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The rapid advances in fiber optic communications over the past few years have generated increased interest in the computer industry to evaluate and use this technology. A number of prototype links for the interconnection of data processing equipment have been fabricated and successfully tested in data transmission applications. The features of fiber optic links utilized in these applications have primarily been freedom from electromagnetic interference and smaller, lighter cables. Future applications are also likely to take advantage of fiber link features such as high bandwidth and low attenuation. This paper reviews the status of fiber link component and application activity as it relates to today's local data network environment and then suggests how new system designs might take more significant advantage of fiber optic technology.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Fiber optics promises to be an attractive transmission medium for communication between the computer and its I/O devices and for local networks. Its attractiveness results from its potential for providing high data transfer rate and long transmission distance. Within the central computer complex, serial transmission on fiber optics can also eliminate many of the problems associated with today's bulky parallel cables and connectors. However to obtain the maximum benefits of fiber optics, it will be necesary to make changes to the I/O interface architecture as well as the transmission medium. Changes may also be required in the way applications utilize I/O in order to take advantage of the high data rate potential. This paper discusses some of the features of fiber optics as applied to the computer system and also indicates possible architecture and application approaches for deriving the greatest benefit from fiber optics.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.