Sytek Inc
Encyclopedia
The Sytek Inc., now known as Hughes LAN Systems Inc., created the NetBIOS
protocol, used by Microsoft to make its networks with MS Windows 3.x and 9x.
Sytek was founded in Silicon Valley
and last officed in their own building on Charleston Road in Mountain View
. During this crucial period in LAN
development, there were two factions within IBM
competing over the basic LAN architecture. One group, the telco switch folks from Geneva liked a central hub, with a network of distributed twisted pair conductors, as is used in phone systems. The other group, Entry Systems Division from Boca Raton, liked the idea of a distributed bus architecture.
Building on prior work done by such companies as Intech Labs (aka American Modem & AMDAX), Sytek built an rf transceiver that operated on cable TV frequencies. It receive in the High VHF band and transmitted in the Low VHF band. These bands were referred to as the forward and reverse channels. Within any given frequency band, it was possible to have many, many, virtual circuits between devices. In order to increase the advantage of using FDM on the cable, Sytek added an algrithm based on Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD). It must be remembered that there were few, if any, IEEE standards at that time.
All of the devices, called T-Boxes, were equipped with an EIA RS-232 serial interface, which had a 'legal' maximum data rate of 19.2 kbps. While this may seem slow by today's standards, it was screaming fast in 1982!
Determining a need for PC-PC and (especially) PC-mainframe communications, IBM asked Sytek to manufacture LAN adapter cards based on their FDM/TDM technology for IBM PCs, which they did. IBM saw the value of PCs as being a catalyst to sell more mainframe computers and understood that a LAN of the type Sytek made was superior to dedicated runs of RG-62 coaxial cable, which were required for 327X terminals and controllers.
These cards were available, as was the Token Ring card, from IBM for about $700 ea. In the mid-80s, Intel finally put the Ethernet protocol in silicon and the price for an Ethernet card dropped to less than $200.
NetBIOS
NetBIOS is an acronym for Network Basic Input/Output System. It provides services related to the session layer of the OSI model allowing applications on separate computers to communicate over a local area network. As strictly an API, NetBIOS is not a networking protocol...
protocol, used by Microsoft to make its networks with MS Windows 3.x and 9x.
Sytek was founded in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
and last officed in their own building on Charleston Road in Mountain View
Mountain View
-Canada:*Mountain View County, Alberta, a municipal district*Mountain View, Alberta, a hamlet in Cardston County*Mountain View, Ontario, a community in Prince Edward County*Mountain View No...
. During this crucial period in LAN
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
development, there were two factions within IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
competing over the basic LAN architecture. One group, the telco switch folks from Geneva liked a central hub, with a network of distributed twisted pair conductors, as is used in phone systems. The other group, Entry Systems Division from Boca Raton, liked the idea of a distributed bus architecture.
Building on prior work done by such companies as Intech Labs (aka American Modem & AMDAX), Sytek built an rf transceiver that operated on cable TV frequencies. It receive in the High VHF band and transmitted in the Low VHF band. These bands were referred to as the forward and reverse channels. Within any given frequency band, it was possible to have many, many, virtual circuits between devices. In order to increase the advantage of using FDM on the cable, Sytek added an algrithm based on Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD). It must be remembered that there were few, if any, IEEE standards at that time.
All of the devices, called T-Boxes, were equipped with an EIA RS-232 serial interface, which had a 'legal' maximum data rate of 19.2 kbps. While this may seem slow by today's standards, it was screaming fast in 1982!
Determining a need for PC-PC and (especially) PC-mainframe communications, IBM asked Sytek to manufacture LAN adapter cards based on their FDM/TDM technology for IBM PCs, which they did. IBM saw the value of PCs as being a catalyst to sell more mainframe computers and understood that a LAN of the type Sytek made was superior to dedicated runs of RG-62 coaxial cable, which were required for 327X terminals and controllers.
These cards were available, as was the Token Ring card, from IBM for about $700 ea. In the mid-80s, Intel finally put the Ethernet protocol in silicon and the price for an Ethernet card dropped to less than $200.