Micro Channel Architecture
<architecture> (MCA)
IBM's proprietary 32-bit
bus, used in high-end
PS/2 personal computers.
Micro Channel is designed for
multiprocessing.
It eliminates potential conflicts that arise when installing new peripheral devices. MCA is *not* compatible with either
EISA or
XT bus architecture so older cards cannot be used with it.
As with the
ROM BIOS in the first IBM PCs, figuring out the Micro Channel's secrets has been an arduous task of
reverse engineering ever since the PS/2 line was announced. Consequently, the MCA has never become as wide spread as the competing
EISA standard.
