture.  EISA has also been enhanced beyond the capabilities of

MCA.  These include full 32-bit support (including 32-bit DMA and

memory beyond 16MB), higher transfer rates, larger board space and

additional power for increased board functionality.  In addition, EISA

is an open standard, available to all vendors in the industry.



Msg #  5    Dated 09-12-88 23:16:43

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: HOW IS EISA DIFFERENT



Q:How is EISA different from ISA?



A:While EISA is compatible with boards for ISA, boards designed

specifically for EISA will provide additional capabilities.  Unique

EISA features include support for 32-bit I/O, support for multiple bus

masters, DMA enhancements, enhanced interrupt sharing and automatic

configuration of expansion boards.



32-bit I/O allows data to be transferred to and from peripheral devices

32-bits at a time.  This is valuable in applications that require very

high speed transfers of data, such as multi-user systems and network

servers.



A bus master is a device that is capable of controlling bus

transactions.  Bus masters are valuable for high performance

peripherals such as disk and LAN controllers in high-demand workgroup

computers.  In a system with bus master peripherals, the control of

data transfers is shared between the main processor and these

intelligent peripheral devices.  A bus master with its own processor

can operate in parallel with the main processor and transfer data at

high speeds.



The DMA (Direct Memory Access) enhancements improve the performance of

I/O peripherals.  Enhancements include 32-bit address support for EISA

and existing ISA boards, improved arbitration efficiency for EISA and

ISA boards and support for high-speed, continuous burst DMA functions.



EISA supports edge-triggered interrupts for compatibility with ISA

expansion boards.  It also supports level-sensitive interrupts for

enhanced interrupt sharing.  Interrupt sharing is useful in a

multi-user environment, where multiple I/O ports on a single expansion

board can share a single interrupt.



Automatic configuration of EISA expansion boards can be accomplished by

the board developer including an EISA-compatible configuration file on

a diskette that is shipped with the board.  A utility that ships with

EISA-compatible PCs reads the information from the diskette and stores

it in the PC, for automatic configuration when the PC is turned on.



Msg #  6    Dated 09-12-88 23:17:15

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: IS EISA COMPATABLE



Q:Is EISA compatible with the hardware and software I already own?



A:Yes, EISA is compatible with the thousands of hardware and software

products currently on the market for the industry standard

architecture.  The portion of the EISA slot that ISA boards plug into

is physically and electrically identical to an ISA slot.  It also

provides an identical software interface.  This allows for use of the

hardware and software you already own and allows you to choose new

hardware and software from the wide selection that is currently on the

market.



Msg #  7    Dated 09-12-88 23:17:57

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: IS AT BUS LIMITED



Q:Is the development of EISA an admission of the inherent limitation of

the AT-style bus?



A:Actually, the reverse is true.  EISA is a reflection of the inherent

strength of the industry standard bus.  The development of EISA

confirms the ability of the industry standard bus to continue to evolve

to serve future application needs.



Msg #  8    Dated 09-12-88 23:18:31

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHEN WILL USERS REQ. EISA



Q:When will users require EISA?



A:In late 1989 personal computers designed for large workgroup and

departmental computing environments will begin to take advantage of the

advanced capabilities of EISA.  For individual users, the need for EISA

is still several years away.



Msg #  9    Dated 09-12-88 23:19:06

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHAT VENDORS SUPPORT EISA



Q:What PC vendors have committed to supporting EISA?



A:Key PC vendors that have committed to supporting EISA include AST,

Compaq, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Olivetti, Tandy, Wyse and Zenith.

We expect the list to continue to grow.



Msg #  10   Dated 09-12-88 23:19:40

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHY BOARD VENDORS SUPPORT



Q:Why will board vendors support EISA?



A:EISA opens up a new opportunity in the rapidly growing market for 386

computers and related products.  High-performance computers with EISA

slots will provide a stable foundation upon which to deliver boards for

a class of applications that was never before possible on PCs.  And

because EISA is compatible with ISA, it provides a smooth migration

path for board vendors as well as their customers.



Msg #  11   Dated 09-12-88 23:28:31

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHAT TOOLS AVAIL.-BOARDS



Q:What tools are available for board developers?



A:Bus master chips will be available from semiconductor suppliers.

This allows a vendor to focus his efforts on board functionality rather

than on the bus interface.



A utility will also be available that will support the automatic

configuration capability.



Msg #  12   Dated 09-12-88 23:29:05

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHAT TOOLS AVAIL.-PC'S



Q:What tools are available for PC developers?



A:Bus controller chips will be available from semiconductor suppliers.

This allows a vendor to focus his efforts on product functionality

rather than on the bus interface.



A utility will also be available that will support the automatic

configuration capability.



Msg #  13   Dated 09-12-88 23:29:51

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: EISA RELATED TO PC/ET



Q:Is EISA related to the PC/ET 32-bit bus proposed by Phoenix

Technologies?



A:No.  EISA was developed independently of PC/ET.



Msg #  14   Dated 09-12-88 23:30:20

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: IS EISA IEEE OR ANSI



Q:Is EISA an IEEE or ANSI standard?



A:The PC industry has adopted EISA as a de facto standard.  It may

become an IEEE or ANSI standard in the future.



Msg #  15   Dated 09-12-88 23:30:49

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHO PRODUCES CHIP SET



Q:Who is producing the chipset?  Will there be a second source?



A:Intel has announced that they will supply EISA bus interface chips

for both PC and board manufacturers.  We expect the chips to be

available from other vendors as well.



Msg #  16   Dated 09-12-88 23:31:15

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHERE TO GET EISA SPEC.



Q:Where and when can I get a copy of the EISA specification?



A:The chip specifications will be available in the future directly from

Intel and any other chip suppliers.  The functional specification will

be available to all interested developers under non-disclosure

agreement through an independent company that has been specifically

contracted for this purpose.  The firm of Bishop, Cook, Purcell and

Reynolds will be handling distribution of the specification.  They can

be reached at 202-371-5921.



Msg #  17   Dated 09-12-88 23:32:11

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: LICENSING FEE...



Q:Is there a licensing fee for a PC or board manufacturer to use EISA?



A:No.  Making the technology readily available ensures broad industry

support.  PC and board vendors will only pay for any bus interface

chips they purchase from their chosen semiconductor vendor.



Msg #  18   Dated 09-12-88 23:32:41

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: IF EISA OPEN WHY NDA



Q:If EISA is really an "open" standard and there is no licensing fee,

why must developers sign a non-disclosure agreement?



A:EISA technology is available to vendors for use in EISA products.

The non-disclosure ensures that EISA technology is not used for other

purposes.  In addition, the specification is evolving as actual

development takes place.  While developers need access to the most

current specification available for development purposes, it is

important to have a central control point to assure that all developers

are updated in a timely and consistent manner.  The general public will

not need access until products are delivered.



Msg #  19   Dated 09-12-88 23:33:28

 From: SYSOP

   To: ALL

   Re: WHO WILL SUPPORT



Q:Your press materials mention a set of companies that have committed

to supporting EISA.  What is your attitude toward the companies who

aren't involved today?



A:Since EISA is an industry standard, any PC vendor is invited to

participate.  As has always been the case in the PC industry, each

vendor still has the opportunity to pursue his own product strategy,

providing users with a choice of products to meet their requirements.



