Intel Debuts Chip For 'Hot' Docking

Processor lets notebook plug directly into station

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By David Needle
Issue date: March 25, 1996

Docking stations, which act as a home base for portable computers, never became the runaway hit that Intel and many computer makers expected them to be. But that situation could change with the release of Intel's 380 Dock Set, a PCI chip that promises to let a new generation of Pentium notebooks plug directly into a docking station and run-whether the notebook already is ru nning an application or not.

This feature is known as "hot" docking. Intel expects systems incorporating the chip, in conjunction with its 82430MX mobile chipset, to be available by midyear.

"Mobile users are going to want PCI bus systems to take advantage of the Pentium and multimedia features, which require faster throughput," says Keith Bladen, product line manager at Intel's PCI components division in Folsom, Calif. "Docking is a major checklist item for MIS directors we've talked to. By mid-'96, we see hot docking as a major selling factor."

Until recently, most docking stations offered only "cold" docking, where the notebook has to be turned off, inserted in the docking station, and restarted to use the larger monitor, network connections, and other peripherals they typically house. Microsoft Windows 95 supports so-called warm docking, where a notebook can be docked in suspend mode.

Intel says it's working with Microsoft to en sure the expanded hot docking capability will be compatible. Intel also says it's working with manufacturers to extend the life of the docking station itself, so that it stays useful and compatible when a user upgrades to another computer.

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