On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 21:11:21 +0000, Gunner wrote:

On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 22:45:00 -0700, "william_b_noble"
wrote:

I ran across a couple of boxes of new olicom rapidfire 61ATM 61 cards, 155
mbps. I know some of you folks mess around with networks of various kinds -
these are $2 each in any resonable quantity.


What are they?

Gunner



They're network cards for Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Don't know
the specifics of those cards.

ATM is the protocol used in the core of many BIG networks: telephone
networks, the Internet backbone, WANs, MANs (metro area networks), some
really large LANs. ATM isn't used much outside of the telecom industry,
as it's not really suited for end-user networks. Normally, it's used
within the backbone to build networks of other, more familiar, protocols.

If you make a phone call, it's a safe bet that your voice travels
at least part of the way on an ATM network. The same is true of your
internet packets.

More info he http://www.atmforum.com

Don't confuse ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) with ATM (Asynchronous
Transfer Mode). They are not related. However, through a quirk of
acronym overload, a network of ATMs will likely make use of an ATM network.

-Ron