Last Revised
AST RESEARCH, INC.       INFORMATIONAL BULLETIN # 0045       07/22/97 
 
 
 
TITLE:  ISACU and AST Commercial Systems
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
   AST will no longer support ISACU on new AST commercial systems. 
   AST's systems will continue to support ISA add-in boards without 
   this configuration utility. As new systems are developed, AST 
   shall continue to follow recommendations and initiatives 
   established for the PC industry by Microsoft and Intel. These 
   recommendations include a transition of peripheral devices to the 
   PCI bus from ISA, as well as the use of Plug-and-Play 
   (PnP)-compatible devices.
   
   This issue applies to any system using ISACU.    
 
 
NOTES 
 
   As a utility, ISACU served its purpose in assisting the 
   transition to Plug-and-Play peripherals. By following 
   Microsoft/Intel recommendations, AST is able to provide its 
   customers with systems which provide the full performance 
   benefits of recent hardware and software innovations. AST is 
   encouraging its customers to prepare for a complete transition to 
   PCI peripheral add-in boards by July 1998, when ISA-less desktop 
   systems will be the norm.
   
   Summary from Intel:
   
   Intel provides the Plug-and-Play kits for MS-DOS and Windows 3.x 
   (including the ISA Configuration Utility or "ICU") to its OEMs, 
   for redistribution to end users on a "use as is" basis, under the 
   terms and conditions of the attached license. Under this license, 
   OEMs are solely responsible to their customers for any updates, 
   all support obligations, and all liability arising from use and 
   distribution of the utilities. Intel will not provide any future 
   upgrades or support for these utilities, nor does Intel test 
   these utilities on its new motherboards.    
 
 
TAN N/A 
 
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