3Station
<computer, networking> The archetypal
diskless workstation, developed by Bob Metcalfe at 3Com and first available in 1986/1987.
The 3Station/2E had a 10
MHz 80286 processor, 1
MB of
RAM (expandable to 5 MB),
VGA compatible graphics with 256
KB of
video RAM, and integrated
AUI/
BNC network transceivers for
LAN access.
The product used a single printed-circuit board with four custom ASICs.
It had no
floppy disk drive or
hard disk, it was booted from a
server and stored all
end-user files there.
3Com advertised "significant cost savings" due to the 3Station's ease of installation and low maintenance (this would now be referred to under the banner of "
TCO").
The 3Station cost somewhere between an
IBM PC clone and an IBM PC of the day.
It was not commercially successful.
