IBM PCI Token Ring Network Card 01L1968 86H1896 16/4 Mbps RJ-45 DB-9 UTP

IBM PCI Token Ring Network Card 01L1968 86H1896 16/4 Mbps RJ-45 DB-9 UTP

The IBM PCI Token Ring Network Card (PN 01L1968, FRU 86H1896) is a half-length PCI adapter that connects a PC to an IEEE 802.5 Token Ring local area network. It supports both 16 Mbps and 4 Mbps Token Ring speeds and provides dual-connector flexibility with an RJ-45 UTP port and a DB-9 connector on the bracket, allowing connection to both unshielded and shielded Token Ring wiring schemes. The main controller is IBM's 85H9533 chip (marked 88H227), manufactured in Japan.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: IBM
• Part Number: 01L1968 (Rev B)
• FRU: 86H1896
• Secondary PN: 74P3245
• Interface: PCI
• Network Standard: IEEE 802.5 Token Ring
• Data Rate: 16/4 Mbps (auto-sensing)
• Connectors: RJ-45 (UTP) and DB-9 on bracket
• Main Controller Chip: IBM 85H9533 (88H227), Japan
• Form Factor: PCI card (half-length)
• Country of Manufacture: Japan
• Includes: Card only — no cables, manual, or accessories

Applications

Token Ring was IBM's proprietary LAN technology introduced in the mid-1980s as an alternative to Ethernet, standardized under IEEE 802.5. Unlike Ethernet's contention-based access, Token Ring uses a deterministic token-passing protocol in which a special frame (the token) circulates around the network ring and only the node holding the token may transmit — a design that offered predictable, collision-free throughput, which made it attractive for business-critical IBM environments. PCI Token Ring adapters like this card were widely deployed in the 1990s in organizations running IBM AS/400 systems, IBM mainframe-connected PC networks, and Token Ring-based corporate LANs. The 16/4 Mbps dual-speed capability allowed the card to work on both the earlier 4 Mbps rings and the later, faster 16 Mbps rings. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ethernet had largely displaced Token Ring in new installations, making these adapters primarily useful today for maintaining or expanding legacy IBM Token Ring networks, supporting vintage IBM computing environments, or museum/collector purposes.