What is Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)?

What does MCA stand for?

Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) is a proprietary 32 and 16-Bit Bus advanced for IBM’s PS/2 Computer Systems. Introduced in 1987, the MCA became designed to replace the smaller AT and enterprise popular structure (ISA).

In 1988, Intel developed its Model of the MCA Chip, known as the i82310.

What Does Micro Channel Architecture Mean?

Prior to liberating the MCA, IBM suffered a setback in the PC Hardware marketplace. Challenged by trade problems, wherein ISA buses may be created by using any agency, IBM recreated its bus architecture with proper licensing and regained its market proportion cost.

The MCA bus included an arbitration bus, Address Bus, Data Bus, support alerts and a hard and fast of Interrupt alerts. Data Switch between enter/Output (I/O) gadgets, Memory and a conTrolling grasp turned into based on Asynchronous and Synchronous Transmission.

The MCA bus cHanged into designed to improve ISA features, together with:

• Slow speed
• Complex Configuration
• Hardwired sySTEMs
• Excessive strength Distribution
• Undocumented standards
• Limited hardware options, I/O tool addresses and Grounding power

The MCA bus turned into sooner or later replaced by using the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus in the mid-Nineties.