GSC bus

GSC is a bus used in many of the HP 9000 workstations and servers.

The acronym has varied explanations, including "Gecko System Connect" (Gecko being the codename of the 712 workstation), "Gonzo System Connect" and "General System Connect".

The GSC bus was 32-bit and reached 40MHz in its final iterations. Variants of the bus include GSC1X, GSC1.5X, GSC2X and HSC.

Four types of GSC cards were produced. The 712-specific cards fit into the larger of the two IO card sockets. Several were produced, including a second RS-232 serial port, a serial/10BaseT combo, a second graphics card and a Token Ring card.

The 715/Mirage, 725, 735, 755, B, C and J class workstations and the D and R class servers used the so-called "EISA form factor". Many different types of card were produced, including Gigabit Ethernet, single and dual 100Mbit ethernet, Fast Wide LVD SCSI, ATM and graphics.

The K-class and T-class servers both used the "3x5" form factor, although the different brackets prevent the cards being interchangable. Fibre channel and Gigabit Ethernet cards both exist.