DCA 010357A Token-Ring Adapter Card 16Mbps RJ-45 ISA Convertible

DCA 010357A Token-Ring Adapter Card 16Mbps RJ-45 ISA Convertible

This is a classic Token-Ring network adapter card from DCA (Digital Communications Associates), designed for integration into ISA-bus equipped computers of the late 1980s and early 1990s era. The 010357A is a 16 Mbps Token-Ring adapter that connects legacy computers to Token-Ring LANs via an RJ-45 jack, providing high-speed network connectivity for workstations and servers running DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows NT, or OS/2 systems.

Specifications & What's Included

• Model: DCA 010357A
• Network Standard: Token-Ring
• Data Rate: 16 Mbps
• Bus Interface: ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
• Connector: RJ-45 jack
• Form Factor: Full-length ISA expansion card
• Compatible with: IBM XT, AT, 286, 386, 486 computers and compatibles
• Supported Operating Systems: DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows NT, OS/2
• Card Type: Convertible architecture

Applications

Token-Ring was a major corporate networking standard during the 1980s and early 1990s, competing with Ethernet in enterprise and departmental LAN environments. The DCA 010357A adapter allowed IBM-compatible computers to join Token-Ring networks, making it essential hardware for businesses that standardized on IBM Token-Ring infrastructure. These adapters were commonly deployed in financial institutions, government offices, and large corporations where Token-Ring provided deterministic, collision-free network access. Today, they are sought by legacy system enthusiasts, museums, and collectors documenting the history of computer networking, as well as by organizations maintaining or archiving vintage IBM systems and Token-Ring networks. This card represents the era when Token-Ring and Ethernet were competing standards, before Ethernet ultimately became dominant in the 1990s.