Skytech Ltd, Colnbrook, Slough, is to distribute a range of 16Mbps and 4Mbps Token Ring adaptor cards made by Danish networking supplier Olicom A/S. Copenhagen-based Olicom, in whom Olivetti has a 40% stake, has designed the cards primarily for use in 16Mbps rings with high-speed hardware such as the Olivetti CP 486 or Compaq’s Systempro server. The EISA and Micro Channel cards are built around bus-master Direct Memory Access, while the ISA 16/4 adaptor can use either a 16-bit AT bus or an 8-bit XT bus; the products can be intermixed with IBM equipment on the same network, and run IBM software such as PC Lan, APPC/PC, 3270 Emulation Program and AS/400 PC Support; other software supported includes Novell NetWare, Microsoft LAN Manager, and Santa Cruz Unix. Available from Skytech and its dealers in bulk from June, the EISA card will retail at a recommended UKP760, with the AT and Micro Channel adaptors coming in at UKP725 – samples will be available from March. Meanwhile, Olicom managing director Lars Nielson, who was in London for the launch, seems unconcerned by US rival Madge Networks Inc’s appeal to the US Federal District Court that the Soderblom token ring patent is invalid (CI No 1,376), saying that as far as he is concerned, the agreement on royalties is down in black and white, and that is that.
