Also known as MCA (Micro Channel Architecture), it was a proprietary 32-bit bus from IBM used in PS/2, RS/6000 and certain ES/9370 models. It supported 15 levels of bus mastering and transferred data from 20 to 80MBytes/sec. The boards had a unique, built-in ID that allowed for easier installation than ISA devices. In late 1996, IBM discontinued its use in favor of PCI. See PC data buses and PCI.
In the PC, Micro Channel boards, along with EISA and VL-bus, have all but disappeared. The PCI bus has become mainstream, and the AGP bus is used for the display adapter only.
|
