Sun slots: a new workstation bus arrives. (technical)

Sun Slots: A New Workstation Bus Arrives

Now that workstation vendors have finally caught up with Sun's 1987 debut of the RISC-based 4/200 series, Sun is countering its competitors' offerings with a revamped product line. For now at least, Sun's 80386 machines are left untouched, but the 680X0 and SPARC processor families have been altered. Chief among changes is the incorporation of a new bus--the Sbus--on two machines. Taken along with the inclusion of the capability to handle 6U VME cards on Sun machines, Sun's new bus/board strategies will reshape the Sun aftermarket.

In the SPARC station 1, use of existing PC and workstation buses (such as VME or PC/AT) has been …