This section defines the general requirements for I/O devices. Additional requirements are defined in the “Basic PC 98 Graphics Adapters, Video, and Broadcast Services” and “Basic PC 98 Storage and Related Peripherals” sections later in this chapter.
29. System includes keyboard connection and keyboard
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required; USB or wireless
Recommended: USB.
The external keyboard connection requirements on any PC can be met by using either USB, a PS/2-style port, or wireless capabilities in the system. A mobile or all-in-one system that has a built-in keyboard must also provide the capability for an external keyboard connection, which can be implemented using a port replicator or a single PS/2-style port with special cabling for both an external keyboard and an external mouse. For complete requirements for keyboard ports and peripherals, see the “I/O Ports and Devices” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
30. System includes pointing-device connection and pointing device
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required; USB or wireless
Recommended: USB or other external bus.
The external pointing-device connection requirements on any PC can be met by using USB, a PS/2-style port, or wireless capabilities in the system. A mobile or all-in-one system that has a built-in pointing device must also provide the capability for an external pointing-device connection. This can be implemented using a port replicator or a single PS/2-style port with special cabling for both an external keyboard and an external pointing device.
A second serial port is not an acceptable external connection for a pointing device. For complete requirements for pointing-device ports and peripherals, see the “I/O Ports and Devices” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
31. System includes connection for external parallel devices
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required
Recommended: USB or other external bus.
The requirement for an external connection for parallel devices can be met by using USB or another external bus. This capability can also be provided as a parallel port with extended capabilities port (ECP) capabilities, but a legacy parallel port is not the recommended implementation. For complete parallel port requirements, see the “I/O Ports and Devices” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
32. System includes connection for external serial devices
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required
Recommended: USB or CardBus.
The requirement for an external connection for serial devices can be met by using USB or CardBus. An RS-232C serial connection can also be implemented using a 16550A or equivalent serial port, but a legacy serial port is not recommended. For complete serial port requirements, see the “I/O Ports and Devices” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
33. System includes wireless capabilities
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Recommended
Recommended
Recommended
Infrared Data Association (IrDA) fast IR is recommended for all PC 98 systems, including mobile PCs, in order to enable synchronization and data exchanges with digital still cameras, printers, and other peripherals.
Standards for wireless PC peripherals are being developed within IrDA and are expected to be completed in 1997. For information about wireless requirements for PC 98, see the “I/O Ports and Devices” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
34. System includes support for operating system installation
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required
A PC 98 system must include I/O device support and system BIOS support for boot devices, as described in the “BIOS meets PC 98 requirements for boot support” requirement earlier in this chapter. This allows the user to install or reinstall the operating system. Legacy and native hard disks, CD-ROM, and so on can be connected using interfaces to IEEE 1394.
The PC 98 support requirement can be included as one of the following types of devices, depending on specific customer requirements:
If this device is present, the host controller must meet the specific requirements defined in Part 3 of this guide, and the device must meet the requirements defined in the “Storage and Related Peripherals” chapter in Part 4.
For PC 98, the network adapter driver must support NDIS 5.0 to take advantage of new operating system capabilities. An NDIS 4.0 or MAC implementation is not acceptable. For complete information about PC 98 requirements for network adapters, see the “Network Communications” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
For a PC 98 system that uses a network adapter as a boot device to support operating system installation, the network adapter must be compatible with remote operating system installation and boot capabilities, as defined in the “Network Communications” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
For Office PC 98, the BIOS must support using a network adapter as a boot device, and the system must be tested with a network adapter as part of PC 98 compliance testing. For Net PC systems, a network adapter and system BIOS support are also required for using the adapter as a boot device.
Support for a floppy disk drive can be provided using PC Card, USB, or a legacy FDC device as defined in the “Basic PC 98 Storage and Related Peripherals” section later in this chapter.
For the Windows NT operating system, either a CD-ROM drive or network adapter must be included in the system, because Windows NT does not support installing the operating system from a floppy disk drive.
Note: It is recognized that OEMs supply PC systems to corporations with specific feature requirements. For example, a customer might want to insert network adapters at the end-user site. However, a system submitted for PC 98 compliance testing must include a device that meets this requirement.
For information about how these requirements can be implemented for mobile PCs, see the “Mobile PC 98” chapter in Part 2 of this guide.
35. System audio support meets PC 98 requirements
| Consumer PC 98 | Office PC 98 | Entertainment PC 98 |
| Recommended | Recommended | Required |
Although audio is a standard feature in most PC market segments, it is understood that certain SOHO and Office PC designs that focus on cost will not require audio. For those PCs that contain audio, the PC 98 audio requirements differ greatly from those defined in earlier hardware design guides, and they now include new performance metrics. For implementation details, see the “Audio Components” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
36. System includes communications device
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required; modem
Required; network adapter
Required; modem
Recommended: NDIS 5.0-supported, high-speed dial-up communications.
The PC 98 minimum modem requirements call for an internal 33.6-Kbps V.34-1996 data/fax/voice modem, using WDM driver support where relevant. The increased PC 98 requirements represent current market trends for modems available in 1998.
For complete information about PC 98 requirements for communications devices, see the “Modems” and “Network Communications” chapters in Part 4 of this guide. For information about implementation of this requirement for mobile PCs, see the “Mobile PC 98” chapter in Part 2.
Note: It is recognized that OEMs supply PC systems to corporations with specific feature requirements. For example, a customer might want to insert network adapters at the end-user site. However, a Consumer PC 98 or Entertainment PC 98 system submitted for PC 98 compliance testing must include a modem that meets PC 98 requirements. An Office PC 98 system submitted for compliance testing must include a network adapter.
37. System includes smart card support
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Not applicable
Recommended
Not applicable
If implemented in an Office PC 98 system, smart card readers and cards must be compatible with Interoperability Specification for ICCs and Personal Computer Systems, published by Bull Personal Transaction Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Schlumberger, and Siemens Nixdorf at http://www.smartcardsys.com.
In addition, smart card readers and device drivers must be Plug and Play-compliant and must adhere to the Win32 smart card specifications published in the Windows NT DDK. Smart card applications and service-provider dynamic link libraries (DLLs) must adhere to the Win32 smart card specifications as published in the Win32 SDK.
The smart card system required for a PC 98 system with digital satellite television support represents a different technology, as defined in the “Video and Broadcast Components” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.