<P>The ARTIC 186 8-Port adapter from IBM uses a high-performance 16-bit Intel 80C186 processor and Zilog 8030 Serial Communications Controllers. Operating at a clock speed of 7.37 MHz, it comes with 1 MB of dual-ported, parity memory, and supports 8- and 16-bit mode data buses. The eight independent serial I/O ports on the adapter are individually selectable between RS-232 and RS-485/RS-422. Two ports support asynchronous, bit sync, or character sync protocols, while six ports are asynchronous only. All ports may run concurrently at 9.6Kbps. An 8-port modem attachment cable and 8-port interface cable are also available. With that kind of speed and the quality of IBM products, the ARTIC 186 is an easy choice among 8-port adapters.</P>